Chapter 5 - honesty as a weapon, kevin gets an upgrade and gwen get a possibility check

Issei, with that dragon-husband smirk:

"At least you pulled Gwen, Kevin. Props." "Unlike some people." (👀 side-eyes Ben)

"Though… not gonna lie… the whole fandom that ships Ben and Gwen?" "Kind of gross." "They can't even stand each other half the time."

🧨 The Reaction in the Room: 💥 Ben:

"HEY! We grew up together! She's like—family!"

Gwen (sighing in eternal secondhand embarrassment):

"Yeah. Because we are family. Like… literally. Step or not, it's weird."

😳 Kevin, trying not to laugh:

"Well, I mean… He's not wrong. But thanks, man. Gwen's tough, but she's worth it."

Issei:

"Exactly. You earned her." "Ben, on the other hand, couldn't hold a handshake with Julie."

Ben:

"WHY am I the one always catching strays?!"

💬 Ben 10 Fandom Reaction: 🧠 Rational Fans:

"Thank you, Issei. Finally someone said it. That old Ben x Gwen ship needs to stay buried."

"It's not just non-canon. It's nauseating."

🧢 Kevin x Gwen Shippers:

"ISSEI IS ONE OF US. OUR LORD AND SAVIOR." "He acknowledged the superior ship and Kevin's win. 💍"

🤮 Anti-Ben x Gwen folks:

"Issei just Thanos-snapped every cursed Tumblr ship post from 2007."

"He did in one line what Cartoon Network never had the balls to say directly."

📢 Meanwhile, Ship War Forums on Fire:

"How dare he insult classic Ben x Gwen?!"

"HOW DARE YOU SHIP THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"

"ISSEI SPEAKS FOR THE MULTIVERSE!"

🧙‍♀️ Gwen, blushing just a little:

"Thanks, Issei. You get it. Even if you've got, like, eleven girlfriends and a cosmic alarm clock."

Issei:

"Wives. And it tells me when to remind Asia she's the only one allowed to touch my left arm."

Kevin:

"...I don't know if that's sweet or terrifying."

Issei, leaning back with a smirk:

"Kevin, your power's basically like Absorbing Man from Marvel, right? You touch it, you become it."

"So… why are you always absorbing the most generic crap?"

"Concrete? Steel? Asphalt?"

"Bro, are you building a parking lot or fighting aliens?"

💥 Then he drops the nuke:

"Why not try something like the metal used in the Omnitrix?"

"Or hell—here."

Hands over a sliver of crimson crystallized power.

"A piece of my Boosted Gear. Let's see if you can absorb that."

😳 Kevin freezes.

His brain reboots.

"You're just… giving me this?"

Issei:

"It regenerates. And besides… if you don't absorb it right, it'll punch your soul."

Kevin:

"...What?"

Issei:

"You'll be fine. Probably."

💬 Gwen, blinking hard:

"Issei. You just handed him a piece of a divine dragon's soul-forged weapon."

Issei:

"He absorbed a car door last week. Let the man upgrade."

🧠 Ben 10 Fandom: Losing It

⚙️ Power-Scalers:

"IF KEVIN ABSORBS BOOSTED GEAR, HE COULD GAIN:

Multiplicative power boosts

Dragon armor plating

Potential Access to Welsh Dragon magic

Possibly trigger a pseudo Balance Breaker!"

"This is a Kevin Levin glow-up arc. And it started because Issei roasted him."

🤯 Reddit's Top Comment:

"He said: 'Your potential is wasted on drywall and sewer pipes.'

And then handed him a weapon forged from Ddraig's wrath."

👑 Rias watching from the sidelines:

"He gives legendary power away like snacks.

No wonder people worship him."

🔧 Kevin After Absorbing It:

His body starts to glow faint red. Scales ripple across his arms. His voice echoes just slightly deeper.

"I feel like I could punch a planet."

Issei:

"That's just stage one.

Be careful. Boosted Gear doesn't like disrespect."

Kevin:

"...Cool.

Also, what's a 'Balance Breaker,' and why is it whispering inside my head?"

Issei says, "Eh, probably nothing 

Issei, arms crossed, aura humming faintly:

"Gwen, seriously—you're an Anodite.A being of pure mana. Cosmic light. Literal energy embodiment."

"So why are you just throwing pink sparkles and mana bolts at problems like it's a school science project?"

"Start looking for grimoires. Codexes. Magic older than time itself. You're sitting on god-tier potential, and using it like a flashlight."

🧙 Gwen, halfway offended but also kind of impressed:

"Well, I do study spells—"

Issei:

"I'm not talking about your dad's shelf of recycled Charmcaster scrolls.I'm talking about sorcery written in stardust and sigils that make reality kneel."

👀 And then he goes full savage:

"Also? Don't trust Verdona.That bitch punched me across the universe."

"All I said was: 'You don't even know how to tie a braid properly.'She lost it. Boom. I'm in Andromeda."

😭 The Whole Room: Gwen:

"YOU SAID THAT TO VERDONA?!"

Ben:

"Okay, that one's on you."

Kevin:

"You told Mana Grandma she sucks at braiding and didn't expect to get space yeeted??"

🧠 Fandom Reaction: 💬 Magic Fans:

"HE'S RIGHT THO. Gwen has access to infinite mana and still sticks to basic mana spheres and shields. Girl could be rewriting timelines!"

"Grimoires + Anodite DNA = Literal Sorceress Queen Gwen. Issei sees it. The show nerfs her."

🫣 Ben 10 Lore Nerds:

"Verdona is unhinged.She nearly kidnapped Gwen into space cult training.Issei telling her she can't braid? That's a death wish with style."

🧚‍♀️ Anodite Fandom:

"Issei just reclassified Gwen as Arcane Royalty-in-Training and told her to act like it.Meanwhile, Verdona is probably still flying through a nebula screaming about hair."

Gwen (a bit quieter now):

"...What kind of grimoires are we talking about?"

Issei, smirking:

"Ones written in languages older than gods.I'll send Le Fay and Rossweisse to help.Just don't make them braid your hair. You'll trigger flashbacks."