"So, we're supposed to find this world's Ben?" Ben X asked, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. Let's go," Ben Prime replied, walking ahead.
---
Ten minutes later, the two were crouched behind a parked car, looking at a diner across the street. Inside, three boys sat at a table, laughing and eating together.
"We're not going in?" Ben X asked, his gaze darting between the diner and Ben Prime.
"No," Ben Prime said, shaking his head. "If they see us, they might not act. We need to wait until they show up."
Ben X stayed silent for a moment before curiosity got the better of him. "So... how does it feel to be a hero?"
"Huh?" Ben Prime turned to him, confused.
"I mean," Ben X continued, pointing at his wrist where his Omnitrix glinted faintly, "I never had this, you know? So I'm really curious how it feels to have an Omnitrix and... be a hero."
Ben Prime's face lit up, and he leaned back with an animated grin. "To be honest? It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Getting the Omnitrix, fighting bad guys, saving the universe, being a hero... It's really fun!"
"Really?" Ben X asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Yep," Ben Prime said confidently.
Ben X looked down at his own wrist for a moment before asking, "So... what's with me not having an Omnitrix? What's with that?"
Ben Prime's smile faltered as he thought for a second. "Paradox answered some questions, but I don't fully get it either. I guess it's some weird multiverse thing. You probably know more than me."
Ben X nodded slowly, then said, "Okay, I'll tell you what I know, but it's not much."
Ben X started explaining how his universe worked, with all the superheroes and entangled multiverse branches. He talked about how he'd always wanted to be a hero, how he'd asked No-Watch Ben to bring him along, and how Ben 10K had lent him an Omnitrix just for this adventure.
When he finished, Ben Prime tilted his head and gave a small smirk. "Cool. So your universe is like a crossover between two multiverses?"
"Yeah, it's cool," Ben X said, his voice softening, "but I don't get the Omnitrix because of it. And now I can't be a hero."
Ben Prime frowned, sitting up straighter. "Hey, don't be upset. It's just a watch. It doesn't make you a hero. To be a hero, you need to have the heart of a hero—and you've got it."
Ben X let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Well, without the watch, I only have the heart... and it probably can't even stop a bullet."
The words hung in the air for a moment, making things awkward. Ben X shifted uncomfortably, realizing he'd ruined the mood. He glanced at Ben Prime, who seemed unsure how to respond, and decided to change the subject.
"So... what about your superhero name?" Ben X asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a lighter direction.
"My what now?" Ben Prime asked, blinking.
"You know, your superhero name. What people call you."
"Oh, uh..." Ben Prime scratched the back of his neck. "I guess... I don't really have one?"
Ben X looked at him, wide-eyed. "A kid found out your secret identity, didn't they?"
Ben Prime gave him a sheepish look. "Yeah. It's... it's complicated."
"But how?!" Ben X asked, clearly baffled. "You don't even look like a human when you transform, so how could they figure it out?"
"Well," Ben Prime said, crossing his arms, "he was a really smart journalist. He compared pictures of my alien transformations, noticed the Omnitrix symbol, and connected the dots."
Ben X stared at him in disbelief. "So... did you do anything to the kid?"
"Nah," Ben Prime said with a shrug. "Me, Kevin, and Gwen went to his house, but it turned out he was just a fan. He didn't mean any harm. He just wanted to speak up for me, you know? For the hero."
"Getting your secret identity revealed must've been hard," Ben X said, leaning back slightly.
"Yeah, but I actually got really famous," Ben Prime said with a grin.
"Well, duh. You're a superhero. You're supposed to be famous," Ben X replied, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but... now I'm kinda used to it," Ben Prime admitted with a shrug.
Ben X leaned forward, his expression curious again. "So... do you fight lots of bad guys?"
"All the time," Ben Prime said confidently.
"Do you have an arch-nemesis?" Ben X asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Arch-nemesis?" Ben Prime repeated, rubbing his chin. "Well, I have a lot of villains, but if I had to pick one, it'd be Vilgax."
"Vilgax?" Ben X asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, Vilgax. The guy's been fighting me since I was ten," Ben Prime explained.
"Really?"
"Yeah. He first showed up when I was ten, almost took the Omnitrix. But with Grandpa Max and Gwen's help, we beat him. Then he showed up again with mutated Kevin, but I beat both of them."
"And then?" Ben X asked, leaning in eagerly.
"Well, then I kind of... accidentally activated the Omnitrix's self-destruct function while fighting Anemo. It would've destroyed the universe, so I had to go on an awesome space adventure with Tetrax, Pluto, and Gwen to find Azmuth—the Omnitrix's creator—to fix it."
Ben X's jaw dropped. "And Vilgax?"
"Oh, he got wind of it and attacked us. We fought him and barely escaped to where Azmuth was hiding."
"So you found Azmuth?"
"Yeah," Ben Prime said. "At first, he didn't want to fix the Omnitrix. But we managed to convince him. Then Vilgax attacked. I had to fight him without the Omnitrix. He didn't believe me when I said it was deactivated. He wanted Azmuth to build him a new one. So, we fought."
Ben X's eyes widened. "And?"
"Seeing my heroism, Azmuth reactivated the Omnitrix and gave me a new alien transformation. I used it to destroy Vilgax's army and toss Vilgax into space. He didn't stand a chance."
Ben X leaned back, impressed. "And the next time you fought him?"
"Oh, when I was fifteen, he stole powers from ten different champions across the galaxy. I wanted the Omnitrix's master control, but Azmuth refused. So, Kevin and I tried to hack the Omnitrix ourselves. Big mistake—we broke it, released some aliens, and Kevin turned into a monster again. Thankfully, he didn't go mad this time."
Ben X nodded, hanging on every word. "And then?"
"Then we caught the escaped aliens, and I fought Vilgax alone. During the fight, I re-unlocked Diamondhead—one of my favorite aliens from when I was ten—and defeated Vilgax. No biggie," Ben Prime said with a shrug, as if it were nothing.
Ben X stared at him, wide-eyed, before muttering, "No biggie... right."