Chapter 5: Interlude 1: A Most Unique Friendship
Ben was many things. He could become many things. He could become something that did not originate from Earth. Ben can, and has, taken on villains that could bring the modern hero society of Earth to its knees, and emerged victorious. Ben had more battle experience and near-death encounters than many pro heroes out there. However, Ben was still human at his core. An 11 year old, excitable boy waiting for the results of a test that decided his future. One that was driving his Grandfather insane over the course of a week.
UA took its sweet time ensuring every student that underwent their entrance exam, nomatter for general studies, business, support, or heroics, was given a fair and unbiased evaluation. Now, UA had thousands upon thousands of total applicants, and only a fraction of them would be able to enter the campus as students. This process took time, and for a heroic studies applicant like Ben, well, the average amount of time before his letter arrived was about a week. While Ben was anxiously stewing him in his small condo, doing nothing productive, he was unknowingly being heavily evaluated by his soon-to-be teachers. Unable to cope with Ben's erratic and annoying behavior for another day, Grandpa Max spent 5 days dragging his grandson all around the city of Musutafu. This proved to be an effective distraction, as Ben immersed himself in the hero-rich culture that he now lived in, and the week eventually passed.
In the present time, the door to the condo opened, and the Tennyson's walked in, the grandpa holding their mail in his hands and had a smug grin on his face, while the grandson had a grimace and was holding his stomach. They had just gone out for lunch, and it was Grandpa Max's turn to choose. Ben normally had no quarrel with Japanese cuisine; in fact he enjoyed much of what the country had to offer, from seafood to noodle soups, he enjoyed it all. But Grandpa Max never chose just any restaurants to eat in, rather, he always chose the most unorthodox, strange street vendors and shady alley-way stores that gave Ben chills. Grandpa Max was infamous for his 'strange' food tastes. Ben had seen this first hand in the summer road trip in The Rust Bucket. Heck, Ben had even seen his grandpa lift up logs and rocks to pick up and eat worms! 'Grub Worms, plenty of fiber!' However, simple worms seemed so normal compared to what Ben was experiencing in Japan. Just earlier, they had visited a street vendor his grandpa had been eyeing for some time for lunch. A vendor specializing in... bug dishes.
Ben watched in horror as the vendo opened a black trash bag full of what he would later find out to be Japanese hornet pupae, and proceeded to reach in to pick some up to top two piles of rice. After adding some egg and sauce, Ben was then presented with an omurice from hell. He watched in horrid fascination as Grandpa Max dug in with gusto, and winced everytime his grandpa crunched down on a pupae. Ben, not wanting to spoil his grandpa's fun, tried a bite, making sure to include a pupae of his own. Maybe it was his own expectation that made it worse, but Ben nearly vomited as the pupae exploded, sending the bug taste throughout his mouth. Over 30 long, excruciating minutes, Ben finished his lunch, and began hobbling back home, not wanting to see his grandpa's face that he knew bore a smug grin. Grandpa Max always liked to tease his family that they lack 'sophisticated' taste buds like himself.
"Come on champ, it wasn't that bad! You know, scientists estimate that bugs will enter mainstream diets worldwide within 50 years due to the rising population, so there might be some more bugs in the future!" Grandpa Max only got a groan in response, as Ben threw himself into a chair by the kitchen table, and lowered his head to rest on the cool surface. "Ah, man up Ben, it wasn't even that bad compared to what I really wanted to eat. Oh, while you were busy doing whatever you were doing, I got our mail. Here, take this. Hopefully it will make you feel better."
Ben rolled his head to see an envelope in his grandpa's outstretched hand. Ben jolted upright. The letter was a simple white, and was standard looking until he saw the seal. The small, unassuming seal that held the contents within, and bore a small symbol that he knew to be...
"Yup, it's an official letter from UA. Open it up, let's see how you did!"
Not needing to be prompted twice, Ben plucked the letter out of his grandpa's hand and began to open it while Grandpa Max took a seat beside him. Inside, a small piece of paper was nearly folded into thirds, and a small metal disk of some kind. Ben held the device up to his face to inspect it. It wasn't heavy, and it seemed hollow due to the center being riddled with holes. As Ben tapped his fingers against the holes, bright light began to shine through, blinding him. With a yelp, Ben dropped the circular device on the table, and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, the disk was projecting some sort of rectangle, but with nothing but white in it. Then, someone, or something in this case, appeared, seemingly adjusting the camera lens.
"Ah, too far down. Almost. There! Sorry about that, I don't usually do these, the teachers normally are the ones sending out the recordings. Anyway, thank you for waiting so patiently, and I come bearing good news!" The beast on screen was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. This person was a beast, but what species eluded Ben. The beady eyes, pointed snout and small black nose reminded Ben of a mouse, but the square ears atop his head looked like those of a bear. A massive scar ran from his forehead to his right cheek, going through his eye. And who could not notice the fancy ensemble of a white shirt, red tie, and nice black overcoat, contrasting with his white fur.
"Hello Tennyson Benjamin, I am Nezu, the principal of UA high school! I am here to inform you of your official result from the written and practical tests you took as a part of the UA entrance exam!" Beside Nezu on screen, a small pop-up appeared with what looked to be Ben's written test results. Grandpa Max leaned in, taking a good look. "Your performance on the written exam shows that age is no indication of intelligence, as you scored quite well. While you struggled with modern hero history, every international transfer examinee did, meaning it's just one more thing for you to work on. In the other subjects, you did well, entering in the top 10% of results. This is no mean feat, and means you immediately qualify for the General Studies course."
"Now is the big one, the practical test! I must say Tennyson, you did quite a number on both the robots and my teachers. Your quirk's transformation properties are unlike anything we've ever seen, and your 'Four Arms' form did a fantastic job." Ben sweatdropped at Nezu's offhand remark. He attracted the attention of the principal, how could he wriggle his way out of this predicament? "With the amount of robots you destroyed, I'm sure you lost count midway through. With careful analysis of the cameras throughout the site, you earned a staggering total of 147 villain points. This is more than double the villain points of the second place holder, and is the highest point total in UA history. Congratulations!"
Ben let out a cheer, and threw his hands in the air in celebration, while Grandpa Max crossed his arms and smiled. 147, and a new record holder to boot! He hadn't just gotten first place in the exam, he had gotten first in the history books! Nezu, however, was not done, and his continued speech drew the Tennyson's attention again.
"-is what I would say if villain points were the only thing measured in the exam. You see Tennyson, the cameras are not just set up to prevent foul play, but also to allow the UA graders to evaluate each examinee's actions and their personality. To see who has the heart of a hero and acts upon that fire. This brings us to the second part of the practical: rescue, or as I like to call them, hero points!" Ben's eyes widened and he heard his Grandpa let out a snort. Of course, how could Ben forget the very reason why he was at UA to begin with? There was more to being a hero then beating up bad guys. These other points must evaluate the other side of heroics, actions that aren't related to fighting.
"You did a splendid job beating the robots, but you also proved to be a hero as well! Your actions to assist Kendo and Tetsutetsu in saving Shoda did not go unnoticed. You freed Shoda, and engaged the zero-pointer to help your fellow examinees escape, very selfless! However, you did have a close scrape when the zero-pointer's kick nearly sent you flying into the others. You lost some points there. While you did defeat the zero-pointer, it earned you nothing, as I'm sure you are aware." Ben felt this was a fair assessment of his actions. He did admit that he should have been more prepared for the zero-pointers counter-attack after he threw slabs of concrete at its face.
"With 147 villain points and 25 rescue points, you have passed with flying colors Tennyson, with a whopping total of 172!" The pop-up holding Ben's written test results was replaced with a leaderboard, with the top 10 scores listed. At number 1, with more than double that of the second place 'Bakugou Katsuki' was his name, 'Tennyson Benjamin.' Ben didn't really know most of the names, but he did see Kendo at 6th and Tetsutetsu at 9th. "This puts you as the second highest score holder in UA history, only behind All Might himself! Welcome to your hero academia, and I'm sure we'll be talking very, VERY soon." With a giggle, the rodent pressed a button, the projection disappeared, and the disk deactivated.
Ben's mind was spinning. 172 total points was insane! While he was a bit disappointed that he wasn't the new record holder, he could understand losing to All Might. I mean, this was All Might we were talking about, current number 1 hero, symbol of peace, whose very existence deterred crime world wide? Yeah, that All Might. Ben was content with being second to him.
"How'd you like that Grandpa? I got first in my exam, and second in UA history! Am I doing the Tennyson name justice yet? Uh, Grandpa. Grandpa? You ok?" Ben's triumphant grin faded as his grandpa ignored his gloating, focusing on a piece of paper. It was the paper folded in his letter, the one he had put aside in favor of the disk. Ben sat quietly, his triumphant mood quickly subdued by his grandpa's strange silence. After a minute, Grandpa Max stood, and began walking to the door.
"Get up Ben, we're going." This only added to Ben's confusion. Grandpa Max had put the paper in his pocket, and was putting on his shoes. They had just gotten back from lunch, where could they need to go so suddenly?
"Where?"
"To meet my friend."
Ben immediately got up and got into his own pair of shoes. Ben had been dying to know who this mysterious informant was, and now it was time! Ben told himself he should have known this was going to happen, as Ben was told he would meet with Azmuth and this informant figure soon after he passed the entrance exam. The pair began to exit their complex, but instead of turning left to head to UA as Ben expected, his grandpa instead went straight, towards a black car that was not there when they had returned from lunch.
"Uh, Grandpa, where are you going? We don't have a car, remember?"
"Get inside Ben, we can't let too many people see us as we get in. We're using the back entrance; less eyes there."
'This is how little boys get kidnapped. Ushered into the back of an unnamed van by an old man' Ben thought sarcastically as he slid into the shotgun seat. As Grandpa Max got into the driver's seat, and put a key into the ignition, Ben noticed the irregularity.
"Hey! Where did you get that key? Why do you have a key? It wasn't in the letter."
"Don't worry about it Ben. Just keep quiet and follow my lead."
The car ride was silent and tense. Ben realized he wasn't getting any questions out of his grandpa when he was like this. It reminded him of how Gwen described how grandpa acted when the two went into the Rushmore Plumber base to get weapons to help Ben after he had been taken by Vilgax. Making their way slowly through the midday Musutafu traffic, the duo slowly encircled the UA campus, eventually pulling into an empty parking space near some sort of storage area. As Grandpa Max exited and made his way towards the only building, Ben hurried to catch up. Making their way up a set of stairs, Grandpa Max tested a doorknob by jiggling it, testing to see if it was locked. When it didn't give, Grandpa Max reached into his other pocket, and brought out his Plumber badge. Ben watched as his grandpa tapped his disk badge against the doorknob, and his mouth dropped in disbelief as the sound of a lock opening up was heard.
Without pause, Grandpa Max opened the now unlocked door, with Ben on his heels. The room had not been used for months, probably due to the school year not officially starting yet. The dust and flickering lights were giveaways, and Ben couldn't help but feel dread rising in his chest. He reminded himself to trust his grandpa, and that as long as he kept close to him, everything would work out. Grandpa Max then opened up what looked like the door to a basement, and made his way down. In the dark, dimly lit hallway that awaited them below, a long hallway of which Ben could not see the end of was presented. Grandpa Max just kept on moving, with Ben right behind him, casting nervous glances behind him every so often. They eventually came to a large metal door, with intricate locking mechanisms all over it. In the center was a large circle. The perfect size for a Plumber Badge, and Grandpa Max did not hesitate to put his badge in the presented circle. The door whirled to life, gears turning and pistons hissing, giving off a steampunk vibe as the door slowly lifted to reveal another, seemingly normal wooden door behind it. Grandpa Max just made his way forward, and put his hand on the doorknob. Ben instinctively held his right hand near the Omnitrix, preparing for a fight. His grandpa open the door and the two made it inside to find-
A very pleasant office space. Contrary to the dark and sinister path getting here, the destination was very nice. Ben looked around to see a nice pale blue color scheme on the walls, with a solid yellow on the ceiling. Probably to replicate the sun and sky, as there were no windows. A door on the right probably led to a bathroom, and several plushy red armchairs were placed in front of a mahogany desk. Intricate designs were carved into the front, and gold laminate along the edges gave it a fancy feel. Behind the desk was a large, gray chair, whose backrest was far longer than it had to be. Unless it was to seat a massive individual: maybe Grandpa Max's friend was a giant? The chair suddenly swiveled in place, and Ben couldn't see what had caused it to do so at first. There was no one in the chair! At least, until he looked down at the seat. There sat a well-dressed white rodent-creature with a scar across his right eye. The same one that had given Ben his exam result recording. Nezu.
"Maxwell my friend, it has been too long!" Leaping off the chair, Nezu made his way around the desk and climbed atop one of the armchairs to perch upon the backrest. There, he opened his arms, and Grandpa Max leaned down slightly to pick him up into a hug.
"Nezu, you look like you barely aged a day! It has been far too long. I haven't seen you since my retirement about a decade ago."
Ben watched in fascination at this interaction. It was weird, seeing his large grandfather embracing a rodent creature barely over a foot tall, and with such emotion. The two stayed in their embrace for a while, before Grandpa Max put him down on the back of the armchair.
"As much as I'd like to reminisce with you, old friend, I do believe we have some urgent matters to discuss."
"Of course, if you two would take a seat, I'll begin immediately."
With Grandpa Max and Nezu making their ways into seats, Ben sat himself in the other armchair, and watched as Nezu got back on his chair, and somehow moved it forward so that he could rest his folded paws on the desk. He then turned his beady eyes towards Ben.
"Ah, Tennyson Benjamin, the child with the ability to morph between 10 different alien forms! I must say, you are the most interesting student I've ever had to apply to UA, and I've been through many. Underaged, overpowered and with the American government watching your every move and even enlisted my help! Normally I would not voluntarily lend myself to the actions of other nation's but if it is for Max, well I was delighted to assist." Nezu gave a small hiccuping laugh, looking into Ben's confused face.
"Yes, I know, I'm a mystery! Am I a bear? A mouse? A cat?" Nezu sang as he spun his chair in child-like fashion. "How do I know your grandfather? How did I know about you? How do I know about aliens? Well, I suppose I can give you a brief rundown. It will not take long."
"When humans underwent their years of explosive mutations into the quirk-age of civilization, animals also experienced a similar form of evolution. Some animals began to exhibit quirk-like abilities, albeit at much lower levels than humans. While quirks spread to the majority of humans in the following years, the same could not be said for animals like myself. I alone held a quirk in my colony, and it was never so obvious that a human would notice. I had slightly higher intelligence than normal, which gave me the ability to recognize patterns, speech, and other basic brain functions similar to a developing human infant. Not much, but compared to my brethren, I was by far the most intelligent of my species. Despite this difference, my life was no different from my brothers and sisters. I was just another animal working day to day in order to survive." Nexus eyes darkened, and looked down. He seemingly struggled to find the words to describe what happened next.
"However, that peace was not to last. I was discovered, and then kidnapped and put into a cage. It was the thing that captured me, however, that scared me the most. For it was no human, or anything earthly at all. I would later learn it was a Cerebrocrustacean, and a villainous one at that. One that was exiled from his own kind due to the nature of his research and experiments. His name was Dr. Psychobos." Ben noticed how Nezu's previously emotionless facade now crumbled slightly, as his paws tightened in rage. "It was not just me he captured; Psychobos had captured many quirk wielders, human and animal, adult or child. We were all sedated with some unknown gas, and loaded onto his ship, taking us to a small space station he created just beyond Earth's gravitational pull. There he imprisoned us for a long time- I had no way of telling how long we were stuck there, and still do not know to this day."
"We were experimented on, everyday, every waking hour. From what I remember about Psychobos' mutterings is that he wanted to find out what led life on Earth to evolve so explosively. So he worked on us, mutilating our bodies and tampering with our genetic material. He transfused blood, replaced limbs, and even tampered with my brain. This scar-" Nezu raised his paw to gently graze the wound that cut through his face "-was from when he did some kind of twisted surgery to my brain with 'pieces' from some other poor soul he captured. He had no regard for our livelihood, and the experiments he made us undergo killed us off. Slowly, we went from about 50 down to 3. He raved that me and the other two were his masterpieces, and proceeded to begin preparations to leave the solar system. It was at that moment, when all hope that we would escape left my soul, that the Plumbers arrived." Nezu's face now lifted to a small smile.
"Led by Magister Labrid and your own grandfather, Maxwell, a small team of Plumbers launched a surprise attack on the station. Their assault forced Psychobos to start a self-destruct countdown in the station's reactor, which in turn forced the Plumbers to let him escape while they stopped the detonation and took us to their ship. He said something about how he would return, and show the Galvan's just how presumptuous they have been. Needless to say, he has never returned since." Ben couldn't believe his ears. He thought he had been through shit, but Nezu had been to hell and back.
"The Plumbers cared for and rehabilitated us for about a year. They ran tests on us, to identify just what Psychobos had done. For me, he had used genetic material of intelligence-quirk users to permanently, and forcibly, increase my own intelligence to superhuman levels. This caused me to develop human-like mannerisms, and develop speech. The other two, both humans, were not so lucky." Nezu then grimaced, as if recalling a particularly nasty memory. "I will not say their names, as I have sworn against doing so. The first one had her body absolutely destroyed by Psychobos, unable to see, move, or even breathe without specialized equipment. She works with the Plumber's in their Australia branch, her home country. The second one was a lost cause. He had been broken, as the Plumber's estimated we had been on that cured station for decades. You see, analysis of us three that were still alive and autopsy reports from the deceased indicated the Psychobos' first goal was to increase our lifespans, to let us last longer. This meant that we endured his horrific experiments for decades. The third one... snapped. His quirk, involving his teeth, had been augmented to the point where his own body did not recognize it, and caused him to mentally break. The Plumbers tried to help him, but he nearly bit off Maxwell's jugular. He had, ironically, devolved to the point of being a mere beast. He now resides in Tartarus, where he will cause no harm to anyone, and won't tell any secrets."
"As for myself, I was offered a position in the Plumber ranks, but by then I wanted nothing more to do with aliens and the like. I re-entered human society, but stayed close to Maxwell. Things progressed nicely, as I became the first non-human professional hero, and now I am the president of a heroic educational institution." Nezu, finished, closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. As he exhaled, his gaze bored into Ben's. "Tennyson, I do not believe I have to tell you again that all information involving aliens, including my own story, is classified information. Humanity, for all the power quirks have blessed them with, is not ready to deal with alien life and technology. Do I have your word that you will work to make sure aliens and humanity will interact as little as possible?" Ben gave a single nod, with an expression of grim determination on his face.
"I do, Nezu sir." Nezu's face broke into a smile, a complete 180 from the seriousness he demonstrated just seconds before.
"Wonderful! Let us move on from my dreary past, and focus on your present Tennyson!"
"Uh sure! Also, could you just call me Ben? The only people who call me Tennyson are my teachers and parents when I'm in trouble."
"Negatory Tennyson! You're in Japan now, and must abide by our culture and language! When you mingle with others during your first day of UA tomorrow, then you can ask your fellow students if they will call you that. As you are now my student, it is my job to educate you, and that requires formal language!" Ben opened his mouth to protest. "Your grandfather is different, as he is my cherished friend." Ben closed his mouth once more.
Nezu spinned around in his chair again, pondering on how to best continue.
"Tennyson, the Omnitrix is a difficult situation for me to approach. While I have only just now seen it in action, your grandfather and your agent, I believe his name is Coleson, forwarded me all the information they have. While I have done as told, and have not told even my most trusted teachers about you and the Omnitrix, I can not stop the social networking of the students. I must remind you Tennyson, that you stick out like a sore thumb. Being a transfer student would already turn heads, but being so underaged, and coming in first in the entrance exam, with over double the amount of points second place had? There is nothing I can do to hide you at this point." Ben laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head, turning his gaze sideways. He was starting to regret his performance. He already had the american government spying on him, he didn't need his future classmates to do so as well.
"We can not hide you anymore, so we are left with the other approach: put you in the spotlight to show you have nothing to hide. Your performance will no doubt have caused rumors to start circulating, so you will need a 'quirk' to cover for the Omnitrix. People are going to start looking, as my staff has already. Your officially documented quirk, Cellular Adaptability, does not explain how you can transform, nor does it explain the Omnitrix. So, we needed not just to cover for the device, but also you. The moment Max contacted me and enlisted my help, I began concocting the most believable lie, with as much proof as I could muster. It wasn't easy. Your aliens are so different that it makes it impossible to designate all their powers to a single quirk. At the end of my rope, I turned to the only other person that could assist me."
Nezu's right paw lifted from its place atop the desk and moved under the wood. After a bit of muttering from Nezu, and an awkward silence from the Tennysons, the sound of a button being pressed was heard. As a square opened up on the right side of the desk, Nezu folded his paws once more.
"I'm sorry about that, it has been a while since I used this office. This location holds all the information about me and my history with the Plumbers, as well as some emergency space-faring technology and cross-galactic communicators. It's just that I hate how trapped I feel in this box. But, it keeps my most important secrets under wraps, so this is a necessary sacrifice. While time may differ across galaxy's, I'm sure he will pick up soon..." As Nezu spoke, the square opening on his desk suddenly sprang to life, just like how Grandpa Max's badge glows when activated. After a couple flickering moments, the projection stabilized, and a fourth member joined the conversation.
"You passed that ridiculous test of that rodent fellow. Good, stick it to him Ben! Can't let his furry head grow too big for his shoulders!"
"If my calculations are correct, your species has a far greater head-to-body ratio than my own Azmuth. If anything, your head is permanently too big for your shoulders, causing back pains."
"Oh, shut up Nezu! My species' head must compensate for our eyes, so of course it has to be big! And my back pains are a result of age, my badge of honor if you will, for surviving this long."
If Ben was being honest, this was one of the most shocking moments of his week. Azmuth had always been this benevolent figure, for he was the creator of the Omnitrix and similarly powerful devices. A being of infinite wisdom, knowing how and why everything did what it did, and not afraid to speak his mind. Azmuth had all the characteristics of an old, but incredibly wise scientist. So why, in literal seconds after appearing, had he gotten into a squabble with his principal?
"I had a large hand in creating a literal race of sentient machines Nezu, have you done anything like that on the backwater gutter that you call your home planet?"
"Mayhaps not Azmuth. I do not create life, but I do encourage it to grow and bring out the best in every being that desires my help or goes through my school. Did you help cultivate this new mechanical race's culture, or did you leave them like you did everyone else when you threw a tantrum and locked yourself on Xenon?"
A cough from Grandpa Max, who had been quiet until this point, broke the two brilliant minds out of their argument. Both had their default expressions on their faces: Azmuth a frown and Nezu with a smile. Ben could only hope that this was a friendly spat, and not anything with real beef behind it.
"I wanted to stay out of this as much as possible, to make Ben understand as much as he could on his own. I can not, however, stand by and listen to you two bicker again. In our last meeting, you two took over two hours to settle down. So let us be proper adult role models to Ben, and take this professionally, yes?" That seemed to do the trick, as Azmuth let out a sigh and closed his eyes, while Nezu nodded and brought out a blue folder.
"Ah, we mean no harm Max, it's just a word spar between two adept minds. You are right, of course, in how we should act. So, Tennyson, as you may have guessed, I did get in contact with Azmuth himself to assist me. Together, we had many nights of fun- I mean difficult, and strenuous research to figure out a lie that fits our current criteria. This is it, and if I may be honest, it's quite incredible." Azmuth nodded with a smile, and beconned with his hand for Ben to take the blue folder. Grandpa Max and Nezu watched as Ben took the folder, opened it, and slid two packets out. Both were quite thick stacks, but each had a distinct title on the top. Ben saw 'Dr. Azmuth' on one, and 'Hypothetical Prehistoric Intelligent Lifeforms' on the other. Ben raised an eyebrow at this, prompting Nezu to speak once more.
"You see Ben, the first priority was to disguise the Omnitrix. More so than protecting your situation, it is imperative that we make sure no one realizes the Omnitrix was made off-world. This means that we need to: create a fake creator of the device, make false but believable claims to what your aliens really are, and tie the Omnitrix and your quirk together. The last one is the easiest, and we will explain that when we get to the lie you will use for your aliens. Azmuth and I worked on this ruse together, with him creating the lie itself, and then I placed the fake evidence wherever it may need to go to make it believable. Please listen to Ben, you will need to recite this from memory." Ben affirmed this with another vow, and then leaned in close, and narrowed his eyes in concentration. Azmuth spoke next.
"There is no one on Earth who knows of my name, let alone my existence. So, I will remain the Omnitrix's creator, just under a different alias. The Dr. Azmuth Nezu has fabricated on Earth is a fake, but with enough logical evidence to make those who poke around believe he is real. Nezu assisted by falsifying records, birth certificates, and even residency verification and doctorate credentials and sneaking them into the American Registry, making Dr. Azmuth 'real.' You will refer to me as Dr. Azmuth in public Ben, and should anyone get suspicious and snoop where they aren't supposed to, Nezu has made sure that they will find what they want. But most people will not go that far, not when the Omnitrix itself commands such attention."
"Your alien forms are a different story. Nezu was right in that no single human quirk, no matter how powerful or unique, can cover such an arrangement of transformations. But he was coming at this from the wrong angle you see. We do not have to make the quirk be the only reason for your powers. By combining the truth of how the Omnitrix transforms you, and some reasonable lies, along with abusing the gaps in human's knowledge of their planet's history, we can make an incredible cover story. I'm quite sure you know how the Omnitrix works in theory, but allow me to give you a very condensed version: the Omnitrix stores DNA of various alien species, but upon selection, it releases an unstable copy of that species' DNA into your bloodstream Ben, where your cells, powered by your quirk, absorb the genetic material. Accepting it, your body undergoes changes in order to turn you into the species you selected. The DNA copy is unstable, so after about 10 minutes it deteriorates, and with nothing to sustain your form, you revert back." Ben was no scientist, but even he could see some holes in Azmuth's explanation. But, this isn't the whole truth. This was a quick explanation to tide him over.
"Here is where the truth and lies coincide. We have kept the Omnitrix's functionality and mode or operation intact, but simply change what the DNA is. Instead of aliens, I simply replaced them with: ancient intelligent life forms. You can call them aliens if you wish, but the lie is that they are life forms from when the Earth was still forming. Dr. Azmuth is a researcher of this subject, and you offered your services to turn into real living copies of the being he studies. In return, the Doctor lets you use the Omnitrix for heroism. Keeping up?" Ben shook his head. The lie was decent, he could admit that much. Keeping how the Omnitrix works allowed him to still claim his quirk was Cellular Adaptabilitybut there were just too many holes in claiming his alien forms were actually historical life forms!
"I know you guys worked on this for a while, but is this really the best? I mean, I get how Wildmutt and Heatblast fit the lie, Ripjaws and Stinkfly too. Four Arms, XLR8, Diamondhead, and Gray Matter are a stretch, but I think I can make some shit up for them on the fly. But Ghostfreak? And Upgrade? Upgrade literally melds with technology. How can I explain that an ancient life form that predates human civilization by millions of years, can merge and enhance modern technology?" To Ben's surprise, all three of the people before him burst into laughter.
"Tennyson, you're thinking too hard!" Nezu cried out, wiping his eyes. "It is perfectly reasonable to not be able to explain everything about your 'quirk.' In fact, it makes it more believable! So many quirks in this age are so powerful and mysterious, that even modern quirk scientists can not tell the exact reason for how they came to be and how they work." Ben was still unconvinced.
"Alright, I get that, but aren't I in a different situation? I mean, I can't just say 'hey, I actually don't really get how this part of my quirk works, so hahaha?' No one would buy it!"
Nezu composed himself, and a massive smile grew on his face. He then asked Ben one single question.
"Tennyson, if you are so worried about explaining every aspect of your 'quirk,' tell me this: what is All Might's quirk, the most televised and talked about hero in the world?" That was it? Of course Ben knew what All Might's quirk was, it was... huh. Ben suddenly hunched over, hand on his forehead, deep in thought. What was All Might's quirk? It was more than just strength enhancement, he could literally change the weather in a single punch. He had speed rivals that of speedsters like Hawks. No one had ever seen All Might take damage for any attack from any villain, and he never seemed out of breath. There were no tells that his quirk needed to be activated, and there appeared to be no visual drawbacks to his power.
Ben was stumped. And stupefied. How could he not know the number 1 hero's quirk?
"You're not the only one stumped, some people's jobs are literally All Might analysis: attempting to try and deduce what his quirk is." Nezu reassured Ben. "All Might, from his school days to his professional career, has eluded telling what his quirk really is. In the Japan Quirk Registry, he simply calls it 'superhuman,' which is a part-truth, but everyone knows it is something more."
"My point is Ben, that in this lie that we are fabricating, you do not need to know every little detail, nor should you. You can shove all the questions to Dr. Azmuth, as he should be the one who knows. All your peers need to know is that the Omnitrix works with your quirk to transform you into beings that lived on the Earth millions of years ago. Now, repeat to me what the lie is." Ben mentally repeated the information that was shoved onto him, took a deep breath, and began to recite.
"My quirk is Cellular Adaptability, which allows my body to work with the Omnitrix, made by my grandpa's friend from college, Dr. Azmuth. Dr. Azmuth researches species that lived on Earth millions of years ago, and has collected DNA samples from many of them. He built a device that works with my quirk uniquely, and allows me to temporarily transform into different forms. I can use these forms for up to 10 minutes, when the DNA copy that is introduced into my bloodstream dies, and forces me back to my human state. Each form I take has unique adaptations to survive in different era's of Earth's early years, and I can use these powers for heroism, while Dr. Azmuth can use me for data collection." Ben finished with a 'phew' and Grandpa Max gave a small grin and a polite clap. Ben turned to Azmuth and Nezu.
"So, how was that?"
"I am deeply offended that I have been reduced to a fake scientist on a planet whose dominant species has yet to achieve space travel." Ben chose to ignore Azmuth's whine and focused on Nezu, who was nodding his head.
"Very nice Tennyson, very nice indeed. While not a perfect lie, it is the best we have come up with. You will be forced to use the Omnitrix often here at UA, and it is only a matter of time before people begin to question you. Play it cool, and I see no reason to expel you. But one more thing Tennyson." Nezu learned forward, and gave a guilty sigh.
"Due to my agreements with your grandfather, Azmuth, and the United States government, I could not tell my staff the whole truth. I lied to my staff, my friends, my fellow heroes, and that weighs heavily on me. Many of them are already suspicious of you Tennyson, so it is important that you memorize the lie we have created today, and keep it consistent across your three years here. Some of my teachers have a history in their hero work of combing through records and databases to find incriminating evidence against villains, and I hope that if you keep the lie's continuity throughout your three year, no drastic actions will have to be taken. This is a gamble, but a gamble we have no choice but to go through with."
"Not me. I don't face any consequences should you three be discovered. I don't care about your school or your planet, so don't rope me in with the rest of you."
"The smartest being in 3 galaxies, and no room left in your brain for empathy? Must be a lonely life you live Azmuth."
"5 galaxies actually, and a lonely life does not mean it is not productive or efficient. Furthermore, I think that this time it is you who is overthinking Nezu. Yes, you have taken up the challenge in helping Ben, but do not forget your own purpose. You are supposed to be monitoring him, not babysitting him. This lie is far more than what we had to do, so we are already interfering far more than we should have. You want Ben to grow into a hero, and I want live-results to perfect the Omnitrix; for both our goals to come to fruition, we must let Ben handle his life on his own. I think you must see him less as Max's grandson, and more of his own person." A silence hung in the room as Azmuth's words were processed.
It was Grandpa Max who broke the silence. "Is there anything else to discuss? We've been here for a while, and Ben here needs to make sure he's ready for tomorrow."
Azmuth spoke up. "Just one last thing, unrelated to Earth. Ben, in the near future, or in your timeframe a couple months, I wish to test the Omnitrix's scan function to ensure it is working properly."
This caused Ben to tilt his head in confusion. He knows 3 Omnitrix functions: green meant it was charged and primed for transformation, red was for recharging, and orange was self-destruct.
"Azmuth, what is 'scan?' Is this about the Omnitrix's true function?" The Galvan nodded his wrinkled face.
"Indeed, as I had anticipated for the Omnitrix user to possibly encounter intelligent life that my drones, the Voliticus Biopsis, failed to collect DNA samples from. While you have the original 10 I uploaded into the prototype, and the To'kustar form I gave you to fight Vilgax, the Omnitrix is capable of much more. If you are or not is what I wish to test. Soon, I will administer controlled tests to see if you can successfully get the Omnitrix to scan DNA that is not in it's database, and transform successfully. You'll need to wait as I get my hands on a species that isn't a part of the millions I cataloged, but I'll find something eventually." Ben thought this was a good deal. While he wasn't looking forward to a test from Azmuth, the allure of a new alien form was too good to pass up. The only new form he had ever got, Way Big, was easily his most powerful alien, his ultimate trump card.
After vocalizing his agreement to Azmuth's tests, Nezu gave Ben a series of rules, nothing he hadn't heard or expected before. He was not to use the Omnitrix outside of life-threatening situations, and would not talk about it unless approached first. If any teacher were to approach him, tell them Nezu could answer their questions and keep your statements vague. The most important piece of information was that, as the first place finisher, he was supposed to be the 'representative' of the first year heroics course students. Ben was given the option to opt out, as he technically was too young to meet the requirements. UA also didn't want people thinking they were recruiting below the appropriate age. Deciding that he didn't want any more responsibilities than he already had, Ben opted to drop his position, leaving it to the second place finisher Bakugo. Whoever he was, Ben was sure he had a perfectly amiable personality that could accept the position with grace and totally would not throw an absolute fit claiming Ben was 'looking down' on him. Nope, Ben was 100% sure that this was a great decision that would definitely not bite him in the ass.
As conversation slowed, major issues resolved, and rules ironed out, the Tennyson's stood to leave. Grandpa Max stayed for a bit longer, graciously thanking Nezu and Azmuth for their time and effort, before taking Ben out the door, through the hallway, out the abandoned building, and back into their loaned vehicle. Now alone, Azmuth turned to Nezu.
"You have too much faith in that boy. You will do well to remind yourself that he is not Maxwell's successor. Hell, the boy never even knew about our world until a year and a half ago. Lower your expectations, Ben will disappoint you if you set them too high."
Nezu turned in his seat, and raised an eyebrow.
"The expectations I set for Tennyson are a result of his unique circumstance, not from family connections. I fail to see how I plan on educating him is any of your business Azmuth. I quite vividly remember you claiming 'I don't care about your school or planet.' So why, may I ask, do you care so much for this human in particular? From our first conversations, I gathered that your opinion of him is rather mixed." Azmuth snorted, half from laughing, and the other from scorn.
"Oh, believe me, I've seen Ben's true nature more than once. He took my Omnitrix on a joy ride, using it for his own selfish desires. I watched in horror as he brandished it like a weapon, and swung it without fear of the consequence it would bring to himself, his loved ones, and his community. But, in that brat, I saw myself." This time it was Azmuth who's eyes drifted upward, reminiscing. Nezu watched, silent, but listening.
"I suppose there is no harm in telling you my story. The way Ben used the Omnitrix reminded me of my early days as an inventor. While not my prime years, they were my happiest. I had a wife, a direction in life, and a community that heralded me as a genius. I worked, invented, and developed so many things, but I let it go to my head. I got cocky and arrogant. I was so obsessed with my own seemingly limitless capability, that I wanted to bend the laws of physics and the universe itself. My wife, Zenith, tried to reason with me, but I was too young and foolish to see reason. She left me days before my weapon was finished." Azmuth's already diminutive size seemed to decrease further as he hunched over in shame.
"My weapon, a sword, was stolen by a lone warrior hoping to use it's power to end his people's eternal conflict. He was unable to control the power, and the resulting explosion destroyed his entire planet, and its moon. It was there, as I retrieved the sword, that I finally came to terms with what I had done, and what I had become. I sent the sword away, and it was used for one final noble purpose before being sealed for good. I wanted to prove that I was not some warlord in the making, so I started working on the Omnitrix, a device that could help species understand each other by becoming one other. The ultimate tool for interspecies relations. I wanted my legacy to be one of progress and peace, not destruction."
"I suppose that is why I wish to help Ben, and am doing what I am doing." Azmuth concluded. "I've seen Ben at his best and worst. When I had lost all faith in the universe and was willing to let it be destroyed, Ben showed his true nature and faced imminent death with no fear, and no powers. I put my faith in Ben as the hope of the future, a symbol of peace not just for Earth, but for all life on all planets."
Nezu smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"That was quite a speech. I am glad you are just as invested as I am into forging Tennyson into a hero, even if your reasons are somewhat selfish. Tomorrow is his first day, and his teacher is not one to pull punches. He will be among his others of similar power for the first time and be allowed to use the Omnitrix in plain sight. I wonder how he will do." Nezu was quickly lost in the many possible scenarios he envisioned Ben getting into.
"Don't get too excited now. For all that is good about Ben, he is still excitable, brash, and naive. He may have raw power, but still needs training and experience to bring out the best of himself."
"That is why he is at my school, no? Do not worry Azmuth, your hope will not be misplaced. This is the beginning of Benjamin Tennyson's path to heroism, and we are the ones that will guide him through the difficult journey ahead."