Chapter 1: First There Was Ten, But Now Only One

He didn't know it at the time, but looking back now, he could, with utmost certainly, point out the exact moment his life began to spiral out of control. It was that first day of summer vacation. He never could have predicted what he would stumble onto with his little walk through the woods born from a mere whim.

When something so monumental happens in a person's life, even years later, the memory of that defining moment is so ingrained into their mind that they can recall even the smallest details.

He could remember the way the grass and leaves crunched under his foot as he walked aimlessly. He could recall the way the wind blew and gave him a sudden chill. He could remember his shoe laces coming loose, resulting in him almost eating dirt.

But most importantly, he remembered the shooting star he saw that night. He remembered the joy he felt at seeing something he thought was rare and how he smiled when he saw it. He remembered wanting to wish for something, but forgoing that desire the moment the 'star' made a ninety degree turn and started flying right at him.

Of course, he jumped out of the way as it flew by way over his head, knocking over trees in its way before crashing nearby. Being the dumb, stupid kid he was, he decided it was a good idea to sate his curiosity and walked over to the crater. After slipping into the pit, he discovered the star was actually a metal pod, which soon opened up as he got close.

Inside the pod that fell from space was a pink watch. That should have been a red flag, but to a ten year old boy, even with the color, it was just a cool, strange thing.

It was not cool when the watch latched onto his wrist after he instinctually reached out to it.

The panic that flared in his mind as he clawed at the watch in an attempt to pull it off no matter what, the sudden weariness and interest the moment he accidentally turned the watch on, the hidden excitement he felt as he pressed down on the raised face plate—All of it was still perfectly clear to him even now.

Then came the bright pink flash that blinded him. Once it had faded and he could open his eyes, he recalled being disappointed at nothing happening. He had let out a sigh before turning around to make his way back to the camp, only to bump into something hot and rocky right as he tried to leave. He took a few steps back as he rubbed his scratched face and nose. He frowned and narrowed his eyes in anger as he turned his gaze at whatever he had run into.

He had expected to have walked into some large bolder that was still hot from baking in the summer heat or even a person.

He was not expecting to look up and stare into the eyes of a living fire person thing with a body made of plasma and volcanic rock.

He really should have expected that his life was about to nosedive into insanity when he saw what could only be described as an alien, but instead, the first thought in his ten year old mind was something really stupid.

'Woah.'

That was his first thought. The next was made out loud soon after, though it was less of a thought and more of a reaction. This one made way more sense.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He screamed as he darted away from the alien, but to his surprised, the alien reacted the exact same way, screaming in a feminine voice as it held itself-er…herself and tried to appear smaller despite easily being six feet tall. After the two of them got done screaming their throats completely hoarse, the ten year old boy finally at the clarity to try to think about his situation.

He was scared, obviously, but he was also curious and in awe. What kid with a head full of comics and action movies wouldn't be when faced with a seemingly scared and harmless fire creature? Well, 'harmless' might be too generous, but there was no other way to describe her when she was cowering even worse than he was.

Upon taking a better look at her, he could notice the alien's plasma body (which after realizing that the alien was a girl, the alien did seem to have a slightly feminine shape) shivering, the rocks that made up parts of her body quaking and shifting in place as the flames coming off her hands and head flickered nervously.

The most noticeable thing about her though, aside from her being an alien, was the black collar around her neck with the same symbol that the watch at on its dial.

That's when something in the kid's brain clicked as he put together most of the pieces. So, cautiously, the kid tried to speak again.

"W-Who are you? Wh-What are you?"

"I…I don't know? Who are you?" The alien asked in a surprisingly light voice.

"I asked you first!"

"Well I don't know!"

"How don't you know?! You're literally some freaky fire monster lady!"

"Fire monster?" She repeated before she looked down at herself. Suddenly, the eye slots formed in her stone face widened to comedic proportions and she tripped and fell backwards in her shock. "I'M ON FIRE!" She then paused as she continued to stare at her hands. "But…I don't feel anything? Is…that normal?"

"Why are you asking me? It's your body."

He sighed as he realized that the alien was just as clueless as he was. Still, she was friendly enough, and he was lacking in the friend department, so, with a heavy, nervous gulp, he slowly walked over to strange fire woman, forced on a smile, and offered his hand, albeit timidly since he was pretty sure offering the embodiment of walking, living fire was a bad idea.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, whoever you are. Want to be friends?"

Even back then, he hated how desperate and clingy he sounded, but it didn't seem to bother the alien, as she suddenly seemed to relax as she stared at his hand. Then, just as timidly as he had been, she slowly moved her hand towards his. The heat coming off her was already immense, as he had felt it from several feet away, but up close like this was like sitting next to a large bonfire. Yet strangely, when she slowly took his hand in hers, while it was very warm, it was not so hot as to burn. It was almost pleasant.

"Y-Yeah. I would like that. I could use a friend right now."

The forced smile he had suddenly became more genuine as he held the scared alien's hand in his.

That was the start of his adventure, and while he would hold it dear in his heart forever, there was now a twinge of sorrow that came with it.

Thinking back to those innocent moments made it harder to come back to reality with the knowledge of hindsight and far more experience in heroics any child should have.

Those were the thoughts that plagued him as he woke up in his bed, five years after first stumbling into the most powerful device in the universe. He groaned as a slight headache thumped in the back of his skull. He quickly realized the cause was his phone alarm, blaring on his night stand beside him. Mild annoyance bubbled up to the surface as he groggily slapped his hand onto the nightstand, missing the phone by a good five inches before slowly feeling his way to the device's snooze button.

"Five more minutes…" He groaned as he closed his eyes once more. Just a few more minutes, and he'd be happy. He definitely wouldn't sleep in until noon again like yesterday. Of course, it was as he muttered in his sleep that a familiar voice came back to him.

C'mon, lazy bones! We're burning daylight here! You promised you'd show me around town today! So c'mon! Get a move on!

He immediately shot open, completely wide away as he panted in a frantic manner. Sweat began to pour off his face and naked chest as he took in gulps of air. He spun his head around. No one was there with him. His eyes shot down to his right hand. Nothing on his wrist, just as it had been for the past five years.

He soon relaxed upon confirmation that he was alone. He ran a hand down his face before he then shook the remaining sleep out of his head.

"Cold shower, then caffeine." He decided as he yanked himself out of his comfortable, soft bed.

So, with a mighty yawn, the day began in its usual fashion. Just another day for a retired hero.

He was really quiet now. That was something he noticed as he sat at a table typing away at a school computer. He never took notice of it five years ago, but when he did, it was something that bugged him, though he didn't know why.

Before that summer, he had been a very outgoing, extroverted kid. If he saw a stranger, his stupid pea-brain told him that was just a new friend to make. He considered himself friends with everyone and tried to get along with as many people as possible, with a lot of success too. Heck, he managed to have a lovely conversation with a fire alien when he was ten for pete's sake! That's not even mentioning the other things he learned and was able to do during that summer?

So why was talking so hard to do now when he was sixteen?

Why did the thought of speaking to anyone freak him out so much that it causes him to break out into a cold sweat? Why did he stop hanging out with the few people who liked him? Why did he push them away? Why was he always acutely aware of the gazes that fell on him from time to time? Why was he terrified of the thought of something grazing his wrist?

He didn't have friends anymore, and he and everyone else knew that he wouldn't be getting new friends any time soon. He was a nervous wreck, and no one wanted to deal with something broken when they had other things to do.

Maybe that's why he ended up putting his all into his studies, despite his vivid dislike of school, though he would blame his dislike on his subpar grades despite his attempts to focus and study, all of which failed miserably. It at least got his parents off his back when he was making it clear that he was trying, despite his efforts being in vain. Didn't make the low Cs any better, though. School wouldn't be an issue if he talked to Grey—

That thought was never finished as a tooth in his mouth bit into his cheek, causing him to yelp as he grumbling curses under his breath. He deserved that, for more than one reason. Actually, he would say he deserved much more for twenty reasons.

Scratch that. Make that twenty two reasons.

Another groan escaped his lips as he let his head fall onto the table. This wasn't working. He was starting to spiral again, and his thoughts wwere focusing back onto that which he should jut forget. He held a hand against his pale blonde hair, fiddling with a single pink highlight that stood out in the messy pale mop that sat on his head.

He needed something to focus on, even if just for a moment. His pascal pink eyes darted back to the computer, and a frown formed on his face. He was checking his emails, and all he saw was rejections. His application to intern at the local hospital was rejected. The application he sent to planetarium was denied. The letter from space camp was also a rejection. His application to work at a restaurant ended in failure. Even the job application at the botany store was rejected. Was he just bad at this?

Well, when in doubt, there was still one think he could do that would lift his spirits.

Getting up from the table, he quickly made his way up to the roof of the school, which he was given access to. Throwing open the door, he couldn't help but smile when he saw all the pots and planters still in good shape. Even with life being difficult right now, here in his personal piece of eden, he could relax and be himself.

No masks, no expectations, no other people. Just him and a bunch of plants. It was nice.

He spent the rest of his free time tending to his plants. He watered all of the ones that seemed to need it as he made sure the soil was still good. He still wasn't completely sure if he was doing this right, but if the plants were still alive, then he must be doing something right. To think the school was just going to throw all these away because no one joined the gardening club this year. A shame, really, but it was also a small blessing for him, so he would take it.

Once he was finished and had to return back to class, a small vibration buzzed in his pocket. Taking out his phone, he frowned when he saw what his phone was notifying him of.

"Aunty…" He muttered with a raised eyebrow? "This can't be good."

Good ol' Aunty Ana. There was still a bundle of complicated emotions that he didn't have the slightest clue how to unpack, but some things remained the same. Despite it all, he still loved and respected her more than anything. He still saw her as a mentor and a role model in a way, and he felt like he could trust her with nearly anything after their summer trip around the world.

Yet he had also begun to associate her with insanity and trouble not worth getting involved with anymore. While he loved her, he knew that Aunty Ana was drawn to adventure and heroics, something that he himself couldn't handle at the moment. With that in mind, getting a sudden text out of nowhere from her most likely had something to do with her 'job'.

Now it is important to note how Ana respected his choices and never bothered him with these things once he made an effort to distance himself from that life. There had not been a single instance of her trying to drag him back on another worldwind road trip, but that didn't stop the possibility from entering his nervous mind.

Trepidation quickly began to form in his gut as he opened an email as he braced himself for bad news. Instead, he got something that threw him off.

"She wants me to stop by? She's in town?"

That was…very strange. Aunty Ana lived on the other side of the country on the west coast. Why would she suddenly be in the east, and why wouldn't she tell anyone? If she was coming to visit, surely his parents would have known and told him? This must have been last minute, and Aunty Ana was anything but last minute.

Something wasn't right.

He held his phone tightly in his hand as he gritted his teeth. He let out a noise that was a mix between a growl and a whine before it shifted into a sigh.

"...I can skip the rest of my classes today." He decided as he left the roof.

Coming up with an excuse to leave early was easy, especially since he wasn't technically lying when he told his teacher that there was a 'family emergency' he had to leave for. Grabbing his helmet, he took out his skateboard and quickly went off to the location his aunt was apparently at right now. The entire trip, despite smoothly skating his way around town without much issue, his mind was a twitching mess. He had no idea what he should be expecting here, and he hated not knowing things.

'It's times like this I wish Eye Gal was here to lighten the mood with her bad jokes.' He couldn't help but think despite the sharp pain it brought his heart.

Why was he so stuck on the past now? Why was he reminiscing and thinking about them now after all this time? Why now after living normally for five years with no major issues? Sure he started losing friends and connections, his grades were now suffering as of late, and his was more of a wreck these days than even a few months ago, but before then he was still relatively fine all things considered. So why was like this only now?

Those thoughts jumped around his head as he made it to the trailer part his aunt told him to come to. He skated around the place for a bit before he saw what he was looking for. It was old and a bit dirty, but there was no mistaking the Rust Bucket.

Skating up to the RV, he jumped off the board and quickly walked up to the door. His hand paused right before he knocked, one final wave of fear and hesitation entering him before he finally gave in and slammed a fist to the door a few times.

"Aunty? Are you there? It's me, open up!" He called out. A minute passed, but no one came to open the door.

If he wasn't nervous yet, he was now. Something was definitely up, and he seriously doubted it was something simple like she was out buying groceries. Sighing, he walked over to the back of the RV and found a small rock. It wasn't anything special, but that was exactly why no one expected to find a spare key nice and snug underneath it.

"Still using these old tricks, I see, Aunty." He chuckled a little as he set the fake rock down and moved back to the door to unlock it. After opening the door, he was greeted with a dark, empty RV. "Aunty? Hello?" He called out before he paused, noticing the mess of clothes and household items scattered around. "What happened here?"

Instincts he had believed faded away suddenly started to spring to life and his eyes sharpened. Ana called him here for a reason, and she wouldn't have done so if it wasn't an emergency. His chest felt tense as he suddenly felt his hairs stand on end. He stopped moving as his ears began to strain to hear something.

A soft creak.

Someone was here with him.

Like a sixth sense, every part of his body screamed at him to move, so he did. He pushed his body to the side, narrowly avoiding a sudden claw that swiped where he had been standing. Spinning around, he glared at the person who attacked him, but his glare turned to dumbfounded shock when he saw a squid-faced alien cyclops instead of a person. His jaw dropped as his brain took in the sudden sight, but he was only paralyzed for a moment before snapping out of it thanks to the foe in front of him.

"A-Aaaaaaaaark…!" It groaned.

The teen flinched at hearing the name he had forsaken. 'Ark'. This thing had called him 'Ark'. His old hero name.

This thing knew who he was, so there was one guess as to why it was here.

The alien's chest suddenly opened up as a burst of tentacles lunged at Ark, who just narrowly dodged as he let out a yelp. As he rolled away from the freak, he immediately brought out his arm and slammed a palm onto his right wrist…only for nothing to happen. He blinked, but then felt incredibly stupid when he found himself staring at his still naked wrist.

"Oh…right…" He groaned before he ducked away from another tentacle attack.

Ark quickly crawled away before jumping back to his feet and spinning around to face the alien. He didn't know if it was an alien, but with his previous history, he felt like it was a safe bet. The thing writhed around, its tentacles squirming before they retracted back into its body, it's single eye staring through Ark. Unnerving didn't do it justice.

Yet somehow Snare-oh was still scarier than this thing.

The alien suddenly lunged at him much faster than before, but Ark managed to open up the freezer door that he was next to and use it as a shield. The alien's arm burst through it, getting stuck before reaching Ark's face, but the alien easily yanked its arm and the door it was stuck in off the refrigerator's hinges, swinging it at the teen as soon as it could.

Ark weaved around its attacks, only getting slight cuts and scratches as he moved around, before throwing a punch the moment he saw an opening. His fist sank into the fleshy and disgustingly slimy chest of the alien, knocking the air out of it before sending it backwards with a roundhouse kick. As it staggered back, Ark, now thoroughly frustrated, raised a fist as it slowly began to glow a bright pink color.

"You might know who I am, but I bet you didn't know I could do this!" He shouted as he ran up and grabbed the thing's squid face.

After getting a firm hold of the creature, the glow around his hand got stronger and stronger until it finally burst like a flamethrower, blasting a shot of mana like a shotgun right in the thing's stupid face. The freak was launched out of the RV's front window, hitting a tree before scampering away. Ark panted a little as he fell to his knees. He held his now stinging and slightly numb hand before charging some mana in his other. Holding the glow to his stinging hand, the energy began to heal him slowly, erasing the sting after a few seconds.

"Starting to regret not learning how to blast bad guys when I had the chance." Ark sighed before shaking his head. "My lack of offense doesn't matter right now. Focus on what does. That thing must have been looking for something if this mess is any indication, and it was lying in wait for me. Just what was that thing? Just what did you get involved with now, Aunty?"

Ark sighed as he moved to the front of the RV and hit a few buttons on the dash board. After flipping a few switches, a secret compartment in the back clicked opened, and Ark made his way to it. Opening it up, he found a holo disk, just as he expected. Turning it on, the form of his aunt flashed over the device.

Despite the amount of time that had past, Aunt Ana didn't look too different than when Ark last saw her. She still dressed younger than she actually was despite the few visible wrinkles on her forehead now that weren't there a few years ago. She still had navy blue coloring mixed in with her blonde hair, and she somehow kept that reliable aura around her despite all of that.

"Hey kiddo." Ana began.

"Aunty, what's—"

"I left this message for you where I knew only you would find it." The message cut Ark off before he could speak. "Sorry for not telling you ahead of time, but I'm in a bit of a situation right now. Nothing I can't handle, so don't worry about it. You don't have to get involved with this. Just a bit of increased alien activity on Earth. Nothing too serious, but I figured I might as well check it out. Just wanted to let you know that I'll be off investigating if you ever needed to contact me."

The holograph then turned off, perplexing Ark with what it had told him, but before he could fully process the message, the holograph turned back on suddenly.

"Oh, and, uh, don't worry about the Omnitrix either. I have it, and it's completely safe. No one will be getting their hands on it now. Come stop by my place if you're ever in Jump City. I've been staying there a lot more frequently than I thought I would.. I'll be sure to treat you to something fancy if you come by. Love you. Ana out."

With that, the message finally ended, but now Ark was even more confused. Even more than that, he could feel his heart immediately dropped as his brain stuck to one particular detail Ana had told him.

"You have the Omnitrix…?!" He repeated with wide eyes.

A pit formed in his gut the moment that thought entered his head, and suddenly he felt incredibly ill. Without even a second thought, Ark rushed back home as fast as he could in order to make sure.

Once he was home, he burst throught the doors and booked it to his room. Thank god his parents were still at work. He would rather not explain why he was skipping classes and why he was suddenly having a massive panic attack as he ran to his room. Once there, he lunged to his closet, tore the door open, and dove inside, tossing everything out in search of the most important item he possessed.

"She said that she had the Omnitrix, but that can't be right!" Ark shouted frantically, his tone boarding on pure desperation. "I know it's still here! Ana would never take it from me, even if it was an emergency! She knows what it means to me! She wouldn't do this to me, right!?"

Right as terror began to clutch his heart, turning his skin cold and pale, Ark found it. A little box he kept in the back of his closet. Slowly and carefully, as though it were a precious, fragile thing, he slide the box closer before opening up the lid. Inside were keepsakes, his most prized possessions he had when he was younger. There were pokemon cards, an old gameboy, his favorite comic, and a baseball he had signed by a star player.

But the most important keepsake of them all lied underneath it all. Carefully, shifting the items to the side, Ark's eyes landed on what he was looking for. There, still in the box, was the pink Omnitrix, the faceplate still showing its two hearts to form an hourglass shape.

Relief flooded Ark as he carefully took out the Omnitrix and brought it close to his chest for a tight hug like it was a lifeline, muttering nothing but apologies and whimpers as he held it close.

Thank god… Just… Thank god…

He knew he didn't deserve it. He knew he shouldn't act like he cared after what he did to them. He knew that no matter how much the very thought of losing this little watch crushed him to death, he only deserved anger and hate after abondoning the watch for five years, leaving it in a closet the entire time.

Yet he couldn't help but hold it close. He thought he lost them. He thought they were gone. That he would never again be able to talk to them or laugh with them or cry with them or stand alongside them or apologies endlessly to them even if he didn't deserve any ounce of sympathy or forgiveness. Despite removing them from his life for all this time, the thought of no longer having any access to them if he ever changed his mind was devastating.

And Aunt Ana knew that, so that begged the question:

"Why did you say that, Aunty? What are you trying to tell me?" Ark asked as he looked down at the Omnitrix.

She was trying to tell him something. She always did that, and she always did it in a cryptic manner so he could piece it together himself. This time was no different, aside from the fact that the difficulty level of her lessons seems to have taken a sudden large jump.

Was Ana telling him to put the Omnitrix back on? She had to be, right? She wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't about the watch.

But Ana always told him that what he did with the watch was his choice. She told him it was fine to want a normal life. Hell, she was the one who managed to pry the stupid thing off his wrist. And if she really needed it, she really would have taken it.

No…No she wouldn't. She knew how much it meant to him. No, if this were a do or die situation, she would have just come out and told him up front.

If she could, that is. Were things so bad that Ana had to use subtle clues like this? Ark didn't know, but he suddenly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders again, and he just couldn't handle it.

Being in this situation, in the middle of a mess he had no idea how to solve as he started at the otherworldly Omnitrix filled him with dread and hopeful excitement all at the same time. It was strange, how he dreaded the idea of putting the Omnitrix on despite his freak out when he thought it was taken from him.

He sighed. Ark used to love the Omnitrix. It made him feel special, and when he used it, he felt like he was never alone. It gave him access to friends that could help him out of any jam at any time. He learned so much from using it, and he met so many people. He became Ark, and he was proud of that. A part of him still was.

But things changed, and now here he was, at a sudden deadlock until he came to a decision. Hesitation caused him to lock up as his breathing picked up speed. He didn't have anyone to tell him what he should do. He had no one to go to for advise. Ark was all on his own.

He knew what he should do. What was expected of him. He could practically hear the world screaming it in his ear as he stared at the Omnitrix. He had to put it back on.

But why should he? Didn't he earn the right to live a normal life? To live as a normal, run-of-the-mill human? Things might not be working out like he thought right now, but it was bound to get better eventually! Even if it didn't, these sorts of problems and issues were leagues better than risking his own life again and again. The moment he put this thing back on, he could kiss the possibility of being normal goodbye forever. It was hard enough taking it off before. The chances of doing it again would be next to impossible.

Putting on the watch wouldn't be completely bad, though. He would get to see them again. He never said it outloud, but he did miss them dearly. He just…couldn't be with them before after making up his mind on what he wanted to do with the Omnitrix. It was his choice to deactivate it and turn it off despite knowing how it would affect them. He had no right to miss them or even still consider them his friends, but he couldn't change how he felt.

But that only made him think of the numerous other reasons he wanted the watch taken off him beside from the whole 'wanting a normal life where his life wasn't in danger constantly' thing. By putting the Omnitrix back on, he would be putting all the expectations others had of him back on, which was the last thing he wanted.

By putting the watch back on, he'd be forced to be a leader when he wasn't ready to lead anyone considering he had no idea how to handle his own life at the moment even five years after retiring from hero work. Putting on the Omnitrix would also mean he would have to accept losses and make sacrifices, both of which terrified Ark more than dying. He couldn't lose anyone again, he just couldn't. He couldn't handle having that responsibility.

Then came the fourth reason. Staring at the Omnitrix like this again after his five year break, Ark still recalled how he had used the device. As a kid, he had no idea what its true purpose was. When he suddenly used it to accidentally summon aliens, his ten year old brain figured the watch could summon alien super heroines to help him out, and he and the aliens never questioned it.

Then Ark got a bit older, got a bit more experience, met dozens of different aliens. Around that time, he finally met the creator of the Omnitrix and learned the devices true purpose. Even thinking about it now made Ark feel slightly sick. It was so shocking and brought him so much disgust that he had given the watch a new nickname in his dismay: the Chaquetrix. It certainly fit as the name of a device meant to procreate with aliens. For the eleven year old Ark, learning that was the Omnitrix's true, original purpose made him feel so dirty. Even now in the present, part of Ark still thought of the Chaquetrix as a sex toy made by a perverted alien despite that alien's claims that it was to 'preserve life'.

Worse than that, it completely tainted his relationship with his aliens and how he viewed them forever. It still served as the reason why he never tried to speak to them after taking the watch off.

But despite all those issues and hang ups Ark had, the fact of the matter was that Ana might need his help. She said she didn't, but the message was clearly trying to tell him something involving him using the Omnitrix again. Even if she really didn't need his help, was Ark going to let her handle something so dangerous that Ana had to resort to what seemed to be subterfuge to get by all by herself?

Ark's nervous expression harden slightly as he turned back to the box of keepsakes. Keeping the Omnitrix in his hand, Ark used the other to shift through the box's contents again before pulling out a badge. It was a light gray circular disc shaped like a circular hourglass with a red dot in the middle of it. The Plumber's Badge Ark got during that crazy summer trip.

Sighing, Ark took both the badge and the Omnitrix with him as he stood back up. He didn't put the Omnitrix back on, but he did know what his next course of action was.

"Jump City, huh?" He mumbled as he slowly came to a decision.

"I can't believe you! I knew you were gonna get popular with the wrong kind of crowd with that thing on your wrist! That's why I asked you not to mess with it until we know what exactly this thing is!" Ana lectured as she crossed her arms and aimed a disappointed, angry glare to the boy who would soon become the hero Ark.

"Sorry, Aunty. But hey! I know how this thing works now! I just gotta hit this button to raise the dial, then I can select any of ten aliens. Then all I do is sslam down on the ring and BAM! A super cool alien heroine is there to help save the day!" The boy exclaimed happily as he recalled the two aliens he had met so far.

The first was the Pyronite he met when he first used the watch. At least that's what she said she was. Of course, that name was just her species, and she needed a name for herself, so he had helped her make one. Well, he came up with one and was working on a second one for her to use. After all, he thought of her as some super hero alien like Superman, so she needed a hero name and a causal name. While he was still working on a casual name, she did like the hero name Heatblast. After naming her, he had asked to see what she could do, something she was happy to do since she seemed to want to show off a little in front of him.

It was great, seeing her blast fireballs into the forest. Too bad it created that massive forest fire.

The next he had met was an alien he whom he dubbed the heroine Wildmutt. She was vastly different from Heatblast. While Heatblast still retained a humanoid appearance despite her fire and volcanic-rock body, this second alien was far more animal-like. She walked on all fours with her arms being massive with large paws and claws at the end and her legs short and angled like a canine's. She was covered in orange fur, hiding any bit of skin on her body alongside the black sports top and athletic shorts. The same watch symbol that was on the collar Heatblast wore was also visible on Wildmutt, this time being on an arm brace that was placed on her shoulder.

The strangest thing about her was her face. While she did have a mostly human-like head, she didn't have any eyes or a nose. At least he couldn't see any with all that fur on her face. All he could make out were a large mouth with a large underbite, showing off massive fangs that were sticking out of the mouth, as well as slits that looked like gills on her cheek and neck.

When he had used the watch to…summon her? Make her? Bring her to him? Whichever it was, when he did it, he was surprised to see her appearance and even more surprised to see that she couldn't speak. She could only growl, bark, and make other animal noises. It seemed she could perfectly understand him despite that, as she flashed him a wide, toothy grin before yanking him onto his back and running off with him when he asked her if she could show off a bit of what she was capable of to him.

That was a lot of fun too, but just like with Heatblast, it resulted in something terrible when a pair of robot drones attacked them.

Now back in the RV, he was super excited to see more of what the watch could do, especially since it seemed to have access to ten alien heroines in total! However…

"I…still don't know how to keep them here. They disappear when the watch times out." He said sadly.

Aunt Ana thought for a moment before sighing and nodding to him, showing him a calm smile.

"Well, if we can't get the watch off you, all we can do is make sure you know what you're doing with it. With a device like that, you and those alien friends of your could do a lot of good. The sooner we can get you used to using it, the better."

The young soon-to-be Ark's eyes widened before he shot up with the most excitement he'd ever have in his life as he cheered. But just as he was getting pumped, Ana's radio picked up a signal.

"Mayday! Mayday! Somebody help us! We're under attack by some sort of… I-I know you're not gonna believe me, but…robot!"

"That's just like what happened to me and Wildmutt!" The young Ark shouted. "That one probably came here with the other two drones. They must be after me and the watch! We need to help!"

"Yeah, we do." Ana agreed before stealing a glance to her nephew, her eyes showing anticipation as she smiled. "So what're you gonna do about it, kiddo?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked down at the watch before flashing it to his aunt with a smile.

"It's not what I'm gonna do. It's about what they're gonna do."

With those words, the young boy and his aunt ran out of the RV, rushing to the site where the robot was attacking. On that day, the hero Ark would be born.

Comparing that young, excitable, eager Ark to the current Ark was like comparing night and day. Where he had been eager to play hero, now he only felt dread and contempt at the prospect. Where he used to feel excited to play around with the Omnitrix, now thinking about 'playing with the Omnitrix' with the context he now had, that was the last thing Ark wanted to do. Those moments where he had felt special and heroic—The moments where he was actually doing good and helping someone… Those were replaced by moments he failed to do so with people he dearly cared for.

All of this is to say that Ark believed his past self would have been ecstatic about this solo trip to Jump City to help, or save, Aunty Ana, but his current self couldn't help but feel a mixture of frustration, confusion, and fear. Anxiety laced his thoughts as he got off the monorail and entered Jump City, California.

Here he was, actually going through with this. A part of him still couldn't believe it.

It didn't take much effort to convince his parents to allow him to go on this trip. Mainly because he didn't give them a choice in the matter. He wrote them a note, told them he was going on a trip, and left before they could say or do anything.

He knew he should have told them what he was really doing and why, but he didn't know how to even attempt to explain things to them. They were good parents, and Ark hated to make them worry about him like this, but they didn't know anything about him being an ex-hero. They shouldn't be dragged into this.

As long as he called from time to time to quell some of their worries, things would be fine. They had to be.

What was more important was focusing on finding out where Ana was staying. Ark always thought she lived in the Rust Bucket, so it was strange to see the RV abandoned back in Steel City. Then to hear that she was staying in Jump City was even stranger. He never imagined her as someone who would settle down anywhere. She had always been a wanderer, so why would she tell him she was staying in Jump City.

She must have left something here for him to find, or maybe there was something he had to do here. Either way, he had to find it. Unfortunately, Ark had no idea where to start his search. He'd never been in Jump City before, so he had no lay of the land. The only thing he had on him that might be able to help him is his plumber's badge, but that's only if there's something for him to track with it.

"I'll probably have to try to track her down with my magic's dowsing powers." Ark grumbled as he took out a necklace of his Aunt's that was left in the RV he took for dowsing purposes, but he sighed as he stared at it. "Though I'm not too confident in my ability to get the tracking powers to work…" He groaned as he looked up at the evening sky. "Nothing about this is going to be easy, is it?"

That's when he took the Omnitrix out of his pink jacket's pocket and stared at it. If he put it on, he could bring out Wildmutt to track Ana. He almost moved a hand to the Omnitrix to do just that, but he stopped himself before putting the watch away.

"Not yet." He convinced himself before letting out a tense breath.

BOOM!

Ark jumped at the sudden noise, Looking up, he saw a green trail that led to a large green explosion.

Something green falling from the sky and creating a massive explosion? Why does that sound oddly familiar?

"Sigh… All bets to this being some alien related thing." Ark grumbled out as he started running towards the blast. "When things happen around me, it's always an alien issue. What're the chances this has nothing to do with Aunty?"

Highly unlikely. There were no such thing as coincidences when it came to the life of Ark.

With that thought in mind, Ark ran to the explosion sight. When he finally got there, he was greeted with a intense fight.

It was a fight between a girl with orange skin, fiery red hair, and glowing green eyes and a boy with slick-back hair wearing a red and green uniform with a black cape and a domino mask. Ark blinked a few times as he gaped at the sight of the two of them.

"Is that…Robin?! The Boy Wonder? Batman's sidekick? What's he doing here on the opposite side of the country!?" Ark exclaimed in a soft whisper as his jaw dropped at the sight of the famous sidekick fighting an alien capable of wrecking buildings with a punch. Speaking of which— "And is that a Tamaranean? What the heck is a Tamaranean doing on Earth!?"

Tamaraneans were rare to see off their homeworld. Sure, they were a proud warrior race, but they didn't go off conquering worlds. They kept to themselves and fought when they were threatened. So why is this one here wrecking the city?

As Ark watched the fight unfold, Ark noticed something odd. The Tamaranean girl had something locking her arms together, preventing her from doing anything but swing them around angrily. Despite this, she was still able to toss cars with her feet at Robin and tank his explosives. Still, Ark couldn't help but wonder about those cuffs.

"Is she…a prisoner?" He wondered outloud as the girl lunged at Robin, only to get knocked away from a green ram.

Ark blinked a few times, thinking he was seeing things as the green ram shifted into a young green-skinned boy in a purple uniform.

"Wait…isn't that–?"

"Ex-Doom Patrol member Beast Boy, sir! How can I help?" The green boy proudly said to Robin as he saluted.

"He is! He's part of the Doom Patrol! Or…was." Ark noted.

The Doom Patrol was legendary! They were a roup of misfit heroes who fought evil, specifically the Brotherhood of Evil. First Batman's sidekick, then a Tamaranean, now an ex-Doom Patrol member. Not to mention Ark himself. What were the chances that the four of them would gather in one city?

Ark's thoughts were interrupted as the Tamaranean girl tossed an entire bus at the two heroes, only to be caught by a tall man in a grey sweatshirt. He caught the bus by himself with only a loud grunt to show that he had to exert effort. After setting it down, he stomped over with a glare, a single red eye glowing from under his hood as he yelled.

"Yo! Who's here messing up my neighborhood?" He screamed.

"She started it." The Beast Boy answered as he pointed at the alien girl.

Ark watched as the newcomer joined Robin and Beast Boy fend off the Tamaranean, who had just broken off the restrains on her arms, allowing her to use her star bolts. All the while, Ark stood by and watched, deep in thought.

"Another hero?" He wondered before shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. I think I understand what's happening."

He might not understand Tamaranean, but he can tell the girl is acting out of fear and anger. She's still cuffed, which probably means she was a prisoner that escaped, and she's trying to break free. But in the process, she's destroying the city. There was an easy solution to this problem.

Just as the Tamaranean girl exhausted herself, she fell to her knees, and the three heroes rushed to attack her. Robin threw another set of explosive rounds at the girl, but Ark decided now was the time for him to act. He might not have the Omnitrix on right now, but he wasn't useless.

Rushing out of his hiding spot, a pink glow appeared around his hand as he dashed in front of the girl. He swiped his hand up, creating a large pink shield like glass that blocked the explosives from reaching him or the girl. That got the girl to stare at him in confusion and the three guys to stare at him in shock, though that didn't stop them from readying themselves to fight him if necessary.

"Hang on! We don't have to fight! She's not our enemy!" Ark shouted as he spread his arms out defensively in front of the girl.

The guys didn't seem entirely convinced, but that's when black energy in the form of a raven appeared in front of them, making sure they couldn't attack Ark.

"He's right." Another voice responded. Turning around, everyone saw a girl in a blue robe standing a good distance away. "Maybe fighting isn't the answer here."

After saying her piece, she let down the raven shield. After seeing the three guys lower their arms and turn to face the Tamaranean, Ark turned to look at her himself. The Tamaranean girl had turned her focus to the cuffs on her arms. Ark wanted to help her, but he had no idea how to break her free. He could put on the watch and summon someone, but—

"Stand down." Robin suddenly said, causing Ark to turn to the boy wonder in surprise. Was he…?

"What, do you think you're the boss or something?" The large teen asked in frustration.

"Just give me a chance." Robin replied as he turned to Ark, silently asking permission to come closer.

Ark was hesitant, but he relented as he stepped aside for Robin to come closer.

"Don't hurt her. I'm pretty sure she's scared and angry at being far away from her home." He told Robin, who nodded as he pulled out a strange tool that Ark recognized as a lockpick.

He moved closer to the Tamaranean, but she quickly jumped up and aimed her glowing hands at him, causing him to back away, but Ark stood in front of him with another mana shield up.

"Hey! Relax! He wants to help!" Ark shouted, only getting an angry growl from the girl in response.

"Gokta." She stated, though Ark couldn't understand her at all.

"Easy…" Robin began with his hands raised up as he motioned Ark to lower the shield, which Ark did hesitantly. "My name is Robin, and I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help."

"Gokta! Gokta boo ogna." She answered as she pointed her glowing hands right in Robin's face.

"It's okay. Look." Robin said as he showed off the lockpick. Slowly, he moved to her arms and began unlocking the cuffs.

Soon, the heavy cuffs fell off her arms, allowing her to move around freely again, something she appreciated if the glow of her eyes dying down was any indication, though she continued to glare at him.

"There." Robin smiled. "Now maybe we can be–Uh!"

Ark's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. The alien girl had suddenly brought Robin in for a kiss. There was no warning and no second for him to prepare as she grabbed his neck and moved him in for a smooch. The moment she was done, her eyes began to glow as she pushed him into Ark, who caught him before he could fall.

"If you wish to not be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" She told them in perfect English before she flew off, leaving the five of them there to stare up in confusion, wondering just what the heck just happened.

'Did she…Is that something Tamaraneans can do…?' Ark wondered to himself as he stared at the departing form of the flying orange girl. '...This is why I stopped dealing with this alien crap. It's way too complicated.'

The five of them were left in the silent aftermath of the fight, unsure of how to react. Thankfully, someone was there to break the tension.

"So…I'm Beast Boy. Who are you guys?" BB asked cheerfully as he turned to Ark and the others, though everyone else was too shellshocked to respond to the question.

"W-Who… What just…?" Robin began, eyes still wide as Ark helped him stand back up on his shaky feet.

"That was a Tamaranean." Ark answered.

"Tamaranean?" The cloak-wearing girl repeated.

"Her species. She's an alien. An alien that lives far away from Earth. Never met one before now, so this has been…an experience." Ark clarified. "I don't know who that was, but she doesn't seem to be here of her own volition if those cuffs were anything to go by."

"Well, whoever she was, the girl sure knows how to make an impression." The tall teen in the grey hoodie noted as he took a look around at the destroyed city block they were standing in.

"I think we made a pretty good impression." Beast Boy smiled cheerfully. "Crazy space girl is gone, the city is saved. Mission accomplished, right, sir?"

"Seriously, stop calling me that." Robin told the ex-DP member with a glare that could match Batman's.

"Roger." BB replied as he gave a salute.

"Looks like we're done here." Robin gave a nod before turning around to leave. "I appreciate the help."

"You're going to track down the alien?" Cloak Girl asked.

"I have to find out if she's a threat." Robin answered as he walked away.

"More like find out if she'll give him another kiss." Hoodie Guy mumbled as Robin left, with Beast Boy following closely behind the Boy Wonder.

As Ark pondered where the Tamaranean girl could have gone, Cloak Girl moved over to him with a questioning look.

"That was magic you used." She said, catching Ark off guard with her sudden statement.

"U-Uh…Yeah. Well, it's more like Mana Manipulation. I'm not too good at it. I can only do things like form shields, power up my punches, and heal minor injuries." Ark replied. "You used…Dark Magic, right? Practices from…Azaroth, I believe?"

"Yeah…" She nodded as she looked away.

"Cool, cool." Ark tried to smile, but it came off as awkward and forced.

The two of them stayed in silence for a moment before Ark sighed and shook his head.

"I should get going now, too, I guess." He said as he began to walk away from the group. The other two began to leave too before BB came back with a nervous and hopeful expression after Robin shot down the green boy's request to be Robin's sidekick.

"What about you guys? You want to get a pizza?" He asked, his cheer now a bit more forced.

Cloak girl and Ark stopped briefly as they stole a glance at the ex-Doom Patrol member.

"...I shouldn't." The girl told him before she started walking away again.

BB then turned to Ark, who nervously rubbed the back of his neck before shaking his head.

"Sorry, but I gotta go find that Tamaranean girl, too. I need to ask her if she's involved in something I'm looking into." Ark answered.

"Something you're looking into? Are you a hero, too? You look like one." BB asked, gesturing to Ark's bright pink number 10 jacket he wore over his white t-shirt. Ark frowned before shaking his head.

'Do I still?' Ark wondered to himself before sighing.

"No. Not anymore. I'm just trying to find someone involved with other alien stuff." Ark told him.

"Do you need any help? I can track others' scents." Beast Boy offered. That was a tempting offer, but Ark shook his head. He didn't want anyone else to get dragged into alien/plumber business.

"Nah. I can use my Mana Sense to track who I'm looking. Besides, I'm not really looking to team up with anyone." Ark told him as he started to leave. Beast Boy seemed bummed out at first, but he quickly moved over to Hoodie Guy to shoot his shot with him.

However, not even a minute after Ark shot down BB, a sudden shout caused Ark to stopped in his tracks.

"DUUUUUUUUUDE!" Beast Boy shouted right before a massive shadow covered Ark and the whole block.

Ark looked up and gaped when he saw a massive spaceship flying over the city. It quickly flew out over the ocean before ejecting a large capsule on a nearby island. Ark rushed over to Beast Boy and Hoodie Guy as he stared out towards the ocean where the capsule was, with Robin and Cloak Girl coming back to regroup with them as well.

"Looks like space girl has friends." Hoodie Guy pointed out.

"Or enemies." Robin added.

"The aliens who captured and brought her here…" Ark mumbled as it clicked for him in his head.

That's when the capsule's top shot out beams of light that created a projected a hologram of a large blue gargoyle-like alien with a tail. yellow scales covering its chest, and a metal helmet.

"People of Earth, we come to your planet hunting an escaped prisoner. A very dangerous prisoner. Do not interfere and we will leave your city with only minimal damage, but if you attempt to assist her…your destruction will be absolute."

With that, the projection ended as the capsule began to open up, revealing it was a massive drop ship carrying thousands of soldiers that began flying towards the city.

"That's a big ship." Hoodie guy observed.

"And those are some scary-looking aliens." Beast Boy added.

"Those are Gordanians. They're slavers and raiders who leave only destruction in their wake." Ark growled as he realized what aliens they were dealing with.

"They told us not to interfere…" Cloak Girl frowned before she and the others turned to Robin, who only stared at the incoming army with resolute determination.

"You're still going after her, aren't you?" Hoodie Guy asked, though Robin's nod was expected by everyone.

"Can we come too?" Beast Boy asked with a smile.

"I suppose I could team up just this once." Robin offered a smile of his own, getting smiles from the other teens as a result.

With that, Robin, Beast Boy, and Hoodie Guy started to walk away, but Cloak Girl and Ark stayed behind as they departed whether or not they should come along, too.

For Ark, he wanted to go after the Tamaranean girl for his own purposes, as well as to help her escape the Gordanians. He might not have ever met one before, but the Gordanian's reputation were well known by all plumbers, and that reputation was pretty terrible. He wouldn't want anyone to have to be a prisoner to those kinds of aliens, but he wasn't sure if he should team up with these guys to do it.

He's never been part of a team before, let alone a superhero team. He wasn't sure if he should be a part of that since he was trying to distance himself from hero stuff.

Yeah…distance himself from hero stuff after defending an alien prisoner from Batman's sidekick. Ark was definitely doing a good job on that front.

'Damn it…! Why can't I just make up my mind?!' Ark yelled in his head angrily.

"You two in?" Robin suddenly asked, causing Ark to jolt in place as he looked up to see the three guys staring at him and the girl. The girl seemed to be surprised, too, as she turned around anxiously when addressed.

"I'm not the hero type, trust me." She told them. "If you knew what I really am, you wouldn't want me around."

"I know enough." Robin told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. He and the other guys offered her a few smiles, which seemed to convince her as her expression lightened. Robin then turned to Ark. "And you?"

Ark frowned as he bit his lower lip in thought. There was really no downside to joining up with them, so why was he so hesitant to do so?

That's when it hit him. It was because he was still hesitating on this entire mission. Sure, he came to Jump City to look for Ana, but he never really accepted the situation as a whole. Now there was no denying that things were wrong. Whether Ana was involved in this or not, there was an alien invasion and a girl in need of help. He needed to help her, help stop another alien invasion, and then find Ana and help her out of whatever mess she was in.

Ark knew what he had to do. It was the right thing to do, and it was his responsibility since he was the one with the alien watch that provided him a theoretic army. Besides, he already got to live a normal life for five years, so it was finally time to pay the price for that short bit of normality.

With his mind made up, there was only one thing left for him to do to make sure he didn't chicken out part way.

Sighing heavily, Ark took out the Omnitrix and stared at it for a moment, giving the other teens a chance to take a look at the watch as Ark mentally prepared himself. That's when the teens' eyes widened when they spotted the symbol on the watch.

"Hang on a minute, I know that symbol!" Hoodie Guy shouted.

"Two hearts forming a hourglass…" The girl noted with a gasp.

"W-Wait, are you–?" Beast Boy began to ask, but Ark wasn't listening.

All Ark was focused on was the Omnitrix, and once he had readied himself, he put the Omnitrix on his wrist. The moment the watch was on, the two ends snapped shut and clamped on tight, preventing Ark from ever taking it off again without going through the hell it took getting it off the first time. With the deed done, Ark looked back up at Robin and nodded.

"Yeah, and I'm in. Let's go stop an alien invasion."

A/N: Here we have quite possibly the oddest story I want to write: A Teen Titan x Ben 10 OC story in which the OC has not the Omnitrix, but the Chaquetrix. The Chaquetrix is, basically, an A.U. made by TrixTheAlien where the Omnitrix that instead of changing the user into aliens, summons the alien species to fight alongside the user (It's like Pokemon!). Of course, it started as a joke, since the watch summons aliens of the opposite gender (for obvious reasons since it was just supposed to be a joke). However, the original creator decided that since her idea blew up, she might as well make an actual narrative, one that's not lewd and, in my opinion, as the potential to be really creative and unique.

I mean, changing Ben 10 from 'transforming into aliens' to 'summoning aliens' can change a lot, especially for whoever gets the watch, like my character I'm giving it to. I got the idea for this character by mixing Alien Force Ben with Future Steven Universe, my reasoning being...well, losing had higher stakes for this guy, and it works with Teen Titan's atmosphere. Also, the protag will be going by his hero name and not his real name just like the Teen Titans show. He does have a real name, but that's a secret we're saving for later.