Dark Light Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Ben 10 parody: Tier 1

Dark Light

Ben is an anodite, who continued to fall further and further in his cousin's shadow. Things change and the two follow different paths, Gwen might be the White Knight, but Ben has become the Dark King. Sometimes bad guys are the best good guys you can get.

Chapter 1 Missing Max

Loud crashes could be heard outside, a female tetramand was tearing through giant stone beasts. Inside, Ben Tennyson was drinking at a bar, he was dressed in a black hoodie with a green underside, on his wrist was a bracelet with a red charm on it. He was wearing dark slacks with a green wolf stitched into them, he had a belt with the charms of bezel on it. On his hip was a strange bag with Green and Blue button eyes and a zipper for a mouth.

“I’m calling the police!” the bartender shouted.

“Don’t bother, she kinda is the police.” he took a drink as the door was smashed through, the female Tetramand was holding one of his stone creatures by the throat. “Hello, Cousin...”

“Ben Tennyson, you are coming with me!” Ben didn’t even move, just swirled his drink making the ice clink in the half-empty glass. She dropped his stone creature and it shattered.

“I don’t think so,” he downed the rest of his drink. “Hey pops, another!” the bartender looked between the two, before running off screaming. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” With a wave of his hand, a bottle of booze floated over to him and began to fill his glass.

“That’s enough Ben, we can do this the easy way,” she punched her hands. “Or the hard way.”

“Don’t you mean your way or the highway?” Ben went to take a drink only for the female tetramand to charge at him. She swung, only for Ben to fly out of his chair with the bottle and booze floating with him. “Is this any way to greet your cousin after so long Gwen?” he took a drink.

“This isn’t funny Ben.”

“I’m not laughing,” he went to pour another drink, and Gwen jumped at him. Ben continued to dodge her as she tried to bring him down. “I’m surprised the watch hasn’t timed out yet.”

“I adjusted the time counter on the Omnitrix, so I can stay in alien form longer.” She grabbed a table and tossed it at him.

Ben stopped it in the air and made it go back to its original place. “You always were a clever one, too clever for anyone else.”

“Ben, this is serious!” she clapped, sending shock waves at him, he was pushed back and all the glass in the place shattered.

He snapped his fingers and the whole place was put back in order. “I believe the last time we met, you wanted nothing to do with me. In your exact words, I never want to see you again!”

“Ben...I was angry, I said things I didn’t mean.”

“Oh you meant it, how did you find me anyway? Been keeping tabs on me?” he crossed his arms.

“Of course I have, I was worried about you.” she touched the Omnitrix and returned to human form.

“I thought I wasn’t your problem anymore.” He floated back down.

“Ben, I need your help!”

He smirked. “Sorry, I don’t do Hero Time anymore, remember. I wasn’t good enough.” he conjured green mana and blasted her away. “You got to be the white knight, I was just your clumsy cousin, in over his head, not as good as Gwen.”

Ben formed a blade out of mana. He fixed his rock creatures and had them hold Gwen down, making sure she couldn’t use her hands. “I’ll tell you what you told me, I don’t need you.”

“Ben...please...I need your help...” he pointed his mana blade at her.

“I don’t care, I’m done living in your shadow.”

“Voice Command: Big Chill!” the Omnitrix activated and Gwen transformed into an alien Ben hadn’t seen before. She phased through the ground and came up behind Ben, she froze his rock creatures and trapped him in ice up to his shoulders.

“So you got some new tricks.”

“Ben Tennyson, you are gonna listen to me!”

“I think not,” his mana flared and the ice broke. “I don’t see you for years, and yet you come to me asking for a favor. I’m a very busy guy.”

“Busy, you’re in a bar drinking.” Ben shrugged.

“Was on a break, and you interrupted.” Gwen rubbed her temples. “Anyway, great seeing you Cuz, let’s do it again in another decade.” his voice was laced with sarcasm, he went towards the door.

“Ben, it’s grandpa...” he stopped. “He’s missing!”

“He’s probably just on another plumber mission.”

“He’s not answering my calls.”

“Well join the club, he gave up on me a long time ago.”

“The plumbers can’t reach him either.”

“That doesn’t mean anything, he’s probably undercover.”

“Max Tennyson isn’t on any plumber assignment.” A plumber agent entered the bar. “Your time is up Miss Tennyson, Ben Tennyson, by the order of the plumbers you are under arrest.”

Ben started laughing. “So you joined up with the plumbers?”

“Ben this is serious, the plumbers had agreed to expunge your criminal record if you agreed to help us find Grandpa.”

“I was against seeking your help Ben Tennyson, wanted for Theft, Arson, Weapons Dealing, Forgery, Destruction of Property, Seduction of Plumber, Public Nudity...”

“Good times,” Ben chuckled.

“Among other various other crimes varying from planet to planet. You are considered an S-Class criminal, and I’m bringing you in.” Ben continued to laugh.

“Sorry sorry, it’s just funny.”

“What’s so funny?”

Ben’s eyes glowed. “The fact you think you can take me!” The plumber fired on Ben, only to have his shots blocked by mana. Ben pointed at him and fired a bolt of mana from his pointer finger, it hit his gun and destroyed it.

“Cool it, Ben, I’m seriously worried about Grandpa.”

“Not my problem.” he clapped his hands together. Boom! The whole bar filled with green smoke. When the smoke cleared Ben was gone.

“So that was your big hope in finding Max, ridiculous!” the plumber snapped. “He might be your cousin but he’s just a lowly criminal now.”

Gwen frowned. “He wasn’t always.”

-x-

At the Rustbucket, a cloaked figure approached. With a wave of their hand, the door unlocked and they entered. A ball of light was formed and lit up the room. The place was full of memories of better times, soured over the years. “I thought you said this wasn’t your problem?” The figure tensed.

“Seriously did you put a tracker on me?” Ben lowered his hood. “I’ll find Grandpa without you and the plumber stooge.”

“He is a bit of a tool, but Ben we could use help.”

“You have your contacts and I have mine. I’ll find him first.”

“I don’t care who finds him first as long as he’s safe and sound.” Clatter. The two looked towards the noise coming from the bathroom.

“So he’s missing huh?” Bang Bang! The door to the bathroom became dented before something broke out of it. “What the hell is that?!”

The creature let out a scream before charging at them. It spat some strange goo at them, Ben blocked it with his mana. Gwen turned into an alien called Swampfire, and quickly tied the creature up with vines. “Tell us where our Grandpa is, talk!”

“Gwen cool it, it's human!”

“What?!” Ben approached the mystery creature and put his hands on it.

“Something is corrupting its mana, but it is human.” Ben focused, the keystone and the charm of resurrection glowed, and Ben was able to free the human from the parasite. The creature screamed and tried to grab Ben, but Ben blocked it with mana. It tried to escape only to get stepped on by the plumber from before.

“What is a Xenocite doing on this planet?” The creature was a race of parasite manufactured by the Highbreed.

“This must be the case Grandpa is working on,” Gwen said.

“I’m going.”

“I thought you didn’t do hero time anymore?” Gwen crossed her arms.

“I don’t, but these things are invading the planet. I’m gonna stop them before they interfere with my business.”

“Ignorant child, you can’t take on the Highbreed alone.”

“I’m not gonna be alone, I am calling on a team to help me.” Ben flew off, Gwen and Magister Labrid following him.

“I don’t like this Miss Tennyson.”

“Noted Magister,” she said.

-x-

Ben’s first pickup was Kevin Ethan Levin. “Tennyson!” Kevin said when Ben dropped in.

“Levin, good to see you.” the two stood face to face, before smiling. They high fived each other before Kevin pulled him in and ruffled his hair.

“Good to see you, man I thought you were dead after that one job.”

“Had to ditch my body, sucks I had a lot of mileage in that one.”

“Don’t I know it, need help breaking in this new one?” he wiggled his brows.

“Ugh, are you two flirting.” Ben ignored her.

“Later, I need your help with a job.”

“Out of the question, Kevin Levin is an A-class criminal, humanoid subspecies osmosian. His rap sheet is as long if not longer than Ben Tennyson's.”

“You helping the plumbers now?” Kevin gestured towards Gwen and Labrid.

“No, I’m not, my grandpa is missing, but I found someone who was overtaken by a xenocite.”

“Ohh damn, that means the Highbreed are here?”

“How do you know about the Highbreed?” Gwen asked.

“You learn a lot in alien prisons and the null void. The Highbreed are seriously nasty dudes, they view all other alien species are inferior and use the xenocites to make them their slaves. They invade other worlds as a way of cleansing them.”

“Kevin, will you help me?” Kevin looked from Gwen to Ben.

“For you anything,” he kissed the back of his hand.

“Ben, don’t tell me you actually are with this creepazoid.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you.” he instead showed her, by kissing Kevin right on the lips. Gwen’s jaw dropped.

“Did you know about this?” She asked the Magister.

“I was aware the two had worked together on several illegal jobs.” Gwen facepalmed.

“Let’s go get Cooper.” Kevin got his ride and the two were off, Gwen following once more.

“Cooper Daniels, wanted for Hacking, Illegal Weapons Manufacturing, Creating Advanced Tech on a Class 2 Planet, Theft, and other various crimes. He’s a B class criminal.”

Ben disabled Cooper’s security with his magic. “Cooper, it’s Ben, I have a job for you!”

“Ben!” A tall chiseled blonde came out of his panic room and hugged Ben. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Good to see you, Cooper.”

“Hey man, have a growth spurt?” Kevin and Cooper bumped fists. The blonde used to be so scrawny but now he’s bulked up.

“Been working out, I guess.” he chuckled.

“You are looking, good Cooper.” The blonde blushed. “I need your help...”

“Yes!” the blonde said.

“You don’t even know what’s happening.” Gwen pointed out.

“Don’t need to, Ben needs my help that’s all I need to know. I’m in!” He grabbed some tech and it was back in the car, to pick up their next member.

“Right, let’s go get Deefus.”

“Who the hell is Deefus?!” Gwen gasped.

“Deefus Veeblepister, he’s wanted for grifting, impersonating members of royal families, theft, improper use of shapeshifting, and several counts of prostitution.”

“He’s a friend,” Ben said.

They came to a theater and Deefus was on stage, and his acting wasn’t...great….

“This guy is a grifter, he can’t act.”

“This isn’t his stage.” Ben found him after the show.

“Ben Tennyson!” Deefus gushed.

“I have a job for you Deefus.” Gwen noticed that Deefus’ human form looked like a taller more muscular Ben, though the face was a chiseled actor sort of face.

“Is it...that...kind of job.” He looked down at Ben’s crotch.

“No, the other kind, I have a Highbreed problem.”

“Highbreed!” Deefus gasped, shifting into his lenopan form. “No way, not a chance, those guys are way out of my league.”

“Deefus, I need your help, I promise you’ll be fine. If you do this I can also promise you a whole lot of money.”

“Just one job?” Ben nodded.

“And you can walk away.”

“Fine, I’m in!” he took human form again.

“Alright then, let’s go break the law.” Labrid didn’t like this if he had his way he’d arrest them all, but Ben was a troubling enemy. There was a reason why he was S-Class, he was known as the Dark King in the underworld.

To be continued...Forever Knights, Argit, and DNAliens