A soft breeze was blowing in the very "normal" town of Bellwood, with the sun and breeze making a perfect blend of warmth and cool in the air. People passed by, so did aliens, which was very normal ever since the discovery of Undertown. Everything seemed to be going great, just perfect. *Ahem* almost.
"Ben, for the last time, you should be glad there's no "destroy the earth" thing going on!" Gwen lectured, crossing her arms.
"Yeah sure I am, but I'm a full-time hero! If I have no "heroing" to do, what do I do?" Ben complained, slouching back on his sofa while pointing his remote control at her. "Is this what being unemployed feels like?!"
"Grandpa let us off the hook from patrolling today, so let's make the best of it before Vilgax's third cousin decides to invade earth and make us his slaves." Gwen grinned with a sly look.
"Haha, real funny, Gwen," Ben said, rolling his eyes.
*CrASh*
"What's up, Tennison?!" Kevin pranced in with a goofy look.
"Kevin, that's like the fifth door you've broken this week!" Ben stood up while pointing at the mess of the broken wooden door everywhere.
"My mistake," Kevin remarked, with an unapologetic look with his hands on his hips.
"Kevin!" Gwen glared, although it almost never seemed to work on Kevin.
"Hey there, beautiful. Your prince charming has arrived- OW hey! Not cool, Ben!" Kevin jumped after being slapped on the back by Ben.
"How attractive," Gwen mocked.
"Hey...anyone up for-" Ben asked before being interrupted by a dull 'yes' from Gwen and Kevin. They all knew everytime he said those words, he meant one thing: smoothies.
"How'd you know what I was gonna say?"
"Like you haven't said it like 4 times today." Kevin looked at Ben in a mocking concern.
The three of them got into the car while Ben complained why the journey was "so far away than usual". Gwen and Kevin had the power to endure Ben's foolishness because they found it somewhat funny ignoring him and having to see his reaction. When having reached there, Gwen noticed something odd on the floor.
"What is it, cuz?" Ben asked while trying to take a look at what Gwen was seeing.
"Looks like someone lost their ring." Gwen frowned. "Seems like a legitimate gold ring, too. Must be expensive."
"Meh, it's just a ring. We can look for its owner later." Ben casually walked around while fiddling with his hoodie's string.
"Ben, someone could be looking for this. Plus, it's not like we have anything better to do." Gwen explained with a serious look.
"Okay okay, fine. I guess we can maybe do something about it." Ben sighed, with a disinterested tone.
"We can try one of my spells that I've learned recently. It's really complicated, but it's worth it."
"For just a ring?" Ben frowned.
"A gold ring," Kevin answered like he was stating the obvious.
While in an attempt to search for the ring's owner using one of Gwen's spells, she again discovers something unusual.
"That's weird. To whomever it belongs to, they're far away. Like really far away." Gwen wondered with her hand on her cheek. "Maybe they just didn't realize it's lost and left."
"How far away are they?" Ben inquired, with absolutely no interest in an answer.
"As I said, they're really far away. If we drive there, it might take hours. It's better to use a teleportation spell instead."
"You mean we couldn't have used that spell hundreds of other times we needed it?!" Ben complained as if Gwen did the worst crime in the omniverse. "We've had close calls hundreds of times, while I tried to save the universe hundreds of times!"
"Ben, I just recently learned this spell, and it's quite difficult to memorize." Gwen reasoned, with her tone becoming slightly more exasperated. "But I hope it works."
Without getting an opportunity to ask what would happen if the spell goes wrong, and without a moment to spare, the three of them teleport without any difficulties. Almost.
"I think we're here..." Gwen said while trying to catch her breath.
"You okay, cuz?" Ben asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine, but I'm not sure about whether we're at the right place. Is this...an abandoned temple or something?" Gwen wondered.
"Not sure," Ben answered while taking a few steps forward, looking around. "Better if we stay close and keep our eyes peeled."
In a few, brief moments, a crash was heard from a distance, with thuds getting closer. Oh. No.
"What's that?" Kevin pointed toward something coming their way.
"Looks like... humongasaur? Wait-what?"
"Ah...there you are...you must be Ben Prime if I'm not mistaken?" Humongasaur's doppelganger roared, growing a crooked grin.
"Is that Albedo?"
"I don't know, but I doubt Albedo would have anything to do in a temple. He must be some kind of imposter, or-" before Ben got interrupted (once again)-
"Sus." Kevin chuckled.
"Dude, seriously?"
"Enough! Paradox will soon pay for letting my dimension be destroyed! Out of all the dimensions he could've saved, he saved your pathetic Earth! For his sins, you will suffer the consequences!"
"Ben, what is he talking about?" Gwen panicked.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. It's hero time!"
Hurriedly, Ben held his arms up to form an X, transforming him into...
"Fourmungasaur!" Ben did his usual 'yelling the alien's name' thing. "Finally, the right alien this time!"
"Do all the hocus pocus you'd like, but mark my words that I've defeated many other Bens from many dimensions. You'll suffer the same fate!"
At this point, no one could say a word. What happened to his dimension? And why destroy other dimensions for it?
"I have conquered dimensions 64, 91, 11, so so many more!"
At this point, who would want to fight him? What happened? What's going to happen?
"Give me your Omnitrix, and maybe I'll reconsider destroying your dimension."
At that moment, both of their Omnitricies time out. There it was. The doppelganger's true form. Brown, frizzy hair, with the gradience of dried-blood red, crimson-red eyes as deep as the abyss of hell, and skin as pale as a ghost's.
"You're... me?" Ben asked in awe. "What have you done with the other dimensions? And you have your own dimension's Omnitrix, so why do you need mine?"
"Give it to me. I am starting to lose my patience!" Ben's alter-ego-like opponent hissed.
"Dude, you don't have to be so rude, just answer my question," Ben complained, crossing his arms like it's no big deal.
"Benjamin! Get away from him!" yelled a familiar voice. "Now!"
YOU ARE READING
23rd Times a Charm?
FanfictionThis story is about a dimensional counterpart of the Ben Prime timeline. He was introduced in 4 episodes: "Store 23", "It's a mad mad mad Ben world", "And then there was none", and "And then there was Ben." He was portrayed as a reckless guy with a...
