Welcome back everyone! This chapter is indeed shorter, but don't worry, there's only one more of these before the chapters start being 5 to 6.000 words and up.
Responding some of the comments from last chapter:
1: Yes, you guys are right, Goop can indeed punch things, I had honestly forgotten about that. Maybe using Goop and Mina was not the best option, even if he does have the anti-gravity projector as a big weakness, but I still stand that Ben has advanteges to scanning quirks, you'll see what I have in store. And let's not forget that he has some very powerful aliens but simply doesn't use them much, like Atomix, Clockwork, Chromastone (in Omniverse), etc.
2: While Ben does not have a explict no-kill rule, it's not like that's an option he'll go to right away. He has killed before, but only on extreme occasions or accidents... or when he was 10 years old and didn't care much. But after the whole Kevin incident and Aggregor, I think he would be more careful with his enemies.
With that said, enjoy this week's chapter!
CHAPTER 3: Hard Truths
It is not true. It can't be true. There's no way that it is true.
And yet somehow… Naomasa simply couldn't prove that it wasn't.
-"Tsukauchi."
It was a crazy story. Too crazy. Nobody would come up with this out of nowhere. And what would someone gain from getting the police to believe this?
-"Tsukauchi!"
But… What if it was all true? What would that entail to the world? The consequences of the public finding out this information would be disastrous, not counting the amount of media outlets wanting proof of everything the teenager said. Naomasa himself wanted some of that proof right now. Maybe he was just overthinking it all and-
-"TSUKAUCHI!"
The detective was snapped out of his trance when a hand touched his shoulder. He remembered where he was, behind the one-way glass in the observation room to the interrogation room where Ben currently sat.
The hand that touched him was All Might's, but he wasn't the large buff man from earlier. Instead, he was in his skinny form, a very much shorter man with sharp angular figures, long limbs and neck and absent eyebrows, with his hero outfit hanging loose on his body.
The skinny hero in front of him asked: -"What were you thinking about?"
The detective only stared at the hero, not focusing on the man due to his mind going 1000 miles per hour.
All Might saw that look and asked with a tone of fear in his voice -"You're… You're not actually thinking that that whole story is real, are you?"
Naomasa paused for a second before answering: -"I… I don't know. I just know that my quirk has never failed me before, so he's either telling the truth or somehow convinced himself that is the truth. And it's not possible that he has a quirk that can counter mine since you saw him transform into a big red guy earlier."
-"A big red guy that he says it's one of his many… alien… transformations!" The hero exclaimed. -"Come on Tsukauchi, you can't possibly believe that insane story!"
The detective looked through the window in the room, staring at Ben, the supposed quirkless boy from another universe who has a watch that can turn himself into alien creatures. He was going to get to the bottom of this: -"His DNA test should be done already, I'll go get it, then we'll see the truth. And I already got his fingerprints and a picture of him, so if he's registered anywhere, we'll know. Can you stay in the room and keep an eye on him while I grab it?"
All Might looked unsure. -"I don't have much time left today in my other form."
-"It should only take a few minutes." he said as he walked towards the door.
-"Well alright then, no problem."
-"Thanks.". And with that, he left to get the tests.
Naomasa walked through the station, thinking about this whole situation Ben had just told them. He had Ben give his fingerprints and a lock of hair before he started telling his insane tale. Could it really be the truth? Other universes? Aliens? It was just too much for his mind. Luckly, his thought process was interrupted when he arrived at the desk of the officer he gave that task to.
-"Sansa, did you get the results from the lab?"
Sansa was a lean man with large yellow eyes, but instead of a human head, his head was that of a ginger tabby cat. He was wearing a pale blue button-up shirt with a golden bell at his neck.
-"Yes sir! They're right here." He handled out a paper. -"But the fingerprints gave no result."
Naomasa looked at him with curiosity -"What do you mean?"
Sansa sat on his desk -"I tried searching on our database for someone who has those fingerprints, but no match came up. I tried doing the same thing with the DNA, but got the same result. Nothing on the ordinary quirk registry. as well"
This was concerning for the detective. No matches? For the entirety of the Japanese Police Force database? -"Well… he did say he is from the United States. Luckly, I sent a photo of Ben to my friend there." he thought.
But Sansa wasn't done. -"But the weirdest thing is when I tried searching for that boy whose picture you gave me. The only recorded place where he was spotted came from a traffic camera today, near that gas station that blew up. Nothing before that."
The detective thought for a moment. It was all adding up to the story Ben told. He was about to read the lab results when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was his friend from America calling him.
-"Hello, Luther?"
The man on the other side of the line was Luther Anderson, detective of the New York Police Department. He was a tall man, of african-american descent in his late 40s. He sported a low-maintenance closely cropped hairstyle, and was wearing a white button-up shirt with a dark blue tie. His beard was cropped close to the chin and showed a few gray hairs.
He spoke with a concerned voice. -"Yeah, it's me. Calling to tell that that teenager you're looking for, Ben Tennyson or whatever, is not someone registered on our database. I found Bens and I found Tennysons, but none matching the photo you sent me."
Tsukauchi was most definitively worried now. -"So… what you're saying is-"
-"That this guy is either a ghost or he's not from here."
There was a pause in the conversation, as the japanese detective could not think of another thing to say. Luther noticed this and with a lower voice asked: -"Naomasa, who is this guy?"
-"That's what I want to know… hold on." The detective then looked at the paper on his hand, searching for the answer. And when he got it, he widened his eyes, his breath caught in his throat and his heart started beating faster.
Luther could still hear him through the phone. -"Naomasa, are you okay?" Sansa also looked worried for the detective.
He slowed his breathing and thought for a moment. -"I'm… I'm okay. Look, Luther, thanks for the help, but I'm gonna need to call you back later okay."
-"Wait but-" He didn't even finish his sentence before Tsukauchi hung up. -"Thank you as well, Sansa." He then turned around and walked fast to the interrogation room.
-Meanwhile-
-Interrogation Room-
Now he just had to wait, hoping for the best outcome. He told them everything he could, and even gave them his hair and fingerprints for them to see that he wasn't registered anywhere. They would either believe him, or throw him in an asylum. Probably the second option. Though, if they did believe him, it would be a step in the right direction. But Ben really didn't want to become famous in two separate Earths now, and he could only tell them necessary information without breaching the Plumber's protocol, so no 'most powerful weapon in the universe' or 'greatest hero of the galaxy' thing.
The door to the room opened and the hero came back, leaned on the wall and watched Ben from the corner of the room… again. When he saw that the detective wasn't coming in, he asked.
-"Where's detective Tsukauchi?"
-"He's just grabbing your results." the large man responded. But then Ben saw he looked thoughtful, before saying: -"But while he's out, I'd like to ask you a few things myself."
All Might then stood at the other side of the table, in front of Ben, but didn't sit on the chair that was there. Probably because he was too big for it anyway.
-"Um… sure. What'd you wanna know?"
-"What came over you to fight those guys back there? If what you said is true, you didn't even hesitate."
Ben was surprised. He was actually trying to believe him! Or at least about something he said. -"Well, isn't that just what a hero does? I told you guys, I'm a hero back in my world, and I don't change who I am just because I'm not there."
All Might really didn't know if Ben was speaking the truth or this is just part of the game he was setting up for… something.
And Ben could see that, that doubt on the hero.
-"Look… I know this must be very confusing for you. Imagine how it is for me! In one moment, I'm fighting on an underground base of one of my nemesis, and in the next, I'm in an alleyway on an alternate version of Japan! And to make matters worse, I almost got arrested by a wood guy just because I was trying to help some people!"
-"I'm sorry for how Kamui Woods treated you, and I'm also sorry for not believing in you. But you have to realize what kind of predicament we're in. A seemingly American teenager pops up near an explosion in Japan, uses his quirk to get away from a known hero and tells us that he's from another universe with aliens."
Ben looks at the pro-hero with a look of understanding. It really was a very confusing situation. It was the same thing on Rex's earth.
The large hero kept talking -"Until we can prove who exactly you are, I'm sorry young man, but I don't believe you."
-"Well, I do."
Both men in the room looked towards the voice, which was from detective Tsukauchi at the door, looking right at Ben. His eyes were like spears, cutting through the teen as if he just discovered the fountain of youth.
-"Wha- What are you talking about Tsukauchi?"
Saying nothing, the detective simply raised his hand while holding the paper. -"These are your quirk test results made from your hair."
-"And what do they say?" asked All Might.
-"..."
-"Tsukauch-"
-"He's quirkless."
While Ben could not really understand what was going on, and still didn't know what a quirk was, All Might simply took a step back.
-"Tsukauchi… that's not possible, I saw him willingly transform into a big red guy with four arms."
-"I know All Might… but the test says that he indeed is quirkless… he doesn't have powers."
-"Naomasa-"
But before All Might could say more, the detective interrupted him and was taking slow steps closer to Ben, - "Furthermore… he's not registered anywhere. Neither here or in the U.S.. And the only camera footage we have of him is from today. And he doesn't know about the hero licenses, even though it was the U.S. that came up with hero registration in the first place. It's as if he just popped into existence."
The pro hero could see where Naomasa was going with this, but he simply could not believe it. -"Naomasa! Are you really going to belie-"
-"All Might, do you trust me?"
All Might took a step back at the question. Naomasa wasn't even looking at him when he asked -"W-What?"
-"I asked if you trust me." he asked again, but this time looking All Might in the eye.
-"Of course I do detective, but-"
-"Then stay put." Tsukauchi then turned to the very confused young man in the room. -"Ben, can you do something for me?"
Ben really didn't know how to respond, but something is better than nothing right? -"Humm… sure?"
-"Then I want you to turn into… an alien. A different one."
All Might was DEFINITELY against this action, -"NAOMASA, WHAT-"
-"Just trust me on this! But stay put should he attack." He turned back to Ben and asked again -"Can you do that for us right now?"
-"I… I can. But… I don't want to fight anyone." The teen answered.
-"That's alright, just transforming is fine."
-"Okay." Ben then stood up and started fiddling with his watch. All Might put his fists up just in case and Naomasa put a hand on his gun on instinct. After finding the right alien, he pressed down and the Omnitrix's signature green light filled the room.
When it died down, Ben was nowhere to be seen. The two adults had their eyes widened and were almost starting to panic at the thought that the teenager might have escaped. But those thoughts were silenced when they heard a high pitched voice call out to them from beneath the table.
-"Hey! Down here!"
They both leaned their heads to see what was on the ground and with the most confused faces, saw what they assumed was Ben, but in the form of a gray-skinned, frog-like, bipedal alien that was only four inches tall, with large green eyes and rectangular pupils. He is wearing a green jumpsuit with black suit collar, belt and fingerless gloves.
-"Ben? Is that really you?" Naomasa asked.
-"Yup!" Ben jumped on the chair, then on the table -"This is another one of my alien forms. I call this one Gray Matter! Though the species is actually called Galvan." He then turned and pointed at his back. -"And see? Here's the Omnitrix's symbol."
-"Oh my God… OH MY GOD!" was the only thing both of the adults could think of right now.
Neither of them could actually believe it. The whole story was true! This could have repercussions never seen before if it got out.
-"So it's true… alternate universes… aliens… it's all true."
-"Then… we have a big problem in our hands, Naomasa."
How would the heroes react? How would the rest of the country react? And what about the rest of the world? Would Ben go back or is he stuck? How would someone even start planning to build a multiversal portal? And what if villains find out? Some many questions needed to be addressed.
-"More than you know, but one step at a time" He looked at Grey Matter -"Can you turn back now Ben?"
-"Oh, sure thing." And with a flash of green light, Ben was back in his human form. -"So… you guys believe me now?"
Reluctantly, they both nodded their heads -"Yes Ben… we do."
The teenager threw up his arms in celebration -"FINALLY! So what happens now?"
That was the million dollar question, wasn't it. What should they do in this situation? Their minds were going a million miles per hour trying to figure out how to deal with this.
-"Alright, let's take baby steps. Ben, do you have a way to get back to your own… universe?"
-"Hmm… Unfortunately no. I uh…" Ben rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed to admit it -"I actually tried to call a friend of mine who can teleport between universes while I was here."
Both adults looked at him like he was spouting crazy things again -"B-But I took your phone."
-"Oh, the Omnitrix has a built-in communicator and I tried calling him through it, though he doesn't always answer. And it looks like this is another case of those." said Ben groaning.
-"Okay, one crazy thing at a time. Also, how are you so calm about this?"
-"Well… I've been in this situation already. More than once. So I know it's probably only a matter of time before my friends and family find a way to rescue me. Or for me to find another portal. Maybe you guys have something that could help."
Naomasa shook his head, -"Sorry, but our technology is not on that level yet, and I don't even know if it'll ever reach that."
-"Oh… then I guess I just have to wait."
All Might then entered the conversation with an important question -"Do you have a place to stay young man?"
Tsukauchi interrupted Ben's answer, -"He can stay with me for the time being."
-"Wha- There's no need, seriously." said Ben, a little embarrassed by the thought of giving the detective trouble at home.
-"You're in an unfamiliar place, with no one that even knows you exist. No identity, no money, not even some spare clothes. You can stay in with me, I have a spare room anyway."
All Might did not like the idea that much, so he whispered to his friend -"Are you sure about this? What if it's still somehow a lie and he attacks you in your sleep?"
Naomasa whispered back, -"My quirk has never failed before, so I'm willing to take the risk. But don't worry, if anything does happen, I'll be sure to call you as fast as possible."
The hero simply grunted, but agreed nonetheless.
Ben then clapped his hands, bringing the attention to him, -"Welp, I won't be staying much in your house anyway, I'll probably just be exploring the city, patrolling the streets, being a hero, you know all that."
The detective spared a glance of concern to All Might -"Actually, you can't do that. Being a hero here requires you to earn a Hero License from the government. Using your quir- I mean your power without it, would make you an illegal vigilante in the eyes of the public… and the police. Also you're too young to get an official one anyway."
Ben finally understood the situation at hand, -"I get it. You must have a lot of people with powers if you have a whole system designed just to make sure the right people are being heroes. But…" Ben looked straight at the hero and detective, and spoke with passion in his voice: -"I'll still be a hero. This might not be my earth, but it's still earth… sorta of. And this is final, I won't just lay back and do nothing when I can help people."
This… was certainly a nice surprise for both of them. The kid had an iron resolve. And All Might did not need a lie detection quirk to know that Ben was speaking the truth, from his heart. But it was illegal for him to do that. So, he offered something close to it.
-"What if, instead of trying to be a vigilante on your own, you became a student on U.A.?"
This confused Ben a little, -"What's U.A.?"
-"It's an academy that teaches the best hero education in Japan. And it's actually a great idea!" exclaimed Naomasa -"There, you learn how to be a hero, how to better use your quirk, and depending on how long you stay here, eventually get to do heroics on your internships. Maybe even get a provisional hero license if you pass the test."
-"It also functions as a regular high school!" exclaimed All Might, with a sense of pride.
-"You'll just have to sit back for some time and learn some stuff like any other teenager would."
-"Sit back… while being a teenager?" At those words, Ben recalled what Gwen had said to him just a few hours ago. -'You can relax more. You can actually be a teenager now.' He made a promise that he would at least think about it. And this was the perfect opportunity for that.
-"So… what's it gonna be, young man?"
-"Alright… I'll enter this school. Heck, maybe I'll even learn how to be a better hero by the end."
-"THAT'S THE SPIRIT YOUNG TENNYSON! HAHAHA!" said All Might with a booming shout and laugh.
-"Okay, we'll take care of the paperwork and talk with the principal."
But before this could go on, a question popped into Ben's mind -"Wait, why are you so willing to help someone you have never met before and you don't fully trust?"
Instead of Naomasa, it was All Might who answered his question: -"Well, isn't that what heroes do? No matter where you're from, you need help, and that's reason enough for me."
Ben really was glad he came across that hero now. Who'd guess what would happen if he had run into some big villain or something. He finally allowed himself to relax and drop on the chair.
Naomasa noticed this and smiled, -"Since I can guess you must feel pretty tired now, we'll talk more tomorrow. But we have to start as early as possible to get you used to this world, especially to get you to U.A., since the entrance exam was about three days ago."
-"So, wait, how will I get in then?"
-"We can have you as an exchange student from the U.S., then you wouldn't have to memorize too much information about Japan to pass as a person born in this world."
-"And since All Might is going to be a teacher there this coming year, he'll keep an eye out so you don't get in trouble."
-"Okay… and what about the Omnitrix?"
-"We'll figure something out tomorrow. You probably haven't eaten anything for a few hours right?"
As if on cue, Ben's stomach growled loudly, making the detective and the hero chuckle a little, and making the teen uncomfortable.
-"I guess that answers my question. Come on, we'll get your phone and then go to my house, I got no more work left today anyway and it's already dark."
-"Dark already?! Oh man! How long have we been here?!" Ben then rushed towards the door to look for a window outside.
Naomasa went to the door to go after the boy, but before he stepped through, he turned and spoke to All Might -"Toshinori."
The hero frowned when hearing the tone of his friend. This was serious.
-"I want you to make sure he doesn't get in any trouble while in U.A.. But most importantly, nobody can know who he truly is."
All Might should have known that the detective would ask him that, but he understood it was necessary. And he also wanted to keep a lookout for the boy, since he still didn't trust him completely, so he nodded to him, -"Don't worry Tsukauchi, I'll update you every day and help you talk with the principal to get him in."
The detective gave a grateful smile to his friend, nodded and went to exit the room -"Thanks, I'll talk with you more tomorrow."
The hero was left alone in the room, with much to think about, but there was only one thing in his mind right now: -'Great… now I have to take care of TWO teenagers.'
-Detective Tsukauchi's Apartment-
The tension during the trip to Naomasa's place was very high, since they hadn't talked during the whole thing. Luckly they arrived shortly at an apartment building.
Ben really wasn't comfortable sleeping in the detective's place and causing him trouble, but even he had to realize that he didn't have that many options of where to go at the moment, -'More like no options but alright.'
Tsukauchi opened the door, allowing both of them to go in, -"So, you can stay at my sister's room. She's out of the country for the moment, so it won't be an issue." He picked up his phone -"You probably haven't eaten anything the whole day so I'll just order some food."
Before he could do that though, Ben stepped in -"Wait! I-I know I should have said that in the car, but… are you sure it's okay for me to stay here? I don't want to cause you any trouble and I don't even know WHEN my friends will be able to rescue me."
-"Ben, I understand your concerns, but you're a 16 years old kid in a different country and world entirely, who has, by your own words, a very powerful weapon at your hands. You wouldn't be safe AND in secret anywhere else. Besides, I'm a police officer who works very closely with heroes, I'm just doing my job." said Tsukauchi with a smile.
And Ben responded with another one. He was more than thankful that the detective was the one to learn the truth. Who knows what would have happened if a big bad guy had bumped into him.
-"Now…" said the detective while giving Ben some casual clothes, "...you go and get yourself accustomed to the room while I order food. And take a bath."
Ben widened his eyes and sniffed his jacket. -'Wow, I really am smelling bad.' He instantly thanked the man and went searching for the bathroom.
-An Hour Later-
The food had arrived and Ben and Naomasa were sitting at the table, eating without saying much. It was still awkward for the hero.
-"So, you said that room was your sister's right?" Ben said while pointing at the room he was staying in.
The detective replied after taking a sip of his drink -"Yeah, but she doesn't live with me anymore, she moved out after finishing university."
-"Oh cool, what did she study?"
-"Heroics."
-"Was she also training to be a hero?"
-"No, she studied more to make her own paper on the subject of vigilantism." Naomasa stopped eating -"That was actually one of the reasons I'm agreeing to do this."
Ben looked up to see him with a more serious face -"What do you mean?"
-"I don't like vigilantes Ben. In my opinion, they're trying to do a kind personal justice that hurts society more than it helps. But after reading my sister's thesis about the subject, and having a personal experience about it on my own, I realized that I was being to... strict on that. If you are who you say you are, than I can't put that label on you and simply brand you a criminal, becau-"
-"-because in my world, there are no hero laws." the teen finished his sentence.
The detective smiled -"Exactly. But you're on our world now, and I need to unsure you won't brake any laws while in here. Ok?"
Ben cleaned his plate and gave the man a thumbs up -"Sounds good to me."
They both understood each other points of view -"Alright, you can go to bed, don't worry I'll clean everything. You must be tired already."
-"Thank you very much. I appreciate the meal as well." with that, he left.
The teenage hero was laying on the bed. tired. It was a very stressful day. Even harder to believe that it all happened in just one day. -'I just hope everyone back home is okay. They must be looking for ways to get me back.'
He picked up his phone, opening it and looking at photos he took with Gwen, Max and Kevin. -'I trust them and I know that they'll find me, even if it takes some time.'
After putting the phone down, he turned to the side and closed his eyes to get a very needed night of sleep. And the last thought that passed through his head was…
-'I just hope I'll be okay here.'
END.
And SCENE! Like I said, shorter, but very important.
You may have noticed my first official OC in this fic, Detective Luther Anderson, who I imagined being played by Idris Elba. Yes, his name is a reference to another character Idris Elba plays in the Luther show, but it's not the actual character, just a nod to it, I never even watched the show haha!
This chapter is also taken more from Naomasa's point of view rather than Ben's.
Don't forget to check on the official wiki and my DevianArt page for the art of the series I'm making! See you all next week!
