ZET-MAN! (Re-Imagined)

~Omniscient Pov, 1 month later~

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'Another lovely night to kick some criminal butt.'

Ben Tennyson; now a young man with a purpose, decided to step up his role in protecting his city, operating beyond the structured framework of the Plumbers or any official organizations. His reason was simple: crime was out of control, and he knew he could make a difference. Without the red tape, the rules, and the endless meetings that came with being a hero he was free to strike where he saw fit and put his power to good use...

Tonight had been another out of the run-ins he had before; crouched on the edge of a darkened rooftop overlooking the back alley of a low-lit convenience store in downtown Bellwood. Below him, a few shady looking men scrambled to load cash, liquor, and other valuables into a nondescript van, the classic.

'Typical.' He thought, huffing lowly to himself, not knowing how the criminals didn't get bored with the same old cliche' antics.

He watched as they worked frantically, eyes darting every few seconds for any sign of police or, worse, himself. His reputation had grown fast—an unknown vigilante taking down thugs and criminals faster than they could blink for the past few weeks. And tonight, Ben was about to live up to that reputation.

"The hell are ya' idiots doin'?" snapped a gruff, impatient voice from within the van. The leader, a burly man with a shaved head and arms tattooed with crude symbols, barked orders with a barely-contained rage. "I told ya to get the dough out the back, not the front!"

His voice echoed sharply in the silence of the alley. One of his men, a lanky figure with wide eyes and a shaking flashlight, muttered, "S-S-Sorry, boss... I just thought—"

"No thinking!" The leader slapped him on the back of the head. "Get it done, now!"

Above them, Ben smirked, 'Perfect', he thought, adjusting the dial on his Omnitrix. He knew exactly which alien to choose. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the device, a brilliant green light momentarily illuminating his face. The sound was subtle but unmistakable—a soft hum followed by a series of clicks as his body transformed. His figure shifted, skin morphing into blue and black armor-like plating, arms elongating with sleek, flexible claws. He had chosen XLR8...

In a blink, Ben was on the ground behind the van, out of sight. To him, everything slowed down—the clinking of glass bottles, the frantic whispering of the men, the rattling of cash bags. For a heartbeat, he paused, assessing the scene. He counted each man's position, calculating their likely reactions, planning his moves to cause the maximum confusion with the least risk. Then, with a quiet breath, he launched forward.

In an instant, XLR8 blurred into motion, appearing directly behind one of the men just as he turned to put a bag in the van. Before he could react, Ben delivered a quick tap to the man's shoulder, sending him flying into the van with a force that seemed like a mere breeze in XLR8's speed-drenched perception. The man's shout of surprise was lost, drowned in the rapid shuffling and clinking of items as his companions realized something was horribly wrong.

One thug turned, brandishing a crowbar, only to feel it snatched from his hand and held aloft, seemingly by thin air. A second later, the crowbar fell, hitting him in the shoulder with pinpoint accuracy as he stumbled back with a pained grunt. In his slowed perception, Ben grinned, calculating his next move with cold precision.

The burly leader's eyes widened as he watched his men dropping like flies. He backed up toward the alley's dead end, eyes darting around, trying to pinpoint the invisible attacker. "W-Who's out there!? Huh! Get out and show yerself!" he demanded, pulling a pistol from his waistband, his hands shaking.

But Ben wasn't about to let him take a shot. Slowing just enough to reappear in the man's line of sight, Ben smirked, savoring the brief moment of terror in the leader's eyes... Before the man could so much as raise his gun, XLR8 was on him, wrenching the weapon from his grasp and knocking it out of reach with a quick kick.

The criminal didn't stand a chance. A quick succession of blows—targeted, efficient, and too fast to be countered—sent him to his knees, clutching his bruised ribs and gasping for air.

"Too slow." Ben remarked, his voice layered with a dry amusement that only deepened the gang leader's horror. He deactivated the Omnitrix, reverting to his human form, and took a step back, arms crossed. The glow of the Omnitrix faded, leaving only the dim streetlight casting eerie shadows across the battered criminals.

However, at these times he wished he had the control he had with the watch those times ago, when he could just think of an alien and he would transform, it would have been more convenient to deal with this situation.

On the other hand, the leader looked up, rage flickering in his gaze. "You think you're some kinda' hero, huh? You got nothin' on us!"

Hidden in the shadows, Ben shrugged, unfazed. "Maybe not. But I've got enough to stop you, and that's all I need." He reached for his phone, dialing the police as he kept an eye on the still-groaning gang members...

'Now that all this is taken cared of, I just need to make it home before anyone realizes I'm gone...' Ben placed his phone in his pockets, waving the thugs goodbye.

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'Looks Like I'm in the clear...' He thought.

Once inside, he tiptoed through the darkened house, hoping to avoid any questioners. He took his time and crept into his room, ready to collapse onto his bed and forget the night's chaos. But just as he settled in, a familiar voice sliced through the silence.

"Ben! Do you think you can just sneak in here and go to sleep without anyone noticing?" He knew best not to answer that one...

A bit startled, he bolted upright, his heart pounding in his chest from the fright. Gwen stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "You're late again. Where were you?"

'Or not. Oh brother... Why now of all times?' He thought begrudgingly.

He sat up slowly, sighing at his situation, "Gwen please." He mumbled while rubbing the bridge of his nose, "It's late. Can we talk about this in the morning?" he pleaded, trying to keep his voice steady.

"No! We're talking about it now," she insisted, stepping into the room. "You now can't keep doing this... Late-night crime fights? You're putting yourself in danger, and for what? To play the hero?"

That last bit had irritated him a bit, more than he would like it to, "It's not like that." he said, frustration creeping into his voice. "I had it under control. I just needed to—"

"Needed to what? Prove something? You're not invincible, Ben! You can't keep thinking you can handle everything alone."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I know, but I stopped them. Isn't that what matters?"

Gwen shook her head, her expression softening but still firm... "What matters is that you're safe. I... I-" She stopped herself before continuing... "I worry about you, Ben. You can't keep hiding this from me, or from grandpa."

Ben looked down, guilt washing over him. She was right. He had been trying to shoulder everything by himself, and he was starting to get a bit tired from the late night escapades.

"Okay," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry. I just thought I could manage this on my own."

Gwen's arms unfolded slightly, her tone shifting. "You don't have to manage it alone. Let me help. We can fight this together."

He looked at her, a mix of relief and gratitude flooding his chest. "...Thanks, Gwen. I promise I'll be more careful."

"Good," she said, a small smile breaking through. "Now, get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning..."

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As the morning sun filtered through the curtains, Ben sat at the kitchen table, rubbing the lingering sleep from his eyes. He was exhausted from the night's events, every bone in his body aching from the confrontation with Gwen.

She'd had every right to be mad—he'd been reckless, diving into fights alone without telling anyone. But, last night had been different; he'd finally admitted to her that he was struggling to keep it all under control... Despite how much he enjoyed it.

Across from him, Gwen poured a cup of coffee and set it in front of him, her expression both firm and concerned. They shared a quiet look, neither of them speaking yet, but both feeling the unspoken bond of understanding between them. Ben took a sip, wincing slightly as the hot liquid hit his sore throat.

Gwen's voice broke the silence. "You know… you don't have to keep doing this alone, Ben," she said softly, a reminder of the words she'd spoken to him just hours before.

Ben looked away, his fingers curling around the warm mug. "I know, Gwen. I just… I didn't want to drag you into it. And especially not Grandpa. He's been through enough. He doesn't need to know what I'm doing."

Gwen sighed, her gaze softening. "You think you're protecting him, Ben, but keeping him in the dark isn't going to make this any safer for you. He's going to notice one day, and he'll start asking questions."

"Yeah, but the less he knows, the better," Ben muttered, glancing toward the hallway as if expecting Max to walk in at any moment. "He's already done enough for me. I don't want to put him in a position where he has to worry about me every time I step out at night."

Gwen crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. "And you think he wouldn't worry if he knew you were out there alone, risking yourself every night? He's not going to stay in the dark forever, Ben."

Ben sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew she was right; he could feel the burden of the secret weighing heavier on him with each passing night. But he couldn't shake the feeling that telling Max would only complicate things. His grandpa was already handling enough, and Ben didn't want to be one more worry.

"Maybe someday," he mumbled, more to himself than to her. "But right now… I just need to figure this out on my own."

Gwen's gaze softened, and she reached across the table, placing a hand on his. "Ben, we're family. We're supposed to lean on each other. You don't have to shoulder this by yourself."

For a moment, Ben let himself feel the comfort in her words, the relief of knowing he didn't have to face this alone. But as he thought of Max—his steady, caring, and unsuspecting grandfather—he felt the familiar pang of guilt settle in his chest. He forced a small smile, squeezing her hand.

"Thanks, Gwen. I appreciate it. Really," he said, his voice laced with a weariness he could no longer hide. "But let's just… keep this between us for now, okay? I'll tell him eventually. Just… not yet."

Gwen sighed, but she nodded, giving his hand one last reassuring squeeze before pulling away. "Alright, Ben. But don't think you can keep this up forever."

Just then, they heard Max's footsteps coming down the hall. Gwen's eyes widened slightly, and she gave Ben a quick, warning look as they both settled into their usual, casual expressions. The last thing they needed was for Max to start suspecting something...

Max entered the kitchen with a warm smile, completely oblivious to the tension that had filled the room moments before. "Morning, you two..." In fact, it seemed like he had brought some of his own tension to the mix.

Ben could immediately tell something was up based on his grandfather's tone, it was obvious to an extent. He looked to Gwen who looked right back at himself, confirming to one another that one of them needed to ask.

Curious, Ben stepped up, "Is there something wrong grandpa?"

Max stood silent for a bit, sitting down before he spoke... "Yes, well... We need to talk, both of you." Hearing this, both just nodded and made themselves comfortable.

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~Alex's Pov~

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"Hurry kid, we don't wanna get there too late."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to remind me."

This marks another month of me being here... But I've heard that today, I was going to meet Tennyson's again. Apparently it was 'needed'. Which was good news, I could get closer to the family...

I grabbed my shirt and put on my jeans. A shame they were starting to get tight. I've grown since last month with my training with Carter. I did new exercises recommended by Carter since he tracked my progress, and my body adjusted accordingly, but even I'm getting a bit worried about my growth spurts. I went from 5' to 5'6" tall. That wasn't really common...

Not to mention my increased musculature; taken it wasn't something that looked bad, per se'. But compared to where I started? I was essentially a different person... Maybe my body was in a state of malnutrition that halted it from growing properly at the start. I didn't exactly know at this point, I was just trying to piece together logical explanations.

But regardless, my clothes felt a bit fitting, but it would have to do for the time being.

With all that done, I stepped out of the warehouse, locking it behind me...

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END