It was one of those nights again, Ben Tennyson couldn't get a lick of sleep.
Since Azmuth's last visit for a check-up, things had only gotten more complicated. Grandpa Max and Gwen had been checking in on him too to no avail, but it wasn't like he was angry at them or anything. He just didn't want to see anyone, not now at least. Maybe he just needed more time to adjust.
Dealing with his new appearance wasn't going well at all. In fact, he'd even stopped going outside, claiming he was still in the hospital. Despite his family's concerns, he couldn't bring himself to go out at daytime, let alone face anyone he knew. He'd been hidden for so long, it felt like he'd already been forgotten. Not that it mattered he barely had any friends anyway, aside from Gwen. And maybe Kevin? Last time they'd crossed paths, Kevin had tried to kill him in the Null Void.
Sometimes, when Malware's taunting kept him awake on nights like this, Ben would just lie there, staring at the ceiling or his left hand, the Omnitrix being a heavy reminder on his wrist. His mind would spiral, questioning whether he could still be the hero he once was, or if it had all been for the thrill and attention he was getting. Could he even call himself a hero anymore?
Azmuth's update to the Omnitrix had only made things worse. The device had been "cut off completely from the Codon Stream" according to the Galvan; which meant the thing is practically empty now, a safety measure to prevent Malware from corrupting the DNA and the larger data base. Now, Ben can't transform into any alien from the stream, including every sapient life form in the Milky Way. The Omnitrix, once his greatest asset, was now just a constant reminder of everything he'd lost.
It's been a while he's been to school... mostly absent out of choice, thought he still gave the medical justifications from time to time. He really does not want to anyone to see him in his "sad state" after all what kind of loser self sabotages this much? the most powerful tool in the universe and couldn't stop Malware from messing him up this bad, and now he's just a glorified prison cell to the mutant... and his constant taunts do not help at all! imagine living with such scum all day everyday! he doesn't shut up when Ben's not supressing him and he barely sleep anymore since Malware can stay away indefinitely.
All this led Ben to a minimal sleep schedule where he naps sometimes and night walks often to pass time, it was one of these winter nights he found himself in a very secluded part of town with oddly so little activity, even for Bellwood.
It was there when he saw IT; it was a glowing shop in the shape of a smoothie cup in the middle of nowhere by the sidewalk, a nearby sign with a similar designs says "Mr, Smoothy" Yuck... And at the same time confusing... what kind of paper street is this? he's supposed to know his way around here.
"This is new..." Ben muttered as he walked toward the luminescent shop, which caused the Omnitrix to glow as well.
"Up for a drink, brat?" Malware taunted from the watch.
"Shut up, I'm thirsty," Ben replied tiredly as he approached the seemingly flickering shop.
As he stepped inside, Ben noticed that the windows no longer reflected the outside world. Instead, they resembled a melting kaleidoscope of swirling rainbow colors and shimmering glitter. It was strange almost surreal.
He turned his head to the empty counter and saw two "aliens" whatever they are, looking like a chicken guy and a boar fat man.
Repeatedly ringing the bell requesting service "Owwh! is not a body goinna come and serve us? I'm out of here!" said the bore in a surprisingly high pitched voice.
"Yeah, Goy... so unprofessional!" the chicken-man spat out as they both left, getting sucked out the door by a flashing light.
"Am I dreaming?" Ben muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes as he took in the bizarre scene. It wasn't like he hadn't seen strange things before, but this was... different.
Hearing a clanging sound and the hum of electricity and steam coming from a door labeled "Staff Only." Which got the thirsty boy curious, pushing the door open.
Inside, he found a lanky green man with four arms in a yellow and brown star themed steampunk outfit, complete with a pair of orange mustaches covering his mouth and a big nose like no other, working on what looked like a malfunctioning generator.
"Aww... Failed contraption! Why must you fail during business hours?" grumbled the strange man as he fiddled with the malfunctioning machine.
Ben, growing impatient, stepped into the room and called out, "Hey, shopkeeper, where's my smoothie?"
The man turned around, startled. "I apologize, dear customer. Your drinks will be ready in a-" He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in recognition. "Ben Tennyson?! You're here already? Ah, uhm I mean, welcome to my humble place of business!"
Fixing up his clothes and hat with a half bow, he introduced himself. "I am Professor Blarney T. Hokestar, though you may simply call me Professor Hokestar."
Ben, in his delirious confusion asked "Huh? do I know you?"
The Omnitrix's AI, influenced by Malware, chimed in with a robotic tone. "Clueless as always, Tennyson. Everyone in the galaxy knows the brat who bested Vilgax the conqueror."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ben muttered, waving off the remark. He turned back to the professor. "You look like you're having trouble with... whatever that thing is. Is it gonna take long to fix? I'm still waiting for my drink."
Professor Hokestar sighed. "I'm afraid the problem is a bit more complicated than that, dear customer."
"What do you mean? Is there anything I can help with?" Ben offered, more out of habit than actual interest.
"I'm afraid our predicament is somewhat more complex than that, dear customer," Professor Hokestar replied, his tone formal yet slightly embarrassed.
"This Mr. Smoothy shop travels across dimensions while maintaining its location in each one. This engine right here makes that possible!," he gestured to the steaming, smoking machine, "well, WAS what made that possible." he added sheepishly.
"Was?" Ben echoed, noting the steam and smoke now pouring from the engine.
"Yes, well... it used to," Professor Hokestar admitted. "Now, it's on the fritz."
Ben raised an eyebrow, slowly glanced at the malfunctioning engine, then back at the professor. "Alright, let's see where we ended up stranded in."
"Indeed!" Hokestar exclaimed, relieved. "It's not like you're getting your smoothie anytime soon."
Ben followed Hokestar outside, ready for whatever awaited them next.
As they stepped out of the smoothie shop, Ben's eyes widened as the city streets of Tokyo came into view. The flickering neon lights, massive billboards, and the people around some with minor mutations, glowing skin or even wings surrounded them. The city buzzed with life, unlike anything Ben had ever seen. It was like stepping into a sci-fi movie.
"Woah..." Ben muttered, his voice thick with awe. "This is... Japan, right? It's gotta be!" His curiosity pushed back his exhaustion, but just barely. His limbs felt heavy, and his mind foggy from the sleepless night of the past few days.
He gawked at a pair of people dressed in flamboyant costumes who seemed to be patrolling the streets like policemen. "Are those actual superheroes?" he asked, unable to hide his awe.
Hokestar, glancing around cautiously, muttered to himself, "So this is Japan? Hm, interesting place. Not quite what I expected..." He fiddled with a gadget in one of his many pockets, his eyes scanning the city with a wary expression. While Ben was captivated by the strangeness of their surroundings, Hokestar's mind was already plotting. "First things first, let's figure out how to blend in..." He said glancing around the place seeing how people don't seem to care about his alien appearance even outside of his oversized coat disguise. "Which is easier than I thought it'd be, then maybe see what I can acquire to get our feet off the ground."
Ben shrugged at Hokestar's mumbling, still distracted by the strange sights around him. "Hey! check out that guy!" he exclaimed, pointing at someone with what appeared to be fire flaring out of his skull. "Is everyone here a mutant or something?"
Hokestar observed the crowd following Ben's request with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. "Humans in this dimension sure do come in all shapes and sizes," he remarked, though his mind was mostly on the task at hand. "And luckily for me, my "Alien" appearance is not too much out of the ordinary. since everyone here is pretty used to it."
Ben's initial wonder was slowly giving way to a growing sense of exhaustion, yet he couldn't help but be captivated by this strange, new world. "This place has like... Hero groups like the Galactic Enforcers guys, but as humans." he muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of amazement and weariness.
As they continued walking, Ben's steps grew slower, his fatigue becoming more apparent. But the sheer strangeness of this place kept him moving, his curiosity driving him forward despite the heavy pull of sleep. "Super-Tokyo... Futuristic Sumo-Slammers... So cool!" he mumbled to himself, too tired to acknowledge Malware's nagging voice coming from the watch.
Hokestar kept a close eye on Ben as they walked, unease gnawing at him. The boy was clearly exhausted, yet there was something in his expression a curiosity that kept him moving forward despite the weariness. Hokestar couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This boy is Azmuth's biggest project, huh? And here he is, looking like he's about to keel over." The First Thinker had tasked him with this mission, but Hokestar couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on than he was being told.
His thoughts wandered to the oddity of Ben's watch 'what was it called again, the Omnimatrix?' that thing had just started talking earlier, and not in a friendly tone. The voice was harsh, almost aggressive, like a malfunctioning AI. "Maybe that's just normal for Galvan tech," Hokestar mused, shrugging off the unsettling thought. After all, he'd seen stranger things in his time. But still, it was weird. Shouldn't the Omnitrix be more… user-friendly?
As they continued, Hokestar's mind flickered to the incident that had landed them here in the first place. 'Was the dimensional travel machine in the shop tampered with to fail just then? Or was it really just a failure of my makeshift repairs?' He frowned, considering the possibilities, but quickly dismissed the idea of outside interference. 'Nah, there was no sign of tampering, and that machine was held together with more hopes and dreams than hardware anyway.' It was more likely that his quick fixes had finally given out.
But then another thought hit him. was this all part of Azmuth's plan? Was getting stuck in a different dimension just a way for the Galvan to get Ben out of the way, to keep him busy while he focused on more important matters? Hokestar shook his head, trying to dispel the paranoia. 'Too much of a stretch. Azmuth's genius, but there's no way he could've predicted the exact moment that thing would break down. Just a coincidence… right?' He tried to convince himself, knowing that if he dwelled on it too long, it would drive him crazy.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Hokestar refocused on their immediate situation. 'I need to get our bearings, find some local currency, and definitely forge some basic documents.' The prospect of a little light forgery didn't bother him much; it was all part of the game, in a new world, there were new opportunities and new risks. But he had to stay sharp.
As Ben wandered ahead, still lost in his thoughts, Hokestar followed, his mind already plotting their next steps. Whatever the First Thinker's real plan was, they were on their own now. And in a place like this, it was time to start improvising. This place might be new and unfamiliar, but that only meant new opportunities and new risks. It was all "Business as usual."