Ben 10: Rising of the Shield Hero
「ベン・テン: 盾の勇者の成り上がり」
[A Ben 10 X Rising of the Shield Hero Crossover Fanfiction, written by Chris Chronos]
[Remastered V.1.1.]
Notice: This is the third rewritten version of the first chapter. The author's notes are put after the story.
As an experiment, the story is written in a mixed writing style between first and third person perspectives.
— — —
Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Summoned
第1章:『召喚された者の到来』
Theory has it beyond one's observable universe are endless multiverses filled with possibilities one wouldn't even be able to imagine.
Professor Paradox is an existence of mystery and as his name suggests, he is a being of paradox indeed. That said, Paradox has been one of few beings that could tell what exists beyond one's observable universe. According to him, there indeed lies an infinite-sized cluster of endless multiverses, filled with infinite possibilities and stories.
Story, as one assumes, naturally includes a main character and an antagonist if nothing else. Perhaps, a hero and a villain might work better. Infinite stories mean an infinite number of heroes and villains. But that's not what one wants to talk about.
There might be… No, there indeed are worlds of unrealistic concepts like fantasy, science fiction… and hence also, the incredible magic that human imagination can conjure, unknown to mortal beings.
But even among the heroes, one must say a particular hero stands out, because this particular hero is the protagonist of this story.
As weird as it sounds to be, Ben Tennyson, a human child, found the Omnitrix— one of the greatest sources of power in the universe— at the immature age of ten. He's been many things since the Omnitrix granted him the ability to transform, which he's used to become a hero.
Now he's grown up, but he's 17 yet an experienced, battle-hardened warrior. Despite his age, he's been many things: a fighter, a peacemaker, and the hero.
Why was he of all people… chosen by the Omnitrix?
It didn't need to have an answer. He wasn't chosen; he only proved himself worthy of it. Maybe out of the trillions in the Milky Way, Ben alone must be the only one who possesses the greatest source of power and never turns evil.
Therefore, without a doubt, he deserves it— the mantle of the Hero. As one assumes…
It's time. Now Let us see what our protagonist— the Hero Ben — is up to.
"It is well within your abilities to change the fate of the living things."
The words echoed in the green-eyed young man's mind as he stepped out a portal: a useful means to transport oneself beyond the boundaries of dimensions. His hair was brown and messy; his eyes were emerald green and he had an athletic build. He was overall good-looking, standing at 5 feet 9. But his muscles weren't that prominent; in fact, he looked like a regular teenager with a healthy body.
He was Ben Tennyson, proven by his green eyes and the signature green jacket he wore. Underneath the jacket was a black shirt, paired with dark blue pants. On his left wrist sat the latest version of the Omnitrix— a sleek smartwatch-like device with a square faceplate, with a green-black hourglass-like symbol on it.
It was probably intentional that he found himself in quite a secluded and quiet place. Yes, a library. In Japan of all places.
"Not just thousands, not just millions," the voice continued in the back of his mind. "You can change the fate of anyone and everyone within your reach. All you have to do is…"
I have to believe I can do it. The young man thought to himself, until he spotted someone who witnessed his arrival.
The witness was a Japanese young man holding a particular book— titled "the Four Cardinal Weapons." But upon seeing the newcomer who came right out of a portal, he absolutely lost it; his eyes bulged out of his head, mouth agape. In his panicked state, he nearly tumbled backward, toppling over his wooden chair, but Ben grabbed his chair in time.
There was a moment of silence until Ben broke it…
"Dude, you okay?"
Helping him up, Ben looked around to scan the surroundings; there were only three around, himself, this young man and the librarian who couldn't be bothered.
Ben used the universal translator of the Omnitrix to speak Japanese.
"Ah, yup, s-sorry…" the young man replied quietly.
"No problem," Ben responded with a smile.
This Japanese gentleman with black hair and green eyes, albeit a different shade of green than Ben's, was Naofumi Iwatani. With his somewhat sharp gaze and fairly handsome features, Naofumi was in his early 20s.
Despite Ben being a superhero celebrity, Naofumi didn't seem to recognize the brunet. It was understandable, given that it was an alternate universe and not Ben's. But only Ben knew it. This world didn't have a Ben.
"Hey, could you please let me read this book first?" Ben suddenly asked.
"Y-yeah…"
Still in a state of panic and confusion, Naofumi handed the book to Ben anyway, which the latter responded with a smile and a pat on his shoulder.
Naofumi Iwatani. Ben thought. Your fate has been changed.
"Thanks, man," he said.
Naofumi nodded politely in response.
Knowing the consequences, Ben carefully opened the book, which unleashed bright white light at his face, enveloping his entire body and seemingly sucked him into the book itself! All of which happened in the span of a few seconds— much to Naofumi's shock.
"What the heck!" He exclaimed.
The book fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Don't drop the books," said the librarian— a bespectacled young woman — with a hint of anger in her voice, "Please handle them with care."
"S-sorry, my bad," was all Naofumi said as he picked up the book.
[Transition]
Ben's POV.
The universe was peaceful. But the criminals were still lurking around in the darkness out there. I'm not a workaholic, not yet perhaps, unlike Ben 10,000. So let me enjoy my share of "peace" of this universe as well…
After all, I had to travel to the very beginning of the time, no, the time before the existence of the universe and the time itself to recover that "peace." Neither a time war nor a biomechanical villain who wanted to own the world would hinder me anymore! For now, I guess I will take my sweet time relaxing my exhausted brain before setting off on a space journey with my trusty partner, Rook. As for the partner himself, he probably left for his home planet.
Things had been going pretty okay that way.
It was an uneventful evening with me taking a detour and finding myself at a Mr. Smoothie shop when he arrived— he, the Professor Paradox.
"Young Master Benjamin."
— he said in a kind and British voice, but I was surprised briefly without fail. Not that it was particularly his fault.
"Oh, it's just you, Professor..."
Please don't sneak up on me like that. Despite my heroics, I'm still a perfectly ordinary human being when I'm out of combat.
Unusual, maybe, but Paradox was wearing a white lab coat and a pair of green goggles around his neck. I supposed he changed back to his old fashion (?). His British accent is still British, but his voice is lovely to hear. I didn't mean anything sarcastic by that.
"How is your day, Young Master?"
Everything around me had been frozen and motionless, suspended in a single moment. I recognized that feeling: Professor Paradox stopped the time itself to avoid interference.
"It's all good. Thanks. If anything, maybe it's a little boring. But isn't it nice to take a break every once in a while?"
I jokingly said, knowing Paradox must have an interesting reason to visit me. He's a busy kind, so he wouldn't reach me without a good purpose. At times, it could come with a difficult quest, but he's an old friend so I wasn't willing to reject it. It wasn't obligatory; rather, his quests were always exciting and interesting.
I couldn't guess at all what the matter was from his expression; it was unreadable for me. I never was the type to see through people anyway so I was used to it.
"Hmm, I'd say it's a coincidence," he chuckled. "I'm here to have a talk with you about something rather fascinating that caught my attention. It's sure to tickle your fancy and put a stop to that dreary boredom."
He was obviously baiting me, right? Why couldn't Paradox just stop sounding so suspicious? Though, I was baited anyway.
"I'm interested."
It's not like I have anything better to do. I quickly gulped a sip of my drink before listening to his story.
"It's quite extraordinary, really, something that extends far beyond the boundaries of this vast Omniverse. There are alternate realities in which versions of you and I simply never came to be."
Basically, the universes without me. One reality came to my mind: Generator Rex Salazar's timeline. Though, why would he word it in such a fancy way?
"Many worlds out there have superheroes to protect lifeforms and the laws of the worlds," he continued. "And some don't. Several of these worlds accommodate the mortals who find themselves battling against the most arduous and challenging circumstances in order to survive."
He addressed it in such an attractive yet somewhat frightening way while I imagined the worlds…
"Sorry, but could you please get straight to the point?"
A little rude I might be, but I was no genius. Beating around the bush ain't gonna take me anywhere.
"Indeed, the issue isn't particularly pressing. There's no need for us to intervene," he said. "But your help will be much appreciated. Also, it's nothing you can't handle, I guarantee. You can even regard it as a nice vacation adventure."
The professor pulled out his Chrono Navigator watch and took a quick look at the time. But that brief moment of silence was enough for me to make a decision. Simple, I trusted him so I didn't produce unnecessary questions.
"I will take up on your offer, Paradox," I replied.
He smiled in response, putting the watch back into his pocket before he snapped his fingers, which summoned a holographic monitor before us.
"Then let's have a quick preparatory lecture before doing the fieldwork."
And so things happened and now I've been isekai'd yet again.
Now in the present… At any rate, it was how my story here began.
For a moment, my vision went blank during the "transportation", perhaps due to the sudden change in environment, but it only proved me right that I had arrived at my destination— an unfamiliar place, indeed.
I was inside a building, a large one at that. Perhaps some sort of hall or such, but with well-painted walls and decorations. But the hall was otherwise empty except for people inside, meaning no proper furniture was prepared.
Beneath my feet was a circle-shaped altar that was likely used to summon us. True, us — I wasn't alone; with me stood three other young men who I supposed transported to this place, too. In contrast to the pre-existing people whose outfits looked pretty outdated by centuries, all four of us wore modern clothing.
One of the other three showed notable panic; the second acted cocky; and the third displayed seemingly observative nature through his somewhat sharp eyes gazing around to check out where he was.
What made me stand out was… the fact that I was Ben Tennyson.
Ben Tennyson.
テニソン ・ベン
I mean, yeah, that's right. The other three were Asians, so it wasn't too far off to say I stuck out like a sore thumb.
No, um, come to think of it, I indeed snatched the party ticket (that book!) from a Japanese man; so I guess this was supposed to summon Japanese-only somehow…
"Where is this place?"
— said one of the three young men, out of anxiety.
A sword… He had it in his hand. All three were handsome, but the sword guy was black-haired and looked younger than the other two. But I wasn't making the best guess. The blonde dude had a spear and the last guy with light-brown curly hair held a bow. Now that I noticed it, there was a small shield attached to my right forearm.
Don't we all look… ridiculous?
But I didn't feel discouraged; after all, people surrounding us looked European, with their outfit medieval — it was heavy metallic armor or dark-colored hooded robes. They creepily observed us also while cautiously keeping a distance. But their fashion explained the medieval architecture of the building.
"Ooh, Please Brave Heroes! Please somehow save this world!"
One of them spoke English, much to my relief; at least I'm not going to have to deal with the language barrier. Or so I thought, maybe the Omnitrix automatically translated their words into my language. Come to think of it, didn't I just understand that Asian guy as well?
"""What?!"""
— The three young men next to me exclaimed almost in unison.
That startled me. I'd got the gist of what had happened here before our arrival, but it seemed it was a lot of them to take in when they were asked for something like that right off the bat.
Ignoring them for the time being, I kept my head cool and analyzed my surroundings, which was the best way to get oneself prepared in an unfamiliar environment. But to be fair, unlike them, I was experienced with "world crossing." I didn't have the right to look down on them; I was cautious anyway, looking out not just for myself but for their safety, too.
"To put it simply," continued the same man from the medieval side, "Due to various circumstances, we were able to summon you, Brave Heroes, through an ancient spell."
Ancient spell… they said. It led me to the fact that this was a world where "magic" existed. It immediately reminded me of Gwen and my grandma, of course.
As I observed the three youths communicating with the men, it was clear that they understood their words (and hence, language), despite the men's foreign appearance and the possibility of them speaking a language unfamiliar to them. I speculated it was either that they were all speaking English or the medieval people had been speaking Japanese all this time.
"Summoned!?" exclaimed one of the three.
"This world is currently facing a global state of crisis. Brave Ones, please lend us your might."
— said the same robed man, bowing deeply to us. Let's call him the "representative."
They call us Brave Heroes (勇者)… Hmm, I can't recall anyone ever calling me a brave one. I might be a hero, but I'm not above using dirty tactics at times. But it's unavoidable. On the flip side, I wonder if anyone'd call someone who's scared of peacocks a brave one.
The response from the three wasn't that great… It was unexpected and in fact, bothered me a bit. Just not to the point of displaying visual reactions.
"What a pain." "Is that so?"
"Can I just go back to my old world? I already heard this kind of story before."
Everyone on the "other world" side displayed faint but visible uneasiness. The representative kept his posture, and kept on begging.
I caught myself scowling until I recovered my composure; I silently swallowed my anger, which might have come purely out of my pride as a superhero. But I knew I shouldn't be one to judge anyone from the first impression.
It's not that they were wrong. I was just too right, I guess. It's not like everyone fights the villains for love and peace on a daily basis, not like everyone faces tragedy and catastrophes. I could laugh at myself for even getting furious over such a trivial matter.
It's just the way people are. People, humans or not, are products of their experiences and surroundings. When faced with adversity, some choose to confront it, while others seek alternative solutions.
A shame that I couldn't bring Gwen, Kevin and Rook. But I'll have to make do with what I have.
I was always prepared to single-handedly protect the entire world. Yes, so long as I had the Omnitrix. This is what one'd call "Overreliance," perhaps?
"Tsk," I grunted quietly… but loud enough to grasp everyone's attention, enough to play my part. I needed to push the people.
The room fell silent, allowing me to especially feel the gazes.
"What?" I shrugged and grinned cheekily, exchanging stares with the three "heroes." That drove the gazes away, funnily enough.
At this point, the three "brave ones" understood that I was mocking them. Otherwise, they were just dumb. Not that I cared though.
"Aren't you people responsible for summoning us without our consent?"
The sword guy spoke up, his weapon pointing at the robed men to intimidate them. Communication at its finest,... Nonetheless, someone from the modern world drawing his weapon during a negotiation looked incredibly weird.
"For instance, we won't just fight for world peace and then return to our old world empty-handed, right?" Said the bow guy with a scowl directed at the robed men, "You guys don't seem to take much consideration into our own plans, do you? Depending on what you have to offer, we might end up becoming this world's enemy instead, got it?"
I had to admit he didn't sound unreasonable; asking to protect their world without merits in return was too much a request, an inconsiderate and selfish one at that. That said, I also reckoned the medieval guys would bring up the rewards when it was the time. It was just these three heroes who were insecure and impatient.
If anything, I was the odd one here for being without complaint.
"Well first, I'd like you all to have an audience with the King. We can discuss your reward then."
— said the representative, ordering his followers to open the large double door to guide us through.
"Guess it can't be helped." "Right."
"Duh, the guy we'll be meeting changes, but I bet the story's still the same."
I heard the complaints of the three and chuckled inwardly, feeling they were so easy switching sides.
Never had I considered myself a genuinely pure-good hero; great power alone doesn't make a hero. I did heroics as I believed it was the right thing to do, but beliefs are just beliefs. There was a fine line between being right and being objectively correct, as a certain wise man said. One can't always be the latter. Humans, being mortals, can't always be correct— we don't possess Omniscience.
Perhaps if I had had the good ol' Omniscience, I could've avoided some of those mistakes. In the past, I had often used my power for selfish reasons, (sometimes to seek attention) destroying relationships as a side-effect. It didn't happen too often.
But it still left a bitter taste in my heart.
"By the way, you guys," I made an attempt to start a conversation, "Are you from Japan? You all…"
Before a response from the three, the people escorting us gave me back a frown, which silenced us all for the time being.
"... maybe," answered the black-haired youth with the sword, but his voice was weird. Perhaps he made an attempt at speaking English (in his own accent) instead of replying in Japanese. But after that, we couldn't break the ice.
So I decided to see what kind of building I was in. It seemed to be a castle of some sorts, all right.
I wasn't a history enthusiast, so it was hard for me to tell what era we were in. "Medieval" was a vague and vast word, coming from someone like me— unknowledgeable and uninterested. "Medieval" for me might be as broad as the period between Stone Age and George Washington's era.
No sooner, we were brought into the throne room, where the King and his court awaited our arrival. The armored knights stepped aside to grant us a seemingly private audience with the King. To my surprise, the three young men agreed to bow to the King as a sign of respect. I did the same, but deep down, I didn't expect them to be this cooperative and respectful.
And apparently, we were…
"Are these successors of the Ancient Heroes? I am the King of this nation, Aultcray, the thirty-second ruler of Melromarc."
The King's voice was masculine and calm, and without a doubt, confident. At any rate, Melromarc wasn't a name I knew.
Successors of the Ancient Heroes, huh… Sounds like a big responsibility is stamped on that "honor." I remember one of my future selves, Ben Ten Thousand, was called something like the "Hero of Heroes." But deep down, he'd had to work his a–s hard in return for such fancy titles.
"Brave Heroes, please raise your heads."
His Majesty Aultcray Melromarc XXXII was sitting on the throne, dressed up in a gracious outfit made of ornate garments and fabrics, decorated with a few jewels. His hair and beard were white, indicating his old age— probably older than I initially thought he would be. But he still seemed to be a confident, stony king.
From where he stood, he silently inspected us for a brief moment, probably to assess the heroes they summoned. Well, that was what I thought until when his gaze fell upon me, I realized he wasn't just simply observing us.
Strangely enough, his gaze felt different the moment it directed at me — something familiar yet sinister and intimidating, just not enough to scare me, a Ben 10.
I wasn't one to judge people. Normally, emphasis on that. But I knew in a brief moment there was more than met the eye. Something intriguing was going on, and it couldn't be anything good.
Were we summoned just to play Superheroes in this world?
I was never an observative and keen person, so I didn't force myself to see through the facades and figure everything out like a smart detective from mystery novels. But prevention is better than cure; for the time being, I will just ignore his suspicious glare anyway.
But the other three didn't seem to notice that treatment; they weren't even trying to be humble anymore, disregarding the fact that they arrived in a completely unfamiliar world, surrounded by knights and guards.
Your heads will roll if you act like that, I kept that thought to myself. I wasn't familiar with the traditions here by any means, but for now, I supposed, the King was the pinnacle of the country, and acting reckless before him wasn't going to do you anything good.
Executing the summoned heroes might be inhumane and foolish, especially after asking us to protect the world.
"Now then, let me explain our situation. This land and this entire world are facing their demise."
To summarize what His Majesty told us, there was a prediction that the world was going to end. Yes, a prediction. A foretell. It said something was going to ruin the world.
If someone suddenly told me to believe in such baseless predictions (and a huge one at that!), I wouldn't. But well, something strange enough had already happened. We were summoned to this world. If there exists a spell so powerful it can transport people from the other dimensions, that prophecy could be true. It was ridiculous, but I had no other choice to go with the flow for now until it was disproved.
Speaking of which, Paradox once told me I'd have a glorious future, or something along those lines… It was undoubtedly some sorta "prophecy," but that British gentleman's practically a time traveler.
Forget that, what would destroy the world?
They said the world would be assaulted by the Waves of Catastrophe, which would turn everything to ruin one day. To save the world, these waves must be repelled before they could be dispersed. And this era marked the prophesied year.
"Excuse me, what is a Wave of Catastrophe?"
— I asked. The room went silent for a moment as His Majesty paused and the heroes waited for an answer.
"Ahem, we have a giant, ancient hourglass that continues to drip down ceaselessly."
He outright ignored my question! Oh, maybe I accidentally disrespected him, I guess. I better be more careful.
"… That Hourglass forecasts when the waves will fall. It began its warning a month ago. According to the legends, each wave will fall in roughly one-month intervals."
Initially, the residents of this country hadn't been too concerned over the prophecy. Unfortunately, it had been proved to be true. As prophesied, when the hourglass had completed its first turn, the disaster occurred— which was the first ever Wave of Catastrophe.
The first sign of disaster was… a dimensional crack that appeared somewhere in Melromarc, where hideous and brutal demons crept out in overwhelming quantities.
"Our adventurers and knights barely managed to repel them. However, the next incoming wave is predicted to be… even more powerful," the King added.
I wanted to ask him what an adventurer is. I suppose an adventurer is a person seeking adventure. But I don't know if fighting monsters is such a thrilling experience.
Anyway, it seemed the worst-case scenario was about to occur. At this rate, the disaster won't be repelled. It also seemed impossible to just rely on their "adventurers" and the nation's military power, which was why they summoned us— the successors of legendary heroes, or whatever we were called.
"I understand your dilemma. But who gave you the right to summon us into doing manual labor for free?"
— said one of the heroes, but naturally, it started a series of complaints from them.
"That is one hell of a convenient story."
"… Even if that is the case, and this isn't me being selfish or anything, if this world is going into ruin then let it be destroyed. This matter doesn't even concern us."
I felt conflicted for a moment. From my perspective, I wouldn't stand their arrogant, egotistical reponse, but in the end, I was just being selfish with that line of thought. From their perspective, they might just be normal people until a while ago. Were they randomly summoned? I had no idea. In fact, I knew little about their origins so I was certainly in no place to judge them.
"... if this world is going into ruin then let it be destroyed…"
However, I can't just leave it be. Not after someone has asked us (including me) for help. His Majesty might not have been the most humble person around. But he'd requested us to save this world. For me, yes, it's more than enough reason to save the world. All because it's within my reach.
That said, I was going to save this world even if he didn't ask…
"Ahem, Your Majesty, if I may," I began. The request didn't include that I'd be the negotiator…
The King didn't reply, but since no one interrupted me and even the three heroes paused their complaints to hear me out, I took that as a sign of approval.
"I'll be frank. We need to get paid, so let's negotiate the rewards first."
It was borderline rude (in fact, downright rude) and awfully direct but a necessary push. Beating around the bush would do no favor for any of us and the same could be said for wasting time. From the looks of it, "heroes" were highly held in this future battle, which meant despite being "human," these guys must have been granted some extraordinary superpowers at least; I should be in the same boat, but I couldn't care enough so long as I had the Omnitrix.
"... it's what they are asking for, probably," I glanced back at the three heroes, "They need to be provided with reward and wealth to protect your people."
… which I believe wasn't unreasonable to ask in return…
"What?!" One of the three exclaimed in response.
"Ahahaha, I see, I see," His Majesty laughed in response to my proposal.
"So what about you? Then would you be satisfied with some snacks or nothing?" A hero retorted.
"You certainly wouldn't?" I said nonchalantly, "It would be hypocritical of me to say it wouldn't bother me. But this is more about you guys. Tell them what you want and be honest. I'm pretty sure they will do everything to get us as their heroes."
My honest (and loud enough for His Majesty to hear) response earned me a frown from the heroes.
Money or wealth wasn't a concern for me; I could make do selling Diamondhead's crystals– cough, it's nothing harmful, of course. It might seem illegal at times, otherwise.
"I have already made arrangements to aid your cause with money," His Majesty interrupted us. "And surely, since the Brave Heroes will be protecting our world, I have already prepared a fitting place for you, heroes, to rest."
Sadly, it couldn't calm down the heroes just yet. Arghhh, my villain act had been for naught?!
"Don't think that we can be tamed with only this much though. You'll have to continue giving your cooperation if you don't want us to turn rogue."
"… That's right." "Right~"
Just make sure your own greed doesn't tame you, buddies. Maybe I had even been wrong to take on a bad light for them.
"Well then, Heroes. Let us hear each of your names," His Majesty declared.
The Sword Hero stepped forward and began his self-introduction.
"My name is Ren Amaki. Age 16, a high schooler."
Ren Amaki.
天木錬
Ren, this kid, was a flower boy for sure. He was a bit shorter than the other two, and his short black hair seemed to be combed and well kept. With his blue eyes and white skin, overall he looked like a slender swordsman. Judging from his appearance and name, I concluded he was Japanese.
But to think he was only a year younger than me…
"Okay, next up will be yours truly. My name's Motoyasu Kitamura. 21 this year, a university student."
Motoyasu Kitamura.
北村元康
This guy, Motoyasu, was also Japanese. At first glance yet, he was totally a carefree, handsome playboy, right?! He was already naturally handsome, but his face looked more refined (?). And behind his head, his long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail! Is it… a trendy hairstyle in Japan perhaps? Though, his hairstyle somewhat went well and cool with that spear.
"It's my turn next. My name is Itsuki Kawasumi. 17 right now, another high school student."
Itsuki Kawasumi.
川澄樹
It wasn't unexpected; the third guy was also Japanese. This guy was also handsome in his own right, I guess. A few curly hair strands made him look like he had a wavy perm hairstyle. His weapon was a bow…
He's about the same age as me, Ben mentally noted.
I stepped forward to give my own self-introduction.
"So it's my turn, my name is Ben–"
— it wasn't too late that I was interrupted…
"Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, huh?"
— by His Majesty himself!
Certainly, it wasn't an appropriate action to display to the summoned heroes of all people!
With the King straight-up ignoring my presence, the three heroes also might have felt uneasy, flinching. For me then, I was so embarrassed I wanted to run around screaming. If this had happened back in my world, I probably would have punched the culprit before doing so.
Thankfully, the heroes didn't call out the King. I shrugged off their pity or whatever stares and decided to forget the moment. However, my respect for the King had begun to tremble. I was one who feared nothing at all. I felt offended and a little angry at best, but what, I was just a teenager they summoned to save their world. I know it is no way to treat the one you regard as a hero, but it's alright.
Hmm, the one you regard as a hero… What if…?
"Now then, heroes, please confirm your own status. As a matter of fact, I would like you all to visually check for yourselves."
Ren stared at me for a moment, lost in his own thoughts, before gently shaking his head and looking away. He stole a glance at the King but didn't speak out; I mean, even I myself took it well. He had no reason to stand up for me after all. The other two just didn't care. Not that it mattered.
"Just what is this 'Status'!?" said Motoyasu.
"Eh, how do I go about seeing this?" Itsuki timidly asked.
For that, I also wanted to know.
"Huh? You guys didn't even notice that much after coming to this world?"
Ren was the one who scolded us though he himself looked shocked that we didn't know what he did. I muted myself and paid attention to him.
"Well whatever, do you see that icon in the corner of your vision?"
As he said, there was a weird, dim icon sitting along the edge of my vision, all this time! How did I miss it?! This is, what? Is there contact lens in my eyes?! Though, I have never even used contacts!
"Focus your mind on it and you'll see."
When I did as he instructed, the icon magically lit up— turning into a screen with bigger icons as if a holographic computer popped up into my vision.
Not the weirdest thing I'd seen, but I was intrigued. Thus, I had a lot of questions… Where did it even come from? Was it projected from my eyes? Or from my brain?
Perhaps with certain technologies, it was possible to project images onto the retina somehow.
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson
Occupation: Hero of the Shield
Level: 1
Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Armament), Parallel World's Clothes, Unregistered Device (Error)
Skill: None (Error)
Magic: None
Uh, yes, my status was full of "errors". Good. It was weird and not as simple as stats in Sumo Slammers. But the way one's body features and outfit could be displayed by the "Status Monitor" (or whatever it was) was interesting and terrifying at the same time. That said, I speculated that by unregistered device, it must have meant the Omnitrix— but it was way too complex of a device for the monitor to scan or analyze overall.
Though, isn't the "Hero of the Shield" title so cool?
I observed the other heroes to see if these "errors" only happened to me. I mean, the fact that these things appeared on my status is worrying, right? It could probably just mean something was wrong with me, after all.
"Level 1 huh… this doesn't look very reassuring."
— One of the heroes complained.
"Right, I don't even know if it's possible to fight like this."
"That's exactly what I meant."
Well, they were right. Despite Paradox's lectures, I wasn't certain if this "level 1" could affect my alien forms. If it could… it might spell trouble.
"Tools like these don't exist in your world, Heroes?" Asked the King. "This Status magic can be used by everyone in this world, helping to improve ourselves."
"Is that so?" "So then, what should we do now? Our current values seem rather troubling."
If my forms share the stats with me, oh crap, I am doomed. Attack Power 1 pt?! Are you kidding me?! Imagine Humongousaur punching something only to deal 1-point damage! Defensive stats were, however, impressive for a level-1, compared to my attack damage. Was it because I am the Hero of the Shield?
When my troubling eyes met Ren's, I smiled at him in response… awkwardly. It seemed other heroes were also disturbed by their stats.
"Relax, guys. Look, this is only the beginning!" I tried to cheer them up.
Admittedly, I was a "glass-half-full" guy, but it's not like complaining would do anything. The King and three other heroes turned their gaze at me.
"But what can you do if you die at the start? Game over and Retry?" Itsuki said in a hostile tone.
"The Omnitrix won't let me– er… sorry, but I think we can work it out to… upgrade…"
I realized I was the only one who thought it was alright. My voice diminished and the room was taken over by awkward silence. The annoyed heroes looked back at the King, who then said…
"From now on, you Brave Heroes will need to venture forth so that you may hone and strengthen both yourselves as well as your legendary armaments."
"Strengthen? Does that mean that our starting equipment isn't strong enough?" A hero asked.
"Yes, the legendary weapon of each summoned Hero has its own special method of enchantment. By doing so they can become very powerful."
"Legend this, legend that. It's fine not to change weapons as long as it can function properly as a weapon, no?"
Motoyasu whirled his spear around while commenting. I inspected my small shield. Wait, is this thing even a weapon?
Azmuth had often said Omnitrix wasn't a weapon as well, but if I used it to beat people up, it just kinda became one. I mean, technically. Unsure of the small shield's potential, I considered the possibility of its magical nature granting it greater power than expected.
Magical, huh… Magic wasn't my field at all. Only if I could bring Gwen with me…
"That doesn't matter right now, so we can leave it for later. More importantly, what we need is to improve our own abilities, right?" The heroes asked.
"So are we a team, yet?" I asked excitedly but the King went on explaining, still choosing to ignore my question.
Arghhh, already taking more "L" and emotional damage!
"Each of you Brave Heroes will need to recruit your own companions and begin your adventures separately."
Grr, I thought I could be in the same team as those guys and boss them around or something, lol.
"And the reason for that is?" A hero said.
"Yes. Legend has it that the legendary armaments will reject one another should you Brave Heroes band together, disrupting both the wielders and the weapons' progress," one of the King's attendants explained.
"I don't really get it, but if we act together, we can't increase our power?" Itsuki asked.
I internally sighed as the other three exchanged glances among themselves. Whatever, if things didn't work out one way, try another way. Finding a friend or two shouldn't be difficult.
But the King seemed to have a different plan for us.
"Allow me to prepare your companions," he said, "At any rate, the sun is already beginning to set. Brave Ones, please take your time and rest for the day. You may depart for your journey tomorrow. During that time I shall make arrangements and scout for talented individuals who can accompany you on your destiny."
For now, I ignored the King's dangerous glares and quietly left the castle with others.
[Transition]
We were escorted to the privileged place we would have to stay for the night. The servants and knights treated us really well as if we were the sons of some high-class noble family.
That said, I felt distant from the others. I was the only American with the other three being Japanese. I had learned some Japanese culture from Julie Yamamoto (an acquaintance! And ex-girlfriend), but I was still far from familiar with it. For one, I don't think cultural differences could be an issue…
Because I had kinda ticked them off in front of the King, I was sure I hadn't left a good impression on them, so cultural differences weren't a bigger concern. Also, I wondered if they knew I was the renowned Ben Tennyson.
"Hey, Tennyson Ben, is that your name?"
It was Motoyasu who approached me first out of the three.
"Yes, I'm Ben Tennyson."
For a moment, I thought of reaching out for a hand shake, but decided not to.
It was inevitably awkward. But I could see Motoyasu as a sociable person. His tone wasn't particularly friendly but did he know who I was?
"Call me Motoyasu," he said, "Do you miss home already?"
"No, I don't," I replied, raising a brow. "I've lived alone for a while."
As a matter of fact, I did live alone since I couldn't find time to go home. My parents hadn't been pessimistic about my heroics anymore, but going in and out everyday on a whim could have been a bother to them, which was why I had decided to live alone until everything calmed down.
But just when I decided to go home, Professor Paradox came and snatched me for a mission.
"Oh, I see, heh. We three are Japanese, and are you an American?"
Hmm, how weird. Does he not recognize me?
"Well, there are times when I'm not American," I said half-jokingly.
I transform into extraterrestrial life forms after all.
"Your Japanese is really good, though," said Itsuki.
"Maybe he lived in Japan," Ren commented. "It's not that rare to see Americans in Japan. He might even be a weeb."
"Really? I have never really seen that many myself," said Itsuki.
Of course, I was good with it. The Universal Translator function of the Omnitrix had been automatically translating my words to others, so much that they would feel like I had been speaking the fluent language.
Itsuki and Ren didn't seem to recognize me as well. I'd say I was a little surprised. But it's all for the better: I was getting tired of the superhero celebrity life after all. That can also mean… they were from a different world than the one I came from.
"I did learn Japanese from my ex-girlfriend, but I lived in… New York. But I love Japan and Sumo Slammers, yay!"
How nostalgic…
But a response didn't come immediately as they went quiet.
"Sumo what?" asked Motoyasu.
"Sumo Slammers. Don't ya know, it's such an amazing game," I claimed.
"Oh, it must be a game when Sumo wrestlers slam each other," Itsuki guessed, "I've never played such a classic game though."
"We three are Japanese so does it mean," Ren theorized. "Tennyson, you are summoned because you love Japan?"
"Um, maybe," I replied. But it wasn't necessarily the truth.
I took the book from that one Japanese guy to replace him in the role, but I guess I could spare them unneeded details.
"If I may, Tennyson," Itsuki said. "Why did you ask the King for rewards?"
"Yeah, you made us look bad," Ren complained.
"Sorry," I said in an apologetic tone, "I just didn't want to drag out."
Motoyasu seemed to be thinking about something else in the meantime.
"Speaking of which," he said. "Doesn't Status Magic look like something out of a game? I mean, everything about this world totally resembles Emerald Online."
"What's that? Never even heard of that one," said Itsuki.
"Just how ignorant can you guys be? It's such a famous title too!" Motoyasu groaned.
He looked back at me, asking for backup, but I'd never heard of it myself before so I shrugged in response. Sorry, buddy, the only games I've only ever played were Sumo Slammers and its other installations.
"What's Emerald Online? This world isn't a net game, but more like a console game, right?" Itsuki retorted.
"That is wrong, bro. This is a VRMMO, right?" Ren argued.
As they continued to spark a debate, I turned away and stuffed some food into my mouth. My mouth is full now so I can't talk. Don't ask me anything… was basically what I wanted to say.
"VRMMO? Is that what I think… it is?" Motoyasu muttered.
It's big if it's real…
"Hah? Let's say we consider the possibility that we're currently playing a game online, but if that were the case, it would have to be the kind of game that you can play using a mouse or a controller," Itsuki argued.
Confused, Kitamura tilted his head with a dumbfounded expression during their conversation. Unbothered, I continued enjoying desserts alone watching them.
"Mouse? Controller? What kind of retro games are you referring to? These days, aren't all online games VRMMO?" Ren's tone had begun to rise.
"VRMMO? As in Virtual Reality MMO? That crap is impossible. The tech isn't that advanced!" Motoyasu barked back.
"Huh?!" Ren nearly shouted in surprise.
Behind them, I still had no clue. I could make a guess what VRMMO was, and I only knew the VR training set I had once used in Plumbers HQ. That fighting simulator was awesome though.
Not to mention I wasn't one to play online games. But I decided to intervene, and turned around. Motoyasu was almost drowning in his own sweat.
"Ahem, you people. Calm down," I turned my gaze to Ren Amaki, "I don't really understand, but you mean, that VRMMO is a thing in your world, right?"
Ren recomposed himself and answered, "Correct."
"But," I turned toward Itsuki and Motoyasu, "You guys have never heard of it?"
"Well, it's a thing in sci-fi novels and TV shows," Itsuki said, "But it's not really possible yet. Also, we don't have Emerald Online."
Hmm, I think I've got the gist of what's going on here.
"Do you know Ben Tennyson?" I suddenly asked. Just to make sure.
"You?" Motoyasu said, pointing at me with his spear.
"Yeah, have you guys ever heard of me?"
"Are you a celebrity or something?" Itsuki questioned. "Or a social influencer?"
"Why are you even asking that?" Motoyasu frowned.
Ren quietly watched us, still stuck in thinking mode.
Case 1 - when Motoyasu brought up a title regarded as a famous game in his era, the other two didn't know.
Case 2 - (I forgot the fact that they had never heard of me.) And before I was summoned, I crossed over to another world. Since they didn't know me, I suppose they certainly weren't from my world — which means they might have come from the different eras of Naofumi's world.
Of course, it was pure speculation on my part.
"Sorry, never mind," I replied to Motoyasu and took a seat.
At the very least, I had confirmed that they were from the universe without "me." I felt relieved because I'd prefer it that way. This probably seemed selfish, but I had actually gotten tired of people treating me like a celebrity from heavens and fawning all over me. If I were younger, I'd probably love it, but now?
I had always felt like those kinds of treatments placed an invisible social barrier around me and pulled me away from others.
"Whatever," Motoyasu looked annoyed.
Itsuki and Ren were still figuring out the puzzle. I wasn't entirely confident about my speculations, so I decided to stay quiet for now.
"What's that game you guys think resembles this world?" Said Itsuki, continuing the debate.
Ren raised his hand. "Brave Star Online."
"Emerald Online," said Motoyasu.
"Brave Star Online is that VRMMO you've talked about?"
"Yes," Ren nodded.
Three pairs of eyes quickly turned towards me, fixating their gaze on me all of a sudden.
"What, don't look at me," I said with a shrug. "I don't know anything."
Then they exchanged glances among themselves. Good luck figuring it out.
"Hold on for a minute, let's reorganize our information," Motoyasu said while putting a hand on his forehead. "Hey. Tell me what you know about the situation with VRMMO, will you?"
"It's common where I live," answered Ren.
"Itsuki, and you, Ben. What about you guys?" (Motoyasu)
"If I recall correctly, it only exists in Sci-fi," said Itsuki.
"No, I've never heard it actually exists." I replied. At least not on earth.
There was a good possibility that other species might have already advanced enough technologies for such a thing, and I was pretty sure Azmuth the old man could make one. But I didn't need to tell them that, right?
"I've never heard of the titles you mentioned either," Ren admitted. "And just so you know, I consider myself pretty well-versed in the history of games where I'm from. You both consider them relatively well-known titles, right?"
Hmm, does that eliminate the possibility that they are from different eras of the same world?
"Let's try asking a common question. What's the name of the current Prime Minister (of Japan)?"
"Yeah!" The two others nodded. "Let's say it together."
I spaced out for a moment, staring at the view outside the window as the three heroes yelled their Prime Master names. Unironically, three different names came out.
"Oh…" Itsuki's voice deflated.
"What about you, Tennyson?" Ren asked.
Like hell I know!
"Obama," I muttered a name without looking back at them.
"O… Obama. That's a different name, too," Motoyasu remarked, "Apparently then, it seems that we all came from different Japans."
Heh, I couldn't help but chuckle quietly in secret. Sorry, Mr. Obama. But a sacrifice had to be made.
I did cross over to Japan in another world to get that particular book. So technically, I came from a Japan as well.
"Looks that way," Itsuki noted, "You guys definitely didn't come from the same Japan as me."
"This means there's another Japan for each distinctive world," Ren commented.
Good to know, alright.
The view through the window was awesome. Even though Castle Town was the fairly wealthy capital of Melromarc, there was no industrial pollution there. No engine noises and not much light pollution (it's not night yet). It was such a green and clean, heavenly sight to behold. The trees were swaying a bit and the rustling noises of the leaves were faint but present. I supposed it was windy outside.
"Oh, then, Kitamura, Ren, do you know how you were brought here?" Said Itsuki.
"Why?" Motoyasu Kitamura asked back.
"It seems like we were all brought here for different reasons and in different ways," Itsuki theorized.
He's right. Not everyone here would've robbed a book only to get summoned here.
"Hey," I faked a yawn. "I am really tired so I wanna go to bed. Count me out."
"Whatever, man," Motoyasu waved his spear.
I closed the window and pushed the chair back into the table before showing myself out of the dining room.
These guys— Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki are interesting. I guess I don't mind try befriending them.
[Transition]
Just a little recall here as our protagonist, Ben Tennyson, had gone to sleep. He might or might not be asleep already, but there wasn't any reason to wake him up for a small flashback.
It was before he got isekai'd, basically back when Paradox paid him a visit.
"Is there any other reason why I should replace him… if he can just do it?" Ben asked. By "him," he meant Naofumi Iwatani, the one destined to become the Hero of the Shield.
The question was purely out of curiosity and not a complaint, and Ben for his own reasons fully trusted the Time Walker. By that time, Professor Paradox was already finishing up his lecture. In response to Ben's question, with a gentle smile, he snapped his fingers to change the display on the monitor.
"Well, yes, there is," he stated calmly, "However, I myself have simply no knowledge of it. You'll one day come across someone who can tell you the answer you need."
The holographic monitor displayed the same tree he had used as a metaphor to lecture No-watch Ben about the infinite multiverse.
"I see," Ben muttered.
The one who knows something that even Paradox has no knowledge of? He felt conflited. It was even nigh-unbelievable to imagine. But who knows, there are all kinds of possibilities in the multiverse after all.
And so in the present, Ben had been entrusted with the mantle of the Hero of the Shield, under abnormal circumstances. There might have been a checklist to find the candidates who would wield the legendary weapons, and Ben wasn't certain he might fit those checklists. But deep down, he was still a hero and it was perhaps what this situation needed.
I trust Paradox. But is everything going to be alright?
As Ben disappeared into the portal, Paradox wore a mischievous grin and looked down at his hand— his palm glowed dark purple light and a black glove began to appear. But he snapped his fingers, making the glove disappear.
"The brat is naive," he muttered, smirking as he walked away, "But the preparations are complete anyway."
The last step was, right, he needed Ben Tennyson away from the universe. And then…
The clock began to move forward again as the Time Walker vanished into thin air before anyone else could see him.
This marks the end of the First Chapter.
But I made a little extra (Omake)!
Chapter 1.5 (Extra): What if Ben 69 became the Shield Hero instead…
That was indeed a foolish question. Mr. Chris Chronos is a gentleman, indeed, but he isn't above promoting his fanfictions randomly. Quite tragic as it seems.
Ben 69 is the main character of The Unidentified Lifeform. A guy unmotivated to go hero at times. Someone who prefers to avoid fights and villains deliberately so long as it won't affect his small business. But he was still keen to find himself a harem, huh…
This unheroic piece of sh*t, I mean, cough, he is in no way suitable to become the Hero of the Shield, much less call him a hero. Well, that aside, let's begin the scenario.
"What the f*ck just happened?!"
— as expected, Ben 69 was the first to grumble, both panic and astounded. Immediately, he stepped off the altar and started wandering around the hall.
"Where the heck is this?" He muttered to himself, ignoring the knights following him around to drag him back to where he should be.
"Sir, please— please wait–"
"This is a castle?" Ben noted, rubbing the wall built of stone bricks, "Looks sturdy."
The three heroes exchanged glances awkwardly but would begin to grumble soon enough. The Melromarc knights and officials in the hall didn't have a good expression on their faces. Sure, the Shield Hero wasn't one they would prioritize, but failure to catch a single hero kind of defeated the point of their existence.
"Sir Hero!"
For one, Ben used the Omnitrix and transformed into Big Chill, vanishing immediately before the knights could get a grasp of him.
"Wh-what just happened!?" The knights and officials turned pale, but it didn't fail to surprise the heroes, too.
"This looks impressive," Ben appeared in human form near the other end of the hall, away from the knights. But now the entire hall, except for him, was in a state of silent panic and shock.
He reached out his hand to touch the murals but stopped before doing so and turned around.
"Did I just get… isekai'd again?"
"What is he talking about?" Motoyasu muttered, the other two responding with questioning looks directed at Ben.
"So what do I do?" The brunet said calmly and rushed toward the officials— they all stepped away in fear.
"Tell me, what do I do?" He repeated the question, "I have work back in my world. Uh, no, my waitress can take care of it— no, no, it's not going to be fine…" He began to mutter to himself, ignoring the trembling officials.
"What the hell are you guys? And where is this?!" Motoyasu said. "And you… The Shield guy."
Ben as usual ignored the question and looked down at his Omnitrix, without noticing the artifact on his other hand— the Holy Shield.
"I'm talking to you," Motoyasu pushed Ben and it was only when he noticed the Shield.
"Oh… I'm the Shield Guy," he raised a brow and glanced back at the Japanese people, "And you three are… Spear, Sword, and Bow Guys."
Such a cliche… Ben kept the thought to himself and started calculating if he should go back. It wouldn't be nice of him to leave Bazu (his waitress) alone at the shop, but he didn't know a way to go back anyway.
"Hey, you people," Ben turned his gaze back at the officials, "Do you know how to send me back to my world?"
"My world?" Motoyasu (and the rest of the heroes) was still confused, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Ben didn't avert his eyes.
"U-uh, we don't know how… p-probably," an official who seemed to be the representative, spoke up, "But if you'd be so kind to–"
"We're in another world (isekai), basically," Ben told the other heroes, "If you've come across the trope in the novels and such, you would've known what I mean."
As a matter of fact, his waitress was an "otaku" (though Japan doesn't exist as a country in his world) so even if he weren't a reader, he was inevitably knowledgeable about the anime tropes.
"Interesting," Ren remarked, taking Ben as a "reliable source" of information.
… oblivious of the fact that the Omnitrix wielder was speaking on pure speculations. But in fact, Ben had been isekai'd once. So he wasn't that inexperienced about the matter either.
"We have been summoned to this world," he said, pointing at the officials and knights, "These people are responsible for that. And I believe they probably need our help."
"Y-yes! You speak of the truth, Sir Hero!" The official said in delight.
Ben looked around inspecting the murals again. "I'm grateful you did that," he said, "you brought me into an amazing world, and I've been wanting to take a vacation…"
The three heroes could only look at him in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
"Well at any rate, Shield is usually unneeded anyway," he said nonchalantly, "Three heroes should be more than enough. So I shall take my leave."
"Sir Hero?"
Ben raised the Omnitrix to his chest level and transformed into XLR8, disappearing as a blur as he ran out of the hall.
"... and he left?" Itsuki muttered. "What just happened?"
"Right before our eyes…" Motoyasu inspected his spear. "Could these weapons do something like that, too?"
The knights of Melromarc and the officials responsible for the summoning, however, were soaked in cold sweats. As it happened quite too fast, they were at a loss of words, and had no idea how they could explain that to King Aultcray.
- End -
A/N: This is what reading light novels makes to a fanfiction writer, lol. I never was trying to sound like an intellectual or anything; my vocab range is limited and so is my literacy. But this one particular light novel I came across has inspired me into writing this kinda style.
Normally, I never reread my own fanfics at all. I might reread fanfics written by others a few times, but I don't treat my things the same. I feel like it's a hassle. Well, proofreading is worth every second I do, but I just don't have the privilege to do so. Therefore, my stuff usually comes out messy. I must apologize for that.
Which is also why… I decided to rewrite the entire thing, update grammar and all, so I could enjoy the ecstasy of writing. Despite the fact that I may have abandoned this story for a years, maybe more, I still love it. I mean, I love myself and I love my products naturally. So even if I dared ruin the story in the past, I'm willing to improve it this time.
Incidentally, there was a line of Ren saying "he might even be a weeb." This is an assumption that the word "weeb" is fairly commonly known in his world, but there is a small chance Itsuki and Motoyasu might not know the word. Just a nitpick on my side, lol.
Alright, then, thanks for reading and your support. Reviews will be much appreciated and both advice and critique are welcome. Especially regarding this newest rewrite.
You can share your thoughts through private messaging as well. My Discord is christopherchronos09 and I have a server dedicated to my fanfics! Just DM me if you wish to join!
A FanFiction by Chris Chronos.
Author's notes from the previous edition: For now, this is the latest edition but it's not perfect. The person I will become in the future will always surpass the version of myself from the past. The last crucial changes to the storyline are made in this edition, and the storyline won't be updated anymore. I will only update the chapters to fix errors or add information (like poll/ notes, etc.) in the future.
So then let me mention some issues I encountered and some questions that I need to ask the readers. I have come across several official and unofficial translations of Shield Hero light novels, and fansubs of its anime. In this edition, I decided to use the "Waves of Catastrophe" as the formal translation because I think it sounds cooler than "Waves of Calamity" and "Waves of Disaster", doesn't it?
Here are some crucial changes (without spoilers) that will be made to this series:
When I started this series back in January of 2022, the main protagonist was supposed to be Ben Prime. But that was changed when he was introduced as Ben 2040 later, though he still resembles Ben Prime a lot in many ways. We had controversies over Ben's personality: probably he was written quite inconsistently. Even I myself have a different view of Ben now than when I started this fic. So I decided to remove his "too nice guy" personality and make him resemble Omniverse Ben more.
The way he figured out the King (and Malty) in the original version was too fast and unrealistic (in my opinion) so I removed that part. It doesn't really contribute to the story anyway. Ben isn't dumb, but he isn't Sherlock either.
Several dialogues and monologues are changed.
The question is: should Ben's alien forms be nerfed according to the stats of the Holy Shield?
Ben narrated that he had the attack power of one point, which means he was going to deal damage that low. In the original (the one before previous) version, the alien forms weren't affected (for plot reasons) and bullied the characters all the way without any exception. Due to how much they are nerfed, it can affect the story. But it can also mean another interesting take on the Ben 10 X Shield Hero crossover.
Please share your thoughts.