Disclaimer: Ben 10 and Bleach do not belong to me
Hey, guys. Happy New Year! And to celebrate, here's the next chapter of my Bleach: Ultimate Alien Remake. This is one of my longest chapters in a while. I was actually surprised to have been hit by inspiration when I did so I'm feeling a little proud of myself.
I want to give thanks to Pyromania101 and Vandenbz for proofreading my story. As usual guys, I appreciate all the help you've given me.
And now, onto the chapter! Enjoy!
Training
Ben had a big grin on his face as he and Lilynette faced a sleeping Starrk. He looked over at Lilynette as he activated the Ultimatrix. "Ready?" he asked her.
Lilynette nodded eagerly, an equally big grin on her face.
Ben slammed the dial down. Once the green light faded, Lilynette was facing a red, mollusk-like alien with four-fingered claws, green eyes, and black spots on his shoulders and legs. Spikes jutted out from behind his legs, on top of his arms and feet, and along his gry lower torso.
"Watch this," the alien told Lilynette in a deep voice. He raised an arm at the sleeping Starrk, revealing a porthole in his hand. The porthole opened and a blast of water shot out; spraying the First Espada right in the face.
His reaction was instantaneous; thrashing around wildly before sitting straight up, drenched, and gasping for breath between coughs.
Lilynette was in stitches, clutching her sides as she pointed at the Primera Espada. "You should see yourself!"
The alien couldn't help chuckling too. "You gotta admit, that was pretty funny."
Starrk shot the alien an irritated look. "Oh great. I was hoping you'd be keeping Lilynette too busy to torment me but now you're helping her." He ran a hand through his soaked hair. "So, what's this guy called?"
"Water Hazard," Ben's new form introduced himself.
"Obviously," Starrk muttered, but all this did was amuse Lilynette even more.
"That was awesome!" Lilynette grinned at Water Hazard. "Got any other aliens we can have fun with?"
Water Hazard put his hands on his hands and said cockily, "Oh, I have plenty. Especially a few who know how to be loud."
Starrk's eyes widened as he realized what he was probably in for. "Oh no."
Lilynette smirked at him now. "Oh, yes. This is gonna be great!"
Starrk groaned as he flopped down on his pillows. He was probably not going to be getting any sleep anytime soon. "This is gonna be a headache," he mumbled as he closed his eyes to enjoy his rest while it lasted.
But their amusement was cut short when someone entered Starrk's chambers. Water Hazard and Lilynette turned around while Starrk cracked an eye open.
"Hello, Ben Tennyson," Tōsen said casually.
"Oh, Tōsen," Water Hazard said before changing back to normal. "Let me guess, since you're here…"
Tōsen nodded. "It is time to begin your training on fighting Soul Reapers."
"Huh," Ben said, uncertain of what else to say. He fidgeted around for a little bit. "Okay. So, uh…where do we start?"
"Follow me," Tōsen said. "I believe the courtyard would make an ideal place for training."
Ben shrugged. "Works for me." He quickly followed after Tōsen.
"Wait for me!" Lilynette called, wanting to see how this played out. She was almost out the door when she suddenly stopped and turned around. "Hey, Starrk! You coming?"
Starrk closed his eye and rolled over that his was back was facing. "Nah, I'm good. You go on ahead."
Lilynette scowled in annoyance at Starrk's lack of enthusiasm. She would have done something to him but didn't as she realized that Ben and Tōsen were getting further away. So she made a mental note to get back at him later while following the human and the Soul Reaper.
…
"Okay," Ben said once they were outside. "Now that we're here, what do we cover first?"
Lilynette sat off to the side, waiting to see what would happen.
"First, it would best for you to learn more about a Soul Reaper's weapon." Tōsen pulled out his own blade and held it horizontally. "A Soul Reaper's zanpakutō is much different from an Arrancar's."
"How so?" Ben wondered aloud, eyeing the sword.
"While the zanpakutō of an Arrancar is the embodiment of their Hollow powers, a Soul Reaper's zanpakutō is a reflection of their soul and power."
Ben crossed his arms as he took in this information. On paper though, they didn't sound that different.
"Also," Tōsen continued. "The zanpakuto of Soul Reapers are sentient, with personalities of their own. For a Soul Reaper to reach their full potential, they must be in perfect harmony with their blade."
Okay, maybe they did have notable differences after all.
"A zanpakuto has three forms: A sealed form, a Shikai, and a Bankai," Tōsen explained. "But we'll cover those later. First, you should familiarize yourself with the four basic fighting styles of Soul Reapers. The first one, Zanjutsu, is the art of swordsmanship. The second, Hakuda, consists of hand-to-hand combat. Hoho, the third style, is centered around deploying high-speed movement in battle. Kidō, on the other hand, is much more complex. Since you seem familiar with conventional forms of combat, we shall discuss Kido first."
"Okay," Ben said, committing the names of all the fighting styles to memory.
"Kidō is the art of combat based on spells which are fueled by one's spiritual energy," Tōsen explained, causing Ben's eyes to widen at this. "The more powerful a Soul Reaper is, the more powerful the spell will be."
So spirit energy could be used for spells? So it had similarities with mana after all.
"Most spells are graded on a scale from one to ninety-nine," Tōsen went on.
"Let me guess, the higher the number, the more powerful the spell?" Ben guessed.
"Correct," Tōsen said and there was a hint of pride in his voice. "To use Kidō, a Soul Reaper must say a specific incantation. However, the incantations are often long and require a few seconds to recite. To compensate, a Soul Reaper may simply say the name of the spell without the incantation, but it is not as powerful."
This really got Ben's attention. So he had to be careful in case he heard any Soul Reapers begin chanting anything.
"There are three types of Kidō," Tōsen said. "Bakudō: binding, barrier, and sealing spells; Hadō: offensive spells; and Kaidō: healing spells."
"Cool," Ben said.
"Of course, since you are merely learning how to defend yourself against such abilities and not how to use them," Tōsen shifted into a fighting stance, holding his sword out in front of them, "It would be best to demonstrate these abilities in a spar."
Ben took a deep breath as he activated the Ultimatrix. His first battle with a Soul Reaper: time to see what they could do compared to Arrancar.
Lilynette leaned forward as Ben was covered in light. She had gotten used so used to it that her eyes adjusted quickly. "So what's this guy called?" she asked when the light faded.
"XLR8," the hero told her.
"XLR8?" Lilynette asked, tilting her head. "What kind of name is that?"
"It makes sense if you say it really fast," XLR8 explained.
These aliens of yours are truly interesting," Tōsen said. "A pity I cannot see what they look like."
"Why can't you?" a confused XLR8 asked.
"He's blind, genius," Lilynette retorted.
XLR8 flinched. "What? Really?" He had never noticed anything that even implied Tōsen was blind, not even his visor. He just thought Tōsen had peculiar taste in eye-wear.
Tōsen chuckled at the alien's shock, lowering his blade. "It's alright, Tennyson. Your reaction is understandable, though my blindness has yet to be a hindrance to me. Hopefully this will not mean you will hold back."
"Nah," XLR8 grinned. "You don't need to see to kick butt." And he would know, considering all the times he did so as Wildmutt.
"Good," Tōsen replied, raising his sword again. "Come at me, Tennyson."
"You got it!" XLR8 said as his visor covered his head.
Lilynette's eyes widened as XLR8 became a blur shooting straight at Tōsen. Starrk had told her that Ben had turned into a fast alien but she hadn't expected him to be this quick. Then it clicked as to why XLR8 had his name. XLR8, accelerate. Lilynette smacked her head.
However, Tōsen raised the blade and blocked XLR8's foot from striking him. "Interesting," Tōsen noted. "Since I didn't sense any spiritual pressure when you came at me, I assume that this incredible speed is a natural ability?"
XLR8's visor opened. "Yep," the kineceleran grinned. "But you ain't seen nothing yet!" He backtracked and was about to attack Tōsen from the side, only for Tōsen to disappear. XLR8 was stunned by this. But he recovered in time to duck as Tōsen swung his blade at where he had just been standing.
"Impressive indeed," Tōsen noted. "So not only do you have incredible natural speed, you also have excellent reaction time."
"You almost got me with that one," XLR8 said. "I should have known that Soul Reapers had a speed move like Sonido."
"Ours is called Shunpo, or Flash Step," Tōsen said before disappearing again.
XLR8 dodged out of the way as Tōsen came at him from the side again. He spun around to whip the Soul Reaper with his tail, only for Tōsen to move backwards and go in for another strike. XLR8 blocked it with his claw before kicking his leg out, but Tōsen tilted his head back, allowing XLR8's foot to pass by him harmlessly. He struck out with a fist but XLR8 flipped over him, landing safely on the ground.
"Whoa," Lilynette stared at the spar before her. Problem was both participants were moving so fast that it was hard for her to keep up. But at the moment, it looked little more than XLR8 and Tōsen just dodging while trying to hit each other.
"I can tell from your moves that are quite the experienced fighter," Tōsen noted as XLR8 dodged another slash. "Although it seems you prefer a freestyle form of combat instead of a fixed one."
"I like being flexible," XLR8 explained. "Now try this!"
Tōsen was caught off guard as XLR8 began running around him in a circle. Lilynette's visible eye became wide as the hero began running so fast he formed a tornado. And thanks to this place being a desert, he was kicking up a sand tornado! Lilynette had never seen any Arrancar do something like that with Sonido.
Tosen, unable to predict such a technique, found himself blasted into the air by the sheer force of the wind. XLR8 stopped running, a big grin on his face as his visor opened again.
"How was that?" he asked Tōsen, who managed to set himself right-side up before he landed.
"You continue to impress me, Tennyson," Tōsen said with genuine praise. "I honestly wasn't expecting such a technique. But now it is time for me to take things a little more seriously."
Tōsen raised his hand at XLR8, who wondered what the Soul Reaper was doing.
"Bakudo #4: Hainawa!" Tōsen called out as a crackling rope of yellow energy shot out from his hand. The kineceleran was so stunned by this spectacle that he wasn't able to move out of the way in time as the rope wrapped around him.
"Hey!" XLR8 cried, struggling to escape.
"This is Kidō," Tōsen explained. "More specifically, this is one of the weaker Bakudō spells."
"I see," XLR8 grumbled as he tried to break free. Weaker or not, this thing was a pain.
"Be warned," Tōsen told him. "For Soul Reapers won't always stick with just one Kidō spell in battle." He pointed a finger at XLR8 now. "Hadō #1: Shō"
XRL8 found himself blasted backwards, slamming onto the ground. Yeesh, those Kido spells were not only a pain to break out of, they packed a pretty good punch. And according to Tōsen, that was the weakest spell too. XLR8 wasn't too keen on getting hit by the stronger ones.
"Like you, Soul Reapers are taught to be quite versatile," Tōsen said.
XLR8 struggled with the rope as he reached the symbol for the Ultimatrix. If he could just touch it, he'd transform into another alien and really turn things around.
"You're trying to escape?" Tōsen guessed. "Hmm. Considering that you seem to have an alien for just about any situation, I wonder…"
XRL8's hands managed to touch the Ultimatrix symbol in a flash of light just as Tōsen spoke. In XRL8's place was a crystal-like being. Unlike Diamondhead, this one was a bit scrawnier and purple with several dark lines and spots. His hands and face were magenta, and he sported six magenta shards on his back, two on his chest, and one on the top of his head that resembled a horn. His face was a mouth and one large green eye at the center.
Lilynette blinked at this. "Another crystal guy? What can he do?" She had to admit, this new alien looked kind of underwhelming compared to Diamondhead.
"So you have transformed again, Tennyson?" Tōsen inquired. "Will this new alien help you?"
The cyclopean alien grinned. "You bet."
Lilynette gasped as the rope of energy disappeared into the alien's body. Chromastone grinned at his success.
"Interesting," Tōsen said, appearing beside the crystal alien. "So this one has the power to absorb energy."
"Yep," The new alien grinned. "Chromastone's a natural conductor."
"It would seem that you have an alien for just about any situation," Tōsen couldn't help but say. "Good, this Chromastone can be very useful against Kidō based obstacles."
Chromastone just chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Geez," Lilynette muttered, putting a hand on her head. "What can't he turn into?"
"So that covers the basic fighting styles of Soul Reapers," Tōsen said. "Before we can go further in your training, you need to learn about Shikai and Bankai." He raised his blade. "Now the first form, the sealed state, is no different than a regular blade. The second form, Shikai, is when a Soul Reaper says the name of their weapon following a release incantation. Allow me to demonstrate." He leaped high into the air. "Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō."
Tōsen's sword began vibrating, and as Tōsen waved his sword around him in a semi-circle, Chromastone gaped as the blade began leaving a trail of other blades as it went. How was this possible? After Tōsen made a trail of blades, he slashed the air and sent them flying straight at Chromastone. Thinking quickly, Chromastone fired a blast of energy at the blades, knocking them out of the sky and into the ground below. The fact they were able to do so at all stunned the crystalsapien. Those blades weren't just afterimages? They were solid?! But…solid copies made by moving really fast? How did that work?
"What's the big idea?!" Lilynette shouted at Tōsen. "You're supposed to train him, not skewer him!"
"The enemies he will be facing will hold nothing back," Tōsen explained. "I cannot afford to always go easy on him either. Besides, I had a feeling Tennyson could handle it."
"Glad you have such faith in me," Chromastone muttered. "So I guess now you're going to teach me about this Bankai."
Tōsen shook his head. "Not until we get further in your training. Bankai is the most powerful ability a Soul Reaper has at their disposal, but the ones you are fighting are strong enough not to resort to it unless absolutely necessary."
Chromastone cringed, wondering what Tōsen's Bankai was like compared to his already dangerous Shikai.
Then, Tōsen, Chromastone, and Lilynette all heard someone walking across the sand. They turned to see Aizen and Gin walking towards them.
"I hope you don't mind if we watch, Tōsen," Aizen with a friendly smile. "I couldn't resist seeing our guest in action with my own eyes."
"Looks like you guys are already underway," Gin said, looking at Chromastone with those narrow eyes of his. "This one looks interesting. I didn't know you had other rock aliens apart from Diamondhead."
"He calls this one Chromastone," Tōsen said. "And it seems to specialize in absorbing energy and releasing Cero-like energy blasts. Earlier he became a creature he called XLR8, which seems to specialize in amazing natural speed. He was even able to keep up with me during our spar."
"Whoa," Gin chuckled. "Crystal golems, fire-shooting plants, four-armed brawlers, and speedy raptors; what can't this guy turn into?"
"Uh, Lilynette already said that," Chromastone said. Lilynette couldn't resist smiling smugly.
"Hey, give me a break," Gin said, holding his hands out. "I wasn't there so how was I supposed to know?"
"Well, Gin," Aizen said. "I doubt you two have gotten far in training but how does Ben shape up so far?"
"Tennyson is an experienced fighter, though he lacks a refined style," Tōsen said, "But that hardly means much in the long run."
"Oh?" Gin said, leaning forward and causing Chromastone to take a step back. "Well considering how long he's lasted so far, I'm not surprised. This one's definitely got some skills."
Chromastone chuckled sheepishly, uncertain if Gin was actually praising him or just kidding around.
"Ben should be experienced," Lilynette spoke up. "He did say he got that Ultimatrix thing when he was just ten years old…"
This bit of news took all three Soul Reapers by surprise.
"Ten years old? A mere child?" Tōsen asked in amazement.
"Now how does a ten-year-old kid get their hands on something like your Ultimatrix?" Gin asked; an inquiring and playful tone in his voice.
"Err," Chromastone said. "Actually, I first got the Omnitrix when I was ten and then the Ultimatrix later…"
"Omnitrix?" Aizen repeated. "So there's another device that allows one to turn into all these aliens."
"Not anymore," Chromastone muttered, remembering how he had to make the original Omnitrix self-destruct to keep it away from his archenemy Vilgax.
"You know something," Gin said. "I just realized we hardly know anything about our new friend Ben here. We should have taken the time to get to know him before roping him into our little problems."
Chromastone stared, wondering what brought this up all of a sudden. "Uh…"
"I believe you're right, Gin. How rude of us," Aizen said to the silver-haired man before bowing to Chromastone. "Please forgive our thoughtlessness, Ben."
If this were an anime, Chromastone had a feeling that a sweat drop would be running down his head right now. "Uh, it's okay. I mean I did kinda drop in on you. Literally."
"Perhaps but getting to know each other better would be beneficial for us to work together easier," Aizen said.
Well Chromastone had to admit that Aizen made a fair point as he changed back to normal. He still didn't really know anything about his allies. And understanding them would indeed make it easier to work with them.
For the most part anyway, as his mind drifted to Nnoitra and Grimmjow.
"But what about training?" Ben pointed out.
"Don't worry," Gin answered him. "We can always do it after your training."
"And by getting to know you better, perhaps we can find better suited training methods for you," Aizen replied.
Well, Ben couldn't really argue with that logic. "I guess so."
Aizen smiled. "Wonderful. I hope you can tell us all about when you first acquired this Omnitrix."
Ben fought against biting his lip. He still wasn't ready to share that sort of information yet, especially if anything he said could be used against him.
"Lord Aizen," Gin said playfully. "Don't you think it'll be a bit unfair having Ben tell us more about himself while we're not sharing anything ourselves?"
Aizen sighed, putting a hand against his forehead. "You're absolutely right, Gin. Ben deserves to know more about us as just as we do about him."
"How about we all take turns saying something about ourselves?" Gin suggested. "Quid pro quo and all that."
"An excellent idea," Aizen beamed.
"Strengthening bonds between comrades increases our chances of victory," Tōsen said as a way of agreeing.
Aizen smiled at Ben. "How does that sound?"
"Err…works for me," Ben mumbled, amazed at how quickly this went from training to talking.
Lilynette, who couldn't think of anything to add, simply watched the scene play out in curiosity.
"But first, let's see how you fare against Tōsen now that he can go a little less easy on you." Aizen and Gin stepped back to observe Ben and Tōsen. Lilynette figured it was a good idea for her to do the same thing so she followed Aizen.
Once Aizen felt they had put enough space between them, he called out. "Begin whenever you're ready."
Ben was already forming a plan in his head as he activated the Ultimatrix. The Arrancar and Soul Reapers couldn't be taken down with just one or two aliens like most of his foes could. There was always the Ultimate Aliens but Ben didn't want to use them unless it was absolutely necessary, preferably against the Espadas' Resurrección and the Soul Reapers' Bankai.
So that left him with one other option…
The familiar green light flashed and in Ben's place stood XLR8 yet again. Lilynette was kinda disappointed, hoping to see another new alien in action.
"Ready?" XLR8 asked Tōsen.
"Hmm, XLR8 again," the Soul Reaper commented as he took a fighting stance. "I wonder if you have some tricks up your sleeve."
XLR8 just grinned before the visor closed down on his face. He kicked off the ground and sped right towards Tōsen, who instinctively blocked. However, XLR8 didn't attack Tōsen head on, he maneuvered behind him. While Tōsen was still recovering from the shock of XLR8 getting behind him, the kineceleran did something unexpected and touched the Ultimatrix dial. In a flash of green light, he became Chromastone. Tōsen's sword struck Chromastone's body but it did not appear to do any visible damage. Tōsen had not expected Ben to change forms again, leaving him wide open for a punch from the Crystalsapien.
Tōsen quickly readjusted himself and used Shunpo to appear beside Chromastone. But as he swung his blade, the hero touched the Ultimatrix symbol again, turning into Swampfire just as Tōsen's zanpakutō came in contact with his body. Tōsen was once again caught off guard by the change as the grinning Methanosian raised his hand and unleashed some gas in his face. Tōsen broke into a coughing fit, staggering backwards from the odious stench. Swampfire took the initiative and threw some seeds at the Soul Reaper's feet. They grew into large vines and wrapped themselves around Tōsen just as they did to Grimmjow, completely restraining him.
"Not as fancy as your Kidō but it gets the job done," Swampfire said.
Gin clapped. "Bravo, Ben! Bravo! Those were some fancy moves you just pulled."
"Indeed," Aizen said and he sounded genuinely impressed. "So you can change multiple times?"
"Usually," Swampfire replied, once again mentally thanking Azmuth for the upgrades. The Ultimatrix would've been drained by now without them.
"Hmm," Aizen scratched his chin at this. "So I'm guessing you cannot stay in alien form indefinitely."
Not without the Master Control or form lock. Not that Aizen needed to know that.
"Hmm," Aizen muttered. "What do you do until you are able to transform again?"
Swampfire rubbed an arm. "Err, usually just try to stay alive."
"Hmm," Aizen said again as he took this in. "That's very risky, Ben. If our enemies were to discover this, they would not hesitate to strike you down before you can use your Ultimatrix again. Perhaps I can have Szayel create something that can at least help you stay alive long enough for your Ultimatrix to recharge."
Swampfire had mixed feelings about this. Szayel gave him the creeps but Aizen had a decent point.
"All the same, you continue to impress me, Ben," Aizen said warmly before looking at the still restrained Tōsen. "Though I think it would be best for you to release Tōsen."
Swampfire's eyes widened, having forgotten all about him. "Whoops." He quickly made the vines release the Soul Reaper. "Sorry about that, Tōsen." He turned back to normal in a flash of light.
"Quite alright," Tōsen said, picking himself up and brushing the sand off of him. "I too am impressed with your resourcefulness and skill. Of course this means I can afford to hold back less during our training."
Ben blanched at Tōsen's words. "Can't wait," he said dryly.
Gin chuckled at this. "Oh this kid's a riot. I am so glad he came here."
Aizen nodded. "He's certainly livening things up."
"So…what now?" Ben asked.
"If you don't mind, Lord Aizen," Gin said, looking up at his leader. "I would like to train with him too."
This took Tōsen, Ben, and Lilynette by surprise, though Aizen looked more amused by the prospect.
"This is rather unexpected," Aizen said, despite the smile on his face. "Why the sudden interest, Gin?"
"Because Ben here's an interesting guy," Gin answered casually. "Besides, wouldn't it be better to have him get used to fighting different Soul Reapers? If he only trains with Tōsen, he might get careless."
"That sounds reasonable," Aizen said as he cupped his chin before looking over at Tōsen. "Is this alright, Tōsen?"
"I have no objections," Tōsen replied. "If you believe it is beneficial to Tennyson's training then I support it."
"Thanks, Tōsen," Gin said to the blind Soul Reaper before smiling over at Ben. "Now I might be a little rusty so don't be too hard on me, Ben."
Ben raised an eyebrow, unable to read this guy at all. What was he up to? And why couldn't he have said he wanted to fight while Ben was still an alien? Nevertheless, the hero readied himself as he and Gin took fighting positions.
"Alright, Ben," the smiling Soul Reaper said to him. "Ready?"
Ben grinned back as he activated the Ultimatrix, scrolled to the alien he wanted, and slammed the dial down. In a flash he became Water Hazard.
"Oh, a new guy," Gin chuckled. "Nice. And what's his name?"
"Water Hazard," Lilynette spoke up, smiling as she remembered what he did to Starrk earlier.
"Water Hazard, huh?" Gin said. "Well, since you have a fire and plant guy, it makes sense you'd have a water one. Hmm. I wonder what good he'll be."
Water Hazard chuckled. "Why don't you find out?"
"Sure, sure," Gin said, pulling what appeared to be a dagger out of his sleeve.
Water Hazard stared at it. "That's your zanpakutō?"
"It is," Gin answered.
Water Hazard eyed the dagger warily, wondering what kind of nasty tricks it could do compared to Tōsen's zanpakutō. Gin just smiled at him.
"Ready whenever you are," he told Ben in a playful tone.
"Alright," Water Hazard said, shifting his feet. "Let's go!" He charged.
Gin just chuckled before shifting his body so that his back was facing Water Hazard, looking at his approaching opponent from over his shoulder. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō."
At first Water Hazard wasn't sure what happened. One minute he was charging at Gin, the next something struck him…hard. Then he found himself flying through the air before falling onto the ground. The Orishan groaned as he sat up, rubbing the part of his body that got hit. He looked over at Gin, who was just smiling and holding his blade out, as if nothing happened. What did he do?
"Confused, Ben?" Gin asked him playfully. "Though I gotta say, that alien's pretty sturdy if Shinso was only able to knock him back."
"Heh." The hero brushed himself off as he got back up.
"Hey!" Lilynette yelled at Gin. "You were trying to actually stab him?! You jerk!"
"Why are you worried?" Gin asked, keeping that playful tone. "I made sure not to aim for a vital spot. Besides, if he does get hurt, he could just turn into that Swampfire guy and heal himself, right?"
"Great" Water Hazard grumbled. He needed to figure out what Gin did and it looked like the only way to do that was to charge again. Timing was everything. With that in mind, he charged again.
"Coming at me directly again?" Gin asked in amusement. "Oh well." He shifted into that same stance again.
'Now!' Water Hazard thought as he leaped high into the air. Once he did he looked down and saw exactly what Gin had done. The blade of his zanpakutō had extended, causing it to look like a long spear. And by covering it with his sleeve, they'd never see it coming. Confident that he had figured out Gin's power, he raised his fists as he started falling straight towards Gin. The Soul Reaper looked up but his composure stayed the same.
And Water Hazard saw why as Gin's blade receded back to its dagger-like form. Gin was about to stab at him again! Water Hazard raised his hands and fired jets of water down at his opponent. However, Gin used Shunpo to escape the water. Water Hazard landed in the muddy patch where Gin had just been standing.
"Not bad, Ben," Gin said, appearing just a few feet away from him. "Though I hope this Water Hazard guy can do more than just spray people."
"Oh, I'm just getting started with him," Water Hazard told him as he raised his arms again. "Also…who said Water Hazard can only spray?"
Gin tilted his head in confusion until Water Hazard fired at him. Gin dodged out of the way but noticed that the water came out like bullets.
"So, Water Hazard doesn't just shoot water, he can control how he shoots it too," Gin noted as he barely dodged another "water bullet".
"Now try this!" Water Hazard said as he swung his arm in an arc, only for Gin to duck out of the way as water from the Orishan's hand lashed out like a whip at him. Deciding to stop playing around, Gin used Shunpo to appear right beside Water Hazard, who barely had time to turn his head as Gin swung his sword at him. At first Water Hazard thought he was going in for a regular slash, only for Shinso to extend at the last minute. Before the blade struck him, Water Hazard managed to raise his hand at Gin, whose smile fell as he was blasted away from the Orishan. However, his blade had extended long enough to still strike Water Hazard despite the distance, causing both of them to hit the ground.
…
"Interesting," Aizen said as he observed Water Hazard shakily get back up, looking dazed but otherwise fine. "It appears that this alien's exoskeleton seems to be a lot like Hierro. I wonder how much force would be required to even slightly damage it."
"A wise tactic on Ben's part," Tōsen commented.
Aizen soon became aware that they were not the only ones who had come to watch Ben's training session but he said nothing of it. Lilynette, however, turned around and gasped when she saw who it was.
"You're…" She was about to continue when Aizen cut her off.
"Ben's getting back up," he told her. That got Lilynette's attention and she continued to watch the fight.
…
"I'm really starting to hate that sword," Water Hazard grumbled as he picked himself up again. He glared angrily at Gin, who had also gotten to his feet and still had that infuriating smile on his face. And to make matters worse, he tilted his head, almost as if taunting Ben to see what he could do.
"Not bad, Ben," Gin said. "You got me pretty good there. Hope you can keep that up."
"If that's the case, I guess it's time to change things up," Water Hazard said as he touched the Ultimatrix dial on his chest. After a flash of green light he reappeared as a large bipedal turtle with stubby legs, flippers for arms, and eight holes in his chest.
The rather unusual appearance of this alien made Gin pause. "So…who's this guy?"
"I call him Terraspin," the turtle-like alien said. Then Terrapin tucked his head into his shell as his flippers became flat and triangular, his legs coming together and forming a similar shape. Before Gin could comment on this, the limbs began spinning like rotary blades as a powerful wind began blasting out of the holes in Terraspin's chest. Not only was the wind powerful, but it was blowing up a lot of sand, effectively creating a sandstorm.
"Tch," Gin raised a hand to try and shield himself from the wind and the sand, while trying to prevent himself from being sent flying. "Okay, why does a turtle alien have wind powers?"
But he had little time to ponder as Terraspin shot through the sandstorm, using the wind from his chest to hover over the ground and his fins like propellers. Gin wasn't able to defend himself in time as Terraspin's shell slammed into him, causing him to be the one who got sent flying now.
"Oh boy," Gin said as he soared through the air. "That guy's pretty tough after all."
With a bit of maneuvering, he landed back on his feet and readied his blade, wondering what move Ben would pull now.
As the sand started settling, Gin was surprised to see that Ben was nowhere in sight. Where did he go? Then Gin's eyes landed on a gaping hole not too far from him. His froze when he realized exactly what that meant. But before he could act, he felt something latch onto his legs and pull him into the ground, burying him up to his neck. Armodrillo then burst out of the ground.
"Don't go anywhere," Armodrillo joked.
Despite his position, Gin couldn't help chuckling at the large alien. "Not bad, Ben. You got me good. Should've known you'd use that digging guy in a place like this. What do ya call him?"
"Armodrillo," The hero replied.
Gin grinned. "Nice pun. You must have fun coming up with all these different names for your aliens."
"A little," Armodrillo admitted. Oh who was he kidding? Coming up with names for his aliens had always been half the fun.
"I think that's enough for now," Aizen said, looking rather amused by the whole thing.
"Aww, but Lord Aizen~," Gin playfully whined. "We were just getting started."
"Perhaps," Aizen said. "But I don't want you two getting carried away on Ben's first day of training. We'll wear the poor boy out."
"Hey!" Armodrillo spoke up indignantly. "I can still go a few rounds."
"Of that I have no doubt," Aizen said. "But it would seem we have some guests and this presents us with an excellent opportunity."
"Huh?" Armodrillo then noticed that several of the Espada had gathered nearby, no doubt watching the spar between him and Gin. He saw Yammy, Aaroniero, Szayel, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Harribel while Zommari, Baraggan, and (unsurprisingly) Starrk were absent.
"It seems they could not resist seeing you in action," Aizen said to the hero before looking back at his Espada with a smile. "Well, what do you think of our guest now that you've seen what he can do?"
"He's got some moves," Yammy said, looking at Ben with a big grin on his face. "I can see why Nnoitra and Grimmjow are so eager to fight this guy. Maybe I should fight him sometime."
Armodrillo mumbled under his breath. It was bad enough that Nnoitra and Grimmjow wanted to fight him; he didn't need more of the Espada after him.
"His abilities are impressive," Aaroniero said. "So many different powers at his disposal."
Szayel was looking at the Talpaedan with a wide smile and half-closed eyes. The look made Armodrillo shiver.
"I already saw Tennyson as a fascinating person and my opinion only strengthens with every alien I see him turn into. Would you mind if I studied you some time, Tennyson? I would love to learn more about your aliens."
Armodrillo had a nasty feeling that he didn't want to know what Szayel meant by studying.
Nnoitra and Grimmjow said nothing, just shooting Ben nasty sneers that clearly meant they were determined to finish what they started with him. Oh joy.
"I see," Aizen said. "And what is your opinion of him…Ulquiorra?" At his words, everyone looked at the Fourth Espada. This caught Armodrillo's interest. Why was Aizen so interested in knowing Ulquiorra's opinion?
Ulquiorra stared at the Talpaedan with empty eyes, which was starting to unsettle the hero the more he looked at him. Ulquiorra stared at him for a few more seconds before looking back at Aizen.
"He is interesting," Ulquiorra surmised. "While the powers of his aliens are noteworthy, his true strength lies in the fact that he has so many of them, combined with decent tactical abilities. It shows that he does not simply use the powers of his aliens recklessly and has skill in his own right."
Well that explained it. Ulquiorra must be the most analytical of the Espada, who were all looking at him in surprise, which meant he must not speak highly of people often.
"I agree with Ulquiorra," Harribel said and she left it at that.
Nnoitra shot her a look. "How do we know you're not just saying that because he rescued your Fraccion?"
Harribel narrowed her eyes at him, obviously not forgiving him for harming Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun.
"That's enough," Aizen told them. The two Espada looked away from each other as Aizen turned his attention back to Ben. "I too can see Ulquiorra's point. Those transformations, combined with Ben's own resourcefulness, make him quite a force to be reckoned with."
"And the fact that you choose to use your powers for justice speaks volumes of your character," Tōsen added.
Aizen then looked at the still buried Gin. "And how do you think of him, Gin?"
"Well considering my predicament," Gin said, "I'd say he meets my expectations." He looked at Armodrillo. "Say, Ben buddy. Could you get me out of here?"
Armodrillo stuck one big hand into the ground, and hoisted Gin out by the back of his coat.
"Phew," Gin said as he brushed the sand off. "Thanks."
"No problem," Armodrillo said as he changed back to Ben.
"That will teach you to go easy on him, Gin," Tōsen lightly chided his fellow Soul Reaper.
"What are you talking about?" Gin asked innocently. "I said I was a bit rusty after all."
"Hmm," Tōsen said, not looking convinced in the least.
"It is actually good that you are all here," Aizen said to his Espada, changing the subject. "I would like for all the Arrancar in Las Noches to meet in the throne room. There is something we need to discuss."
The Espada looked at their leader curiously. What could Aizen want to talk to them about? Aizen simply smiled at the curiosity and confusion.
"All will be made clear," he told them cryptically.
Seeing that was all their leader was going to tell them, the Espada dispersed. As they left, Aizen turned towards Ben again.
"I will make sure Zommari and Baraggan are notified about the meeting, would it be alright if you two went and fetched Starrk?"
"Of course, Lord Aizen!" Lilynette said. She grabbed Ben's arm and started pulling him. "Come on, Ben! Let's go!"
"Alright, alright!" Ben said as he stumbled along. "I'm coming."
…
Soon they made it back to their chambers, with Starrk still sound asleep. Ben sighed, shaking his head in amazement at the Espada.
"Want to wake him up again?" he asked Lilynette. She grinned at him in turn.
"I got this," she told him before running up at Starrk. "Starrrrrk! Wake uuuuuuup!" She leaped into the air and slammed feet first into Starrk's side.
"Gaaaah!" Starrk cried out, immediately sitting up and launched Lilynette off of him. The smaller Arrancar landed on her feet and grinned as Starrk rubbed his side. Starrk scowled when he saw who had attacked.
"Well, that rest was nice while it lasted," he mumbled.
"Up and at 'em, Starrk," Lilynette said. "Lord Aizen wants us to gather in the throne room right now."
Starrk raised an eyebrow. "The throne room, huh? So I guess this is something he doesn't want to just talk to the Espada about."
"It's about Ben," Lilynette told him.
"Ben?" Starrk looked over at said human. "What's up?"
"Err," Ben scratched his head. "In short, Aizen wants us to get to know each other."
Starrk blinked. "Get to know each other?"
"Lord Aizen thinks we can work together better if we know more about each other," Lilynette explained to Starrk.
"Sounds more like an excuse to know more about my Ultimatrix," Ben couldn't help saying.
"And your Omnitrix," Lilynette added.
"Omnitrix?" Starrk asked. "Now what's that?"
"You'll find out more when we get to the throne room, now come on!" Lilynette snapped at him.
Starrk sighed. "Alright." He stood up. "Let's get going."
Ben found himself sighing as well. This day was jumping from one thing to another a little too quickly for his taste.
…
Ben, Starrk, and Lilynette made their way to Aizen's throne room. Aizen was already sitting on his throne. The other Espada, their Fraccione, Cirucci, and a bunch of Arrancar Ben didn't recognize started flooding into the chamber, sitting or standing among the various platforms.
"Welcome, everyone," Aizen said once he was certain all were settled in. "It has come to my obvious attention that some of you have not been very welcoming to our guest, Ben Tennyson."
Grimmjow scowled while his Fraccion looked uneasy. Nnoitra, who was standing next to a blonde-haired Arrancar sporting an eye-patch, looked off to the side. Nearby, Harribel's Fraccion shared glances with each other.
"I suppose I am to blame for this," Aizen said, drawing surprised shocks from all the Arrancar. "I did not encourage you to be welcoming to our guest. In light of recent events, that is about to change." Aizen looked down at Ben now. "And so, Ben, as we discussed earlier; let us know more about yourself, and we shall do the same."
Ben looked around, realizing that every eye was on him now. Some looked at him with curiosity, having heard of his exploits through the grapevine. Others were unimpressed, what about this human could possibly be worth their time? Lilynette, his one true supporter, gave him an encouraging smile and a thumb's up for good measure. Ben smiled to show he appreciated the gesture before looking up at Aizen.
"Alright," he said.
Aizen smiled. "Now, from what I've gathered; before you had the Ultimatrix, you originally possessed a device called the Omnitrix, which you acquired at the age of ten?"
Ben was treated to the predictable reaction as numerous Arrancar started looking back at him again in surprise and all. Even to them, the idea of a little kid possessing incredible power was mind-boggling.
"Yeah," Ben said. "It all started on a camping trip over the summer with my Grandpa and my cousin Gwen. I went off by myself and saw what looked like a meteorite land nearby. I went to investigate and discovered that what landed wasn't a meteor at all, it was a space pod. The pod opened up and I found what looked like some kind of watch. It wasn't until later that I found out it was the Omnitrix."
"So what, you just took a strange looking object out of a pod from outer space and slapped it on your wrist?" Gin couldn't help asking. Several of the Arrancar eyed Ben, wondering if he was really that stupid to do such a thing.
"Well no," Ben admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "It sort of latched onto me." He spotted the numerous looks of skepticism shot his way. "I'm serious. As I got closer to the thing, it just jumped out at me and wrapped itself around my wrist. I kept trying to get it off when I accidentally turned it on. It was the very first time I went alien." Ben chuckled at the distant memory. "And I freaked out!"
"Oh, I can believe that," Gin said, his smile growing wider. "I mean suddenly transforming into a completely different creature must've given you a heart attack."
"Eh heh," Ben coughed, remembering exactly how he reacted the very first time he went alien.
"So after you realized this Omnitrix allowed you to turn into different aliens, you were inspired to become a hero?" Tōsen asked. "Just like that?"
"Well," Ben said. "Even when I was a kid, I could never turn my back on somebody in need. But I was just a ten-year-old, what could I do? But that all changed once I got the Omnitrix and realized that this time, I could make a difference."
While a lot of the Arrancar looked at Ben with disinterest, some even rolling their eyes, others were surprisingly moved by his desire to help others.
Tōsen let out a small smile. "Ben Tennyson, truly you are a noble soul. Even at a young age, you were quite selfless."
Err," Ben scratched the back of his head at those words. "Not always."
"Oh?" Aizen asked, intrigued. "How so?"
Ben shifted. "There's been times when I used the Omnitrix for personal stuff. Or when I let all the fame go to my head and I started making mistakes."
"Ben" Aizen said empathetically. "There's nothing wrong with making mistakes or behaving selfishly at times. You were just a child; nobody should expect one so young to be a saint. The important thing is that you learned from it and it has made you a better person."
Despite his distrust of Aizen, Ben couldn't help but find himself touched by the Soul Reaper's words.
"So, Ben," Gin said, drawing Ben's attention back onto him. "You say you're a superhero in your universe, right?"
"Yeah," Ben responded, wondering where Gin was going with this.
Gin tilted his head. "So does that mean you had super-villains to fight?"
Ben gave out a loud laugh at that as the memories filled his mind. "Oh, I've had plenty."
"Even as a child?" Ulquiorra couldn't help asking.
Ben nodded. "I don't know why but just about everywhere we went on that road trip, there was always some villain I had to use the Omnitrix to stop. Dr. Animo, the Circus Freaks, the Forever Knights…"
"Any of them qualify as your arch enemy?" Gin inquired further.
Everyone present was taken aback when Ben suddenly scowled and his fists tightened.
"Yeah," Ben said coldly, which took everyone aback even further. "There's one. Vilgax."
Even Aizen had to pause at the sheer amount of venom in Ben's voice when saying his name. "Vilgax?"
"An alien conqueror obsessed with getting his hands on the Omnitrix," Ben said. "Remember how you said some people might see it as a weapon? He certainly did. In fact, he wanted to create an entire army of Omnitrix users."
All were stunned in silence upon hearing that. An entire army? Aizen tried to imagine it, hundreds, possibly thousands of shape-shifters. And Aizen didn't even know the full extent of the Omnitrix's power. A strange sensation filled Aizen. Not dread or fear, but a small bit of apprehension. The fact that he would feel such a thing was incredible in of itself.
Baraggan, on the other hand, nodded in approval of Vilgax's idea. "An effective strategy."
Those who knew Baraggan the most were surprised at hearing the Second Espada actually praise somebody.
"I've had enough of Vilgax to last me a lifetime," Ben said, looking down at his feet. "I remember the very first time I fought him. No matter who I turned into, he just kept knocking me around."
This really got the Arrancar's attention. A being who was capable of holding his own against a multitude of Ben's aliens? It was small wonder why Ben wasn't fond of this Vilgax.
"And even I was older and a little more experienced, he still gave me a hard time," Ben added.
Of course those like Yammy, Nnoitra and Grimmjow only wanted to know what Vilgax was like in a fight.
"Well, Ben," Aizen gently urged. "Your story is amazing. This Vilgax was quite the ruthless character. I don't know how you could have possibly faced anyone as dangerous as him."
Ben gave an empty laugh that. "Don't be too sure. There was the time I faced the Highbreed back when I was fifteen."
"The Highbreed?" Aizen repeated.
"Yeah, this race of plant aliens who thought they were better than every other species in the universe because of their genetic purity," Ben said. "They were secretly invading Earth, enslaving humans by turning them into these things called DNAliens, building weather towers to make the planet colder for them to thrive on. Me and my team were able to thwart them time and time again…"
"You had a team?" Aizen wondered.
"Yeah, my cousin Gwen and our friend Kevin Levin," Ben explained, smiling fondly as he thought of them. "Sure there was times when our team needed a little work but we were always there for each other."
Most of the Arrancar brushed off the fondness Ben was displaying for his family and teammates, though some like Starrk and Harribel took note of it.
"Is Kevin the guy you said is your best friend even though he tried killing you back when you were kids?" Lilynette asked.
Now that got everybody's attention and Ben cringed, regretting how casual he had been about that earlier.
"Really now?" Gin said. "There must be quite a story to that. Care to share with us before we continue?"
"Sorry but that's personal," Ben said firmly. "We were enemies when we were kids but now he's my best friend; that's all you need to know."
"Yeesh, calm down," Gin held his hands up in surrender. "Sore subject, huh?"
Ben relaxed but still said nothing. It wasn't his place to talk about Kevin's life.
"You mentioned something about the Highbreed's true plan," Zommari pointed out, deciding to bring things back on topic. "What was it?"
"A hyperspace jump gate," Ben replied. "A portal that allowed them to bring their fleet right to Earth."
Szayel's eyes gleamed at hearing this. Not only did Ben's universe have incredible lifeforms but also amazing technology. Maybe, if they found a way to get Ben home, he would let Szayel tag along.
"But it wasn't just Earth they were after," Ben said. "That was just the starting point. The Highbreed wanted to wipe out the entire universe. The fleet was too powerful to fight, so there was only one thing to do," Ben said. "We went straight to the Highbreed's home world and confronted their leaders."
"A risky tactic," Ulquiorra spoke up. "However, if their main forces were out attacking other planets, the leaders themselves would be vulnerable."
"Yeah," Ben said. "The Highbreed Council. When we confronted them, we learned the real reason why they wanted to wipe out the universe."
"The real reason?" Aizen echoed.
"At first we thought they wanted to destroy every other race simply because of their superiority complex. Turns out, their obsession with genetic purity caused their entire race to become sterile from inbreeding. They were the last generation of Highbreeds and they decided that if they were going extinct, everyone else should too."
"So let me get this straight," Yammy spoke up. "These Highbreed guys decided to destroy the universe because they were dying and wanted to take everybody else with them?"
"Yep," Ben nodded.
Several Arrancar shared glances with each other at the incredible lengths the Highbreed went in what could be considered just a way to make themselves feel better.
"Fascinating," Aizen said. "And how did you stop them?"
"Well, the Omnitrix had the ability to heal damaged DNA. So I used it to spread a universe-wide wave of energy that gave each Highbreed different DNA from my Omnitrix."
"Wait, what?" Nnoitra frowned. "You mean there wasn't some great battle to the end? You healed them? After everything they did?"
"The Highbreed had us outgunned and outmatched," Ben said. "They would've overpowered us if we continued fighting them. So I figured if I could save them instead, they would call off their fleet."
"But due to their obsession with genetic purity," Aizen said. "I doubt they were initially pleased with how you helped them.
"Got that right," Ben said dryly. "They were originally going to kill themselves over it. But this Highbreed I became friends with, Reinrassic III, showed up. He had gotten some of Swampfire's DNA awhile ago and used it to convince the Council having different DNA wasn't really that bad. They called back their army and anointed him the new Highbreed Supreme."
"So you saved the universe not through force and power, but through understanding and healing," Aizen said. "The one who created the Omnitrix must've been so proud to have their creation be used the way it was meant for."
"Well, I did have help," Ben said, remembering all the times he used to brag about saving the universe without giving credit where credit was due.
Several Arrancar scoffed at this. "Boring," Grimmjow said, vocalizing their opinion.
"Silence, Grimmjow," Tōsen snapped fiercely
"One thing I don't get though," Lilynette spoke up. "Whatever happened to the Omnitrix and why do you have the Ultimatrix instead?"
"Oh that," Ben said. "Well, it all started with this Galvan called Albedo."
"Galvan?" Aizen asked.
"They're kinda like frogs," Ben said. "Really smart but can also be pretty aggravating at times. Albedo was the assistant of the Omnitrix's creator, Azmuth."
"Is this Azmuth a Galvan too?" Aizen asked, curious about the mysterious creator of such a powerful device.
"Yeah, he is," Ben replied. "Anway, Albedo didn't think an inferior human was worthy of using the Omnitrix, so he made a copy to prove he was better. Problem for him was that his Omnitrix was synched to mine."
"How was that a problem?" Lilynette asked.
"Well, my DNA was the default so he always turned into a copy of me whenever he changed back. He came to me and told me stuff like how he was the real creator of the Omnitrix, how it was flawed, risked putting a hole in the fabric of the universe, stuff like that. I was able to figure out he was lying, so he attacked me and my team."
"That would've been a sight to see," Gin said. "Two guys with the exact same powers duking it out. Kinda fits the saying about how you're your own worst enemy."
"During the fight our Omnitrixes got stuck together and created an energy wave that damaged Albedo's human form," Ben said. "Think of me with white hair, red eyes and a red jacket." Several Arrancar actually pictured the image in their head. "Then Azmuth showed up and disabled his Omnitrix, leaving him stuck as me. After that he got sent to prison."
"That's nice and all but where does the Ultimatrix come in?" Mila Rose asked.
"Well the Ultimatrix was one of Azmuth's other projects that Albedo stole after he managed to escape from prison. Once he got it, he teamed up with Vilgax to get my Omnitrix."
"Why?" Apacci asked him.
"His Ultimatrix was still in synch with my Omnitrix," Ben explained. "Anyway, their team-up worked. They captured my team, threatened to kill them unless I handed over the Omnitrix…so I did."
Most present stared at Ben in shock and amazement, others with disgust and condemnation.
"Weak," Baraggan said coldly. His Fraccion all nodded in agreement, gazing at Ben with utter contempt.
"Pathetic," Grimmjow muttered.
"That's enough," Aizen said sternly. "Personally I find Ben's compassion for others to be an incredible strength. Do not mock it."
The Arrancar flinched from their leader's scolding.
"What happened next, Ben?" Lilynette urged him.
"Well, we had to retreat since Albedo and Vilgax had both the Omnitrix and the Ultimatrix. At the moment all seemed hopeless. I was ready to just give up. Then Azmuth showed up and gave me a bit of a pep talk. And an idea. When we faced Vilgax again on his ship…I activated the Omnitrix's self-destruct sequence."
Now everyone was staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief.
"You were willing to sacrifice all that power for the sake of defeating your enemy?" Harribel asked.
"There was not much else I could do," Ben said. "If we couldn't get the Omnitrix back, we could at least prevent Vilgax from using it."
"A pragmatic solution," Ulquiorra spoke up.
"Vilgax thought I was bluffing," Ben said, clenching his fists. "And he learned the hard way I wasn't."
Everyone was put off by the coldness in Ben's tone. That must've been a dark day for Ben. And it showed just how much contempt he truly held for his arch-enemy.
"That must've been hard for you," Aizen said to Ben.
"It was," Ben admitted. "But it was worth it if it meant stopping that psychopath."
"Did Vilgax die?" Tōsen asked.
Ben shook his head. "The self-destruct hurt him but I faced him enough times to know it wouldn't take him down. So I got Albedo to give me the Ultimatrix."
"How did you do that?" Gin wondered.
"By activating the Ultimatrix's self-destruct unless he handed it over to me," Ben answered.
This took everyone by surprise. Though several Arrancar actually grinned at this.
"Nice one, Tennyson," Yammy complimented. "Didn't think you had it in ya."
Ben simply ignored him. "So Albedo gave me the Ultimatrix and I used it to fight Vilgax. Our battle caused his ship to fall into the ocean. As it started sinking, Vilgax turned into a giant squid monster, but I was able to beat him before escaping. I didn't see him escape, but I doubt he's gone. He'll come back, I know he will. And when he does, I'll be ready."
Silence filled the air as the Arrancar started seeing their new guest in a whole new light.
"What exactly makes the Ultimatrix different compared to the Omnitrix?" Aizen asked.
Ben cringed. He should've known that someone would ask that once they learned there were an Ultimatrix and an Omnitrix. He didn't want to reveal the Ultimate forms just yet but if they found out, they'd be angry for keeping it a secret. Ben decided he would just have to watch his wording.
"It was able to make Albedo's aliens stronger than mine," He said, which was technically true. "When we fought, he completely owned me. I didn't stand a chance."
"Well it seems to me you got the better deal blowing up the Omnitrix and taking the Ultimatrix for yourself," Gin noted.
Ben just gave another half-hearted chuckle at that.
"So, did you have any recent adventures before you got blasted here?" Gin asked.
Now Ben was in a really tough spot. His most recent adventures had been the whole Aggregor mess. If he talked about Aggregor and his plans for the Forge of Creation, how would they all react if they learned there was an entire species capable of warping reality and that Ben had their DNA in his Ultimatrix?
"That's enough for now," Aizen said, suddenly getting up from his throne. "We shouldn't force Ben to tell us all of his adventures in one sitting. We have learned some very interesting things about him and now it's time for him to learn about us."
All of the Arrancar minus Lilynette stared at Aizen in shock.
"Ben Tennyson became our comrade the moment he agreed to help us in our war with the Soul Society," Aizen said, smiling down at them all. "But what right do we have to call ourselves his comrades if we don't bother trying to understand him and let him understand us in return? Come now, everyone. After such a hard time he's been having since he arrived, don't we owe it to him? I hope at least some of you will actually make an effort." He cast an eye at Grimmjow, then at Nnoitra before closing both eyes. "That is all for now. Return to whatever you were doing before coming here."
One by one, the Arrancar dispersed. Some of them ignored Ben, namely Baraggan and his Fraccion while others looked at him with various degrees of curiosity. Grimmjow and Nnoitra both shot a sneer his way while Szayel was gazing at him with that same look from earlier.
Lilynette ran up to him. "Hey, Ben? Can you tell me more about your adventures?"
Ben chuckled. "You still want to hear more?"
Lilynette grinned. "Well yeah. Now I'm really curious."
"As long as it keeps her from bothering me, I don't mind," Starrk said.
Lilynette's grin turned mischievous, clearly indicating that she was still going to torment Starrk whenever she could. Starrk noticed and, with a big sigh, slumped in defeat. Lilynette patted his back with a smug smile on her face. Ben couldn't help laughing a little at the scene. The two were like siblings.
"Mind if I drop in for a listen some time?" Ben and Lilynette when they realized Gin was standing right beside them. "I'll bet you got some really good stories to tell and I wouldn't mind hearing about them too."
"Errr, sure thing," Ben said, taking a step back.
"Well, Ben" Aizen said from his platform. "I can't say whether or not any progress was made but I'd like to think this was a step in the right direction."
"We'll see," Ben said, still remembering how lot of the Arrancar didn't seem that interested in what he had to say. "So…what now?"
"For now just relax," Aizen told him. "Now you understand the basics of Soul Reaper combat, it's time to tell you more about Soul Society itself, namely the members we'll be going up against." Aizen's eyes narrowed. "Its military branch: The Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
Ben's eyes slightly widened at that. So he was going to learn about who he was helping Aizen oppose. Thirteen Court Guard Squads, huh? They sounded impressive. And kind of old fashioned, like the Forever Knights.
"But we'll talk more about them later," Aizen said. "Like I said, rest for now. I feel you have earned it."
Ben was a bit surprised that his training was being cut so early. He figured today must've been more of a test to see how well he stacked up against Soul Reapers than real training. If that was the case, he wondered what Aizen had in store for him come actual training.
Speaking of which, how different was Aizen compared to Tōsen and Gin? Tōsen's Zanpakuto could create multiple blades while Gin's could extend. So what could Aizen's Zanpakuto do?
Aizen's eyes widened for a moment as if he just remembered something. "Oh, Ben. Before I forget; I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty to get some extra clothes made for you."
Ben blinked at this. "Extra clothes?"
"Well, considering you were sent here with just the clothes on your back, I felt it would be wise to have some made for you. Wearing the same outfit for days on end would be not very hygienic."
"Can't argue with that," Ben admitted, looking down at his clothes.
"I will have the clothes sent to Starrk's chambers, where you can try them on and see how they fit. If you are displeased, I can have a different outfit made instead."
"Oh, thanks" Ben said with a shrug, unsure of anything else to say at this point.
Aizen smiled. "Very well. That is all for now."
Taking it as their cue to leave, Starrk, Lilynette, and Ben all made their way out of the throne room. As they left, Ben couldn't help looking back over his shoulder at Aizen, who just smiled back.
…
"So what were those other super-villains like?" Lilynette asked as they made their way down the hall.
"Well, they weren't really on Vilgax's level but they were still threats in their own right," Ben said. "Dr. Animo is this mad scientist guy. Completely insane but he's pretty smart. I mean the guy made devices that not only mutated animals but even resurrected dead ones. The very first time I fought him, he was able to bring a mammoth, and a T. Rex, to life."
Ben made a face. "And I've got a feeling those two might get along."
"What about those Forever Knight guys?" Lilynette asked.
"Those guys?" Ben said. "Well, I'm still trying to figure them out. If you couldn't already tell, they're a bunch of guys with a knight fetish and an obsession with getting their hands on alien technology."
"To rule the world?" Lilynette guessed.
"I…think so," Ben said. "At least, they did when this guy named Driscoll was leading them. I remember when he roped Animo and a bunch of my other enemies together as a team to fight me. He called them the Negative 10."
"The Negative 10?" Lilynette grinned at the name. "Okay, that's not bad. Were they a decent threat?"
"They were," Ben said. "Problem was they made a lousy team. In fact, in the end my family and I won by making them fight each other."
Lilynette laughed at that. "Nice."
…
Soon they were back in Starrk's chambers. Starrk was resting on his pillows while Ben was entertaining Lilynette with more stories about his adventures.
"You seriously fought an emotion vampire clown?" a skeptical Lilynette questioned Ben.
"Yep," Ben said with a nod. "Now he might have looked silly but Zombozo was way more dangerous than the Circus Freaks that worked for him." He frowned as he remembered all the times Zombozo had put his family in danger. "Definitely more dangerous."
Lilynette sighed, putting a hand on her head. "Your universe is weird."
Ben made a face. "What? And yours is normal?"
"Hey, ours makes perfect sense!" Lilynette protested. "There's humans, there's Hollows, and there's Shinigami. We don't have stuff like aliens and vampire clowns!"
"How do you know you don't?" Ben asked. "For all you know they do exist and you just haven't found them yet."
Lilynette was about to retort but paused. Ben actually had a really good point. She shot him a sour look, but he only grinned, confident that he had won the argument.
Just then the door opened and in walked two young-looking, female Arrancar who were carrying some bundles of cloth. The first one was a slender girl with black hair tied in pigtails. Her left eye was covered by her mask remnant, while her pink right eye was perfectly visible. Her uniform consisted of a frilled short skirt, white half-sleeves that went from her elbows down to her wrists, as well as white boots with black outlines. She wore white bracelets on her arms, and she also wore some white material that also sported black outlines around her neck. The material also revealed a fair portion of her belly and chest.
The second girl had short, slicked-back blonde hair with a slight fringe over her right eye. Unlike the other girl, her left green eye was visible while her mask remains were positioned around her right eye. Like her companion, her mask portion had teeth dotted around the bottom. She wore a white dress with short sleeves, which were slit and ran a little past her elbows, and an upturned collar. Her dress was also unzipped at the front, showing her cleavage. Her outfit also exposed her waist and part of her thighs on both sides of her body. A black sash was tied around her hips. A white, segmented choker and a series of white bracelets on her arms finished her look.
"Loly," Starrk said. "Menoly. What brings you two here?"
"Lord Aizen sent us to give Ben Tennyson his new clothes," the pigtailed one, who Ben assumed was Loly, replied. She and the other one, Menoly obviously, walked over to Ben and thrust the bundles into his arms. "We'll send someone to retrieve your regular clothes later and make sure they're properly cleaned."
With their business concluded, the two quickly made their exit.
"Well…" Ben muttered after they left. "They were friendly."
"Don't mind them," Lilynette said as she slouched against the wall. "They're Lord Aizen's personal aides and they're absolutely crazy about him. I bet they can't stand being away from him for even five minutes."
Yep," Starrk said nonchalantly as he slouched in his pile of pillows. "I think Loly's got it worse than Menoly though. My advice? Keep your distance from those two unless you absolutely have to."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ben said under his breath before taking a look at his new clothes. "So…I guess I need to change huh?" He looked around. "Um..where should I…?"
"Lilynette," Starrk said as he got up. "Let's go outside and wait for a minute will ya?"
Lilynette frowned at Starrk bossing her around but nonetheless she got up and made her way to the door beside Starrk. "Don't take too long," she told Ben before walking outside and closing the door behind her.
"Hmm," Ben said as he looked at his new clothes. "Not that I don't appreciate it but I kinda wish Aizen had more colors than just black and white available. Oh well." He took off his jacket. "I hope I don't look stupid."
…
"Alright, you guys," Ben called once he got his new outfit on and placed his regular clothes in a pile. "I'm done."
At his words, the door opened and the two Arrancar entered.
"Hey, Ben!" Lilynette called. "So does it…" She froze when saw Ben.
The hero was wearing the same pants that the other Arrancar wore, a black sash and undershirt, an open jacket that surprisingly looked like a white version of his regular one, his outfit completed by black socks and sandals.
"Well, how do I look?" Ben asked them.
"Wow," Lilynette said, looking impressed. "Not bad. You could almost pass for an Arrancar in that getup."
"Yeah, it's not bad," Starrk assured him.
"Still, this is gonna take some getting used to," Ben said, looking down at himself. "Anybody got a mirror?"
Starrk and Lilynette both shrugged at him, causing Ben to sigh. Well that was helpful.
"Come on," Lilynette said, running back inside and sitting against the wall. "Tell me about some more adventures!"
"More?" Ben asked in mock exasperation.
"You're my current source of entertainment," Lilynette retorted. "I'll stop bugging you once you run out of stories to tell."
"Which roughly translates as 'not any time soon,'" Ben replied.
Lilynette grinned. "You got it!"
Ben slumped. "I'm in trouble." Though his tone clearly showed he was just playing around before he straightened himself back up. "Alright. How about I tell you the time I found the Fountain of Youth?"
Lilynette gawked at him. "Okay, you've got to be kidding me."
"Oh I'm dead serious," Ben said as he sat down beside her. "See, it all started like this…"
Lilynette leaned forward, already excited to hear another story about the guy who had brought excitement to Las Noches. And although his eyes were shut, Starrk found himself lending an ear as Ben began his tale to the other Arrancar. And as he listened, Starrk started thinking. Ben had been decent enough to tell some of his life story. Maybe sharing his own wouldn't be such a bad idea.
End of Chapter
Well, everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first Bleach: Ultimate Alien of 2016. I will let you guys know in advance the next few updates might come out slowly. Even though I've been struck by inspiration, I want to make sure I don't rush things and potentially ruin the story.
Also, for those of you who might be reading my Frozen Fic, The Snow Queen and the Winter Knight, I'm thinking about remaking that too, just to have the story make a little more sense and have a better flowing plot.
On another note, I've got two different Ben 10 crossover ideas for the future. One, as you guys already know, is a Ben 10 and Fate/Stay Night. Sadly, I still don't have a solid plot yet that might take me awhile. The other one, is a Ben 10/Tenchi Muyo crossover. I don't know what got me back into Tenchi Muyo but one day I felt like watching some episodes for nostalgia's sake and I got sucked back in. My pal Diablo Ex Machina has actually given some ideas and we kinda have a decent plot going on. Whenever I come out with either of these fics, I hope you find them as enjoyable as this fic.
That's all I really have for now. So for now, Happy New Year! Take care!
