Click.
The office door swung open.
"George, we're done with everything—huh? Ethen?"
Grandpa Max stepped inside, staring at Ethen sitting at the desk with his legs crossed, completely baffled.
"Oh, you mean the Plumbers' President?" Ethen calmly set down his chopsticks and smiled.
"I told him I wanted to wait here for you guys. He agreed."
"Ethen!"
Ben squeezed in excitedly, rushing straight to the table.
"I unlocked what I think might be the alien I'll love most in my entire life! His name is Feedback!"
"Haha, I know," Ethen replied with a smile.
"From now on, Diamondhead only ranks second in my heart!"
Ben reached for Ethen's chopsticks.
Ethen instantly hid them under the table.
Ben's hand landed on the ramen bowl instead and dragged it closer.
"I'm starving…"
Slurp.
Ethen leaned forward and finished the remaining noodles in one go.
"You—Ethen! Leave me some soup!"
Ben slapped his thigh angrily.
Grandpa Max burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! If you're hungry, just say so! I'll arrange a big meal for you later!"
"No!" Ben declared righteously.
"Stealing food from your best friend tastes the best!"
"I won't leave you a single drop either," Ethen muttered, draining the soup.
Laughter filled the office.
Grandpa Max watched with clear amusement.
Outside the door—
Gwen looked up at Future Gwen, curious.
"At your age, they shouldn't still be acting this childish… right?"
Future Gwen chuckled softly.
"Even Ben still does this sometimes. You just don't see it." She smiled faintly.
"And 'at your age' isn't exactly a polite phrase, you know."
Gwen stiffened.
That smile was terrifying.
Later, everyone gathered in the Plumbers' Grand Hall for a luxurious future-era feast.
After eating their fill—
Ethen and Future Gwen returned to the office together.
Ethen sat casually on the desk, looking at her directly.
"The three of us have been gone long enough. Our multiverse is probably already unstable. It's time for us to go back."
"I know," Future Gwen said hesitantly.
"But there are still Maximum Security Inmates operating outside Plumbers' monitoring range."
"You can handle it." Ethen's eyes were sharp.
"Catch one. Kill one. One day, this world will return to order—maybe even become more stable than before."
"The choice is yours."
The weight of responsibility fell squarely on Future Gwen's shoulders.
If she were Ben, she could freely chase her ideals.
But she wasn't.
Reality and idealism collided violently.
"…Understood."
After a long pause, she nodded.
"I'll send you back."
"No need," Ethen waved his hand.
"I have my own way. I just wanted to say goodbye."
Future Gwen looked at him, surprised.
"I didn't expect you to have such a… human side."
Ethen's mouth twitched.
"Thanks. I think."
Fifteen minutes later—
Ben and Gwen entered the office and said their goodbyes to Future Gwen and Grandpa Max.
Ethen nodded as well.
Then—
Ben and Gwen closed the door, leaving only the three of them inside.
"Ethen," Ben said impatiently, "Why don't you just use god-level power to recreate me in this multiverse? I don't want my future Grandpa worrying!"
Ethen's expression turned serious.
"First," he said calmly, "Ben disappeared because the prime Ben vanished (Fusion Watch Ben). Once the anchor is gone, all other Bens are affected. Even if I recreate one, he'd disappear instantly."
The core timeline was broken.
The others were doomed to collapse.
"That's why Maltruant entrusted the time bomb to Vilgax back then—leading to multiversal collapse. This situation is similar."
"Second," Ethen added casually, "Professor Paradox is already handling it. If he can't manage this much and needs my help… Then I'll have to reconsider whether we're equals."
As he finished speaking—
WHOOSH!!
Ethen raised his wrist, activated the Omnitrix, and selected Clockwork.
Orange light flashed.
His body reshaped into Clockwork's imposing form.
"Well," he said calmly,
"Let's go."
Ben sighed.
"I hope my future self makes the right choice." Gwen looked back at the office door, as if she could still see the figures inside.
WHOOSH!!
The three stepped into the time gate and vanished.
Almost immediately—
Bang.
Future Gwen pushed the door open.
She stared at the empty office, emotions swirling.
From today onward—
There would be no omnipotent shapeshifter guarding the Plumbers.
She would have to shoulder everything herself.
WHOOSH!!
Space rippled violently.
A dark portal formed.
Future Gwen's face lit up with hope.
"Ethen? Did you change your mind?"
"No. There is no Ethen. Only Maltruant." A massive Chronosapien stepped out.
Dark armor.
Crimson eyes.
A blood-red time reactor glowing in his chest.
The temperature in the room dropped sharply.
"I want you to cooperate," Maltruant said coldly.
"Hand over all information about that man."
"Otherwise—death."
"…"
Future Gwen raised her head, eyes resolute.
"I choose the latter."
Celestial Anodite energy ignited in her hands, blasting forward in a storm of destructive light!
Ethen slowly opened his eyes.
Waking at midnight had become his habit.
Ding! Laber Watch duration has expired.
Do you wish to permanently retain it in your ability pool?
...
Author's Note
Part 1 of Ben 10: Daily Check-In System Activated! is now completed! 🎉
Thank you all so much for the amazing support, encouragement, and patience—it truly means a lot to me. Your comments and feedback keep me motivated to continue this journey and improve the story with every chapter.
Part 2 is already in the works and is scheduled to be released next month, so stay tuned! I hope you'll continue to support the series and enjoy what's coming next.
Once again, thank you all for reading and supporting my work.
— Shadow_demon_007
...
Author's Note:
The fanfic Ben 10: Daily Check-In System Activated! Part 1 is now fully completed.
The entire story has been uploaded on Patreon as a dedicated collection:
📚 Ben 10 (Chapters 1–132)
Organized into 14 posts, with multiple chapters per post for easy binge reading.
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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