Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

We found ourselves in a desert in broad daylight. The sun shines brightly on the sand and the very few dirt roads. The only visible movement for miles is a huge stone being dragged slowly but steadily along the ground. On top of the stone, we can see a rope firmly tied to it, the other end tied to the chest of a young man as he tirelessly advances, carrying the huge object with him.

This young man was wearing purple shorts held up by a white belt, black shoes, and a V-neck shirt the same color as his shorts, revealing a yellow long-sleeved shirt. On his back, he carried a red staff with a sheath of the same color. His black hair seemed to defy gravity due to the way different strands of it go in all directions.

This is Son Goku, finalist of the 21st martial arts tournament and destroyer of the dreaded Red Ribbon army.

After completing his quest for the 4-Star Dragon Ball, Goku set out to train for the next tournament, traveling around the world without the use of his flying nimbus, relying only on his body, wits, and his trusty power pole to face any challenge that came his way; this at the suggestion of his martial arts master, the turtle hermit Muten Roshi.

Sweat trickled down Goku's forehead with every step he took. He'd been dragging that stone around since he found it the day before, only resting to eat and sleep.

Out of nowhere, a loud rumble was heard. The earth shook, The few animals around fled in terror, and Goku stopped dead in his tracks.

The young warrior knew that noise very well; it was the roar of a voracious beast capable of devouring everything in its path. It was unstoppable and insatiable.

It was his stomach.

Goku untied the rope from his torso and put his hands on his stomach. "I think it's time to eat," said the dark-haired boy as he walked away from his newest exercise tool.

"Hmmm, I haven't seen any animal big enough to fill my belly around here. Maybe there's a city nearby where I can get something to eat!"

After saying these words, Goku began searching in all directions for a settlement, a large animal, or anything that could fill his stomach.

He turned to his left and saw only sand.

He turned to his right and saw more sand.

He looked forward and saw even more sand.

He looked back and saw the giant rock he had left there.

Goku began searching everywhere. He climbed up onto the rock and searched from there, behind the rock, to the left, right, and underneath the rock as well, all while keeping one hand over his eyes to shield himself from the sun while his classic look of disbelief adorned his face.

In the end, he found... nothing.

Instead of giving up, Goku decided to search from a higher ground.

He bent his knees in preparation and jumped, rising at a speed greater than that of sound , soon getting close enough to the clouds to touch them. From that height, he could see hundreds of kilometers around him and soon noticed a vehicle a few dozen kilometers away from where he was .

"Hey !, Maybe the owner of that car knows where there's something to eat," he said excitedly as gravity brought him back to the ground.

In a few seconds, Goku returned to the ground, kicking up a large cloud of sand upon landing.

Without wasting any time he began running towards his goal, kicking up more sand in his wake.

°°°°°

Meanwhile, somewhere nearby...

Near a cream-colored RV , adorned with a pair of red and blue horizontal lines, stood a group of three people .

A red-haired girl with short hair was wearing a blue blouse with darker sleeves and a stylized cat head on the chest, white shorts that reached below her knees, and a pair of white sneakers.

Her name was Gwen Tennyson.

A burly, elderly man with short, bleached hair, wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned near the neck over a white T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and brown work boots, he was Max Tennyson.

The last member of the group was a large humanoid made entirely of blue crystals. He had four fingers on each hand, and his yellow eyes stood out from the rest of his crystalline body. He wore tight sleeveless overalls that were divided vertically into a black half on the right side and a white half on the left. On the left side of his chest, a circle with an hourglass symbol surrounded by a black color protruded, connecting to the right side of his suit at the back.

From his back, two pairs of pointed diamonds protruded, two large ones at the top and two small ones below them. It was Ben Tennyson in one of his multiple alien transformations.

At this moment, Gwen was relaxing in a pink folding chair next to the truck while her grandfather Max and her cousin Ben were in a makeshift training camp they had built with cans, wood, some rope, and whatever they could find.

Ben remained alert as his grandfather held the levers that operated the makeshift training room.

"Remember to aim. Be precise , strength isn't everything" said Grandpa Tennyson as he prepared to begin the training session.

"I know, I know, but IT IS a lot of fun Grandpa " said Ben as he turned his hands into sharp blades made of dozens of small diamonds.

Max pulled a lever and several cans were launched at Ben from his left. Reacting quickly, Ben pointed his arm toward the cans and fired several small diamonds, piercing each of his targets and stopping them in their tracks .

Pulling a lever and a string in succession, Grandpa deployed several targets behind Ben, who turned 180 degrees and fired with both arms, piercing each target in different places.

Ben took a few steps back and prepared for the next 'attack', which was a pile of cans flying directly at him from behind; in a show of skill, Ben hit the pile of cans with just one arm and without turning around completely.

He then shot at a cactus with an angry face drawn on it and a sign that says 'Alien' in red letters, splitting the cactus into three different parts. Out of nowhere, a trio of planks rose from the ground, but Ben approached them with a flip and executed another perfect shot.

His overconfidence became evident when he turned his arm back into a hand and blew into it like it was a gun.

This provoked annoyance from his cousin Gwen and a scolding from his grandfather.

"Focus Ben!" Max told his grandson.

"Calm down, Grandpa, I've got this covered " Ben said, admiring his diamond-like 'muscles'.

His carelessness caused a group of cans to barely miss him , managing to duck in time and then convert one hand into his projectile launcher mode, placing it on his shoulder and firing towards the cans.

This, unfortunately, caused him to not see the tire that was about to hit him head-on , by the time Ben saw it it was too late , the tire hit him full on and sent him flying before he could aim, causing him to shoot blindly.

Max had to duck to avoid being pierced by the projectiles, while Gwen threw herself to the ground for the same reason.

The diamonds ended up damaging several pieces of wood, Grandpa Max's RV, and also pierced a bottle of sunscreen Gwen had been using previously, causing the contents to spill onto her face, while she could only resign herself to her current situation.

After a few seconds of silence, Ben stood up.

"Hahaha," Ben laughed. "sorry, my bad" the young hero apologetically said.

Then the hourglass symbol began to flash red and an alarm began to sound. After mere moments, a red light covered Ben, only to dissi p ate after a few seconds, revealing his usual appearance.

In his human form, Ben was a 10-year-old boy with short brown hair and green eyes. He wore a white football shirt with a black vertical stripe down the middle, along the collar and sleeves, green pants with extra pockets, and white sneakers with black details.

But what stood out most about Ben was the watch-shaped device on his left wrist.

It was a dark gray cylinder that wrapped around his entire wrist, and in its center, a circle with a red hourglass symbol protruded. There were also four white tubes that connected one part of the watch to the center. It also had several buttons and other red details.

Max and Gwen came out of their hiding places and gave Ben a disapproving look, who tried to ignore them.

Before anyone could say anything, they were interrupted by a metallic screeching sound. The trio turned to see what made the noise and saw a boy a little taller than Gwen, holding one of the diamonds Ben had previously thrown in his hand.

Apparently, the sound was caused when he pulled the diamond out of the camper.

"Who's that?" Ben said as he and his family approached Goku. Who was distracted, staring at the diamond in his hand, so Gwen tried to get his attention.

"Uhh, excuse me, are you lost?" the redhead asked Goku, who stopped looking at the diamond and turned his attention to the girl.

"Huh?, no, I came to ask if you knew where I could get some food around here," Goku said with his typical goofy face.

The Tennyson trio exchanged a few worried glances, then Grandpa Max turned to Goku, saying,

"Haven't you eaten?" It was almost mid-day, ¿ Shouldn't he have already eaten? "Tell me, did you get separated from your family?"

Goku shook his head and said, "No, I don't have one of those . I just want to know where I can find food."

Grandpa could only muster a sympathetic expression at the boy's words. "He doesn't seem to be lying, but... what's an orphan doing so far from the city? He must be lost"   thought the old man.

"Why is that man looking at me weird? Maybe he's also hungry" Goku thought.

"We're heading to a nearby city. You can join us if you want. Besides, there's some extra food in the truck we can give you"

Grandpa Max said in an empathetic tone.

Goku's face lit up at the mention of food, "Really?! Thank you so much sir! Hehehe" he said excitedly as he entered the camper.

Upon entering the camper, the young black-haired man was amazed. He had never seen such a large vehicle. It had a table, beds, shelves, and a door that opened to reveal a small bathroom complete with a shower.

"Wow, this car has a lot of stuff," Goku said, surprised.

The Tennyson family began to get into the vehicle. Seeing Goku's expression, Ben asked, "Is this your first time in an RV?" The young martial artist was only surprised to hear the name of the vehicle .

"RV? Do you live here?" he asked.

Gwen replied, "Just for the summer. We're taking a trip across the country, also, you can call it the rustbucket"

Goku nodded as he looked around the RV. He had seen cars that turned into capsules, but never a car that was used as a home.

The slight growl of his stomach reminded him why he was there.

"Hey, where is the food?"

Grandpa Max sat in the driver's seat and, as he prepared to drive, said, "Gwen, please heat some of yesterday's leftovers in the microwave for the boy. They're in the fridge."

"Boy? Does he mean me?" the little boy thought.

"Sure, Grandpa," Gwen said as she walked to the fridge.

Ben, who was seated next to the table, decided to strike up a conversation with the guest.

"Hey, you don't mind if I ask your name, right?" he asked.

" Not at all , my name is Son Goku, but you can call me Goku," the black-haired boy replied happily.

"Nice to meet you, Goku, I'm Ben," he said as he extended his hand. Goku returned the gesture.

"My name is Gwen," the redhead said as she heated the leftovers.

"You can call me Mr. Tennyson," Grandpa said, keeping his attention on the road.

Goku nodded, making his best effort to memorize the names of the group.

Ben decided to continue the conversation.

"So, Goku, how did you end up in the middle of the desert? You got lost or something?"

Gwen thought about scolding her cousin for not even waiting for Goku to eat before starting to ask questions, but she was curious too.

"The nearest town is miles away, the nearest city even more, and he doesn't seem too tired or dehydrated. How exactly did he end up in the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, I guess I am a little lost. I was too concentrated on training, and before I knew it, I was too deep into the desert and couldn't find anything to eat!" Goku replied.

"Training?" Gwen and Ben thought.

Before they could ask other questions, the microwave alarm started going off, signaling that Goku's food was already hot.

Gwen took the bowl of noodles out of the microwave. Fortunately, Grandpa had eaten all the snails he originally had, so Goku wouldn't have to endure that abomination.

She placed the hot bowl of noodles on the table and said "Lunch is ready. Why don't you come sit down?" Goku nodded, and as he sat down, Gwen handed him a fork to eat. Then, she pushed Ben aside so she could sit opposite the dark-haired boy.

Ben and Gwen were sitting opposite Goku on a yellow armchair with orange stripes in front of a small rectangular wooden table. Goku was sitting on a similar armchair.

"Hey, you mentioned something about training earlier. What did you mean by that?" Gwen asked.

"Huh?" Goku said, confused. "Aw, I'm training for the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament, that's why I was in the desert!"

Ben and Gwen were confused when they heard this.

"Martial arts tournament?" Ben asked.

"I think I heard something about that in one of my Jiu-Jitsu classes, but I thought it was just rumors, so you're saying you want to participate?"

"Yeah!" Goku said before devouring all the noodles on the plate in the blink of an eye. The pair of cousins ​​could only watch in terror as this happened. When Goku finished, he let out a quick burp.

"Aaaaah, the noodles were delicious, As I was saying, I want to enter the next tournament because the last one had some really strong people, and I'm sure there will be even more in the next one."

Gwen was surprised by this. "Did you participate in the last tournament? I didn't know they let kids our age enter..." Gwen didn't know if the boy was lying or if the damn tournament wasn't as prestigious as she thought.

"What were you doing training in the middle of the desert? Shouldn't you be training in a dojo or something?" Ben asked.

"Dojo? That's where people usually learn martial arts, or at least that's what Krillin told me" Goku thought.

"No, after the last tournament, my sensei told me I should travel the world to get stronger."

Before anyone could question how irresponsible it was to send a child traveling alone around the world, the van started making strange noises and emitting smoke from the exhaust.

"That doesn't sound good," said Grandpa Max.

°°°°°

Meanwhile, at the makeshift training camp.

A tall, powerfully built figure stood in the middle of the mess Ben had made. He wore a full-body suit in various shades of silver. He had a black belt and shoulder pads with a green triangle drawn on them, as well as in the center of his face. In his left hand, he held a sort of pocket watch that flashed a light in front of its location, and in his right something resembling a lime-green crystalline tablet with black edges shaped like halved circles. Both hands had only four fingers.

"It seems to have been last activated here," his voice sounded somewhat echoey.

This individual was being closely observed by two others . One had four crab-like legs. His torso was human-like, as was his right arm. His left arm had a giant crab claw replacing his forearm. His head also had crab-like features. His entire body appeared to be mechanical, as its exterior was composed of a type of metal in various shades of gold, and he had a staff on his back.

The other individual was a purple humanoid wearing armor consisting of a helmet, breastplate, shoulder pads, boots, gloves, and a belt.

His armor was mostly black and gray but had purple bulges with black stripes on multiple parts of his body . His helmet had several pink lines marked on it, and on his back was a type of jetpack and a pair of swords.

Both of them watched the man in black from a raised rock.

Then, the purple humanoid spoke in a strange language, "wutan yiododoa," he said before using his jetpack to head to the training camp.

"I know, this planet is disgusting, it should be destroyed," said the golden crustacean in a robotic voice.

The man in silver saw something that caught his attention: a can pierced by a blue diamond that, according to the tracker in his left hand, radiated the same energy as the Omnitrix. He bent down to grab the can, but out of nowhere, a black claw controlled by a cable grabbed it first.

When he stood up, he saw that the claw had emerged from one of the purple bulges of the armored humanoid, who was now a few meters away from him. The latter brought the can closer to his face to get a better look, but the man in gray snatched it away from him.

They both took a few steps back, moving away from each other. Several black cables emerged from the purple humanoid's armor , while the man in silver and black grabbed the laser pistol on his belt.

" Purpile Yioto," warned the purple humanoid.

The crab robot approached the silver man and said, " starting a fight before finding the target doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Get in my way again and I'll be the last thing you'll do " said the first to arrive on the scene. The armored "man" stepped back and retracted his tentacles.

"Payoioku," said the latter, then he flew away.

Without another word, the silver humanoid dropped his weapon and walked away while the gold crab used its legs like a drill to dig a tunnel in the ground to use as transportation.

As he walked away, the gray-clad man nearly trips over a rope, activating one of Grandpa Max's targets. He quickly drew his weapon, and with a single blast of green energy, the entire training camp exploded. He then used the crystalline tablet he was carrying like a hoverboard to flee the area.

These men were the bounty hunters Tetrax, Kraab, and Sixsix; a trio of mercenaries hired to obtain the Omnitrix for their employer, the cruel Vilgax.

°°°°°

Back with the Tennysons and Goku...

Due to the rustbucket's malfunctions, the group detoured off the highway and stopped in a nearby town, filled with abandoned, weather-beaten houses, warehouses, and other buildings that were also in poor condition.

Right now, the four of them were standing outside the RV looking around. Ben was the first to speak. "Hmm, looks like no one's around."

"Is a ghost town," her cousin replied. "My map program tells me we're in Slaterville, incorporated in 1857 after the discovery of silver. Everyone left around the 1950s"

Goku looked at the redhead, impressed. "You're very smart Gwen! How do you know all that?"

Gwen was pleased with this comment. "About time someone recognizes it. It's just that some of us prefer to make the most of our time instead of spending hours playing video games." She said the last part while staring at Ben.

" SoME Of US pREfeR to mAkE tHe mOSt Of oUR tIMe ," Ben replied mockingly. He then stuck his tongue out at his cousin, who responded with the same gesture.

Goku didn't quite understand what was going on.

"Kids, stop fighting," said Grandpa Max as he checked the camper's engine. "Aha!, I found the problem," he told his grandchildren. "looks like we got a hole," he said as he showed them an engine hose pierced by a blue crystal.

Gwen looked at Ben in annoyance , and he just put a hand to the back of his head in embarrassment. "I-"

"What's that?" Goku interrupted.

"It's nothing , probably just some junk the mechanic left there during the last repair. I should be more careful next time" replied Grandpa Max, looking Ben in the eye for the last part. " I guess I'll have to fix it."

"I'll help you, Grandpa," said Ben.

"I think you've done enough, Ben. I'll fix it," his grandfather replied.

Ben felt a little guilty, while Gwen looked at him, satisfied with the work of karma.

"Fine... I think I'll check the place out," Gwen's face changed from happiness to horror, knowing the kind of trouble Ben could cause when he was alone. Grandpa looked up from the engine to his grandson, his expression as fearful as Gwen's. Goku just stared at them in confusion as Ben walked away.

"Gwen, maybe you should—" Grandpa said.

"Check to make sure he doesn't mess anything up? I'm on it. Come on, Goku, come with me," Gwen said as she followed her cousin.

"Hmmm, okey " Goku said. He needed a way to distract himself from his hunger anyway; those noodles had only been a snack for the boy.

Ben found himself in an old warehouse that was crossed by some railroad tracks. Upon entering, he noticed metal carts filled with rusty tools and other antiques.

"Speaking of old stuff, this place is full of junk!" he said as he examined a rusty key.

"Been, Beeen !" hearing his cousin's voice, Ben poked his head out and saw Gwen and Goku looking for him.

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" the black-haired man shouted and Gwen covered her ears to block out the noise.

"You don't have to shout, you know " Gwen said, somewhat irritated.

"Sorry," Goku apologized.

"Anyway, why don't you look for Ben in those houses while I look for him here?"

"If you say so," Goku replied, then headed to where Gwen had pointed while shouting " BEEEEEEEEEEN ! BEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Gwen just held her hand to her face while shaking her head. "Uggh," she complained.

She then continued the search for her cousin until a familiar noise distracted her , the sound of Ben transforming.

Following this noise, Gwen entered the same warehouse where Ben had been a moment ago.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the use of the Omnitrix revealed their location to the group of mercenaries, who began to approach their location individually.

"Where are you, Ben?" Gwen asked. When she didn't get an answer, she decided to go deeper into the warehouse. The place was filled with carts full of forgotten tools, machinery, and other containers. The only light came through the gaps in the boarded-up windows and the entrances.

Gwen looked around for her cousin, The overwhelming silence and lack of light in the warehouse beginning to frighten her.

She felt a chill run through her body and froze. A sinister laugh followed.

"Jujujajaja, What's wrong Gwen? Did you see a ghost, silly?"

A ghostly figure materialized in front of her as it said those words , it consisted of a gray humanoid that had a kind of tail instead of legs , their skin was covered by a black mark through which a purple eye moved freely , inside this slot was also the hourglass symbol, indicating that it was one of Ben's transformations.

"Huhuhuhuhuhu," Ben laughed again, seeing the expression on his cousin's face.

"Get over it, dumbass. You don't scare me," Gwen said, trying to sound tough .

A sudden tremor stopped the pair of cousins ​​from arguing. Everything in the warehouse began to shake, and the situation only got worse when a pile of dirt began hurtling toward the Tennysons.

Fortunately, Ben managed to move Gwen and himself out of the way before it hit them.

From the pile of dirt , the bounty hunter Kraab emerged . His head was retracted, forming a sort of helmet with his neck and skull. He approached Ben and Gwen, extending his head to fully reveal his crab-like features .

"But he does..." Gwen whispered to her cousin as the mercenary quickly approached.

"No problem, I'll take care of him," Ben said in a ghostly voice before levitating to be face-to-face with his attacker.

His single eye moved across the black stripe that ran across his body as he analyzed his opponent, "Oh god, you're ugly."

"Give me the Omnitrix and I promise you won't suffer too much," he said in a robotic voice.

"In your dreeeeeeeeeeaaaams, crab" Ben's eye moved to look at Gwen behind his back.

"What are is he talking about?" his cousin asked.

"Why do you think an alien would chase you? He wants the watch Einstain" Gwen said, somewhat annoyed.

Sometimes she doubted they were actually related.

"You don't have to be arrogant, Miss Know-It-All," her eye rolled back into its head. "Sorry, crab. The watch and I are stuck together."

"Not for long," Kraab replied as he opened and closed his large metal claw.

"You have no idea who you're messing with", Ben stared at his opponent.

"I was about to say the same", Kraab maintained eye contact with Ben.

"Oh yeah? Tell me, have you seen this trick? Now you see me... now you don't" Ben said as his body became transparent until it disappeared completely, leaving Gwen completely exposed in front of the mercenary.

She laughed nervously before running away.

Kraab began to look around carefully, knowing that an attack could come from any direction.

With the enhanced vision that his cybernetic enhancements gave him, he began searching for Ben's heat signature. The precaution proved unnecessary as the boy appeared in the most predictable place: his back.

The mercenary turned his head 180 degrees like an owl and saw Ben in a semi-transparent state. He was about to attack when the crab turned.

"You're arrogant and foolish at the same time."

He turned the rest of his body and extended his claw as he opened it, revealing a cannon at its base that fired a brown liquid at Ben, causing him to become tangible again.

"What? What is this?" asked confused the young Tennyson.

"Your protoplasm is solidified, making my job easier", Kraab slammed Ben with his clawless hand, sending him flying into a dumpster.

"Oof," Ben groaned as he fell to the ground.

He didn't have time to get up as Kraab tried to crush him with one of his crab legs. Ben dodged to the right and launched himself at the cyborg, but the crab sent him flying with a swipe of its large claw.

Ben slammed into the wall hard and Gwen ran to his side. She helped him up while Ben caught his breath, but Kraab wasn't about to give them a break.

The crab popped out of the ground right in front of them and aimed his open claw at them, energy charging into its cannon.

Ben and Gwen didn't have time to react... but someone else did.

" Haaaaa !"

With a battle cry, Son Goku launched himself at the mercenary, landing a flying kick that sent him flying through the warehouse wall and rolling in the sand.

The warehouse began to shake after this. The old structure had already been damaged by the fight , and that blow completely destabilized it.

Putting their surprise aside, Gwen and Ben stood up. "The building is going to collapse. We have to get out of here." Ben levitated out of the building while Gwen and Goku ran to the exit.

After the three of them left, the building finally collapsed on itself , raising a large cloud of dust.

Through the dust, a red light flickered until it flashed brightly, then went out.

When the dust cleared, Goku saw that Ben was now with them.

"Hey Ben, where were you? Didn't you see a ghost around here? It was here a moment ago, right Gwen?"

" Uuuuuhhh , nope, not at all, did you see a ghost?" Ben lied.

"Questions for later, let's get out of here before that thing gets up," Gwen said.

Ben and Gwen started running toward the truck while Goku easily kept up. "Where did that weird crab come from? I wonder if there are more around here , maybe they'll taste good" Goku thought to himself while the Tennyson cousins ​​argued in whispers.

"Gwen, did you see what he did back there? That crab was beating me up, and he knocked him down like it was nothing."

"I did. He wasn't joking about the martial arts tournament."

"Yeah"

Grandpa Max had finished the repairs when he saw the children approaching. "What's wrong, kids?" Gwen was about to answer before remembering Goku was with them, so she changed her response slightly.

"A giant crustacean came out of the ground and attacked us", explained the redhead.

"Crustacean?" the black-haired boy wondered, not knowing what that meant.

Before Goku could ask what crustacean meant, Ben started talking. "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll become-" Gwen interrupted Ben with an elbow to the ribs.

"Hey, why-" Gwen pointed to Goku, who was looking at them in confusion.

Grandpa Max intervened before Ben could finish talking. "The truck is ready, let's get out of here."

"But Grandpa-" Before Ben could complain, Max and Gwen quickly boarded the truck, leaving him alone with Goku.

"What did you mean by turning, Ben?"

"...nothing, it was nothing" Ben got into the truck, leaving Goku behind.

"Hmmm?" Goku was still confused.

°°°°°

Moments later...

The RV was back on the road. Inside, Ben and Gwen were sitting around the table while Grandpa drove and Goku was browsing around.

Gwen was using her laptop while Ben played with the watch.

"Okay, I found something, apparently the World Martial Arts Tournament is a competition held every three years. The winner is named the tournament champion and awarded the title of 'strongest under th heavens' along with a large sum of money."

"'The strongest under the heavens? That title sounds awesome! I wonder if they accept aliens."

"Don't get too excited, Ben, It's forbidden to use anything other than your body or something produced by it" What does he mean by that? "Anyway, you're also not allowed to kill your opponent, and anyone who falls off the platform loses, but other than that, it's a free-for-all. There isn't much information out there other than that, and the fact that it's held on an island between China and Japan called... Papaya Island?"

"Haha," Ben snorted at the name of the place. "Papaya Island? Really?"

Gwen nodded without taking her eyes off her monitor. "I admit it's a weird name. Wait, I found something else. The last tournament was held a few months ago, and the winner was a guy named Jackie Chun. There aren't any recordings of the fights, but look, I found some pictures"

Ben approached his cousin to view the images displayed on the monitor. The first was a set of eight photographs of different people under the title "21st Tournament Finalists." Each one showed a person with their name below.

The first was of a young man with short black hair, a red bandana on his forehead, a green robe with red details and the kanji for 'Raku' written in red in a white circle in the center of the chest, orange shorts, a white belt, blue boots with red details, purple armbands with red edges, as well as an orange scarf around his neck.

Below the photo was the name Yamcha.

The second image showed a Hindu man with a red dot on his forehead and his head covered by a turban. He was wearing an orange robe with a red blanket on one shoulder, both held by a blue belt. He also had no footwear.

The photo showed the name "Nam."

In another photograph, a type of bipedal pterodactyl could be seen. It had yellow eyes and a horn on the tip of its nose. Most of its body was green except for its back, the area behind its small wings, above its eyes, and a fin on its forehead, which was blue. However, the most prominent feature of the dinosaur was its large belly.

Its name was 'Giran'.

Another image showed a woman with voluptuous purple afro-like hair. She had a mole on the left side of her lips and wore a blue blouse, green pants, and red sneakers.

The name 'Ranfan' was displayed in the photo.

The fifth photo showed a large man with a physique similar to that of a juice wrestler. His appearance seemed like that of a homeless person. His hair reached his neck and he also looked dirty and greasy. His body was covered in hair, and his beard looked as bad as his hair. He wore green underwear, boots, and a pair of bands on his elbows of the same color. The photo referred to him as ' Bacterian '.

The next photo showed a bald boy with six marks on his forehead, large eyebrows, and no apparent nose. He was wearing an orange gi with the kanji for turtle in a white circle on the left side of his chest, blue shoes and wristbands, and a black belt.

The name "Krillin" was displayed at the bottom.

The second-to-last photo showed an old man with a full head of gray hair that contrasted with his white beard. He was wearing a black Chinese jacket with white trim in the center and on the sleeves, black pants with white trim at the end of the leg, and white shoes. Looking closely, he appeared to be wearing a wig.

His name was "Jackie Chun."

In the last photo, Goku could be seen wearing an outfit identical to Krillin's, but something stood out a bit more.

"Hey Gwen, do you see that thing in Goku's back too?"

"Yeah, it looks like... a tail?"

The RV swerved sharply to the left before Max quickly stabilized it. Gwen's laptop would have gone flying if she hadn't managed to catch it midair while grabbing the table. The same couldn't be said for Ben, who ended up hitting the floorboards of the camper, or Goku, who hit his head on the bathroom door.

As Ben stood up and Goku rubbed his head, Gwen turned to her grandfather. "Did something happen, Grandpa?" she asked in a worried tone . Max was gripping the steering wheel tightly as he began to sweat coldly, his face showing a look of terror.

Luckily for him, no one had the angle to notice.

"...Grandpa?"

"No-it's nothing, Gwen, just a bump in the road..."

"That didn't feel like a-"

Gwen was interrupted when a red energy beam pierced the roof of the rustbucket. The attacker withdrew the beam and then finished opening the hole with his bare hands, opening the roof to reveal Sixsix, the mercenary who doesn't speak Spanish or English. He reached out to grab Ben, who barely had time to duck out of his reach.

"Who's that?!" Gwen exclaimed.

"I don't know!" her cousin replied.

With a leap, Goku burst through the hole made by the mercenary, headbutting him in the skull in the process. Sixsix stood up and stared at Goku. The young martial artist adopted a combat stance while the bounty hunter deployed a pair of missile launchers from his wrists and aimed at Goku. They were both on opposite sides of the camper, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Sixsix launched four projectiles at Goku, who waited until the last moment to jump, kicking one of them in the direction of the others. The small missiles collided with each other , creating an explosion that launched the young warrior.

Using his momentum, Goku closed the distance between himself and Sixsix, connecting with a knee to the pit of the latter's stomach. Sixsix tried to counterattack with a laser weapon on his wrist , but before he could fire, Goku touched the roof of the camper and launched himself off it, jumping to Sixsix's face.

The dark-haired boy continued his assault with a combination of punches to the face. The mercenary was helpless as the rain of fists rained down on him.

Finally, Goku connected with an uppercut to the mercenary's jaw, cracking his helmet and sending him flying in front of the truck.

Grandpa Max, who was trying to control the vehicle during the fight, took advantage of the opportunity and ran over Sixsix, things calmed down for a moment, until Goku saw the road break up while something passing underneath it quickly approached the camper.

"Something's coming!" the black-haired man shouted as he prepared to fight again.

The Tennyson family looked out the window and saw what he was referring to. "It's that crab again " Gwen said in surprise.

Ben looked at his watch and saw that it was still charging. He pressed the button several times, trying to get it to work, but to no avail.

"Come on, come on, WORK!" he said in frustration.

Max got back behind the wheel and pressed the accelerator. Goku, who was still on the roof, lost his balance and began to roll down.

Fortunately, he managed to grab onto the hole Six-six had previously made and thus avoid falling out of the truck. He could hear whatever was chasing them approaching rapidly, but something else was getting closer. It sounded like a-

"Watch out!" Goku warned the group as he realized that a missile from Sixsix was coming straight for them. Hearing the warning, Grandpa Max moved the truck to the side, causing the missile to fly past them and explode a few meters ahead.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Sixsix activated his boosters and quickly closed the distance between himself and his prey. The two mercenaries were now neck and neck, meters behind the RV.

Goku stood up and headed to the back of the roof. When he had the two mercenaries in front of him and saw how close they were to each other, an idea came to him.

He spread his feet, taking a firm stance , and brought both hands to his waist.

"KA..." A small blue ball of energy formed between his palms; Sixsix tried to fire at it, but his wrist guards were damaged.

"ME..." The ball grew larger and began to glow brighter. Inside the camper, the Tennysons could see a glow forming.

"HA..." The sphere grew larger, completely filling the space between his palms. Both mercenaries moved closer to the vehicle.

"ME..." The energy shone brightly, emitting distinct rays of light that filtered through Goku's fingers. Ben and Gwen looked out the window at Goku.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Goku brought his hands out in front of him, firing all the gathered energy into a large blue beam. The momentum of the attack nearly sent Goku flying, but he resisted it and remained on the roof.

Sixsix was unable to move out of the way of the Kamehameha and was hit by the attack, as was Kraab, who didn't even realize the danger until it was too late. There was an explosion where the pair of mercenaries were standing as the RV sped away thanks to the Kamehameha's momentum.

The energy coming out of Goku slowly stopped, and when he finished, he lowered his arms. The roof of the truck had some damage, like the two dents with the marks of Goku's feet, but nothing worse than the hole Sixsix had made.

Goku jumped into the truck through said hole. After landing, he shook off some of the dirt from his clothes and turned to look at the Tennysons, who looked at him in amazement at what he had just done. Or at least that was the case with Ben and Gwen. Grandpa Max was surprised for different reasons.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Goku ran his hands over his face, trying to get rid of whatever it was.

Ben tried to say something but was interrupted when the RV slammed to a stop. The kids went to see what was happening and noticed a large blue diamond wall in front of the truck. "That wasn't there before," Gwen said.

"Hey, is it me, or does that look like-"

Ben was interrupted again when the camper door was opened and a smoke bomb was thrown inside. Smoke quickly filled the area as everyone covered their mouths and noses with their hands to avoid inhaling it. They tried to get out of the truck, but at the door they ran into Tetrax, the silver-clad mercenary. He grabbed Ben by the wrist and threw him out of the vehicle.

Ben rolled on the ground for a few feet before stopping, but before he could stand up, Tetrax grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Millions of people on this planet, and the Omnitrix falls into the hands of a child " the mercenary said, holding Ben up to his face.

"I already told your friend the crab that I can't take it off. I already tried."

"Of course not. It uses alien DNA for the transformation, changing the user biology on a molecular level , it can't be removed as it was a mere accessory!"

Ben used the mercenary's monologue to transform. An intense green light surrounded his body, and when he disappeared, Ben was no longer human.

He was Diamondhead.

Tetrax released the Omnitrix wielder, who took the opportunity to transform both of his hands into large diamond blades. He tried to attack the mercenary with them, but he easily dodged them.

Ben attacked from the left, Tetrax ducked to avoid him , Ben continued to the right, and the mercenary simply stepped to the side, letting Ben.

The young hero almost tripped under his own momentum but managed to stabilize himself, only to be swept away by Tetrax, falling face-first into the sand.

Tetrax placed a foot on Ben's back, pushing him to the ground. "Your idea of ​​a warrior is based solely on brute force, without thinking about strategy." He put more pressure on Ben, "Do you at least stop to analyze your actions? Put at least a SECOND of your time into making a strategy?"

The pressure eased for a moment, and Ben pushed himself off the ground, managing to throw Tetrax off of him. Tetrax wasn't affected much and simply waited for Ben to get back on his feet.

"I always focus on strength, and I always win!" Ben complained to Tetrax.

"Then why are you losing?" the mercenary replied.

"Let me correct that!", Ben lunged at his opponent again.

While this was happening, Max and Gwen were just recovering from the smoke attack. They had left shortly after Ben transformed, but the little smoke they inhaled momentarily incapacitated them. Goku had left a little before them but wasn't too affected by the smoke.

They watched as Diamonhead was easily handled by Tetrax.

"Ben!" Gwen shouted as she began to approach her cousin, accompanied by her grandfather, but Goku stood in front of them to stop them.

"Wait," the young martial artist told them. Max's distrust was evident on his face as he stood between the black-haired boy and his granddaughter.

"What are you doing, Goku?" Gwen asked.

Goku turned to watch the fight and watched as Ben clumsily attacked Tetrax while the latter simply dodged his attacks.

"I don't think Ben is really in danger."

"What do you mean? Can't you see he's getting his ass beaten?" Gwen demanded.

"Look closely, Gwen. If that guy wanted to, he would have finished Ben a while ago."

Grandpa and Gwen turned their gaze back to the fight. Tetrax was standing, blocking Ben's attacks with just one hand. An attack to his face was deflected with a slap, a blow to his side was redirected to the ground, and Ben fell back to the ground .

Tetrax shook his head in disappointment and stood in front of Ben, who was trying to get up. "The Omnitrix isn't a toy for children. It's the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, the key to a battle between good and evil that has plagued this universe for decades!"

"And whose side are you on?" Ben replied as he stood up.

"You're still alive, aren't you? What does that tell you?"

"So you're one of the good guys?" Ben was somewhat confused.

" My duty is to recover the Omnitrix at all costs, and since you're stuck to it," Tetrax pointed at Ben, "I'll take you to have it removed."

Ben swatted Tetrax's hand aside. "Oh no, I'm not going anywhere with you," Ben said, trying to intimidate the mercenary.

"It's not your decision."

"I think it is!" Ben lunged at Tetrax, who fell to the ground with Ben on top of him, causing him to drop his hoverboard.

Tetrax grabbed Ben by the face and threw him aside. Then he stood up and walked over to him.

"It's irritating how little you know about alien abilities and weaknesses. You are wasting their potential"

"Is that so? And what makes you such an expert on Diamondhead?" Ben demanded.

Tetrax's helmet and gloves retracted into the rest of his suit, revealing an appearance identical to Diamondhead.

"You...you're just like me," the young hero said in surprise.

"No, I'm a warrior," Tetrax pointed at Ben. "You're an impulsive child."

The clock began to flash red, and Ben had suddenly reverted to his human form.

"We've already wasted enough time," Tetrax grabbed Ben's shirt, ignoring his tries to break free.

"Let me go!" the boy shouted, but was ignored. Tetrax went to pick up his hoverboard, but Goku stood in his way while Grandpa and Gwen grabbed the board.

"Stay back, kid," he warned Goku.

"I don't quite understand what this is about, but Ben already told you he doesn't want to go with you. You better let him go," Goku said in a warning tone.

The two warriors looked at each other. Tetrax had seen the way the boy took care of Sixsix and Kraab. It was obvious he wasn't a normal person, a direct confrontation may end up badly , besides .

He didn't like that black eyes and wild hair at all.

Tetrax released Ben, who moved away from him as soon as he touched the ground, "very well, I'll let you go on one condition, prove to me that you are capable of protecting the Omnitrix."

Ben looked at his grandfather, who nodded his approval. Gwen asked, "And if he doesn't make it?"

"Then he'll come with me, whether he wants to or not."

"Sounds like a good deal to me," Goku interrupted.

"Okay, I accept," Ben said.

"Fine, once the watch charges, I'll let you choose the alien you want, but after that..." Tetrax turned one of his hands into a diamond blade, "...I won't hold back."

Goku, Gwen, and Max moved away from Ben and Tetrax to give them room to fight. Ben seemed a little nervous, waiting for the watch to finish charging. Tetrax keep his eyes on Ben the whole time.

"You can do it, Ben!" Gwen shouted.

"Remember what we practiced!" Max advised.

"Go for it!" Goku shouted.

Finally, the Omnitrix changed from red to green, indicating that the recharge period had ended. Ben selected four arms, ready to kick that cocky ass, but he stopped before activating the transformation.

Grandpa's and Tetrax's words echoed in his mind, "It's not just about brutality, strength isn't everything" "Your idea of ​​a warrior is based only on brute force, ignoring strategy."

With a new plan in mind , Ben changed the selected alien and activated the watch.

A green glow illuminated the battlefield for a few moments. When it disappeared, it revealed that Ben now had the appearance of a giant insect.

His white torso was long and slender, with horizontal black stripes and something that resembled a large stinger at the end of it. He had six limbs: four green legs with which he stood, and a pair of green arms with black hands. On the forehead of his ugly face rested the Omnitrix, and around it sprouted four slug-like eyes. They were green with yellow tips, and on his back sprouted a pair of green wings.

"Stinkfly?" Gwen doubted her cousin's choice.

"I'm sure Ben has a plan, trust him" Max replied.

"If you say so, Grandpa..."

Ben took flight, moving away from Tetrax as he began firing diamonds in his direction. The young hero dodged the shots while circling his opponent. Ben began his counterattack by firing several globs of green slime from his eyes. Tetrax nimbly dodged them, maintaining a constant movement and causing all the projectiles to hit the ground.

Ben stopped abruptly, flying statically while Tetrax continued firing. In response, Tetrax stopped firing and, after dodging a projectile with a flip, placed his hand on the ground, causing a large diamond platform to emerge and reach Ben's height.

Tetrax ran to the end of the platform and jumped, lunging at Ben, who barely had time to gain height to avoid the blow. However, Tetrax managed to grab onto one of Stinkfly's legs with one hand, but before he could take advantage of the opportunity, Ben dived into the platform Tetrax had created.

Stinkfly tried to slam Tetrax into his own platform, but he managed to land on his feet and threw Stinkfly onto the diamond floor without letting go of his leg. Ben tried to cover himself with his arms to minimize the damage ant then an idea occurred to him.

A spit of slime hit the supposed mercenary's feet, pinning him to the spot he was standing in.

Tetrax was surprised by the attack, which gave Ben the opportunity to break free from his grasp and move away while shooting more slime at Tetrax, hitting his chest, arms, and legs, making it nearly impossible for him to move.

Tetrax used all his strength to try to get away from the slime, but it wouldn't budge. The situation only got worse for him when even more slime hit him. Ben was flying in circles around him while firing a burst of projectiles that ended up completely covering Tetrax's body, except for his head.

"Do you give up?" Ben asked in a somewhat high-pitched voice.

Tetrax turned his hands into blades, cutting his bonds and freeing himself.

"I guess that's a no."

Ben quickly moved away from Tetrax, and the exchange of projectiles resumed, but this time Ben's aim seemed to have worsened. Tetrax didn't even need to evade his shots; they were all hitting the platform without even touching him. Soon, most of it was covered in slime.

By the time Tetrax realized Ben's plan, it was too late. He was completely surrounded by slime. But then he saw an opportunity. Stinkfly was coming straight for him in an attempt to end the fight, and he wouldn't waste the opening.

Tetrax jumped at Ben, trying to connect a punch to his face but at the last moment, the Omnitrix wielder did a somersault in the air, avoiding Tetrax's blow and gaining momentum to crash his stinger into Tetrax's back, burying it in the diamond surface.

Tetrax slowly got up, sore from the blow; Ben's watch began to flash red, and in an instant, he returned to human form.

"So... I won?" Ben asked.

"I admit I underestimated you, kid. It seems you can think."

"Uhhh, thanks? So will you let me stay on earth?"

"For now, but we'll meet again."

Without another word, Tetrax walked around avoiding the green slime. With some effort, he reached the edge of the platform and jumped off, kicking up a pile of sand as he landed on the ground. Ben followed Tetrax's path and reached the edge.

"Hey! How am I supposed to get down from here?" the boy yelled.

Tetrax approached Gwen and held out his hand, asking for his board. With some hesitation, she handed the vehicle to Tetrax, who turned around and skillfully threw it to Ben.

Ben managed to catch the board, observed it for a moment, and accidentally activated it, causing it to return to its original size.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Ben.

Ben placed the board next to him and stood on it. He tried activating it in various ways. He tried commanding it forward with his voice, but it didn't work; he tried pointing it where to go, but it didn't work; finally, he tried steering it with his own weight, and this turned out to be the right way.

The board moved quickly through the air. Ben swung to the right and the board went that way. He tried it with his left and got the same result. Then, he dived down, feeling the wind on his face, and he couldn't stop smiling at the experience.

He may have done a couple of loops in the air, but that was not here or there.

Finally, he stopped, got off the board, and tried to hand it to Tetrax, but he rejected it.

"Keep it, it might be useful."

"Really? Awesome! Hahaha," Ben celebrated.

Tetrax reactivated his helmet and gloves, covering his entire body. He began to walk away from the group but stopped and turned to look at Ben.

"More people will come for the Omnitrix, increasingly ruthless and powerful. You must protect it at all costs," Tetrax said seriously.

"Don't worry, when they come, I'll kick their asses. Trust me," Ben said, slapping his hand, showing determination.

"And when Ben gets complacent and screws everything up, we'll be there to help him," Gwen said, trying to annoy her cousin.

"I'll take your word for it," Tetrax turned to glance at Goku before continuing. "You have some good allies, kid. Don't waste them, and make sure to protect the Omnitrix!"

With that, he went on his way, leaving the group alone. They remained silent for a few seconds until Goku spoke.

"Hey, so if you're going to take me to that city you said you would? I'm still hungry."

"Forget about food!" Ben said.

"But I'm hungry."

Ben ignored Goku's response and continued talking. "How did you kick the crab like that? Where did you learn to do jumps like the one you did in the truck? And how did you throw that super cool beam on the roof?" Ben asked, getting more excited with each question.

"Super cool beam? Do you mean the Kamehameha? I learned that from Master Roshi."

"And what about-" Ben was interrupted when his grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you continue with the questions in the truck?" Grandpa Max said.

"...Yeah, let's get out of here. I'm tired of all the sand," Ben replied.

The group got into the truck and continued driving a few moments later, although Max had to go around the wall Tetrax had made.

°°°°°

Somewhere not far away

Sixsix and Kraab lay on the ground. Sixsix's armor was cracked and falling apart, revealing some gray skin. Kraab's exoskeleton was dented and showed several cracks , sparks were flying from his body, indicating the deteriorating condition of his robotic parts.

Goku's attack had dragged them several kilometers across the ground, leaving a deep trail and a large crater where they ended up. Sixsix was lying face down, unconscious, while Kraab lay on his back on top of him.

Kraab heard something walking toward them, and when he finally gathered the strength to look, he found Tetrax, holding a device in which a blue cube was spinning freely.

Kraab looked at Tetrax for a moment, then at the cube, and then a few sparks flew from the base of his head; the cyborg had only one thing to say about the situation he found himself in.

"I hate this planet..."

Tetrax activated the device and the cube was fired, increasing in size until it completely covered Kraab and the unconscious Sixsix, absorbing them and returning to its original size.

Tetrax picked up the cube and pressed a series of buttons on his belt.

He was surrounded by a red light and disappeared, leaving the planet.

°°°°°

Meanwhile in Space

Above Earth's atmosphere, a large spaceship was located. It had distinct glowing red patches that looked like lava. It had two large rectangular sections separated from each other, making up the majority of the ship. Red rays emerged between these two sections. Connected to these was the command center, from which a kind of tower protruded, possibly for navigation purposes. Behind the command center, a pair of bars emerged that formed a sort of square, but instead of connecting, these contained a sort of red orb that glowed brightly.

Inside this ship, there was a crystalline tube surrounded by various machines and controls of unknown purpose. In front of the tube, there was a corridor that allowed easy access.

Inside the cylinder was a mutilated alien. His right arm and leg were gone, and his left counterparts were severely injured, especially the left leg, which was more of a stump. The alien was a green humanoid with an octopus head, floating in a red liquid and connected to several tubes and a respirator, while small robots repaired its body.

One of his servants approached him. The servant was a humanoid with three fingers. He wore black overalls on his legs and hands , but orange on the rest of his body.

He wore a black backpack with red stripes that glowed with energy. His head was covered by a kind of black helmet with a sort of antenna protruding from the back, and three pairs of yellow circles spread parallel across his face.

"Master Vilgax, the radar indicates that the three mercenaries have left the planet, none of them in possession of the Omnitrix," the servant said in an almost artificial voice.

"Useless scum.. no matter, whoever possesses the Omnitrix is ​​a brutal and intelligent person, but he cannot deny me my right. The Omnitrix will be mine, then the universe will belong to me, not to that damned Frieza ..."

That name sent chills down the servant's spine, and although Vilgax didn't want to admit it, a lump formed in his throat when he said that name.

°°°°°

Back in the RV

The Tennysons and Goku had arrived in the city after a while of driving . Along the way, Ben hadn't stopped asking questions to Goku, who answered them as best he could while Gwen listened curiously.

"So you're traveling around the world for that tournament in three years, and that's why you were alone when you found us," Gwen summarized.

Goku nodded in response, looking a little tired from lack of food.

"And aren't your parents worried?" asked the redhead.

"I already told you I don't have parents. My grandfather found me in the mountains when I was little, but he's passed away."

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Gwen hoped she hadn't upset Goku, but he wasn't too affected.

He knew his Grandpa Gohan was in a better place because he told him so himself.

"No problem.

aftermthat I met my friend Bulma and made a lot more friends. I can't wait to see you in the next tournament!" Goku smiled from ear to ear at the thought of reuniting with his friends. He couldn't wait to see how strong they would become!

Ben was surprised by Goku's good attitude despite having lost someone so close to him. Time had probably helped him heal, but even so, Ben didn't know what he would do if something happened to his grandpa.

That boy was a mystery. He came out of nowhere, ate a huge portion of noodles, kicked some aliens' butts, shot laser beams, and said he was basically homeless . Not to mention that weird photo of him with a monkey tail, which Goku himself said was real, even though it was ripped off .

And he thought his life was weird...

"If he says he's going to be wandering around until the next tournament, then maybe..." an idea had formed in Ben's head.

"So... you don't have anywhere to go right?" Ben asked.

"BEN!" Gwen found her cousin's question somewhat insensitive.

"Well, I don't think so. I'm just going to train for the next three years, I'll just sleep in trees or something"

"Perfect! So why don't you come with us?" Ben suggested.

"Huh?"

"Think about it, we're going to be visiting the whole country, so you'd still be traveling. Plus, between you and me, we'd be kicking twice as much ass," Ben said with a smile.

"Ben—" Gwen tried to interfere, but her cousin interrupted her.

"Come on, Gwen, he already figured out about the clock. Besides, with Goku on our side, we'd be unstoppable!" Ben seemed excited at the thought of the kung-fu-slinging, laser-shooting monkey boy joining them on their summer trip.

Gwen realized something. "Hey Goku, how did you realize Ben was those aliens? Oh, it must have been when you saw him detransform from Ghostfreak in the warehouse!" Gwen concluded.

"Huh? I knew when you yelled 'Ben' during the fight between the Diamond Guy and the other Diamond Guy, who turned out to be Ben... hey, what's a Ghostfreak? Is it like a ghost pervert?"

"...I'll explain you later." Gwen still wasn't sure if all kids were that dumb or if it was just these two.

"Ben, I don't doubt Goku could help us a lot, but didn't you forget to ask someone's permission before inviting him?"

It took Ben a few seconds to realize who his cousin was talking about.

"Of course, Grandpa! I'll ask him as soon as we stop."

Obviously, Grandpa Max had overheard their conversation while driving, and he was seriously questioning whether it was really a good idea.

"Messy hair, a monkey tail, there's no doubt about it, this kid is a Saiyan, but... why is he behaving this way? Does he even know what he is? at his age he should have already started his conquest"

"His race was known as ruthless and bloodthirsty conquerors since childhood, but he doesn't display any of those characteristics. He also defended us from those mercenaries on the highway and saved Ben and Gwen in that ghost town."

"I don't think he's lying to gain our trust. If that were the case, he would have attacked while the clock was recharging... I know he hasn't given me reason to distrust him, but..."

"... can a good-hearted Saiyan really exist?" Memories of past battles flooded Max's mind, accompanied by the roar of an Ozaru.

G randpa stopped the truck next to a f ast food restaurant as his memories shifted to the present day, he remembered how Goku jumped to defend them without a second thought and how he got between Tetrax and his board when he wanted to take Ben.

"Maybe I'm making a big mistake, but..."

Max took off his seatbelt and approached the door.

"Looks like we're finally there," Gwen said.

"Okay, here I go," Ben said, motivating himself.

Ben approached his grandfather somewhat shyly, something that didn't go unnoticed by the veteran plumber.

"What's up, Ben?" Max asked, still knowing what Ben was going to ask.

"Grandpa... do you think Goku can join us for the rest of the summer? I know you wanted this to be a family trip , but with all the killer robots, freaks, and space bounty hunters, maybe we could use an extra hand." Ben knew it was only half true, but it was a better excuse than "because he does cool stuff."

Max remained silent for a moment , then looked at Gwen and asked, "What do you think, Gwen?" Ben clasped his hands together, praying that his cousin wouldn't ruin this opportunity.

Gwen thought for a moment and then replied, "Ben's right. An extra pair of hands would be nice, and I know we've only known him for a day, but he thinks we can trust Goku. Call it a feeling."

Ben thanked the heavens for his cousin's response, though he forgot that someone besides his grandfather hadn't yet responded.

Max looked at Goku, one of the few survivors of a mass extinction, an individual genetically engineered for battle, the son of conquerors... the boy who protected them. He stared into her eyes and asked, "What do you think, Goku? Do you want to come with us?"

Ben stopped his celebration; he had forgotten that Goku hadn't yet accepted his proposal. Goku put his hand to his chin, the Tennysons seemed like nice people but he needed to train for the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

Goku looked at Ben and checked his watch. From what he understood, that thing allows him to change forms like his friend Oolong, with a time limit and everything, except Ben gains different abilities depending on which form he chooses . An idea formed in Goku's head.

"All right, I'll come with you if Ben agrees to help me train with his transformations," Goku said, punching the palm of his hand with his fist.

"Good boy or not, he's still a Saiyan..." Max thought.

"I accept! But don't get upset when I beat you," Ben said.

"So he's going to help us fight and on top of that, kick Ben's ass? That's the offer of the year, Grandpa!" Gwen mocked.

"Okay, it's decided. Goku can come with us on the condition that he gets his own food; he can get everything else from the camper."

Ben and Gwen would have been more excited by the news if it weren't for that strange condition.

"Why can't Grandpa eat your food?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ben added.

Max gave a half-truth answer, "I only brought food for the three of us, and feeding another person for three months isn't in my budget, but just for today, I'm paying for the burgers." "The truth is, my savings account wouldn't survive having to feed a Saiyan.", Max kept the actual reason for himself.

Neither of the cousins ​​was entirely convinced by that explanation, but Goku spoke up before they could say anything.

"Don't worry, guys. I know very well how to hunt for my own food, and I also have some money. Look!" Goku pulled a piece of cloth tied into a bag from his clothes and opened it to reveal several crumpled bills and various coins. There were different types of coins: dollars, yen, pesos, and even small diamonds.

"Sometimes when I help people, they gave me money as thanks. I usually said no, but some insisted a lot, and I en ded up accepting," Goku explained.

Then he put the bag away while Ben approached Gwen to whisper something.

"Hey Gwen, how much money was that?"

"Quite a bit," she replied.

Ben approached Goku and hugged him with his arm as they walked out of the van, with Gwen following them.

"Okay, it'll be you and me against the bad guys, Ben and Goku, the best superheroes in the world!" Ben shouted excitedly.

Goku only responded with a laugh.

This was the day the greatest hero met the boy that would one day surpass the divine, and the beginning of their adventures.