Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or Batman. Ben 10 is owned by Cartoon Network and Batman belongs to DC comics. This work is for entertainment purposes only and is not for profit!
The midnight rain came down hard all over, with the booming thunder roaring loudly and lightning that briefly shed light over the dark, dampened city below. One would think weather like this would deter all into shelter for the night. However, this is the city of Gotham, and this doesn't deter many who move in the darkness, both villain and hero alike.
Within a decrepit building that none dared to enter, a young boy with deep brown hair was panting heavily as he held onto his left shoulder with his right hand with an arrow from where he was shot at. His white tshirt with a vertical black band down the center was tainted red with his blood . The boy had his face in a mix of unbridled terror and panic at what he was looking at.
Standing before him was a man with pasty white skin, dark green hair that was slicked back, with bright red lips twisted into a maniacal toothy grin. His rich purple suit had green present as the rolled up cuffs at the end of the sleeves and the shirt underneath the coat, with a pair of black dress shoes to complete the outfit.
"Ah, don't be so glum, lad. Let Uncle Joker cheer you up!" the man said eagerly as he reached into his coat to pull out a syringe filled with a green liquid. "You're going to be the first person to try my newest experimental Joker Venom: Version Laugh-Point-Oh. Look like me with a smile on your face or your money back guaranteed!" he then tilted his head back to laugh at his own joke with unnerving mirth.
The injured boy staggered backwards as blood oozed out of his wound. He couldn't believe what has happened to him. About an hour ago, he had lost Feedback to Malware, only for some unusual blue portal to appear underneath him and his cousin soon after, sending them both to this unfamiliar town. However, things only turned for the worse from there.
The pair landed on top of the Joker when he was preparing for his latest scheme, causing him to drop and break a glass bowl full of acid. The psychopathic maniac was furious right off the bat for mere children ruining his "fun" and swore he was going to make them pay. The two children ran off when they saw him grab a crossbow that was nearby. They split ways as a means of escaping the man, with Ben briefly free of the man while silently praying for his cousin to be safe.
The prayers fell on deaf ears as the boy soon was reunited with his cousin, or rather, her disembodied head as the Joker repeatedly tossed it up and down like a ball, with an inhuman smile plastered on her face. Ben's rage was quickly suppressed by fear after he was struck by an unexpected arrow followed by the chilling laughter that came from the psychopathic clown. The madman proceeded to chase the boy into the building they were in now, with the child backed into a corner.
Ben was paralyzed with fear as the Joker approached him. He had faced enemies like Vilgax and Kevin 11, but this man made the boy terrified due to his fear of clowns and then some. Not even Zombozo struck the amount of fear that the Joker was able to create with his laughter alone. The fear made Ben forget he possessed the Omnitrix, and coupled with the fear of dying prevented any thoughts of fighting back. Ben screamed when the Joker grabbed him by the hair, hoisting him off the floor, dangling in the air.
"L-Let me go, please!" the boy pleaded desperately as tears formed in his eyes.
"Now now, turn that frown upside down!" The Joker chided calmly before plunging the syringe into Ben's neck. The green fluid was injected slowly before something flew with expert precision to destroy the needle before the contents could be emptied into the boy completely.
"Ah, Batsy, so glad to see you again!" the Joker said gleefully. while letting go of the boy as he turned around.
Ben didn't pay attention to what happened after that. His body began to convulse on its own as he began to laugh uncontrollably. His body began to feel like it was burning from the inside out, causing his mind to lose not only his surroundings, but also his sense of time. After what felt like an eternity, the boy suddenly was met with blackness devoid of pain, a feeling he welcomed wholeheartedly.
When he awoke, startling a nurse in the process when he opened his eyes, he eventually realized that he was in a hospital. He was then greeted by a doctor, who went on to explain that the boy was in a medically induced coma for the past week after being rescued by a superhero known as the Batman, who also gave him an antidote to save his life. However, the antidote was only able to counteract the more lethal chemicals of what the Joker called "Joker Venom" contained, as well as preventing a permanent smile that the Joker Venom is known to cause. However, the boy was left with two distinct change to his appearance.
What used to been colored a soft peach was now a sickly white for his skin, while his brown hair now was green, traits that were believed to be permanent due to his DNA being damaged by the Joker Venom.
Reality sunk into him when he asked about his cousin, praying that what he saw was only a nightmare. The doctor sadly informed the boy that Gwen was indeed deceased. Ben couldn't help but hold nothing but rage towards the Joker for taking his cousin's life. Soon after that, he was questioned by the police department, asking for a detailed account of what happened and where they could find his parents. When they couldn't find any family, the boy was ultimately put into an orphanage, only to run away soon after he was ostracized and bullied for the sole reason for how different he looked. It was the only choice he had without revealing his secret to the world and he didn't want to endure the bullying either.
Ben attempted to use the Omnitrix to do good, but he was eventually confronted by the Batman, who warned him to stop after learning that he was just a child and advised him to hand over the source of his powers. However, he couldn't find bringing himself to fully trust the Dark Knight on part of him reminding the boy of Gwen's murder, in addition to not being able to remove the alien device even if he wanted to. Ben wasn't swayed by this, and proceeded to keep being a hero.
Two years have passed since the wielder of the Omnitrix arrived in the city of Gotham, and Ben's disposition became different from how other versions of himself would act at his age. Where they cracked jokes whenever they had the chance, this Ben was more focused, rarely joking while apprehending a criminal. When the other good incarnations fought, they held no hostility. He fought with the intention of beating them into submission. This was partly because he began to follow the Batman's example in fighting crime, seeing it as a better way in handling criminals through fear.
This Ben also kept to himself as well, avoiding the public eye as much as possible, mostly because of his appearance. This resulted in many to believe that Ben's various alien forms were simply different superheroes, and not just one kid with multiple forms. Only a handful had suspicions, and even fewer who knew the truth. The Batman being one of the select few. Despite the fact he had discovered that the Omnitrix could restore his appearance to how it was before, instead he chose to remain the way he was now, as a reminder of his fear towards the Joker that he felt cost Gwen her life and to never let his fear grab hold of him like that again.
Ben's heroic actions over time garnered attention from all sides. Crime lords wanted him through one of his many forms dead, while other villains were coveting to learn the secret of how these new heroes came to be, or if they can obtain their powers. The police wanted to arrest him, or rather his alien forms, due to his vigilantism that often led to lots of property damage, and his actions warranted both interest and concern of government agencies and groups like the Justice League. Even Batman had been keeping an eye on the boy.
The Living Fire, Plantman, Gem Man, One Man Army, Freak of Nature, the Odd One, The Good Boy. There were many names that Ben was addressed by as he didn't go by some moniker like the other superheroes. He didn't bother with establishing such a collective identity either for all his forms. He had instead been spending the last few years trying to figure out something more important. An answer that always evaded him.
How did he arrive in a different reality and why?
Two years in an unfamiliar world and he never found any clues to answer that.
Prologue: What Brought Us Together - Part 1
A stereotypical robbery in Gotham was going on at the moment. It was midnight as a lone culprit held a cashier at a gas station at gunpoint, demanding all the money the store had on hand. However, the robber was struck by a black blur, being knocked to the ground before he realized what happened.
The black blur stopped in place, revealing it to be XLR8 with the visor covering his face. Before the robber got a good look at the alien, he was grabbed and slammed into a row of metal shelves, breaking them as he crashed into them face first.
"Mercy, please!" the robber pleaded when he realized that he now had a bloody nose after screaming in pain. "I think you broke my nose!"
The transformed Ben only sneered and grabbed the man by the throat.
"You should've thought twice about robbing this place then." he hissed coldly as the criminal was struggling to breathe before letting go just as a police car drove up to the entrance. Without saying another word, XLR8 ran off just as the officers came out of the car. The alien ignored any vocal attempts to get his attention as he ran out of sight, heading into an alleyway before transforming into Stinkfly to take to the sky. He then landed on a rooftop just as the Omnitrix began to flash red, signaling the time out.
The alien was engulfed in a flash of light, being replaced with a young teenage boy. His eyes still retained a youthful appearance, but were slightly jaded from his experiences and lifestyle. His brown hair was now mostly green, and was long and umkempt, the bangs almost reaching his eyebrows. He hated the fact that his face now reminded him of the Joker, but he had learn to cope with that fact.
His attire consisted of a black hooded sweatshirt that had its sleeves torn off, revealing that he wore a green tshirt underneath. His hands donned a pair of fingerless gloves made of black leather. His bottoms consisted of a pair of black denim jeans that were worn at the knees, the light grey strands exposing his pasty flesh with a pair of black tennis shoes with green highlights that were quite worn. His appearance gave him an appearance of what could best described as a mix between punk and gothic.
On his left wrist was the Omnitrix, which after Ben messed with it in hopes of unlocking the Master Control, had reformatted. As a result, its appearance changed into what resembled a green wristwatch now, on top of unlocking a new variety of aliens to chose from, from Swampfire to Lodestar.
"You're starting to become more aggressive with apprehending criminals, Tennyson." a firm voice said from behind the boy.
"Well, the guy had a gun, so I had to act fast." the teen responded in defense as he turned around to see Batman. Ben had long since gotten used to the sudden appearances of the Dark Knight, having been approached by him on many occasions. "What do you need, Bats?"
"I need information." the Caped Crusader said bluntly. "While you've mostly remained…focused with 'assisting' me handling criminals without my approval, there has been someone that is possibly looking for you specifically. Normally I let the police handle with this kind of thing, as it is usually something they can easily handle on their own ."
"I noticed. You don't bother with Jaywalkers or anyone complaining about a parking ticket." Ben pointed out. "So, why me exactly? You could just drop by Arkham and ask the guys there. They tend to know more than I do… usually."
"Because last night, around 11:35 pm, people were found in the city park, murdered." Batman explained. "Fifteen confirmed casualties, all civilians. I found many of this crystal at the crime scene, including within the victims themselves." He then held up a teal crystal that was with sharp pointed ends. "The composition is not of any known crystal known to exist. However, I know that you possess a crystalline form, Diamondhead, who is of a similar color."
Ben frowned as he took a close look at the crystal.
"Yeah, it does look like it could come from Diamondhead, but I guarantee that it's not from me. I was busy with dealing with those Terrible Trio guys." the teen explained.
"I am aware. Shackley, Volper, and Fisk's testimonies, on top of surveillance footage, all confirm your alibi during that time. The time frame between the estimated times of death of the victims to the first person to discover them was no more than fifteen minutes. And the distance between the crime scene and the factory where you apprehended the Terrible Trio would take too long to reach, excluding your speed and aerial forms. However, you were at the factory for over two hours, which was during the time frame of the murders happening."
"Hey, not my fault that Sharkface caught me after I timed out. Lucky they didn't realize that I was the hero who busted them." Ben protested. "But how do I fit into all this, aside from those crystals?"
"There was a symbol located near the bodies, painted onto a tree with the blood of the victims." Batman explained before he replaced the crystal into a compartment on his utility belt before pulling out a photograph from a nearby pouch. The Dark Knight held up the photo, showing an hourglass symbol within a circle, scarlet in coloration with various parts of the symbol having lines that pointed downward, caused by the blood that oozed downwards. Ben gulped a little before looking at the older man in the eyes.
"The Commissioner of GCPD has personally requested for you to come meet him so you can answer some questions. As your alibi checks out, you are not seen as the prime suspect of the murders at this time." Batman stated as he replaced the photograph back into the pouch. "If you wish to meet him, I will bring you to him."
Ben remained silent as he contemplated on what to do. After a few moments, he spoke up with his response.
"Might as well help out. I don't want to be seen as a killer after all." he muttered. "It's bad enough that I look so much like the Joker already."
"The Wayne Foundation has offered to fund research in restoring your appearance. Last time I checked, the offer still stands." Batman stated. "Also, you should be going to school, as you are only a minor still."
"And expect everyone to greet me with open arms?" Ben replied acridly with a frown. "Sorry, but most people still scream and flee the moment they see me. I know things don't work like that."
"You should still consider it." Batman said before turning around, causing his cape to flap upwards into the air. "We must get going. The Commissioner is waiting for you."
"Lead the way, Batman." Ben said casually as he followed the Dark Knight.
Commissioner James Gordon stood on the rooftop of GCPD, nearby the Bat Signal that was currently turned off. He received a call from Batman earlier, saying that he was able to convince the unidentified vigilante youth who popped up in Gotham two years ago to come meet him on the rooftop. The media had so far thought that all the inhuman superheroes who have showed up were all different beings. Only Gordon and Batman were truly aware of the fact that all those various "heroes" were all the same person. The Commissioner knew that for now, it was safer for that knowledge to be kept a secret, although there were rumors circulating amongst the criminal underground about them being connected. As the Batman warned him, if word got out about the fact that the source of the kid's abilities was a device, Gotham would likely turn into a war zone of those who would want the device to further their personal agendas.
A brief gust of wind blew hard against Gordon's face, making him shiver from how cold it felt against his skin. He mentally was glad to be wearing his brown trench coat, otherwise he would've been feeling colder than he was.
"We're here." a young voice called out from behind the man, alerting that he wasn't alone anymore.
"About time. I was beginning to think something held you two up." Gordon sighed before seeing the Batman stepping out of the shadows followed by a teenage boy with chalk white skin and green hair, causing the Commissioner to widen his eyes slightly. At first he tensed up, thinking that he was looking at the Joker, but quickly relaxed when he recognized the face. He met this boy before two years ago, but didn't once consider to be the vigilante that was wanted.
"Just so you know, I didn't want to come like this, I just had to time out before I arrived." Ben grumbled in annoyance while looking at the Omnitrix briefly.
"Batman, I have a lot of questions that I want to ask regarding the boy here, but I know you had really good reasons for keep his identity a secret from even me. Obviously I can tell that it's related to how he can become so many heroes that were showing up all over town." the old man said calmly before turning to Ben. "But right now, that's not important. It's been a while, Mr. Tennyson."
"Yep, it surely has been." Ben said with a nod. "I was told you needed to ask me some questions regarding what happened at the park."
"Before I start Ben, I must let you know that we are not considering you the prime suspect in this case, despite how the evidence at the park suggests. You are a person of interest however, which is why I wanted to speak with you. Now, do you know of anyone who would try to frame you?"
"I doubt it. Yeah, the symbol could be done easily by anyone, but I don't know of anyone who could make Diamondhead's crystals." Ben stated. "He's living crystal with DNA after all."
"Wait, did you say the crystals have DNA?" Gordon asked in surprise, wanting to confirm he didn't mishear what the teen said.
"You see, every one of the forms I can turn into is an alien, and it's their DNA that allows me to turn into them." Ben explained.
"Interesting." the Batman said nonchalantly. "Tennyson, I need a sample of Diamondhead so I can attempt to do a DNA analysis with the crystal found at the crime scene."
Ben nodded and activated the Omnitrix as a green hologram of Rath appeared above the emblem. Ben cycled through his roster as both the Batman and Commissioner Gordon watched. The police officer's face was that of awe and confusion while the masked superhero remained indifferent. Once Diamondhead's image appeared, Ben slammed his hand down on the alien device, being engulfed in a flash of light, momentarily blinding Gordon while the Dark Knight simply squinted his eyes.
When the light died down, standing in place of the teen was Diamondhead, who raised his right arm as his hand morphed into multiple jagged points.
" Might need to stand back a little to be safe," the Petrosapien warned. Both Gordon and the Batman heeded the warning and stepped towards his back. "Sorry for doing this, but it's easier for everyone this way." After saying his apology, he fired three crystalline shards downwards at an angle with enough force to embed themselves into the rooftop. Once he finished firing, his arm morphed back into the hand it previously was before reverting back to his human form.
"Will that work for you?" Ben asked.
"Plenty." the Dark Knight replied as he walked over to the crystal shards that were just a moment ago. He knelt down and looked at the crystals in an analytical manner. He then pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on, illuminating the crystals in the light so he can get a better look.
"Something wrong Batman?" Gordon asked. "Or did you notice something?"
"The crystals found at the crime scene were indeed imbedded into the bodies with enough force to easily inflict lethal injuries, but there never was a single one that was embedded within the pavement or anything harder in composition." Batman pointed out. "The necessary force that is needed wasn't present when the crystals located at the park were launched. Also, the way they were angled suggests they were fired horizontally, like a bullet. However, from the samples I've taken, there were no traces of gunpowder or explosive residue present."
"Well, there weren't any reports of gunfire nearby the crime scene." Gordon pointed out. "No bullet casings or shotgun shells were present at the scene either."
"Um, getting lost here." Ben spoke up. "What are you two talking about exactly?"
"Let's just say, this case is looking to be more confusing than expected." Gordon said, trying to summarize things for the teen. "Especially those crystals that seemed to be used as 'bullets' . They're are quite a mystery."
"Not like it was like they were launched from a cannon." the teen said with a shrug.
"A cannon…" Batman said as he began to think before turning his attention to the police officer. "Gordon, did anyone report any unusual sounds in the nearby area around the time the murders took place? 911 calls, noise complaints, anything that was unusual at all and could easily be dismissed as nonsense. That or any large amount of purchases or thefts of canisters containing gas. "
"Hmm… I'll have to look into that." Gordon said thoughtfully. "You got something?"
"A hunch." the Dark Knight said bluntly before he pulled out a pair of collapsible forceps from his belt to extract one of the crystals from the rooftop. "I'm going to go and start the analysis of the crystals. Tennyson, stay here and answer Commissioner Gordon's questions to the best of your ability."
"As long as I can prove I'm not a criminal." Ben responded, sighing with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he looked over to where Batman was, only to see no trace of him at all.
"Seriously! How does he do that?!" Ben asked in disbelief. "Is he a ninja or something?"
"He does that to me every time as well. At this point, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he actually was one." Gordon admitted with a slight smile. "Anyway, Ben, can you tell me more about what this Diamondhead guy of yours can do exactly?"
"Aw, come on Red!" Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn, whined cutely. "Admit it! That Ditto fella is just so adorable! I just wanna hug him so bad!"
The on and off girlfriend of the Joker was laying on her back on a bed, clad in her signature red and black bodysuit with the jester like hood down, allowing her blonde hair to be seen. Her blue eyes were focused on a voluptuous redhead who had pale green skin, like that of a plant. She didn't wear any clothes, leaving most of her body exposed, with only a few vines wrapped around her body, preserving her modesty.
Pamela Isley, or Poison Ivy as she preferred, sighed as she looked at her friend. The two villainesses were in their hideout, preparing for the night. However, opposed to the crimes they'd typically commit, they had a different goal this time.
"I fail to see why you are so fixated on these new heroes. They are simply nothing more than obstacles. Although I am admittedly a little perplexed by the one who calls himself Swampfire. He is without a doubt similar to a plant, yet is able to move under his own will and able to utilize fire safely."
"Are ya crushing on him?" Harleen asked innocently with a smile.
"I am not." the redhead retorted instantly in annoyance.
"Anyway, I wonder how Mister J is doing…" Harley Quinn said in wonder.
"I know I'm repeating myself at this point, but you should really forget that man." Ivy said, her voice dripping with disdain when she spoke the last part. "He tried to kill you the last time you went back to him! Why do you keep going back to him?"
"Mister J has helped me with so many things!" Harley said dismissively before sitting upright. "Besides, he was just a little mad then since I messed up."
"He used a chainsaw! A CHAINSAW!" the redhead exasperated. "For once in your life, please listen to me about this."
" I can't help but worry about him! Mr. J has just vanished without a word two years ago." the blonde stated in worriment. "Nobody hasn't seen or heard from him all this time. Especially Bats. And he seems to know about everything!"
"Let's focus on what we need to do tonight, Harley." Ivy said with a sigh. " I wish to draw out Swampfire so I can learn more about him. Especially his origins if possible. But he doesn't seem to appear unless a crime is being committed."
"Really?" the blonde asked while blinking in confusion. "But doesn't he show up all over town?"
"That is true. Locating him seems to be futile, so we need to draw him to us instead. Although that also means we'll attract Batman." Ivy stated while crossing her arms in front of her chest with a frown.
"What do we do then?" Harley asked. "I don't want to be locked up in the coo-coo house again."
Before the redhead could say a thing in response, a loud pounding on the door caught their attention. The pair immediately tensed up and dove for cover when green crystals shot through the front door, imbedding themselves into the wall behind the pair.
"Darn it, I missed." a boy's voice said in anger.
"Calm down, Kevin." an teenager's voice said calmly. "You did a good job actually. We wanted their attention, and that is indeed quite an effective method in doing so."
"Who are you and what do you want with us?" Ivy demanded from behind the doorway to the kitchen.
"If you wish to address me by something Ms. Ivy, the handle 'Linker' will suffice for now." the teenager responded courteously. "I've heard you've been looking to meet a certain hero called Swampfire, correct?"
"Why the surprise attack then? Are you with him?" the redheaded villainess questioned.
"I am not affiliated with him in… any way at this time. But I can inform you that I have brought along with me someone who's quite intimate with the guy. His name is Kevin E. Levin. Or Kevin 11. He will bring out Swampfire or any of the inhuman heroes who have started showing up two years ago." Linker explained. "I'll allow Kevin to explain everything if you're willing to hear us out."
"Uhh, you fired crystal thingies at us! I don't think so!" Harley retorted as she poked her head out from underneath the bed she was hiding under. "I'm too cute to become a pin cushion!"
"Relax, that attack was a demonstration of what young Kevin here is capable of doing." the older man answered. "He possesses the powers of ten of these so called heroes."
Harley turned her attention towards Ivy, looking at her in hope that she knew what to do. The woman closed her eyes to weigh her options. After a few moments, she reached a decision.
"Very well, we'll hear you out. But know this, try anything else, and I will kill you without hesitation." the redhead warned.
"Very well, may we come in then?" Linker asked.
"Harley, get the door." Ivy said in a firm tone.
Gulping nervously as she emerged from her hiding spot, the blonde obeyed without saying a word. When she opened the door, she couldn't help but gawk at the sight before her.
"Thank you, Ms. Quinzel. We need make haste to ensure things go as smoothly as possible." the teen said firmly as Harley moved out of the way, gulping nervously as the towering chimerical being stepped in first, albeit crouching, followed by a teen who was no older than sixteen years old.
Harley stared at the boy's snow white hair and deep scarlet eyes as he walked in behind Kevin. He wore a pair of jean and tennis shoes with a black t-shirt and a red jacket with the number 10 on the side within a white circle. The blonde's eyes then darted to a red wristwatch that was on his left hand, with a peculiar dial with a glowing red hourglass present on the "face" of where the clock would be.
The blonde blinked as she saw the hourglass, her mind recalling seeing the same symbol present on the various superheroes who have been appearing all over Gotham, although the symbol was green for them.
"Please do not think about touching." the teen said curtly. "Anyway, can I ask if either of you lovely ladies know of a good establishment that sells chili fries?"
CCR
Blazorna: Hello everyone, and thank you for checking out this story. For any readers who are from the original Misplaced Hero, I am pleased to see you again. For everyone new, allow me to welcome you to the Converse Corner of Randomness, or CCR for short. This is pretty much the Author Notes section, as well as where I give some supplemental details about various subjects related to the story. Sometimes something entertaining happens in a random way, hence the name of this segment. For example, chickens showing up to give me living hell.
Before I continue on, I need to address something of importance for everyone, especially those who aren't familiar with the original Misplaced Hero. The rating of this story will be bumped up in the near future, as I am going to make this darker than it currently is. This is partly to keep in spirit of how dark the comics can be. So, if you're under seventeen years of age, this is not going to be approved by your parent(s) or guardian(s) in the near future.
Anyway, I'll switch the subject to that actually. As any avid Batman comic reader is aware of, it's that there are villains who haven't really made it to animated features or the movies, mainly due to some disturbing, or controversial, thing about them. For example, let's use Zsasz as an example. He's a serial killer who cuts marks into his skin for every victim he kills, and he is typically covered from head to toe with these as well. You won't be seeing him in a kid cartoon. Also, famous villains are portrayed as darker, more dangerous versions of the ones you might've seen on television as a kid.
Why I'm mentioning this is because I intend to include some of these darker, and lesser known, villains of Batman's Rogues Gallery in this story, as well as some lesser known allies of the Batman. Here's a few characters and groups that I want to include. But I can't guarantee their appearance sadly as for some I don't have enough knowledge about them to work with.
The Imposter Joker
Zsasz
Maxie Zeus
White Rabbit (New 52 version)
Mad Hatter
Catgirl
Abattoir (Second)
Black Mask
Court of Owls
Now onto continuity. This story is set in an alternate universe of Gotham, based off of various Batman media, but not the Batman Arkham games. (I'm sorry for those who love the series, but I never played them so I can't really use them for reference.) For comic readers, I'm mixing some New 52 themes with previous works, but it's mostly Pre-52 for the most part. For where on the timeline, I'm not really set just yet on the when, but I am thinking of setting this before the creation of Batman Incorporated, but a good while after Knightfall (The arc infamously known for Bane breaking Batman's spine.) I'm going to keep references to the DC universe outside of Batman to a minimum, for now at least. There's so much with this series alone, I got enough to work with and tackling the whole universe would be too much to handle.
With Ben himself, I'm going to say this right now. HE IS NOT REPLACING ROBIN! He's going to be an independent hero for the most part, sometimes working with Batman on cases. Ben's change in appearance is more than just to differentiate him from other incarnations of Ben. Plot point as well I will confirm. Romance for Ben is up in the air at this time, though if I proceed with it, a harem is not likely based on the characters I'm familiar with. Also, original forms that I've came up with WILL show up, and canon forms are those he gets up to Alien Force, and any Omniverse Aliens he unlocked at age 11 up to the loss of Feedback. So Reboot forms like Overflow will not show up or any that are unlocked in UA or Omniverse.
Anyway, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are main characters as well. Why? The interaction between them is just so enjoyable, even hilarious at times. Plus both characters have been able to reform in the comics at some point, so they're flexible for me to work with, no matter what direction I go with this story. Oh, and as I'm not too familiar with how Harley's accent is done in text, I'm regretfully not going to try so as to avoid failing miserably and make it impossible for you, the readers, to figure out what she says. I apologize for those who felt that the lack of accent for Harley removed you from the story a bit.
Harley: *Pops in with a chicken on top of head* Hey, whatcha doing, Mr. B?
Blazorna: Explaining things to the readers. *Points to chicken* And why's Frothy on your head?
Harley: Oh, he's my friend now, and he's said you owe him money.
Blazorna: I got the money, just let me continue this.
Frothy: BUCKAH!
Blazorna: Don't call me that, Frothy! ANYWAY. Moving on, I better bring this to the table. Opposed to the original Misplaced Hero, in which I have an outline of how the plot is to go. I've kinda winged it for this story with a vague idea of where to take it. I'm treating this as both a sister story to the original MH, but at the same time as a form of pseudo-reboot.
As such, I'm open to suggestions of where to take this story, as well as ideas for cases. Keep in mind that if I decide to use said ideas, I may have to alter them a bit to make them work. The darker and original the case is, the better. But if you do have a case idea, I'd more likely prefer you to send it to me via PM, so as to avoid spoilers for the readers. If you don't have an account, you can leave an anonymous review with your idea, but please, PLEASE keep it PG rated at most in description if it's a dark one. And I will give credit to any ideas I've used.
Harley: Well, I hope you leave a review if you got the time. Otherwise I feel neglected… *gives puppy dog eyes*
Blazorna: BAD HARLEY! No circus sprinkles for your ice cream tonight! I do not want you to guilt trip the readers into doing reviews!
Frothy: BUCK BUCK BUCKAAAA! *flaps over onto Blazorna's head and starts pecking him repeatedly*
Blazorna: OWOWOWOWOWOWOW! OWOWOWOWOWOW OWOWOW! *winces* But seriously, I will greatly appreciate if you do take some time to leave a review. I really would like to know what your thoughts on this story are, as well as any constructive criticism. *Reaches up and gently removes Frothy from head* I'd like to know things like: Does this feel like a Batman story and Ben fits in? If not, what could I work on more to make Ben fit in? Which Batman characters do you want to see appear? Would you like to see other series involved with this story that aren't part of DC, like Deadpool or RWBY? Stuff like that. If you ask a question, I may answer it here in the CCR, depending on spoilers and all that.
That's pretty much it for now. Once again, thanks for checking out this story and I hope to see you all next chapter.
Now if you excuse me, I need to repay my friend here the money I owe him. For those wondering, it was from losing a game of poker last Someday Night.
*Sets Frothy down and walks off with the chicken following.*