Disclaimer: Bleach and Ben 10 do not belong to me.
Hello, everyone. Hope you're having a good year so far. Despite my note for the previous chapter saying Chidoriprime and I were skipping Heroes United/Ultimate Heroes until a later time, a lot of people were curious to see what exactly happened, if only for the sake of context.
So, Chidoriprime and I decided to go ahead and do that. We're splitting this crossover event between both our chapters. Mine will primarily focus on Ben's side of things while Chidoriprime's will focus on Ken's side of things.
You'll no doubt have questions by the end of the chapter. I'll explain them as best I can when I get to the end.
As usual, I want to thank Vandenbz and Pyromania101 for their proofreading. I also want to thank Pyromanai101 for his Bleach: Ultimate Alien Wiki. And I want to thank all the people responsible for Bleach: Ultimate Alien having its own TVtropes page. All of you are awesome!
And now, onto the story.
Heroes United/Ultimate Heroes: Revelations
The wielder of the Ultimatrix hoped he didn't look fidgety as they proceeded through the Garganta. Since no one was in the mood for conversation, not that he wanted to chat with any of his present company, Ben in the form of Diamondhead took a moment to take in his surroundings. The swirling darkness around them was not improving his mood, not in the least because of the thought that one of his "companions" might be tempted to push him into it. There wasn't any point worrying about it though, so Ben decided to think. Once they reached the other side of this Garganta, they would arrive in the human world and he would meet his first Soul Reapers outside of Aizen's group.
He had to find out the Soul Reapers' side of the story without the Arrancar noticing. From there he would have to try and figure out the full picture. For all he knew, the Soul Reapers were just as bad as Aizen said they were. Would the Soul Reapers be willing to hear him out or just attack him for being with the Arrancar? Could he talk to one of them unnoticed?
Grimmjow was his main concern due to him being the most perceptive. Hopefully he'd be distracted by other potential enemies. Luppi was full of himself and probably cared more about flaunting his power to someone he might stand a chance against. Ben didn't really know Yammy and Wonderweiss that well but being the Tenth Espada hopefully meant that the former wasn't much trouble.
Just then the darkness in front of them began to split open, revealing a bright blue sky with white clouds. They had reached their destination.
Cautiously Ben stuck his head out of the garganta. They seemed to be in a clearing with green grass and some trees, possibly a park of some kind. He was relieved; at least they were away from any…
Then Ben spotted four individuals looking up at them. One of them was a man with shoulder-length black hair with some feathers attached to his right eyebrow and eyelash. Another was a tall man with a bald head. The third person was a woman with strawberry-blonde hair. The last one was a young boy with spiky, sheer white hair.
Yammy chuckled as he looked down at them. "Looks like we came out in a pretty good spot, didn't we?"
"Yeah," Ben mumbled, certain that they had just run into the Soul Reapers stationed here. At least they were away from any populated areas.
"Those guys have some pretty high spiritual pressure," Yammy said gleefully. "They've got to be the Soul Reapers right? Suerte!"
Luppi leaned forward to get a better look. "Ah, so these are the reinforcements from Soul Society that Mr. 6 was talking about." He looked over his shoulder and shot Grimmjow a mock apologetic glance. "Oh, sorry. It's former Mr. 6, isn't it?"
Grimmjow glared at Luppi out of the corner of his eye. At first Ben expected him to attack only for the former Espada to mutter under his breath, "The one I want to kill isn't here."
Ben cringed but before anyone could respond, Grimmjow shot out of the Garganta and flew off. Well, at least that kept him out of Ben's way but hopefully whoever he was after could handle themselves.
"Asshole," Yammy growled.
"Ah, ignore him," Luppi said with a dismissive shrug. "He's not an Espada anymore; he can't do much anyway."
Still grumbling, Yammy surveyed the people before them, frowning. "Looks like the one I want to kill isn't here either."
"Oh?" Luppi asked with a playful look. "The one you want to kill wouldn't happen to be the one who cut your arm off? Or the one that beat you up while withstanding your Cero?"
"Both," Yammy replied with a smirk before turning towards Ben. "Alright! Your first real battle with a Soul Reaper. You ready for it?"
Ben raised his arm, morphing the hand into a blade. "I'm ready."
"Glad to hear it!" Yammy laughed before rounding on Wonderweiss. "Hey, new guy, get moving! How long are you gonna stand there?"
Ben turned to see that Wonderweiss appeared to be staring off into space, his mouth hanging open.
Yammy scoffed. "Another freak joined us, huh?"
Ben frowned. "You wouldn't happen to be…?"
Yammy pulled out his sword to block the white-haired boy, now clad in a mostly black robe with white at the shoulders, and swinging a katana with a flower-like hilt.
"Toshiro Hitsugaya," the boy said. "Captain of Squad 10."
Ben thought back to that stack of papers Aizen gave him regarding this particular captain. Hitsugaya was the one with ice powers.
"Hey, what a coincidence!" Yammy beamed. "I'm a ten, too! Espada Diez, Yammy Llargo!"
Hitsugaya's eyes widened. "Diez? You're an Espada?!"
"Oh, so you know about that, huh?" Yammy's eyes narrowed but the grin never left his face. "Sounds like you fought someone who should've kept their mouth shut."
Ben then noticed that the Garganta was beginning to close. Quickly he leaped and slammed onto the ground. Striking it, a pillar of crystal elevated back up to where everyone else was facing each other off. The man with the feathers and the bald man were facing Luppi, now dressed in black robes. The feathered man was holding what appeared to be a four-bladed sickle while the bald man was holding a spear. The blonde woman, now wearing the same types of robes, was staring at Wonderweiss with uncertainty. Said Arrancar was crouched in midair, watching a passing bird. Detecting movement, her eyes landed on Ben and she took an offensive stance once more before looking him over.
"You," the woman said cautiously. "You're definitely not a Hollow."
"What gave it away?" Ben asked with a grin. "No mask? No Hollow hole?"
The woman scowled before her eyes widened as something seemed to click. "Are you… Ben?"
He gawked. "What makes you say that?"
When the woman disappeared, Ben brought his arm up to block as she suddenly appeared in front of him, bringing her blade down on his arm. She began swinging rapidly, but even with his crystalline body, Ben barely felt any force behind her slashes.
"Listen," the woman said, her voice somewhat muffled by the sound of her blade striking Diamondhead's body. "We know who you are and your situation with Aizen. There's something you need to know."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"
"Hey, Ben!" Luppi cried, cutting the woman off. "I'm bored with my opponent! If you're just gonna let that pretty Soul Reaper wear herself out then send her my way. I want a challenge so I might as well fight them all at once!"
Ben clenched his teeth in frustration.
The woman eyed Ben cautiously. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"No," he whispered bluntly. "All the same I can't just stand by and let him get killed. Don't suppose I could convince you to just make them retreat to Hueco Mundo?"
Somebody else suddenly appeared beside the woman. Ben's eyes widened as he took in the newcomer's features. He looked like a slim teenager with blonde hair, jeans, a black t-shirt, and a domino mask that covered his eyes. At long last Ben met the mystery guy Aizen had been talking about.
And he had absolutely no clue as to who this guy was.
"Lieutenant Matsumoto," the boy said, grinning at the transformed Petrosapien. "Leave this guy to me."
The aforementioned Matsumoto looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Are you sure?"
The masked boy nodded. "I've been waiting for this."
Matsumoto nodded. "I'll leave you to it then." She disappeared, most likely heading to Luppi but all that mattered to Ben was the stranger before him.
"Guess you're not a Soul Reaper," Ben said, though he still shifted into a fighting stance. "Unless you prefer hand-to-hand and dressing casually."
The blonde-haired boy just smirked as he assumed a fighting stance. "Why don't you beat me and find out?"
"Oh boy," Ben muttered before lunging at his opponent.
With surprising speed and agility for one possibly not a Soul Reaper, the blonde boy dodged his attack and struck Ben across the face, sending him crashing to the ground. Dazed and surprised by the blow, Ben looked up, only to quickly roll out of the way when his opponent shot towards him. When his opponent's fist struck the ground, he made a noticeable crater. Ben raised his hands and began firing shards, but the boy dodged the shards and darted towards him again.
Ben wrapped his arms around the mysterious youth, trapping him in a bear hug. However, he found himself struggling to hold the boy still. Just then the boy grinned before shooting into the air, carrying Ben with him. Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Ben loosened his grip enough for his opponent to break free. Before Ben could retaliate, the boy grabbed him by one of his back spikes and the next thing the hero knew he was flying towards some woods in the distance. He had just enough time to cover his face as he crashed into the ground once more, sliding across the grass.
Ben groaned as he pushed himself up, wiping dirt off his chest and shoulders. "This guy's serious. Looks like I'll have to be too."
"No need for that, Ben," he spun around to see the blonde boy already behind him, only now he had a more relaxed posture. "I had a feeling you were holding back but I had to make sure the fight was convincing to those Arrancar."
"Sure…" Ben said slowly.
"You have every right to doubt me so I'm gonna go ahead and get this out of the way," the mysterious boy clapped his hands together. "My name is Ken Tennyson."
Ben froze.
"I'm your son from an alternate timeline," Ken went on. "I accidentally wound up here during a battle with one of my enemies. Professor Paradox found me, told me about what was going on and asked me to help you."
Ben's hands fell to his side, his mouth agape, and looking for all the world like some bizarre art statue.
"Obviously that's a lot to take in, let alone believe," Ken peeled off his mask, showing his entire face to the hero. The wielder of the Ultimatrix was stunned to see that there was a resemblance between them. Not a mirror image like how Albedo originally looked, but Ken definitely had the look of a Tennyson.
"Just to be on the safe side," Ken added. "Use the Ultimatrix to scan my DNA."
Ben frowned, eyeing the other teen. After a moment's pause, he sighed. "Ultimatrix: commence DNA scan. Code 01010."
The Ultimatrix symbol began glowing and a computerized version of Ben's own voice spoke. "Commencing scan."
A green light shined from the Ultimatrix onto "Ken", shifting up and down his body. It continued to do this for a few seconds when the light ceased. "Scan complete: human DNA of Ben Tennyson detected; unknown DNA also detected."
Ben's jaw dropped as Ken chuckled. "And if that doesn't convince you, then how about this? Aside from clowns you also have a fear of peacocks and you used to sleep with a teddy bear. What was his name again? Furry Freddy?"
"Y-you are my son," Ben stammered.
"Yeah, Dad shared that information with me in case I ever ran into his younger self due to his own time travel adventures. Although I don't think this is what he had in mind."
"And the unknown DNA?"
"That would be Mom's. Long story short: Dad wound up in another universe just like you did. Only the universe he ended up in has superheroes. Most of them are part of an organization called the Justice League. Both Mom and Dad are members, naturally."
"Who is your mom anyway?" Ben couldn't help but ask.
"Her name is Kara but her hero name is Supergirl. She's a Kryptonian; they look human but have powers like super strength and super speed among others." Ken grinned. "Where did you think I got mine from?"
"Supergirl? Justice League?" Ben rubbed his cranium, leaning against a tree. "Son, wife." Meeting his future self, Ben 10,000, was one thing but knowing he actually had a wife and child was another. Then there was this Justice League to think about. "This… is not what I expected to find when I came here."
Ken nodded sympathetically. Then he suddenly punched a tree, the blow actually uprooting the tree and sending it crashing into others behind it, toppling them like dominoes. He then started punching the ground.
"To make sure everyone thinks we're still fighting," Ken explained to a confused Ben. "I know this is a lot to take in, Ben. I wish I could tell you but that's not important right now. What is important is this: your suspicions of Aizen? They're all true."
Ben stood straight up, eyes narrowed. "Really?"
Ken nodded as he kicked another tree down. "Aizen's true plan is to reach the ruler of Soul Society, the Soul King, and kill him so that he can rule over everyone."
Ben's fists shook and his teeth were grinding so hard that he could've made sparks. "So that whole story about wanting to make Hueco Mundo a better place for Hollows…"
"I'm afraid I don't know what Aizen told you but it was definitely a lie," Ken said softly, even as he punched some nearby rocks, smashing them to dust. "Did he happen to mention a group called the Vizards?" When Ben nodded his progeny continued. "Aizen was the one responsible for that. He forced them to undergo Hollowfication and become fugitives from Soul Society."
Ben hung his head, feeling his body go numb from all the information that had just been dropped on him.
"Hey, it's alright," Ken said, pausing in his mock fight. "I was told that Aizen was a very charismatic guy and he took advantage of the fact that you like helping others. Plus that guy's got over a century of experience. It's not your fault."
"Doesn't feel that way to me," Ben said weakly, eyes on his feet.
The air seemed to shift and the two heroes turned to see flares of light in the sky.
"Sounds like the others have started powering up," Ken said before turning back to his sort-of father. "There's something else I have to warn you about. Have you ever seen Aizen use his Zanpakuto?"
Ben frowned, cupping his chin. "If you mean his Shikai, then no I haven't. Why?"
Ken sighed in relief. "Aizen's Zanpakuto is called Kyoka Suigetsu. Once you've seen it activate, Aizen has control over all your senses, being able to completely hypnotize you."
"What?!" Ken quickly struck another tree to muffle Ben's shout. Not that it mattered because there suddenly flashes of red light and explosions nearby. It seemed the battles between the Arrancar and Soul Reapers were getting more intense.
"So if you ever go up against Aizen, make sure you don't see him activate his Zanpakuto," Ken urged.
"Don't plan to," Ben said, clenching his fists once more. "Aizen's toyed with me enough. There's no way I'm letting him do anything else."
Ken nodded at his sort-of father's words as the hero looked back up at him. "Thanks for telling me this, Ken. I'm glad I finally know the truth now."
"Same here. Come on, we better start fighting near the others again," Ken put his mask back on. "Throw me in the direction of the fight and we'll trade some blows."
Ben flinched. "Uh, are you sure? I get we're gonna fake it and all but still, I feel really bad trying to hit my… sort-of son."
Ken grinned. "Don't worry, I'm pretty durable."
"Something else you got from your mom?"
Ken nodded.
Ben sighed. "Well, okay then. Here I go!" Lunging forward, he grabbed Ken by the shirt and threw him into the direction of the battle. He slammed a hand down on the ground, summoning a crystal pillar to launch him after his pseudo-son.
When he landed, he saw that Luppi had entered his Released State and had currently captured Lieutenant Matsumoto, the bald Soul Reaper, and the one with the feathers inside his tentacles. Captain Hitsugaya was nowhere to be seen while Yammy seemed to be hammering away at the ground.
"About time you got back," Luppi said snidely as he eyed Ken. "Don't tell me this guy was giving you trouble."
Ben ignored him as Ken charged; the two striking each other in the chest. He threw a punch but Ken ducked and jabbed. Ben blocked it and followed up with a karate chop. Ken rolled to the ground and leg-swept the Petrosapien who fell to the ground. When Ken was about to deliver an elbow drop, Ben struck the ground, forming a crystal to knock his alternate son to the side. He tackled Ken and the two grappled on the ground.
"I think they buy it," Ken whispered.
"So far," Ben whispered back. "But there's got to be a way to make the Arrancar return to Hueco Mundo without them getting suspicious."
Ken was about to speak when both he and Ben felt the air shift once more. Looking up, they saw Captain Hitsugaya standing in the air before Luppi with one of the latter's tentacles encased in ice. Ice had also congregated around Hitsugaya's body, giving him a draconic appearance. Not only had it formed wings and a long tail for the captain, but it had also gathered around his feet and left hand, resembling claws.
Luppi scowled. "So you were still alive, huh?"
"Hyorinmaru is the most powerful of all ice and snow zanpakuto," Histugaya said to the Espada. "As long as there is water it can be revived countless times. Don't bother," he went on when Luppi took a defensive stance. "It's impossible for you to win now. I had ample time to prepare, you wasted too much time to realize it. If your weapon is eight arms, then my weapon is…"
Just then Ben realized that the youthful-looking captain and Luppi were surrounded by numerous ice pillars.
"All the water in the atmosphere," Hitsugaya finished.
"Whoa," Ben muttered. "I wonder if Big Chill could do something like that."
Hitsugaya pointed his sword at Luppi. "Sennen Hyoro!"
All the pillars slammed into Luppi, forming one big chunk of ice. His tentacles had slacked at the last minute, freeing the captive Soul Reapers.
"Sorry," Hitsugaya said dismissively. "But it looks like eight just wasn't enough."
Ben cringed. "Is he…?"
Ken looked up at the block of ice, his eyes seeming to glow. "No, he's still alive in there and…"
A pressure built up in the air, taking everyone by surprise. A cracking sound drew their attention to the ice. Sure enough, cracks were forming across the surface.
"What?! How?" Matsumoto asked as the ice shattered. Luppi picked himself up, having ended up back in his sealed state. He had some bruises but looked more annoyed and angry than injured.
"You think you're pretty clever huh, Soul Reaper?!" Luppi yelled at Hitsugaya.
"What happened?" Hitsugaya said quietly. "His Spiritual Pressure just went up. How?"
Ben wanted to smack his forehead. "The fruits."
Ken blinked. "Fruits? What fruits?"
Ben looked at him apologetically. "Aizen convinced me to help make these special fruits that boost the eater's spiritual power."
Ken's eyes widened at this revelation. "That… complicates things."
"I know," Ben said quietly.
Luppi chuckled, a maddened glint in his eye as Hitsugaya, Matsumuto, and the other two Soul Reapers raised their weapons. "Too bad for you Captain that Lord Aizen had us take extra precautions before we left."
"Extra precautions?" Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"You had your chance, Soul Reaper!" Luppi went on. "Now I'm going to make sure you die!"
A tearing sound filled the air, Ben looking up to see a Garganta opening and beams of golden light shooting out of it, one of them hitting Luppi and encasing him in what appeared to be a transparent pillar. Ben was so confused by the sight he didn't realize one of the lights was coming toward him until he found that he too was encased. "Hey, what the…?"
Luppi scowled at the pillar before he sneered at Hitsugaya. "Looks like we won't be able to continue our fight, Captain. But I suggest that you don't forget my face. Because the next time we fight, I'll kill you for sure!"
"It's a Negacion," Lieutenant Matsumoto said as she appeared beside Ken. "Hollows can use it to rescue each other through a Garganta. Once someone is inside one, they can't be harmed by any means. Nor can the Negacion be broken."
Ken looked up at Ben, who was unable to do anything but look back as he was pulled closer and closer to the Garganta. Ken mouthed something to him and Ben could just barely make out the words.
Good luck, Ben.
Ben was thankful. He had a feeling that he was going to need it a lot. His eyes never left Ken until the Garganta had completely closed.
"Mission accomplished, huh?" Yammy said, having been pulled in too. Wonderweiss was also there, looking around vacantly as he had been. "That hat-and-clogs guy was tough but I bet I caught him off guard when I ate that fruit." He clapped Ben on the back, making sure to avoid his back spikes. "Gotta give you and Szayel credit, Ben! Those fruits are great! Imagine what would happen if I had eaten two of them. Or five!"
Ben said nothing, the full weight of what had happened having finally dawned on him. Aizen was the bad guy all along and Ben had been aiding in his plans.
And now here he was, going right back into the heart of the lion's den.
How was he going to get out of this one?
To Be Continued
I know what you all are no doubt thinking, because it's something I and Chidoriprime realized over time.
After all the hype I personally had built up to this crossover, I saw Ben and Ken just meeting up, Ken going "Yeah, Aizen's evil" and then leaving it at that to be rather anticlimactic.
Again, this is because I personally kept hyping up the crossover, so this is on ME.
Therefore, Chidoriprime and I have decided that this won't be the last we'll see of Ken in Bleach: Ultimate Alien. I already, and finally, have a plan in mind for where I'm taking this story and I hope you all like what's to come.
See you all in the next chapter.
