"And if you didn't have the Omnitrix?"
Ben pondered for a few moments. "There's a version of me that doesn't have it."
"Really?"
"Mhm." He nodded. "His life is oddly normal. That original road trip was just that. He isn't even friends with Gwen."
"That's hard to imagine, you two not being close." She pointed.
"Yeah. Things still happen in that universe; his Grandpa Max apparently lost his arm against VIlgax which is wild... but I don't know... I would most certainly not be him. I mean, who would stop Hex, Dr. Animo, Zs'Skayr-"
"Zs'Skayr wouldn't rise on Earth if not for him being in the Omnitrix," Hope remarked.
"Oh, you're right." Ben conceded. "But still. Lots of things would still happen. Though some a lot less."
"And you'd be normal."
"I am normal," Ben smirked. "I'm just eccentric."
"You're crazy," Hope said as she stared at the deep purple skies.
"I lived all my life since I was ten to be a hero, barring a few years," Ben spoke. "I don't want to stop that right now."
"But if you could... I don't know... not focus on that..."
"I'd still do it." He stated. "Maybe there is backup for me now... but I wouldn't stop helping people.
She had to dwell on the memories of these conversations from days ago to keep her mind focused.
Legerdomain was beautiful. She loved her home. But she couldn't stay here on her own. This was maddening. To the point she was entertaining the thought of having Michael come over to be her jester. But that wouldn't do, not really.
And there was no one she could talk about. Legerdomain's population was... well, to start, it wasn't even clear how many sapient beings there were. There were certainly no complex societies like in the galaxy. The few beings there were, would constantly meditate and study the arts of magic non-stop.
But Hope didn't want this.
She had a flicker of taste of what a regular Earth life looked like. Okay, perhaps not regular... Ben was still different. But compared to her being head of her kingdom...
And was this really a kingdom? This felt more like an obligation. A place she had to be to avoid monsters from taking her home away. She had been robbed of her home once. Thrice by now.
Never again.
But the last place she wanted to be now was her.
What she really wanted... was to be on Ben Tennyson's side.
And she would do it... Legerdomain could survive a day in her absence.
...
It started well enough.
Ben transformed into Way Big the moment he landed in these vast plains in Colorado. He knew there was one Way Bad in California, and it would probably be the first on his way.
It didn't take long for him to see helicopters in the distance. The people of Earth were on edge, and his appearance would cause panic in some places. But all he needed was to drive the Way Bads away from Bellwood...
After that... It remained to be seen.
"Two of the Way Bads are moving away from the city," Cooper announced, Ben hearing him through the earpieces given to all who would aid the battle.
"Wait ten minutes before engaging." Grandpa Max ordered them. "We know there are few who will support Servantis when it all truly begins."
Ben knew that... but he was nervous. He remembered vividly the destruction of the Incursean War. That had been the most damaged Earth had been. Countries had collapsed. Economies had plummeted. In the end, the empire did pay for reparations... but the psychological damage remained...
And these Way Bads only reminded him of this time, along with the manhunt that had happened in the Null Void.
Ben didn't have much time to think to himself. Exactly six minutes later, a purple form appeared in the distance, its movements calculated and careful. Unlike what these beings were capable of.
"Been hearing all about what you bunch were doing." Way Big said to the emotionless To'kustar, flexing his arms as the distance between them drew closer. "I'm coming for you next. But I'll deal with this problem first."
Ben didn't expect the Way Bad to answer, so that was fine. Only now, facing one, he remembered how horrendous they were. This one, he had a skull-like face, its frill being pointy and thin, unlike that of Way Big. Its body was purple and grey, and like many of his foes, its eyes were crimson red.
The creature began attacking Ben, who dodged with ease. He planned to come to an open area for a reason, to make this fight just as fair as it would be if he, in his human form, was fighting against another person. His movements were slower, he was heavier, but he could make this happen. It was all a matter of trying.
And Ben was relentless. Punching the Way Bad to the ground, creating ginormous craters. The creature bellowed in pain, and it kept resisting, but Ben held the monster with his foot, punching it repeatedly.
And it worked, eventually. After more swings, he noticed the creature was rendered unconscious.
One out of eight.
Though this wasn't easy, at all. Ben was already panting, fighting one of these Way Bads took a lot of effort. He hoped there would be a better way to do this, but...
What alien was as strong as Way Big?
...
Gwendolyn entered Ben's quarters, hoping to speak to her cousin before the final confrontation which would begin the next morning. But she was startled to find not Ben in his human form, but instead, a massive raven figure with stars sprinkled all over its body, and three horns on his head, the Omnitrix symbol on its chest.
She stared at the figure, who was completely still, not even a flicker of its head turning to face her. It remained this way for a few more seconds before a green flash blinded the redhead for a moment, and when she looked back, Ben had returned to human.
"Hey." He greeted, not sounding happy.
"What were you doing?" She questioned.
"Trying to see if I could make some sense to them." He laughed bitterly. "No luck. They're so stubborn."
"So, no Alien X?"
"Don't count on it, yeah." Ben grimaced. "It would be perfect, but... well..."
"It will be just fine," Gwendolyn assured him, flashing a smile. "You never depended on Alien X to win battles."
In response, Ben sighed.
"I hope you're right."
...
This was looking bad.
Way b-
No, she wouldn't do that.
But the situation was pretty grim. Turns out, Servantis had managed to hire even techadon bots, low-level idiots dumb enough to accept anything for money, and he had that one Way Bad who was causing havoc. Right now, it was only Helen who was engaging the massive monster, who tried relentlessly to punch the kineceleran, but to no avail.
Gwen, in her Lucky Girl outfit, alongside Kevin, had more luck than most, smashing through the lines. A massive techadon bot was driven away from them by an air attack, courtesy of Swift, who glided away in search of a new target immediately.
They knew where they needed to be. One of the Plumber outposts in downtown Bellwood... and they were on a schedule. More Way Bads were coming, the ones that were in Europe. And they would need to go through them to get to Ben.
"Guys..." Swift said, her earpiece adjusted to the new frequency. "The To'kustars are returning."
"What?!" Cooper explained. "Weren't they going to get Ben?"
"Maybe there was a change of plans," Kevin said by her side, as he punched through another robot. Thankfully, those numbers seemed to be dwindling. "Are you hearing this, Ben?"
"On it." The voice of Way Big answered, and Lucky Girl hoped there would be enough time. Especially because she could see the two Way Bads already coming to the fight.
"There are reports that the Way Bads in Europe have just passed Bermuda." Grandpa Max announced. "Try to drive them away from the city."
"That's not happening," Manny answered. "We will have to fight them here."
"Then we need to evacuate the city!" Lucy suggested. "Are the projectors ready?"
"No." Grandpa Max grimly answered. "We will try to conduct evacuations to Undertown and some beyond the city. Try to minimize the damage to buildings, or drive the fight to the sea."
"Respectfully, sir, we can't match all these things," Alan said, just as Helen was finally knocked meters away from the Way Bad. Manny quickly went to her aid, but she soon got up.
"Just hold the line." Grandpa Max said. "We will try to send some ships to help."
"Do you think this will work?" Kevin asked Lucky Girl, who had her eyes set on one of the returning Way Bads. A massive beast with a deformed head, with bizarre structures coming out of its shoulders. Lucky Girl was repulsed by its sight.
"We'll see." Her eyes sparked, and she took off from the ground, and gave her boyfriend a last look. "Don't do anything stupid."
"I can say that to you since you're about to fight that." Kevin nodded towards the hideous thing.
Lucky Girl smirked. "It's my inner Ben." And she lunged towards the To'kustar, who barely had time to react before she blasted it with a massive surge of mana. The massive beast was knocked away, almost stumbling on its own feet. She remained in the air, looking at the taken-aback Way Bad, which was already preparing to attack again.
But she didn't let it get ahead of her. Lucky Girl conjured a major hammer-like construct and with one swing, hit the Way Bad with massive force. Now, it truly fell from its balance, and the beast was knocked over, splattered all over the ground with a massive thud noise when it landed. Lucky Girl smiled, but she didn't have time to enjoy her victory, since the other Way Bad who had returned hit her with the back of its hand, knocking her onto the rooftop of a building.
Lucky Girl coughed violently, but she saw no blood. Her anodite form had its perks, and its resistance was one of them.
"Gwen!" Kevin exclaimed. "Are you alright?!"
"Fine." She said, coughing again. Just then, she heard a charging noise. Looking back, she saw the Way Bad, a female one that was just as much of an aberration as the others. It could barely stand on two feet; it had a monstrous face and it looked at Lucky Girl with murderous intent. She shivered, thinking this couldn't just be Khyber.
Even worse, she noticed the beast's arms were crossed, and Lucky Girl knew quite well what that meant. In front of the Way Bad's arms, a crimson blast was shot at Lucky Girl, who wasn't really in the best position to react. She conjured a shield, one of the strongest she could muster, but it already started to crack. From the translucid shield, she locked eyes with the Way Bad, who had a terrifying sadistic look on her face.
Lucky Girl yelled in frustration and effort, trying all she could to hold off the blast, but now it was only a matter of time before her shield cracked. She needed more time, and some support... but she knew the others were busy with the other To'kustar.
But just then...
Just then a big brown figure fell from the sky, punching the Way Bad to the ground with so much force it sent a shockwave that shattered windows around them, but most importantly, stopped the attack towards Lucky Girl entirely, and she took the moment to gasp for air. Looking into the ground, her savior was none other than...
Well, who else could turn into Humungousaur?
"Neutralized," Ben said, looking around, examining the other Way Bad which was also splattered across the ground. Then, he turned to the other one which the team was struggling so much against. With a sigh, he pressed the Omnitrix, turning into Way Big again. The white and red To'kustar immediately drew the other Way Bad's attention, this one being that goth-looking one Argit had defeated by pure surprise in the Incursean War.
And even if Khyber was controlling these things... Ben could see how its eyes flashed dangerously, and the beast roared before attacking him. Ben dodged, punching back. This wasn't the most ideal arena, with all these buildings around... he was reminded of the fight against Azmuth, who had transformed into a To'kustar, all those years ago, and how damaged Bellwood was by that. It was a wonder not many people had been hurt, all things considered.
But he wouldn't let that happen now. He grabbed the Way Bad by the arm, and in response, it tried to scratch him with moderate success. Ben hissed and punched the To'kustar into the sea. The Way Bad was not quick enough to react, and Ben punched its head with so much force another shockwave shattered objects around the pier.
By the end of that, Way Big was panting, holding the Way Bad by the arm, but it seemed confused now. Its eyes were devoid of the previous hostility, instead looking scared and confused. Ben was puzzled by it, until the Way Bad set her eyes on him again, and the creature gasped.
Safe to say, he wasn't expecting that.
"What is it, Ben?" Lucy said. "Why did you stop?"
"I hit it on its head a bit too much... I think it's not being mind-controlled anymore..." Way Big explained.
"But they're supposed to be feral," Helen remarked. "Not to act scared."
"Even feral animals can be afraid," Gwen answered. "We have a six-minute window before the next Way Bad appears. Try to talk to it."
"Talk to it?" Ben echoed, looking at the fallen To'kustar. Unlike many of its animalistic companions, this one had a much more modest appearance.
Well, modest in terms that it wasn't deformed. Not that Ben didn't notice the revealing goth outfit the creature wore. What the hell was Psychobos thinking?
"Hello?" Ben tried, but he wasn't sure his words would amount to much. Then, the creature seemed to answer, and Ben immediately recalled his first meeting with Galapagus, in which the turtle-like alien needed the Ultimatrix to translate his words. And Ben got to work, spinning the dial on Way Big's chest to activate the translation function. A yellow ray shone down upon the Way Bad, and its gibberish words – which were maybe the To'kustar language – were replaced by well-spoken English.
"-lease, don't hurt me, please, I don't know what this is, where I am-"
"Quiet." Way Big ordered, and the creature fell silent. "How are you... how are you speaking?"
"Speaking?" The female To'kustar frowned. "Is that what this is?"
"Yes," Ben answered, trying to be patient, but his anxiety was palpable since they only had a few minutes before another one of those beasts came. "You are versed in the To'kustars language. But I am translating it to understand you."
The creature only seemed more confused. "You hurt me before."
"You were my enemy," Ben explained. "And you were being controlled. If I knew you were... well, alive-"
"I only had thoughts of rage." The Way Bad explained, her voice echoing around the pier. "Now... I have more thoughts... are you my enemy?"
"I don't have to be," Ben assured her. "We can get the guys that were controlling you. If you help me, we can sort out your situation. You can go live with other To'kustars. I don't understand what happened with your brain either... but if we can do the same to the others-"
"Don't." The Way Bad's awareness surprised him. "Kill them."
"Why?"
"I remember what I lived to this point and I know that you save people." The Way Bad explained. "I understand that is a good thing. But they only understand death."
Way Big grimaced. "Will you help me? There are more coming, and I cannot beat them all alone."
"I..." The Way Bad paused. "I'm confused about what I should do... I never realized what I was doing-"
"It's irrelevant now." Ben kneeled into the water. "What matters is what you choose to do next. Do you have a name?"
"A name...?" The Way Bad paused. "No."
"We can think of that later then." Way Big extended his arm. "But first... we can work together. We can find out what made you become aware."
The creature... no, it wasn't so much of a creature anymore. The being looked towards him with those scarlet eyes. "Are you truly one of my species? One that isn't feral?"
"I am one of all." Ben said like he had done to the group of Necrofriggians years ago. "I am Ben."
"Ben." The Way Bad repeated. "Is that your name?"
"Yes." He confirmed.
"Are you going to hurt me again?" She questioned her face a mix of fear and defiance.
"No. But those things are. So please help me. I can make it right for you."
The Way Bad seemed to ponder for a moment, and Ben was afraid she would refuse. But after what seemed like hours of waiting... she finally nodded.
"Are you, my friend?" That was the question she had for him.
"I am now." He extended his arm further. In the distance, a roar shook the waters. "It's time."
And to his delight, the Way Bad took his hand, rising to stand on her feet. Standing so close now, he noticed she was just as tall as he was, only his frill giving him an edge.
"What do you need of me?" The being asked with resolve.
"To fight them." Ben pointed towards the approaching Way Bad. "Can you do that for me?"
"I can... friend." Her tone was hesitant, but Ben could see her words were genuine.
"I never cease to be amazed." Gwen chuckled. "I hope I'm not seeing things."
"Seems real to me," Alan said, and Ben saw the pyronite rise to the sky on top of a rock.
"That was noble, Ben." Grandpa Max said to him. "But you need to go to the root of the problem."
"I can't, Grandpa!" Ben protested. "I need to stay here!"
"Not for long." Just then, Ben noticed the sound of something rumbling in the sky. Looking up, he found his heart clenching, but he didn't know if in fear or amazement, as he spotted Vilgax's massive cruiser ship, charging up and shooting at the incoming Way Bad, who was knocked out off his feet, falling into the water.
Ben smirked and noticed Gwen flying around his shoulder. At that, he turned back to the Way Bad beside her. "This is Gwendolyn." He said, and the female To'kustar squinted her eyes to take a better look at Lucky Girl. "She's also a friend."
"Yes." The Way Bad said. "Are you going away?"
"I'm going to get the people responsible for this," Ben said. "Trust Gwendolyn."
The being looked between him and his cousin, before finally nodding. Ben then turned to Lucky Girl.
"Stay here. I need to take on Servantis."
"You might need me." Lucky Girl argued. "Take care of... her." It was weird talking about someone who didn't have a name. "Kevin, Lucy, Manny, can you follow me to the station they're occupying?"
"Way ahead of you," Kevin said, and Rustbucket 3 appeared out of nowhere in the sky, landing near the group. Ben smirked.
"Then we finish this now."