---
Five years.
That's how long he had prepared for this moment.
And tonight — under the summer stars, beneath the hum of cicadas and the soft roar of the Rustbucket's old engine — the countdown ended.
> It's here.
He stood outside the RV while Max filled up the tank at a remote gas station. Gwen was inside, reading a book, headphones on. She still rolled her eyes at him when he joked, but these days, she didn't really mean it.
He looked up at the sky. Pitch-black. Still. Quiet.
Until it wasn't.
A piercing green light shot across the sky — a comet of emerald flame tearing through the atmosphere, trailing sparks like dying stars.
Right on schedule.
Ben's heart pounded, but his face remained calm.
He bolted into the woods without a word. Max shouted something, but he didn't care. Gwen barely looked up.
> I've waited for this for five years. I'm not letting anyone stop me.
---
Crash.
A green fireball slammed into the forest clearing ahead of him, sending birds flying and leaves bursting into flame. The crater was smaller than he remembered from the show, but the object at its center was unmistakable:
A sleek, metallic pod, still hissing, glowing faintly green.
The Omnitrix.
His prize.
His future.
His evolution.
Ben's breath caught in his throat. He took slow steps toward it, not because he was afraid — but because he wanted to savor it.
He reached out with a hand he'd trained for this moment, trembling slightly despite himself.
> I could play it dumb, like the show. Act surprised. Pretend it's an accident.
But no. I'm ready. I claim this by choice.
He placed his palm on the pod — and the top snapped open with a hiss.
The Omnitrix launched itself upward, just like before.
Only this time, he didn't flinch.
He raised his wrist deliberately — and caught it mid-air.
Click.
It clamped on with a satisfying snap, metal latching onto skin like a living creature locking in place. A rush of heat surged up his arm, and the glowing green core pulsed once, in perfect sync with his heartbeat.
Ben's knees buckled slightly.
It was more than he remembered.
The weight of the device. The raw, humming potential. His mind buzzed with feedback, as if the watch itself was testing him.
> This isn't a toy.
This is power condensed into DNA. Technology that defies logic. A key to a billion lives. And it's mine.
---
A voice echoed in his mind.
> "Omnitrix recognized: Primary User Confirmed. Configuration: Adaptive Intelligence Mode enabled. Access Level: Unlocked – Tier One."
That was new.
In the show, Ben had stumbled through transformations. Now? The Omnitrix was acknowledging his intent. His preparation.
He had unlocked Adaptive Mode.
He tapped the core, and the faceplate rotated open.
A small holographic ring spun upward, displaying silhouettes — his first ten aliens. Their outlines flickered around the dial like ghosts waiting to be born.
Heatblast. Four Arms. XLR8. Diamondhead. Grey Matter…
He smiled.
> Let's start with something flashy.
He twisted the dial and slapped it down.
Green light exploded.
His body ignited — not with pain, but power. His skin hardened into volcanic rock. Lava pulsed through his veins. His vision turned infrared, the world painted in layers of heat.
Heatblast.
But not like the show. No wild thrashing. No screaming.
He stood tall, fire calmly dancing across his arms.
> I can control this. I know what I'm doing.
He raised a hand and conjured a flame, controlling its shape like a sculptor molding clay. A small sphere hovered above his palm, then expanded outward in a disciplined flare before collapsing into a pinpoint ember.
> Ben Prime couldn't do this for weeks. I'm doing it in seconds.
He laughed — low, powerful, not manic but triumphant.
Then he heard footsteps.
Max.
Gwen.
They were coming.
He looked at the Omnitrix's glow. Still counting down. Plenty of time.
> This is where the act begins.
---
A few minutes later…
Ben knelt in the clearing, the glow fading from his skin, fake-panting just enough to sell the scene. Gwen rushed to his side, eyes wide. Max looked half-stunned, half-terrified.
"Ben! What was that thing!? Are you okay?"
Ben blinked up at her and smiled. "I dunno… it just jumped on me!"
Max grabbed his arm, inspecting the watch. "What is this thing?"
Ben feigned a wince. "I think… it turned me into a monster."
Gwen frowned. "No. You were controlling it. That was fire. You were flying, almost. And you didn't panic."
> Careful, Ben thought. She's too sharp.
"I guess… I just got lucky," he said with a sheepish grin.
Max's eyes narrowed, but not with suspicion. With awe.
Ben looked down at the Omnitrix and whispered softly — almost too quiet to hear:
> "This is going to change everything."
---
That night, in the Rustbucket, Gwen kept glancing at him. Not with annoyance.
With curiosity.
With something almost like… respect.
> Good. She's starting to see it. I'm not the same.
I never was.
Ben lay in bed, staring at the Omnitrix pulsing gently on his wrist.
It wasn't just a weapon.
It was a door.
And he'd been preparing the key for five years.
> This time, I won't just be a hero.
I will be the evolutionary apex of the universe.
Ben Infinite has begun.