Ben 10 — The Hollow Omniverse

"…Anyway, do your worst." Ben dropped the friendly act with a shrug. Despite his exhaustion, his legs remained ready for a sprint — the forest's darkness might help him escape, however the chances were low.

The night air carried only insect sounds and distant sirens, echoes of the consequence of Kevin's rampage through the town quarter. Though limited in scope, the damage and death toll spoke volumes.

In this eerie tension and his position of weakness, Psyphon's sudden bow was unexpected.

"I come on behalf of my master to propose a partnership."

"…Partnership?" Ben's voice mixed disbelief with caution, his muscles still tensed for the run of his life. 'What… Vilgax was actually serious about being allies?'

"Yes." Psyphon nodded.

"What kind of partnership exactly?" Ben observed Psyphon carefully, half-expecting him to shout : Just kidding, you fool! Drones, attack! When I capture you, I will be the one to wonder if fire burns!

Psyphon's response came with practiced precision. "I don't fully understand myself, but in short, you help each other with mutual benefits. Nothing long-term for now."

Psyphon continued as he displayed a hologram.

"For example, he can extend this offer:

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- 50 fully armed spaceships

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Measurement

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Length: 125 meters (410 feet)

Width 45 meters (147.6 feet)

Height : 25 meters (82 feet)

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Laser Systems:

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Power output: 100 kilowatts (134.1 mechanical horsepower)

Range: 1–5 kilometers effective range (0.62-3.1 miles)

Beam width: 0.5-2 meters (1.64-6.56 feet) at point of impact

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Missiles (Biologic, are continually generated)

Power output…blablabla"

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Ben's eyelids grew heavy as Psyphon droned on about technical specifications. He forced them open, fighting against his need for sleep. "Can't you shorten this?" His exhaustion had stripped away any pretense of respect for Vilgax's servant.

Psyphon eyed Ben, his fist tightening, then began again as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"…for example, he can extend this offer:

- 50 fully armed spaceships

- 1'000 drones

- 200 androids

All with a slot-back guarantee."

Ben jolted awake, ignoring the bizarre guarantee clause. "So with 8 slots, that's 400 ships, 8'000 drones, and 1'600 androids?" His frown deepened with each number.

Psyphon nodded, his skeletal-like features somehow conveying satisfaction. "Exactly. You can also request personalized services, for which I will set the price."

'How many weapons does Vilgax have?! He doesn't even need to capture me himself… I don't like it.' Ben fought back a yawn, the multiple transformations and constant strategic thinking taking their toll. 'But where's the trap? It's just words in the end.'

"I'm open to a mutually beneficial partnership, but I'm not interested in purchasing anything now." Pain shot through Ben's body as he attempted a polite bow, forcing him to straighten quickly.

"Of course." Psyphon's tone remained measured. "You currently have only one non-transferable slot — except if I take your Omnitrix — as Vilgax informed me. This is merely an offer for future consideration."

Ben pondered. 'Vilgax should know about my 11 new transferable slots…'

"I guess Vilgax is quite busy." Ben casually mused aloud. "Funny, I've never even seen his face."

Psyphon's red eyes flared brighter. The seemingly innocent comment carried a clear insult — Ben was calling Vilgax a coward while feigning ignorance and fishing for information.

Yet the servant might have missed Ben's subtle probe — or perhaps he noticed but couldn't maintain his diplomatic facade. To Psyphon, Vilgax wasn't merely a master but a deity incarnate. Ben's casual disrespect was tantamount to blasphemy, and even years of diplomatic experience couldn't fully suppress his rage at such sacrilege.

"My master is currently occupied." Each word came through clenched teeth, though the skeleton-like alien maintained his neutral tone. He needed to leave soon — his master's orders to remain diplomatic clashed with his growing anger. 'I wonder why my master… No. I shouldn't question his wisdom.'

Ben sighed.

'Great… And Vilgax might be on Earth plotting… wait…' A new thought made Ben frown. "Then how did you find me?"

The contradiction hit him — Psyphon wasn't a participant, only Vilgax was, so tracking Ben should have been impossible. '…Is Vilgax really that injured from his space fight? Or is he that scared of me?'

"I thought both my master and you had some form of omniscient knowledge…" Psyphon's head tilted slightly. "I suppose I could tell you for one slot in the future."

"No, it's fine." Ben's dismissal came quick and firm. Letting someone outside his control hold any leverage over his fate? Not a chance. As long as he had options, that one wasn't even worth considering.

'In the saga, Vilgax could track the Omnitrix across the universe whenever its user transformed, and he possessed technology to remove it from its host… despite having no confirmed contact with Azmuth in the series. Is it the same in my universe? Why does tracking me seem so simple?!'

Unknown to Ben, multiple methods were used to locate him. Dr. Animo's beasts tracked him by scent, while This person used other means for Nemesis.

'Or maybe Psyphon's lying and his master is just scared to hear my name.' A chuckle escaped Ben — Vilgax was starting to seem like an overhyped antagonist revealing himself to be a jobber.

"I see." Psyphon studied Ben, some deep instinct telling him his master had been insulted, but with nothing explicit said, his anger remained contained. "Take this — it contains my contact information."

He handed over a device resembling a phone, though with more physical buttons than touchscreen features and clearly more advanced technology. Despite being in cooldown, the Omnitrix translated everything Ben saw and heard perfectly, requiring no language settings changes… assuming it even had English as an option, which he doubted.

"Thanks." Ben smiled. 'Another project for Brainstorm — making sure this gift isn't monitoring my every move.'

Psyphon gave a final nod before vanishing in a flash of light, the teleportation circle whisking him back to Vilgax's ship.

'Those teleportation circles, though… Something to investigate later.'

'I could have negotiated for a really strong and efficient spaceship — one slot for a secure base that can travel through space might've been worth considering…' Ben dismissed the thought immediately.

That would be risky. Even though Brainstorm should master any piloting manual with a simple glance, his constantly displayed position meant any magic user and those with high teleportation technology could simply teleport in to capture and kill him (Ben assumed so), making the whole spaceship defense system pointless and for now he had no reason to leave Earth.

And if he kept the ship in orbit, anyone capable would easily shoot it down… starting with Vilgax if he decided the Omnitrix and partnership weren't worth having anymore… and the latter wouldn't even have to shoot him down if he left something in the spaceship to remotely destroy it (being smart with Brainstorm didn't mean noticing every last detail even with knowledge).

The first and only current priority was to fix his localization problem. He didn't have anywhere safe enough on Earth and the universe to have as a base.

Well maybe Mt. Rushmore in the past but obviously it was compromised and he couldn't even have done something about it. 'But I should check this place when I have the time to understand what happened.'

The forest seemed darker as Ben made his way through it, each step a fight against his body falling down. When the Omnitrix finally turned green, healing his physical wounds brought welcome relief — though the mental exhaustion lingered like a heavy fog.

A hotel's neon sign beckoned ahead. Not the most secure option, but he was the Omnitrix wielder — anyone foolish enough to attack would need extensive planning or at least thorough reconnaissance to check for potential traps or hidden alarms. That thought alone should buy him enough peace to sleep… probably, he couldn't think any longer.

Better than sleeping outside or pushing himself past exhaustion.