Chapter 5: Ben Tennyson: Origin Part 1
Chromastone couldn't help but internally chuckle as he saw the surprised expressions of the three heroes in front of him, the girl behind him, and the villain further away from him. It had been quite a while since he had seen anyone react this way and he wasn't quite used to it anymore. In his universe, everyone knew who he was and what he was capable of.
He glanced over his shoulder back at the teen he just saved for a second. Now that he was closer, he had a better look at who it was he saved. The girl was about his age, maybe a year younger, with teal eyes. Her hair was split into three clumps around her eyes with parts sticking up into large tufts on top of her head. She was wearing a thunder gray sweat with what Ben assumed was a black tank top underneath judging by the black straps that went over her shoulders. She was also wearing jean shorts with a black belt and silver buckle. Her right leg was pinned by the chunk of concrete that fell from the building when the electric villainess tried to attack Mt. Lady.
"You okay?" he asked the girl.
"Y-yeah, I'm alright," nodded the girl.
"Taking your eyes off me?" taunted the villainess as she charged up another electric attack. "Rookie mistake!"
She then fired bolts of lightning from her hands right at Chromastone who's attention was still turned away.
"Ben, move!" shouted Mt. Lady, but the hero was surprised once more when Ben held his ground and let the bolt hit him in the shoulder but he didn't even flinch. Instead, the transformed teen calmly returned his attention to the electric villain as the electricity was then absorbed into his body in a rainbow of colors.
"You know what's also a rookie mistake?" retorted Chromastone as the villainess ceased her attack and frowned in annoyance. "Assuming I'm not paying attention. Not to mention…"
The Crystalsapien trailed off as the energy he'd absorbed collected in his hands before he fired a rainbow-colored beam right at his foe. The attack sped right towards the villainess and struck her dead center. The woman let out a surprised cry as the beam hit much faster and much harder than she thought and was knocked right off her feet and sent flying back about ten feet before sliding across the ground for about six feet and rolled onto her stomach.
"I'm a conductor," finished the purple and magenta rock man smugly as he lowered his arms, but remained at the ready as the villainess was soon getting back up and onto her feet. She then looked down at her hands for a moment as sparks formed, much brighter than before.
"Don't know what that was, but thanks a bunch, kid!" said the villain as she flared her power with a dark grin. "I was feeling a little drained!"
"That's bad," Ben muttered, seeming to realize what he'd just done.
The electric-based villain then blasted a bolt far stronger than before right at Chromastone, who tanked the hit, his own body lighting up in an array of colors. The silicon alien then began making his way forward, figuring it was a little dangerous to be so close to a civilian behind him. While the villain might have had more power now (a fault on his part), he had a few things she didn't: options to work with, some backup, and a plan.
He just needed to get an opening.
"If you guys are done staring, I could use a little backup!" called out Chromastone as he was continuing to be bombarded with electricity.
This seemed to get the Pro Heroes out of their stupor as Kamui Woods was the first to speak.
"Ben, stay out of this!" shouted the Pro Hero as he rushed forward, "We'll handle this!"
"I don't know. You sure about that, Hero?" taunted the villainess as she cut off the bolt of lightning targeted at Chromastone and formed two whips made out of electricity from her hands, "Because from where I'm standing, you need all the help you can get!"
She then swung one of her whips at the group, forcing them to scatter as the whip struck the ground, scorching the road as a crack of thunder sounded when the whip hit. Getting back into formation, the three Pros resumed their charge. Seeing the villain was now distracted, Chromastone turned around and knelt in front of the girl.
"You hurt?" he asked in a calm voice.
"Not really," replied the girl as she adjusted herself a bit. "Except for… you know." She gestured to the debris
"Good. Now listen, I'm going to lift that piece of rock off you," explained Chromastone as he gripped the chunk of debris. "It might hurt, so you may wanna brace yourself a bit."
"Okay," nodded the girl. Seeing her nod, Ben then began to lift the debris off her leg. The girl winced slightly as it was lifted off over her but otherwise seemed fine. Once the piece was clear, the Crystalsapien tossed it aside and was able to see the extent of her injury. Her ankle had taken the worst of the falling debris; a large bruise had formed near her ankle and a little bit up her leg.
"The debris might have fractured your ankle," said Chromastone as he turned to Midnight, "Nemuri! I need you over here!"
Hearing him call her, she rushed over as quickly as she could. "Ben, what is it?"
"Listen, I need you to get her to safety while I help take care of the villain," the alien hero explained.
"Ben, I know you want to help, but didn't you hear what Shinji said?" reminded the R-Rated Pro Hero. "Using your quirk to protect someone is one thing, but using your quirk to defeat a villain without a license could get you arrested!"
"I know what will happen," replied the Crystalsapien as he straightened himself out. "And I know you don't want me to get into any more trouble than I'm already in, but I can't just stand here and do nothing."
"Ben…," began Nemuri, her tone a tad bit lighter than before, but the shapeshifting hero wasn't having any of it.
"Listen, just get the girl to safety while I help the others," said Ben as he placed a magenta-colored hand on the Pro Hero's shoulder. "I got an idea on how to end this fight right now."
Nemuri let out a tired sigh. "You're going to go back there no matter what I say, aren't you?"
Chromastone gave his equivalent of a smirk to the R-Rated Heroine. "I've never been very good at following orders. Now get her to safety already, will ya?"
With that, the transformed teen charged right into the fray, leaving Nemuri behind to help get the girl to safety.
Nemuri sighed. She had briefly considered using her quirk to put Ben to sleep, but he'd been too quick. In the end, it hadn't mattered. She didn't know if Ben had a form that was resistant to her power or not. Turning towards the injured girl, the Pro Hero carefully lifted her up, placing the girl's left arm over her shoulder. The girl kept her weight off her right leg as she and Nemuri made their way back to safety, just in time to see several police cars pull up. Out of the car in front emerged the Chief of Musutafu Police, Kenji Tsuragamae. Kenji was a very tall, sturdily built man with the head of a beagle. The area around his eyes and his ears was a dark brown, the two sides separated by a tan line which ran down his forehead and widened at his muzzle, which was flecked with pale brown. He had a large, black nose and dark eyes, and, although the rest of his body is of normal human shape, his skin appeared to be the same tan color as most of his face.
He was currently wearing a suit consisting of a dress shirt and waistcoat, over which he wore an unbuttoned black blazer and matching dress pants underneath. He had a belt with a large buckle and a black and white tie that resembled a dalmatian's coat. With him were Detectives Yin and Reagan as they exited their own police cars.
"Ms. Kayama," addressed the Chief of Police as he approached the off duty Pro Hero.
"Police Chief Tsuragamae," greeted Nemuri as she helped the girl along. "It's good you turned up when you did. I need you to get this girl some medical attention. When the villain attacked, some debris fell and pinned her leg."
"Right away," nodded the Police Chief, as he gestured for two officers to help get the girl some first aid. With the girl taken care of, the four directed their attention to the fight at hand, making their way through the crowd and to the very edge of the fight, "So I take it that our suspicions of a Villain attack were correct?" He then added a "Woof!" at the end of his question, a small tic due to his quirk which was largely ignored by those who knew him.
"They were," nodded Nemuri, entering her professional mode, "At the moment, the Lurkers are dealing with her."
"Wait a sec. Aren't there only three members in the Lurkers?" inquired Reagan, counting the bodies in the battle.
"There should be," replied Yin as she glanced at her partner. "Why do you ask?"
"Well then, who's the additional member?" he continued, his attention falling onto Chromastone who had just leaped in front of Mt. Lady in order to absorb a shot from the villain. After absorbing the electrical attack, the Crystalsapien went on the attack, rushing right towards the Villain instead of blasting, obviously to avoid the same mistake from last time.
"Whoever he is, certainly knows how to handle himself," commented Yin as she watched Chromastone take on the villainess. The silicon-based lifeform was clearly showing a level of fighting that could only be achieved through rigorous training and actual experience with true villains or threats. However, while the group was watching, Nemuri felt a lump form in her throat and was about to answer the question suddenly, the Crystapsapien reached up and slapped the dial on his chest. His body was then consumed in another massive green flash. The members of the police force had to shield their eyes, as well as the Pro Heroes and Villain as he transformed. Once the flash died down, all those present looked to see a completely different being standing where Chromastone once stood.
In his place was a red mollusk-like being with green eyes and a grey mouth. On his chest was the same green and black hourglass dial. Behind his legs and on the top of his arms were small spikes that were grey, there were black spots on his shoulders and legs, and in the palms of his hands were portholes. He has four fingers, each one tipped with a claw while on his feet there is a grey spike. His lower torso is grey, with two spikes on the side of it.
"WATER HAZARD!" shouted the stranger as he squared off against the Villain.
Currently, in the fight between the Pro Heroes and the villain, things weren't going as well as the Pros had hoped. The bad guy was now much stronger than she was before- a mistake on Ben's part that he was planning on fixing. At the moment the villain was at the center of the intersection, still using the electro whips she'd created to keep the Pro Heroes at bay. The living lightning rod was cracking her weapons at the Pro Heroes whenever they tried to get close.
Even when they tried attacking from a distance, like when Kamui Wood used his tree branches to bind the villainess, they would be sliced apart by the whips. The powerful voltage would actually burn right through the wood, much like how a tree is burned when lightning strikes the trunk. The same could be said for Edgeshot, who had to be very careful with how long he made his body in order to avoid getting wrapped up in one of those electro whips from the villainess. Then there was Mt. Lady, who REALLY had to be the most careful because if she used her quirk, she would only make herself an even bigger target and unintentionally cause massive damage.
"You know, I came here today in order to make a little withdraw from the Bank of Musutafu," mocked the electric-based villain as she forced the Pro Heroes back even further, bringing down one of her electric whips and cracking the road when the lash struck it. "Instead, I get to beat the number 5 and 7 Pro Heroes in all of Japan!"
"Hey! I'm here too, you know!" snapped Mt. Lady, her brow twitching as her obviously massive ego took a big hit by what the villain said.
"Yeah, but you're not as impressive, miss 'No. 23,'" taunted the villainess with a condescending smile as she charged up another attack. She then cackled. "Ya know, maybe they'll put that on your gravestone! I can just see it now: 'Mt. Lady, No. 23: Was There! Hahahaha'"
The villainess then blasted another ball of lightning at Mt. Lady, the blonde diving out of the way to let the attack sail past her and strike a car just behind her. The electro ball completely fried the vehicle's electronics before it exploded, causing Mt. Lady to stumble back from the sudden flash and pieces of debris.
"Mt. Lady, move!" shouted Kamui Wood as he saw the villainess charge up another attack and launch at the blonde Peo Heroine.
Hearing the shout, Mt. Lady turned towards the villainess but saw that her attack was already heading right towards her. Yu's eyes widened as she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time, and growing wouldn't help. Clenching her eyes shut, she prepared herself and even flinched when she heard a loud zapping of electricity. Surprisingly enough she didn't feel anything. Risking a look, Mt. Lady opened one of her eyes. She glanced in the direction of the villain but then widened her eyes completely when she saw Ben standing just in front of her, having taken the hit from the electric based villain.
"You know, I'm beginning to think that you dislike Mt. Lady a lot more than Edgeshot or Kamui," noted Chromastone as he stood in front of Yu, his arms crossed over his chest before lowering them. He then glanced over his shoulder at Mt. Lady. "You good?"
"I-I'm fine," replied the Pro Heroine, still apparently shocked that she'd just avoided a possible death. Ben then nodded and returned his attention back to the current threat.
"You're REALLY starting to get on my nerves, kid," snapped the villainess, glaring at the transformed teen who kept getting in her way.
Chromastone then scoffed. "If I had a dollar for every time a bad guy said THAT, I'd be able to buy every Sumo Slammers game in existence!" the transformed teen shot back. "And just so you know," he said as he pounded his right fist into his left hand with what was likely a cocky smile. "I'm only JUST getting started!"
The electric-based villain snarled as she fired a bolt of lightning at Chromastone. The Crystalsapien dodged the bolt, jumping to the left as the discharge struck the ground where he previously stood. The villain then reformed her whips and swung one of her lashes at Ben who once again dodged the attack and rushed in towards his foe, going from defense to offense. Getting in close, Chromastone dodged a close range electro ball aimed at his head. Retaliating, Ben lashed out his right hand, slamming his open palm right into the center of the villain's chest and sending her flying back into a lamp post. However, upon collision, the girl burst into electricity and disappeared into the wiring.
"Shoot," he muttered, upset he'd made yet another tactical error.
A crossing light not far from Ben sparked before the electro villainess burst out, her whips forming, and headed right towards the Crystalsapien. Chromastone held his ground as the whips struck him, knowing that he would be unharmed. However, he would admit that this girl definitely had some power, especially with the second boost of power he'd unintentionally given her.
However, upon seeing that her attacks weren't having the desired effect, the electro villainess decided to change tactics and dispelled her whips in favor of just plain lightning bolts. Letting out a cry of exertion, the villainess blasted a huge bolt at Chromastone, but the alien just took the hit in stride. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as the only effect the attack had on him was causing him to slide back a few meters, his feet scraping across the asphalt.
"That the best you've got?" taunted Chromastone.
"I've got plenty more!" snapped the villainess, obviously getting more frustrated that she wasn't making a dent in him.
In her fit of anger, she resummoned her whips, in her rage no doubt disregarding that they weren't effective against Chromastone by simply snapping both whips at him. While each whip struck its mark, little to no effect was made and it was after one swing did he make a move. Catching one of the whips in an open hand, Ben did something incredibly surprising. The Crystalsapien began wrapping his arm around the length of the electro whip before moving closer towards the villainess.
Seeing him closing the gap, the electro based villain tried snapping her other whip at Ben, but missed as he ducked underneath and kept wrapping himself up in the whip's length. The villain attempted to yank Ben off his feet, but to no avail. Soon, after a few more wraps, he was standing right in front of her. Throwing a left jab at the villain's side, Ben struck the blue skinned femme. He of course kept his strength down to avoid really breaking something, but it still enough force to be effective. He then threw a right cross before grabbing both whips and throwing the villain over and away from himself. All the while, he simultaneously untangled himself from the whip's lengths as they vanished when the villainess hit the ground rather hard.
"You know, there's nothing wrong with giving up now," suggested Ben as the villain shakily got back to her feet.
"You… you honestly think... I would give up… to… to you?!" yelled the villainess, breathing heavily as she glared angrily at the transformed teen. "At this point... I don't care about the money… or the recognition. I just want to see you frickin' FRY!"
"You wouldn't be the first to wish that," replied Chromastone simply, "And I doubt you'd be the last. I'm giving you one last chance. Surrender now and I MAY go easy.
"Oh yeah?!" snapped the electro villain as she charged both hands up with electricity. However, there was a big difference between how she'd been and how she was now. Her palms still crackled with energy, but there seemed to be less of it and not as powerful.
"Yeah," Chromastone replied as he tried to reason with the villainess. "I mean, look at yourself: you're tired, exhausted, and, if I'm right, your quirk allows you to ABSORB electricity, but you use it up with each use. So you need to recharge when you get low, but look around." He gestured to the area they were fighting in which was slightly wrecked. "The whole city block is essentially blacked out. You used up all the electricity that was left in the stuff around here and now you're running on fumes. Just give yourself up now."
The villain paused for a second, looking down at her hands in thought before her face scrunched up in fury. "No way in hell! If I'm going down, I'm taking you down too."
Ben then sighed. "I see. Well, in that case, you better get ready."
"For what?!" the villain snapped.
"Counting the days from your prison cell. Hope you can count higher than one hundred."
Reaching up to the Omnitrix dial on his chest, Ben then slapped the device and was once again consumed in a bright emerald flash that forced everyone in the general area to shield their eyes.
Before long, Ben stood in a new form. One he knew would be able to take out this villainess.
"WATER HAZARD!" Shouted Ben, his voice sounding similar to what a human would if he or she was attempting to speak underwater.
The villain raised an eyebrow as she looked on unimpressed. "Is that new trick supposed to scare me?" she taunted. "To be honest, I've always wanted to have broiled crab!" She then loaded up herself with what was most likely her last reserves.
"Not scare you," replied Ben as he raised both his hands towards the villainess, his green eyes narrowing as he gave Water Hazard's species' equivalent of a grin. It was clear she hadn't picked up on the hint in Water Hazard's name, "Just help you... cool off, so to speak."
From the palms of his hands, the Orishan fired two powerful streams of water right at the villainess. He had aimed slightly down at the ground so that when the water hit, it would spray upward in a wave. The villainess didn't even have a chance to scream- let alone react- as she was swept off her feet in the rush of water, her powers shorting out almost immediately upon connection with liquid.
Water Hazard kept it up for a few seconds more before cutting off the stream but kept his arms up as he slowly approached the villainess. Lying in a puddle in the middle of the intersection, the villain was knocked completely out, her body twitching and crackling with residual electricity a few times before falling still. Kneeling down next to her, Ben rolled the woman on her side and checked for a pulse, being mindful that he was standing in water himself and could easily be shocked if the villain was still conscious. Though it was pretty clear that she was out. After checking for a pulse and glad that he found one, he turned back to the Pro Heroes.
"Welp, she's down and out," announced Ben as he stepped away from the villainess and headed back towards the Pro Heroes, deactivating the Omnitrix as he did and turning back to his human form in a green flash. "Guess the seafood didn't agree with-" However, he paused in his tracks when he saw all the police had shown up and two of the three Pro Heroes on duty currently didn't look too happy with him based on their expressions.
"What?" asked the bearer of the Omnitrix.
A few moments later, the villainess was being loaded into the back of a police van, wearing a specially made suit to prevent her from escaping. Meanwhile, the chief of police was speaking to several reporters about what had just happened. As for Ben? Well... he was currently sitting on a curb with the Pro Heroes, two of whom were sternly chastising him about the stunt he'd just pulled.
"That was VERY reckless of you, Tennyson-San," stated Edgeshot as he and Kamui Wood stood over the teen with their arms folded.
"Not to mention illegal," added Kamui Wood. "Ben, we told you that you need a permit to use your Quirk to be a Pro Hero, which you currently do NOT have and are NOT."
"Oh come on! Why don't you two cut him a little bit of slack," defended Mt. Lady as she knelt next to Ben and put a hand on his shoulder. "If it wasn't for him, things could have been a lot worse for me and that girl he saved earlier."
Ben just sighed as glanced at Yu for a moment. "Yu, thanks for standing up for me, but Shinya and Shinji are both right. I did technically break the law." He then stood up and Mt. Lady removed her hand from his shoulder. "But I say that sometimes you have to take risks to do the right thing," Ben proclaimed to the two Pros who still didn't seem too moved by his statement.
"Be that as it may, what you did was still against the law," said Chief Tsuragamae as he, Nemuri, Reagan, and Yin all approached the small group. Ben glanced at the Chief of Police and, apparently seeing the confused and startled look on Ben's face at seeing a man with a dog's head, he saw fit to introduce himself as he extended a hand which Ben took. "Ah, yes. I am Kenji Tsuragamae, Chief of the Mustafu Police. A pleasure. Woof!" Ben's eyebrows jumped up a tad at the canine sound that came from the Police Chief. "Ahem. My apologies. It's something associated with my quirk as you may have guessed," the chief said embarrassedly. Ben heard a giggle from Yu behind him and he honestly had to keep from doing the same. Chief Tsuragamae then collected himself as he continued. "Mister Tennyson, I understand that you were only doing what any hero would have done. But like Edgeshot and Kamui Wood are right; you need a permit in order to perform Pro Hero work."
Ben frowned for a moment, before speaking up, "I get that laws exist for a reason, Chief. Still though, if I HADN'T stepped in, Yu and that girl over there could have ended up biting it."
"It's not my place to judge. Woof!" replied the chief as he crossed his arms. "Personally, I think you'd make a great hero, hearing how you put the wellbeing of others before yourself. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that there are still laws we must abide by."
"I get it, okay?" sighed Ben. "Still, I don't get why there isn't some kind of Good Samaritan law about this or something."
"Hey, yeah!" Yu exclaimed suddenly. "I mean, they have some of those over in the States. Why not here?"
Chief Tsuragamae however shook his head. "Things are different from the States here in Japan, Ms. Takeyama. They may be a bit more lenient over there. But here, there's no such law," He was then about to escort Ben into a police cruiser when Reagan spoke up.
"Wait," he said quietly before starting to get more excited. "Wait a minute! Damn! I can't believe I'd forgotten about it!" He then pulled out his phone and began messing around with it. "C'mon. Where is it?" muttered the detective as the others looked at him oddly.
"Partner, what are you blabbering about?" asked Yin as she folded her arms.
"That Ben isn't that far off with the 'Good Samaritan Law' thing," explained Reagan as he continued to look at his phone.
"Except that the Good Samaritan Law doesn't cover quirks," pointed out Kamui Wood.
"Wasn't talking about the law itself," elaborated the detective. His face then lit up. "AH-HA! Found it!" He then walked over to the chief. "See, before being transferred here I went through all the laws of Japan, including the law involving the prohibition of using quirks in a public place. As you said, Chief, the law DOES state that one must have a permit or license to use their quirks as heroes. HOWEVER, there is a clause that was included in the law that states that minor and incidentally damage caused by a person using their quirk in the service of the greater good is not a crime. Ben didn't really do any damage himself, so technically he's innocent." He then handed his phone to Chief Tsuragamea who proceeded to take it and peer at it, scratching his furry chin in thought.
"So... Ben didn't really break the law?" inquired Nemuri as she went over to Ben's side, a small hopeful grin forming on her face.
"Looks that way," shrugged Reagan as he turned to Ben. "You hear that, kid? You're not going downtown today."
"You have no idea how much of a relief that is," sighed the teen as the chief let go of Ben's shoulder and stepped back.
"This is good to hear, Reagan-San," Edgeshot stated.
"Yes. To be honest, follower of rules as I am, I would have hated to have to arrest you, Ben," Kamui stated.
"Oh, Detective! I could just kiss you!" Mt. Lady exclaimed as Reagan blushed brightly. However, before the blonde could possibly act on her statement, Yin stepped in front of her.
"First of all, he's on duty. So no kisses," Yin said drily, which caused Mt. Lady to pout slightly. The revanette then turned to her partner. "And secondly, I've lived here for all my life. I'm Japanese on my mother's side, remember? So how come I didn't hear about this clause being made?" she asked as she quirked an eyebrow.
"The clause itself was implemented around the same time the law was. That was back when Pro Heroes weren't as common as they are now," explained Reagan. "Eventually, when more licensed Pro Heroes started showing up, there really wasn't a need for it. Plus, people paid more attention to the laws concerning vigilantes and things like that. As a result, it was never officially repealed and sort of slipped into the background. It happens sometimes with old laws and ordinances. They just fade out of sight and mind without anyone really knowing."
Just then, Chief Tsuragamae came over. "Well I've looked this over and it SEEMS quite authentic. I'll have to give it to some experts just to be sure, but as near as I can tell, this law is genuine. Woof!" He looked at Reagan. "If that's truly the case, I'll be bringing this up to the president of the Pro Hero Safety Commission. This could very well lead to quite a few reforms regarding public quirk usage and usage of quirks for protection. And YOU, Detective, could be looking at a raise."
Reagan looked shocked but then smiled widely. "Well! Merry Christmas to me! Guess it pays to do research, eh Yin?" he asked as he nudged his partner who simply smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. You did good," she said. "Personally, I hadn't wanted to arrest the kid either."
Chief Tsuragamae then turned to Ben. "Welp, guess you're off the hook, Mr. Tennyson," he said as he patted Ben's shoulder. He then narrowed his eyes. "But don't think that gives you an excuse to pull more stunts like this."
"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," replied Ben with a grin which then turned into a smirk. "Though then again, I was taught to always do the right thing. And as I told Midnight, I was never that good at listening to orders."
"Just don't make it a habit," cautioned the Chief. "Get a license or permit before you do."
"I think a near arrest is enough to convince me to let the professionals handle it," assured Ben, earning a nod from Kenji as he then turned and headed over to speak with a few more reporters asking more questions. Yin and Reagan followed, but not before the former gave a smile and nod and the latter gave a grin and salute, both directed at Ben to which he responded in kind.
Once they were away, Ben was suddenly yanked into a hug courtesy of Yu, who wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into her bust. The teen's face turned bright red as the Pro Heroine hugged him tightly, moving back and forth slightly as she let out a series of high-pitched squeals. To the side, Nemuri's expression turned a bit sour. An annoyed look appeared in her eye, but she maintained her smile nonetheless. She wasn't the only one who was feeling some form of annoyance. Quite a large number of the male population of onlookers were partially glaring at Ben out of jealousy, no doubt wishing to be in his position right now.
"That's such a HUGE relief!" Yu said, happily, a relieved and joyous expression on her face. "It would have been such a shame to see you get hauled off by the police!"
"I-I didn't know you cared so much!" stammered Ben as his face continued to burn brightly in embarrassment.
"Well, DUH! I mean, if you got arrested then you might not be able to become a Pro Hero," explained Yu. "And then we couldn't work together. And don't EVEN say you aren't thinking about being one. You'd make a PERFECT Pro Hero!"
Unknown to anyone, Nemuri internally (and rather begrudgingly) agreed with Mt. Lady that Ben would make an excellent Pro Hero. She could see that Ben knew how to handle a situation well and how to deal with a villain just as successfully. She could see it in his actions; while fighting the villain, she had seen how intentional and critical his actions were. Every move he made had a purpose and he was watching carefully, which was why he chose to change into a form that could completely shut down the villainess in one fell swoop.
She would admit also that a part of her was a bit eager to see Ben working as a Pro Hero that she could join alongside. It was almost like he had done it all before. He obviously had natural talent at the hero game, but there was still a lot of time between then and now.
"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, Yu?" inquired Midnight rhetorically, her brow twitching slightly as she watched Mt. Lady continue to hug Ben. "And shouldn't you, Kamui and Edgeshot assist with the prisoner transfer?"
"They can handle it," said Mt. Lady dismissively, pushing Ben a little more into her breasts. Ben squirmed a bit and a tic appeared on Midnight's forehead.
"Actually, Midnight-Sama is correct," said Edgeshot, stepping into the conversation. "Given how dangerous this villain was, it might be best that we overlook her transfer to holding."
"ALL of us," Kamui Woods said, stressing the beginning of his sentence.
"Oh, fine," huffed Mt. Lady, finally getting the hint. As she let go of Ben completely though, Mt. Lady suddenly pulled him back so she could plant a kiss right on his right cheek. This caused everyone in the general area to look on in surprise. Many men gnashed their teeth with jealousy, wishing to be in Ben's place, while Midnight's eyebrow twitched even more in annoyance.
"Don't be a stranger, Benji~," Yu purred into Ben's ear. She then turned on her heel and walked to meet her partners, but not before she turned, cheekily winked an orange eye and flipped her creamy hair as she added a small sway to her hips. This left the brunette in a state of shock and confusion. Edgeshot and Kamui Wood shared a look and rolled their eyes at their college's antics, but followed as the trio went to help escort the transport to where the villain would be held for incarceration.
Ben placed his hand on his cheek where she had kissed him, still very much surprised by the gesture. Especially by how sudden it was. He'd just MET Yu and yet she seemed so... FORWARD with him. It was a bit jarring if he was being honest. It also reminded him of his "relationship" with Jennifer Nocturne. She had been eager to get very intimate with him and THAT had caused more than a little discomfort. Still, Yu may have been egotistical, but she wasn't Jennifer. He could tell.
"Ahem. Ben, might I have a word?" requested Nemuri, finally getting Ben's attention as his crimson face began to return to normal. Of course, based on the look on Nemuri's face, the embarrassment he felt from being hugged and kissed in public by Mt. Lady was soon replaced by a somewhat unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I just want to say that I'm really impressed how you handled the situation," said the R-Rated Heroine. "Working to tire the villain once you figured out her powers and then using water to short her out was brilliant." A smile then began to form on Ben's face as Nemuri continued. "And seeing you selflessly protect that girl from harm was incredibly youthful!"
Though Ben wondered what she meant by "youthful" he still felt proud at the praise. "Well, it was no problem," Ben said. "I was just doing what I thought was right at the time..."
It was then Ben trailed off when he noticed an almost dark aura settle around Midnight, her smile remaining where it was as a dreaded feeling filled the pit in Ben's stomach.
"But at the same time," Nemuri continued in a happy sounding tone that didn't SEEM happy at all, "a part of me can't help but be upset about how you so BRAZENLY IGNORED what I said."
"Uh...Nemuri…?" inquired Ben uneasily, as he took a step back.
"Because you were so ready to ignore me and put yourself in danger like that, I think it's only fair we talk about a suitable punishment," said the Pro Heroine.
"C-come on, Midnight," pleaded Ben, putting this hands up in a vain effort to calm down the obviously irate Pro Hero. "Aren't you kinda… overreacting?" He saw the Aura flare more, sending him into a slight panic. "J-just a bit!? I mean, w-wouldn't you have done the same thing in MY position!?"
"Perhaps," agreed Nemuri. Ben breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief was quashed as she then appeared behind Ben and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, proceeding to drag him away. "But I'm NOT in your position right now. So I think it's a bit pointless to try and make that argument, don't you?"
"Wait! C-can you take it easy for a second!? Nemuri!" begged Ben, as he was pulled away. As this was happening, many of the people present just pitied the teen as he was dragged away by a very annoyed Midnight.
"Yeesh," cringed Reagan as he, Yin, and Chief Tsuragamea watched Ben basically beg for a little slack. "You think the kid wishes he was arrested right now?"
"No doubt he does," agreed Yin.
The chief let out a "WOOF!" in agreement.
About fifteen minutes later, Ben was back in his seat where he and Midnight had been seated before the villainess had attacked. At the moment, the Omnitrix wearer was stirring a new smoothie with his straw and waiting for Nemuri to return. After about five minutes of being ripped into, the R-Rated Heroine had finally agreed to cut Ben a little slack, knowing he was only doing the right thing. However, she promised him that if he EVER pulled another stunt like that again, he REALLY would be in hot water. Ben had only been able to silently nod for fear of making her mad again. To be honest, he did feel a little guilty. Almost like a son who had worried and greatly disappointed a parent. He knew he'd probably have to be careful from now on if he did anything like that again.
Anyway, at that moment, Ben was just waiting for Midnight to come back as she had to run off and get a few other things for their shopping list. Since she didn't want to carry all the stuff they already bought, she had the bearer of the Omnitrix wait by their stuff until she came back. In all honesty, Ben wondered if she was just using him as a guard of sorts after the stunt he'd pulled. But to be honest, he was okay. It gave him some time to think on all he'd been through the past couple of days. He had managed to travel to another universe, break up a weapon smuggling deal, become a house guest to one of this world's heroes, meet many of the other heroes of the city, defeat a villain and, of course, by a stroke of luck, avoid getting arrested for breaking this world's laws. All in all, a rather normal time for him. Still, he wondered what else could happen while he was here. He knew he was supposed to be waiting for his enemies to show, but nothing said he couldn't enjoy himself here. He took a sip from his straw. And honestly, these Japanese smoothies weren't half bad.
Suddenly, a familiar voice got Ben's attention.
"I'm glad to see that you're still here," the person said, their tone filled with relief. The Omnitrix wearer glanced up and his eyes widened. It was the same girl he had saved from the villainess' attack.
"Well, it's nice to see you again," greeted Ben as he sat up.
"Same," the girl said nodding
"Well, since we never really had a chance to introduce myself, I'll do so now. My name's Ben, Ben Tennyson."
"Kendo Itsuka," replied the girl as she bowed respectfully in the traditional Japanese greeting. "I wanted to say thanks so much for what you did when the villain attacked."
"Hey, you don't need to thank me," he assured, giving her a friendly smile. "I was just doing what was the right thing at the time. Just like any hero would."
"Even still, I still want to thank you. Not just for helping out the Pro Heroes, but also saving me," said Kendo. "If it weren't for you, well… I'd rather not think about it." She shuddered at that moment.
Ben nodded. "No worries," he answered. "Say, would you maybe like to chat for a bit, Itsuka?"
"That would be nice, thank you. And my friends call me Kendo," answered the orange-haired girl as she sat down in the chair across from Ben. He sat down and the two began chatting for a bit. It was around ten minutes into their conversation when Nemuri returned with a few extra bags and Ben's jacket in a protective one, nice and clean again.
"I see you met someone new while I was gone," noted Nemuri with a smile as she came up behind the two. She then adopted a sorrowful tone. "Oh, how horrible! And I thought we had something SPECIAL!"
Ben blushed slightly but knowing Midnight was joking, merely rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Ha, ha," Ben said drily. "Kendo and I were just chatting while I waited for you to finish your excursion," he explained as he stood up. "Speaking of which, Nemuri, this is Kendo Itsuka; Itsuka, this is-"
"Kayama Nemuri! The R-Rated Hero: Midnight!" Kendo cried excitedly. Ben and the Pro Heroine in question looked shocked at the outburst. Obviously noticing this, Kendo cleared her throat embarrassedly. "S-sorry. I'm kind of a fan and, well, to be helped by you? That's so cool!"
Midnight smiled appreciatively as she reached out a hand. "Well, thank you, dear. Always a pleasure to meet fans." Kendo eagerly shook the offered appendage. "Whoo! That's quite a grip you got there," Nemuri said.
Kendo blushed once again. "Sorry. Kinda has to do with my quirk and all."
"It's fine," Nemuri said, waving it off. She then looked down and saw Kendo's leg which had a bandage wrapped around the ankle.
Ben followed her gaze and then smiled at the orange haired girl. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're back on your feet," he said pointing.
"Oh yeah. The paramedics said it was just a really bad bruise Still have to be careful to not aggravate it, but after a day or two I should be fine," explained Kendo.
"That's excellent to hear," nodded Nemuri as she turned to Ben. "Well Ben, I think I've got everything we need for today. Plus, it's getting rather late."
"Right," nodded Ben as he stood up and grabbed a few bags to carry. "After today, I could DEFINITELY use a good rest. He then turned to his new friend. "It was nice meeting you, Kendo."
"It was nice meeting you too, Ben. You too, Midnight," replied Kendo as she bowed to the hero. Then, with a wave and a smile, she turned and headed off. The two watched her go for a bit before Midnight turned to Ben, a smirk on her face.
"You know, she IS rather pretty," teased Midnight.
"Don't even start," countered Ben as Nemuri giggled.
"Oh come on! I saw you looking at her legs a little longer than needed~!"
The two continued their bickering and running as they headed back to the car.
Later…
It was soon evening when Ben and Nemuri returned home with the day's shopping in hand. The two soon started putting what was bought away in the guest room where Ben would be living. So far it had been a pretty successful day and things had turned out well, excluding the random villain attack and Ben nearly getting arrested.
"Alright, I believe that's the last of it," said Nemuri as she placed the last article of clothing in the dresser and shut the drawer.
"Thanks again, Nemuri," thanked Ben as he sat down on the bed.
"Hey, it's like I said before, Ben. You don't need to thank me," assured the Pro Heroine as she glanced over her shoulder, "I'm just happy to help out."
"Still though, I feel like I owe you a lot," countered the wearer of the Omnitrix as he then gestured to the room. "I mean, you're letting me stay in your home, you bought me some new clothes; it's just a lot more than what some people would do for a complete stranger. Especially a stranger who just popped out of nowhere to help with an illegal weapons deal."
The Pro Heroine smiled at that. Ben was making a good point, she knew. Not many people would do so much for someone they had only just met. But then again, she wasn't most people. She could tell who was a good person when she saw one, and she could definitely see that Ben was among one of the very good ones.
"Maybe," conceded Nemuri, coming over to sit down next to Ben. "But I can tell that you're a good person, and I think it's only right to help after what you lost."
"I guess," replied the teen after a moment of pause.
"No guessing about it," she assured as she placed her hand on Ben's shoulder and patted it. "Sometimes you don't need a reason to do the right thing."
"That's true," Ben agreed.
"Glad to hear you agree," affirmed Nemuri as she stood up from the bed and headed to the doorway. "Now, I'm going to change out of this and then make dinner. You wash up and then rest for a bit. After roday, I'm sure you could use it."
"Okay," said the teen as Nemuri left the room.
As the Pro Heroine left, Ben went to the bathroom to get cleaned up for dinner later. However, as he closed the bathroom door, a part of him couldn't help but feel a little guilty about what he was doing to Nemuri. He was essentially lying to her. Or at least, withholding a lot of important information from her. Not telling her the complete truth was something he knew he had to do. It was mainly, of course, to avoid making her think he was crazy, but to also see if he could totally trust her with it. He knew he couldn't keep the truth from her forever and he had a sneaking suspicion that SHE was starting to get suspicious. He honestly just wished he didn't have to tiptoe around the whole thing.
Ben sighed, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. He knew it wasn't as simple as he wished it was. There were still a LOT of things he didn't know about this world. True this may have been Earth, so a lot of cities were likely still named the same as his Earth and even had many of the same things such as cities and landmarks. Same with many people of history. However, more recent events and common things were things he didn't even know anything about. And again, more recent famous people were ones he'd never even heard of til now. He still had a lot to learn and by being around one of the heroes of this world, he was basically doing that. Still, he didn't feel right lying to Nemuri anymore than he already had; especially not after all the kindness she had shown him (a complete stranger no less) for almost nothing in return.
Ben then walked out and lay back on the bed as he racked his mind for a solution. Unfortunately, in his mind, Ben KNEW he had to come clean at some point. Nemuri was going to find out one way or another, either by him or Malware, Albedo, or even Vilgax. Ben shuddered at THAT latter thought. But more importantly, WOULD she believe him? After all, he didn't know exactly when the Terrible Trio were supposed to show up in this world. It could be days, weeks, months, perhaps even YEARS! And if no alien foes attacked, would she consider him mentally unwell? Perhaps a victim of some effect of his quirk to his mind? Maybe even send him to some mental place!
Of course, there WAS a chance she would actually believe him, especially after Ben learned a little more about this world. While they were shopping, Ben found out about one particular hero named Thirteen, a Pro Hero who was basically, as insane as it sounded, a walking, talking BLACK HOLE! Him saying he was from another universe wouldn't be THAT hard to believe... or at least he hoped.
"I'm gonna have to tell her eventually," Ben said to himself as he closed his eyes. "Might as well do it sooner rather than later."
But maybe after dinner.
Shortly after leaving Ben's room, Nemuri went to her room and changed out of her costume into her "civilian clothes", went to the kitchen, and started getting dinner ready for herself and Ben. However, something in the back of her mind was nagging at her.
As she'd been speaking to Ben, she had noticed that something seemed to be bothering him when he was talking about feeling guilty about mooching off her so much. Like there was more to what he was saying than what was actually said. No doubt about it. There was definitely something he was keeping hidden from her. Though Nemuri had a feeling it wasn't out of distrust, but something he felt necessary to keep hidden. Unfortunately, she also noticed that not telling her was eating him from the inside out.
It was then Nemuri noticed the photo of Ben's family had been left on the table.
Heading over, she picked it up and looked at the family together. They all seemed so happy together. It was horrible what had happened to Ben. Some villains could be so horrid and cruel. Still, she had a feeling there was Ben's story and what he wasn't telling her pertained to this picture and the people in it.
Then, she had a thought, recalling her conversation with the Department of State when it was revealed that there was nothing on a person named 'Ben Tennyson.' She knew, of course, that the information she had given Amanda was very broad at best. Perhaps if she had a more DIRECT way of identifying Ben, maybe she would be able to learn a bit more about him and then she might be able to figure out what he was keeping a secret.
'But do I go through with this?' she asked herself, thinking about the morality of the situation.
She would be using something very precious to Ben in order to find out what it was that he was hiding from her. Everyone was entitled to a few secrets, having a few herself that she wasn't too comfortable with even telling some of her closest friends. She also knew that Ben was a good person with a heart of gold. Watching him selflessly leap into danger to protect Kendo was a major clue, but also the sincerity in his voice when he said he felt guilty about being given so much for so little in return was another indicator. She didn't want to betray Ben's trust like that, going behind his back and using a picture of his family to uncover his past.
But she also couldn't help agree with Ben when he said that he was a complete stranger to her.
She had only just met him no more than a day ago and so far she had welcomed him into her home, given him a room of his own, and bought him so many new clothes. It was a very difficult decision to make and (if she was being totally honest with herself) her curiosity was getting the better of her.
With a remorseful sigh, Nemuri took out her phone and dialed in a familiar phone number.
"Amanda? This is Midnight," said the Pro Heroine as she looked down at the photo. "I think I may have found something that might help with my investigation."
That night, the atmosphere at the dinner table was a bit... tense. Or perhaps a better word to describe the feeling of the given situation would be "apprehensive." You could cut the air with a knife, and Ben and Nemuri both could feel it clear as day as the two sat across from each other. Of course, they both had different reasons for being apprehensive, but of course that didn't help the given situation.
At one point or another, the two had tried to make conversation, but whatever that was discussed died as soon as the attempt was made. So for the most part, dinner was eaten in silence, at least until either one of the two cracked under the obvious pressure. The only question was who would buckle and come clean first?
"Oh! Ben, there's something I think you'd be glad to have back," said Nemuri suddenly, as she reached down to the pocket of her shorts underneath her long shirt.
"Sorry?" inquired Ben with a somewhat confused expression as he placed his fork and knife down.
Nemuri then brought out the photograph of Ben's family.
"You left this on the kitchen table," explained the Pro Heroine as she handed the photo over to Ben. "I really don't think you would want to lose that, do you?"
"No. No, I really wouldn't," agreed Ben as he looked down at the photo for a moment and it seemed right then and there, he was going to take the first step and discuss what needed to be discussed.
"Hey, Nemuri?" the bearer of the Omnitrix spoke up suddenly, looking up from the photo.
"Yes, Ben?" replied Nemuri.
"Is it alright if we go over to the living room? There's something I want to talk to you about," Ben explained.
"Alright," she nodded. She stood up from the table along with Ben. "We can do the dishes later."
"Okay," agreed Ben. He and Nemuri then went over to the living room and sat down on the couch a little ways across from each other.
It was now or never. He had decided it was best to rip the band-aid off now instead of putting it off for later; he was going to tell Nemuri where he was truly from and about the Omnitrix, whether or not she believed his story or not. After today and learning a bit more about this world and what some of the things were like here, he had some faith that she wouldn't just write him off as having bats in his belfry.
On the opposite side, Nemuri was a bit thankful that Ben had asked to speak with her, as it gave her an opportunity to come clean about her actions. Despite being hopeful in possibly learning more about Ben, she still felt guilty about going behind his back and contacting the Department of State, as well as sending them a picture of the photo in trying to research him and see if what he told her was true. Her best wish was that Ben would understand WHY she did what she did.
With the two sitting down, Ben decided to go first.
"Okay, I guess the best thing to start with is to say-," he began, but was cut off by Nemuri who raised her hand to get him to stop. "What's up? Why'd you stop me?"
"Because... there is also something I'D like to talk to YOU about... and something I want to apologize to you for," explained the Pro Heroine, earning a somewhat surprised look from Ben as his eyes widened slightly.
"'Apologize?'" he repeated. "For what?"
Before Nemuri could respond however, her phone started ringing suddenly, earning an annoyed sigh as she took it out of her pocket to look at. Seeing who was calling though, a somewhat worried expression crossed her face.
"Something the matter?" asked Ben, seeing the Pro Heroine's expression change when she saw the number.
"What? Oh, no. No. Well, okay, somewhat," stammered Nemuri. "Say, is it alright if I take this?"
"It's fine," assured the bearer of the Omnitrix, earning a thankful nod as Nemuri stood up and headed to her room to take the call. As she left, Ben's gut feeling told him he had an idea about what that call was about.
Silently, Ben went over to Nemuri's room where he silently opened the door to listen in.
"Midnight, it's Amanda," said the Department of State employee from the other end of the line.
"Thanks for calling Amanda, but is it alright if you were to call back? I'm a bit busy right-," began the Pro Heroine but was suddenly cut off.
"We didn't find anything," said Amanda evenly.
"You didn't find ANYTHING!?" said Nemuri with a surprised tone, "You mean regarding Ben?"
"I mean regarding ANY of the people in the photo!"explained the DoS employee, sounding a little agitated and also a tad frightened. "We ran facial recognition on all of the people in the photo and used the names you provided. We found nothing! No birth certificates, tax records, medical records, nothing!"
"You mean to say that Ben may not be who he says he is?" asked Nemuri, her tone turning somewhat shocked.
"I'm saying that this person DOESN'T EVEN EXIST!" stated Amanda, leaving a now silent Nemuri.
"That's not possible" Nemuri murmered. She then spoke louder. "Amanda, NO ONE just 'doesn't even exist!'"
"Well, I don't know what to tell you because apparently, THESE people do! Frankly, Midnight, for the past seven years I've worked here, NOTHING like this has EVER happened. To be honest, it's a bit frightening. If I were you, I'd be careful."
"Y-yes. I will. Thank you," Nemuri said numbly. She then hung up and then sat on her bed, burying her hands in her black hair.
It was shocking to say the least and not something the Pro Heroine had been expecting. It's one thing to fabricate an identity but still have things of a past to dig up. She'd been a bit prepared for that. But hearing that apparently NO ONE in a supposed real photo existed was something else altogether.
Now, Nemuri was left with a more prevalent issue: how would she talk to Ben about this? She didn't want to believe that anything about Ben was fake, but this evidence (or lack thereof) seemed to speak otherwise. Was Ben really who he was? Or was everything he'd done all been some sort of trick? A ploy to get into her good graces, to get close to her and other heroes? No, that couldn't be it… could it? She was just so torn right now.
It was then the Pro Heroine heard a soft creak She spun around to see Ben standing in the doorway, his green eyes widened slightly. Her own eyes narrowed and her guard was up; naturally because it was revealed to her that the person she was letting live with her wasn't just a stranger, but a stranger that didn't even EXIST.
"Ben," she said somewhat cautiously.
"I… I guess that was what you wanted to talk about, huh?" he guessed.
"Yes," replied the Pro Heroine evenly.
Ben nodded for a moment before taking a breath in before letting it out. "Look, Nemuri… I just want to say that I don't blame you for doing what you did."
That somewhat surprised Nemuri. She honestly expected him to do something a bit differently (sorrowful, betrayed, maybe even violently) but she was taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. He honestly didn't blame her for going behind his back. In fact, she could see the somewhat apologetic look in his eyes.
"You don't?" asked Nemuri.
"No, I don't," Ben said shaking his head. "And I get why you did it. And I also get why you probably don't trust me right now." He smirked a bit. "I mean, if I found out the person I've been letting live in my house and just spent a ton of money buying new clothes for him to wear didn't even exist, I would be a little suspicious too."
Nemuri couldn't help but nod while a small snicker escaped her.
"It's just that, that the truth is... a little difficult to believe and just as difficult to explain," he continued. "I didn't want you to think I was, well, crazy if I told you outright from the beginning about who I am and where I was from. So, I thought it would be best if I earned your trust first and THEN told you. Believe me, it was no fun for me lying to you; especially after all you've done for me. And after today, I figured it would be best to tell you now. Just get it out in the open instead of finding out the hard way." He shook his head and let out a small chuckle. "Guess I was a little late in that regard, huh?"
"Yeah, just a little," agreed Nemuri in a somewhat joking tone as well.
It was at this point Nemuri felt sje could let her guard down again. She could see that Ben was being completely honest with her and that he truly felt guilty about lying to her. While a part of her was annoyed- even a bit upset- that Ben didn't tell her the truth from the beginning, she had a gut feeling that Ben's true story WOULD be difficult to hear and even harder to believe, just as he said. However, she had long learned in the Pro Hero business that there are some things in life that are true, but are extremely hard to accept.
"Still though, I suppose it's better for you to be a bit late than never telling the truth at all ," conceded Nemuri as she patted her bed to indicate he could approach her. Ben did so and sat down next to her. "And I can tell that you're being honest with me, Ben. I can also see that you are, without a doubt, a kind hearted young man." She then placed a hand on his shoulder. "I still wish to know what it is you wanted to tell me. Maybe it could shed some light on things."
Ben sighed at that.
"I guess I DO have to tell you," conceited Ben, "It's just… hard to explain and it's honestly kind of a long story."
"Then perhaps it's best to leave it to someone who is well versed in explaining long and complicated stories," said a cheerful British voice.
Nemuri's eyes went wide instantly as she shot to her feet while Ben himself jumped up. The two looked to the corner of the room to see Professor Paradox standing there, a friendly smile on his face.
"After all," he continued with the same cheerful tone, "I do have plenty of practice explaining things, wouldn't you say, Ben?"
"Paradox?" said Ben in confusion.
"What the- Who are you and how the HELL did you get in my house?!" demanded Nemuri in surprised confusion and more than a little fury.
"Evening, Miss Kayama," greeted the time-traveling scientist with a short but respectful bow. "I believe there are some things you wish to know about young master Benjamin?"