Argentina – Buenos Aires – Year 2026
The never-ending noise of the capital, the swarm of people rushing everywhere, street vendors, hustlers, and the occasional groups of tourists visiting landmarks that we, the locals, barely notice. Not because they're unimportant, but because they're part of our everyday life. What you see every day stops being impressive.
And of course, I was rushing too. After a two-hour trip and another hour and a half waiting at the hospital, my cardiologist—the same one who's been checking up on me my whole life—finally ran my tests to make sure everything under the hood was fine.
I had heart surgery when I was around eleven. Back then, I thought the loud ringing in my ears, sudden dizziness, and blurred vision were just… normal. Imagine my surprise when I found out they weren't.Now the summer sun was killing me. Thirty-nine degrees at four in the afternoon. God, how I hate summer.
All I wanted was to get home, crank the A/C, and set sail on the internet in search of my One Piece… or maybe watch Marvel's latest release, The Fantastic Four. I could go to the movies, sure, but after Endgame, Marvel movies haven't exactly been… stellar. Better to save my money than risk wasting it on another disappointment.
I picked up the pace, weaving through the crowd, wiping the sweat off my forehead as I tugged at my shirt, desperately trying to cool off.Up ahead—finally—my bus stop. I sighed in relief and hurried faster, my body soaked in sweat, deodorant failing me, my heart racing harder and harder.
But before anything else, of course, I was going to take a long cold shower, get rid of this smell, maybe even switch deodorants. Then I'd grab some ice cream and spoil Luna with the new treats I bought. That little dog had been behaving like an angel since turning five—I had to pamper her more.
Just one block away. About to cross the street. My steps slowed. My hand went to my head. Dizzy. My vision blurred. White creeping in from the edges. My ears began to ring.
"Oh no… I know this feeling."
Clutching my chest, I collapsed, my back burning against the scorching concrete.People kept walking, ignoring me—not out of malice, but out of ignorance. Their minds were too consumed by their own problems to see beyond their narrow worlds.
I could no longer hear the footsteps around me. My vision was being eaten alive by the white at the edges.
Damn it… I was supposed to be fine. I wasn't at risk. This isn't supposed to be happening. I'm not ready. I still have so much to do, so much to see, to experience. My family, my friends… Luna… she's waiting for me at home. She's waiting… I… can't…
The sun was the only thing I could still see. My sight, swallowed whole by white. I couldn't even feel the burning pavement or the sweat anymore. Just exhaustion. Overwhelming, numbing exhaustion. The light above grew bigger, brighter.
And my last thoughts echoed:I feel… I'm not ready yet. I tried to be a good man, but… I don't know if I can face you with pride…
Silence. For the first time in my life, true silence. My tinnitus gone. The calm was intoxicating.
But then… something broke it. Words. A sound.
OMNITRIX DETECTING HOST…FULL BIOLOGICAL SCAN…COMPATIBILITY: 99%… SUITABLE.UNREGISTERED BEARER… ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED.OMNITRIX RECALIBRATED… HOST ASSIGNED.INITIATING BONDING SEQUENCE.SYNCHRONIZATION IN PROGRESS…10 INITIAL FORMS AVAILABLE.INTEGRATING DNA AND PSYCHISEQUENCE CONFIRMATION: ACCEPTANCE REQUIRED.BOND CONFIRMED.WARNING: POTENTIAL RISK TO HOST.ALERT: ECTONURITE DNA COMPROMISED.DISCRETION ADVISED UNTIL THE THINKER COMPLETES ANALYSIS.INITIATING.
And then… the world had color again. My senses exploded with lights, sounds, smells. The wind brushed against my body. Slowly, my vision came into focus. And I felt… cardboard?
Blinking, I looked around. I was in an alley, lying on a big piece of cardboard. Next to me, some makeshift shelter made of trash. Everything smelled awful. Dumpsters lined the walls.
I lifted my head.
The sun. Buildings all around. People on the sidewalk, walking by, lost in their own little worlds… ignoring everything. Ignoring me.
"Son of a bitch. I have a heart attack, and instead of calling an ambulance, they dump me in a trash-filled alley? Unbelievable."
I looked at myself. Still lying there. But filthy. And not just dirty—disgustingly filthy. Like I'd been tossed inside one of those dumpsters and shaken around.
A shirt—I think it used to be blue—so covered in grime I couldn't tell. Dirty jeans. Sneakers—guess what—also filthy. And all of it torn to shreds, with holes everywhere. And worst of all? Not even underwear.
My sneakers looked more like sandals from all the missing pieces.
And my belongings? Yeah… gone. Figures.
It was sweltering. Nearly died, thrown in an alley full of garbage, and robbed on top of it? What a day. Surely nothing could make this worse.
I pushed myself up, trying to brush some of the filth off me, but it was caked on, like a second skin. My stomach turned—"Buurrghh…" splatter.
Well, at least I didn't feel nauseous anymore. I wiped my mouth with my arm. What was a little vomit on top of all this, anyway? Stretching, I closed my eyes and took a slow breath, mentally preparing for the long walk home and—
"Hmm? Am I… shorter?"I looked around. Everything seemed bigger."Okay, I wasn't six feet tall or anything, but I was proud of my five-seven. Pure pride."
I shook my head. Must've still been dizzy from the heat, the fall, the shock. My mind wasn't clear yet.
I pushed back my hair… long hair. Way longer than I ever had."What the hell? Did I hit my head that hard?"
And then I felt it. Weight on my left wrist.
"Great, what now? Did they leave me with a pair of oversized cuffs, or…"
Not cuffs.On my wrist was… a device. A watch, maybe. Though sure, it could tell the time, but it did more. Much more.
"…They strapped a hyper-realistic Omnitrix toy on me? I mean, I'm not complaining—this might be the only good thing about this mess—but seriously? Some angel must've felt bad for me and dropped this off. Would've preferred an ambulance, though."
I raised my hand, running my fingers across the surface as I walked toward the alley's exit.
Classic model. The Ben 10 original. Iconic. My favorite. Probably everyone's favorite.My fingers touched the symbol—universally known as the peace sign in that universe.
INITIATING.
I jumped. Holy shit—it had audio. I wasn't a toy collector or anything, but this was next level.The watch pulsed on my wrist, like a heartbeat. No—like it was syncing with mine.
The lens lit up.
DNA SIGNATURE IDENTIFIED.PSYCHE VERIFIED.VERIFICATION COMPLETE.INITIATING.
The glow faded. The round core popped up with a click.
"No… way. This is insane. Best damn toy I've ever seen in my life."
I was a big consumer of shows, comics, movies, manga, novels—even dipped into a few manhwa out of boredom. And Ben 10? Oh, man. They say you never forget your firsts, and Ben 10 was one of those firsts. Easily one of my favorite cartoons.
And this thing? I was going to treasure it like a relic.
"Thank you, mysterious angel! Forgive me for judging you for not calling an ambulance. This is a thousand times better!"
I twisted the dial, the silhouettes of the classic aliens appearing one by one—Four Arms, Diamondhead, Heatblast, XLR8. All of them.
"God, I can't wait to show this off to the guys, hahahaha—"
BOOM.
"What the hell?!"
An explosion snapped me out of my delirium. Outside the alley, on the sidewalk, everyone's eyes turned toward the source.
A man in red and blue spandex stumbled to his feet after being hurled through the wall of a bank.
Another man in yellow and red, with electrified gauntlets, stormed out carrying two massive duffel bags.
"Well, well, Spider," Shocker sneered. "Looks like you've been swinging where you shouldn't. Don't blame me if I leave you a little… shocked."
"Hey, I do the jokes, Shocker. It's part of my vibrant personality," Spider-Man shot back, webbing him in the face.
"Get it? Vibrant? Because your gauntlets—ugh, you ruined the moment."
He fired another web, which Shocker dodged after blasting the webs off his eyes with a precise shot.
Spider-Man swung onto a lamppost, flipping and dodging the crackling blasts.
"Hold still and I'll show you another one of my jokes, bug!"
"No thanks. I'm not vibing with you."
"Argh, keep it up with the vibration puns and I swear—"
A solid punch cracked against his skull. He staggered, and Spider-Man swept his legs, flipped him midair, and slammed him into the bank wall, webbing him up almost completely—except for his arms. The villain was out cold.
Spidey crouched down, pulling off Shocker's gauntlets.
"Sorry, Herman—can I call you Herman?—but your shocking career ends here. Get it?"
The bank guards arrived, staring awkwardly.
"Tough crowd, huh? Yeah, I get it. Hard to laugh right after a bank robbery."
Sirens wailed in the distance.
"Well, that's my cue. Hand these over to the cops, and stay safe, folks."
He tossed them the gauntlets and the money bags, then shot a web and swung off.
"Thanks, Spider-Man!!!" one guard yelled after him.
…I just stood there.
"What… did I just… witness?"
I looked for cameras, directors, extras, props—something. Nothing.
This was real.
I glanced down at my left wrist. The watch was still there. Heavier now.
"Oh no. Don't tell me I actually died."
Yep. There was a way this could get worse.
"Damn cardiologist.
================================================================
Hey! This story is the English version of my original work.I don't really speak English, so I had to use a bunch of translators. If you spot any mistakes, please tell me so the reading doesn't get messed up.Give it a like—or whatever you can do on this site—if you enjoyed it, and I'll be watching out for any comments or questions you might have.Take care!