---
"Hey, I know this guy! His name is XLR8," Ben said, looking at himself in awe after transforming.
Both Albedo and Benzaro stood stunned.
"Impossible," Frankenstein/Benzaro muttered in disbelief.
Ultimate Humungousaur/Albedo, realizing something, spoke, "So I did see multiple Bens in the alley..."
Pointing at XLR8, he said, "You're not the Ben from this reality."
"Correct answer!" XLR8 grinned. "And your prize is—" In a blur, he vanished and reappeared in front of Albedo, wielding a broken car door.
"—a door to the face!" BAM!
Ultimate Humungousaur stumbled back from the impact.
From behind, Frankenstein/Benzaro lunged at XLR8, but just as he was about to grab him, XLR8 disappeared again.
"Missed me!" he taunted.
Frankenstein kept chasing him, firing bolts of electricity, but XLR8 effortlessly dodged each one.
"Missed me, missed me again... Are you even trying?" he teased.
Albedo shook his head, regaining his focus. Seeing the cat-and-mouse chase, he fired missiles from his hands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
XLR8 dodged each missile, letting them hit Frankenstein/Benzaro instead. The impact sent him flying, smoke trailing from his body.
"Nice aim," XLR8 quipped at Albedo.
With a furious roar, Ultimate Humungousaur launched another volley of missiles.
XLR8 zigzagged between the explosions, effortlessly avoiding them.
"Seriously, are you even trying to hit me?"
Frankenstein got back up, frustrated, and fired another bolt of electricity—only for it to strike Albedo instead.
XLR8 smirked. "Why are you guys hitting yourselves? I'm right here!"
Albedo clenched his teeth. "You won't get away with this, Ben!"
"Wanna bet?" In a blink, XLR8 vanished from their sight.
Both villains scanned the area, searching for him.
Then, suddenly—
"Oh, by the way..." XLR8 appeared right beside Benzaro. "Between the two of you—" He pointed at Benzaro. "I think you look uglier."
With a cocky laugh, he dashed away.
"Ha! So long, suckers!"
Benzaro fumed. "He's mean! I hate him!"
"Me too," Albedo grumbled.
Meanwhile, as XLR8 sped through the city, he thought, Hey, Ben was right—being a hero and fighting bad guys is actually fun! Wait... where was I supposed to take him again?
---
Abandoned Los Soledad Military Base
Both Ben Prime and No-Watch Ben stood waiting.
"Sigh... How long do we have to wait?" No-Watch Ben groaned.
"Hard to say," Ben Prime replied. "Time isn't exactly easy to keep track of."
"What about the other guy? Where is he?"
"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's fine. He'll be here soon enough."
Suddenly, a swirling white-and-blue portal opened behind them.
Out stepped Professor Paradox.
"Hello, Ben Tennyson..." He glanced between them. "Tennysons, plural."
Walking up to No-Watch Ben, he extended his hand.
"We haven't met—well, I have, but you haven't. Professor Paradox, at your service." He bowed slightly as No-Watch Ben, still dumbfounded, shook his hand.
Noticing No-Watch Ben's bare wrist, Paradox's expression shifted to astonishment.
"Incredible! A universe without the Omnitrix... it boggles the mind."
No-Watch Ben, unamused, muttered, "Dude, you're not making me less confused."
"Fair enough," Paradox nodded. "But before I can answer your questions, you'll need to brush up on quantum mechanics and string theory."
A holographic projection of multiple Earths materialized in front of them.
"There are many universes, many dimensions, many Earths—each with its own Ben Tennyson. But these dimensions aren't always in sync with time."
No-Watch Ben folded his arms. "That's all? I totally understand everything now."
A tree suddenly sprouted in front of them.
Paradox pointed his cane at the trunk. "This is when you were 10 years old."
He gestured to the middle. "This is now."
Then, at the top. "This is when you'll be 30 years old."
"The trunk represents the main timeline, but these branches?" He traced them with his cane. "They're alternate timelines—each continuing their own version of you."
Ben Prime nodded. "Makes sense now?"
No-Watch Ben sighed. "Not even a little."
Paradox chuckled. "The real problem is that something—or someone—is cutting down these branches and kidnapping Bens across time and space."
No-Watch Ben's face darkened. "Those guys weren't trying to kidnap me... they were trying to end me."
Paradox stroked his chin. "Perhaps there's something unique about this timeline—or more specifically, about you."
"All the other Bens have that weird watch," No-Watch Ben pointed out.
Paradox nodded. "The Omnitrix. Every Ben Tennyson across space and time has their fate intertwined with it. You, however, do not. And that makes you a target."
No-Watch Ben gulped. "But... why me?"
Paradox sighed. "That, I haven't figured out yet. But I will."
Ben Prime folded his arms. "If someone's traveling through time to capture Bens, it has to be Eon."
Paradox shook his head. "His tracks are too well covered. If Eon is involved, then someone else is pulling the strings. Keep Ben safe."
Ben Prime gave a confident nod. "I'll protect him like he was my own... me."
Paradox smirked. "Lavish in the humor while you can. If I'm right, you won't have another chance."
With that, he stepped into a portal and vanished.
No-Watch Ben sighed heavily.
"I'm thost".