Chapter 7: The Curiosity of Power
The four walls of Ben's room felt more like a cage than a sanctuary. It was a typical teenager's space—posters of obscure rock bands plastered over faded wallpaper, clothes draped over a chair in a chaotic pile, and textbooks scattered across a desk. But tonight, the familiar mess offered no comfort. A single, soft green light pulsed from beneath the cuff of his long-sleeved shirt, a constant, glowing reminder of the secret bound to his skin. The light of the Omnitrix seemed to mock the mundane nature of his surroundings.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the scene in the hallway over and over. Bakugo's sneering face, the smell of burnt sugar from the explosion, the collective gasp of the students as his sleeve was blown away. And then, Gwen's energy shield, appearing just in time to stop him. Again.
A bitter frustration churned in his gut. He and Midoriya… they were nothing in front of Bakugo. Two Quirkless boys in a world that measured worth in power. Without Gwen's constant interventions, they were just targets. He clenched his fists. He wasn't powerless anymore. He had a universe of power strapped to his wrist, yet he was still hiding, still being protected. The irony was a physical ache in his chest.
He couldn't stand it. The feeling of being helpless while possessing such an incredible force was infuriating. With a surge of decision, he swung his legs off the bed, pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark green hoodie, and moved silently out of his room. The house was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp left on in the living room. He tiptoed down the stairs, his steps making no sound on the carpeted steps, his eyes fixed on the front door—his escape. His hand closed around the cool brass of the doorknob.
"And where do you think you're going?"
The voice, calm and sharp, cut through the silence from behind him. He didn't need to turn to know it was Gwen.
"Can't I even go to the convenience store without an interrogation?" he shot back, not releasing the doorknob.
"You could," she replied, stepping into the dim light of the hallway. Her arms were crossed, her expression unimpressed. "If you were actually going there. But you're not, are you?"
He finally turned, his irritation flaring. "Leave me alone, Gwen."
"Are you going to defy Grandpa's orders again?" she pressed, her voice a low, insistent whisper. "After everything that happened?"
A torrent of frustration broke loose in him. "What is the point of having all this power if I can't even understand it?" he argued, his voice rising slightly. He held up his wrist, the green glow of the Omnitrix a stark beacon in the gloom. "This thing… it could do anything. But right now, it's just a liability because I'm fumbling in the dark!"
Gwen's expression hardened with worry. "The forest fire was more than fumbling, Ben. You're a wanted fugitive, remember? They think you're some kind of arsonist villain. What happens if you lose control again?"
"Maybe I only lose control because I don't understand it!" he insisted, his tone pleading. "If I can figure out how it works, what it does, then it won't be a hazard. It will be pure strength. Controlled."
He saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. She knew he had a point, even if she hated to admit it. He seized the opportunity.
"Help me, Gwen. Just once. We'll go somewhere isolated, somewhere no one will be. I just need to try one more time, but not by accident. On purpose."
She chewed on her lower lip, the internal conflict clear on her face. Finally, she let out a long, defeated sigh. "This is a horrible idea," she murmured, but she didn't say no.
The place Ben had chosen was a sprawling junkyard that bordered the city's public beach, a graveyard of forgotten things. Mountains of rusted cars, twisted metal beams, and discarded appliances were piled high, creating a maze of scrap. The salty tang of the sea mixed with the metallic scent of decay. As the sun began its slow descent towards the horizon, it painted the clouds in shades of orange and pink, casting long, distorted shadows across the heaps of refuse.
Gwen pulled her jacket tighter around herself, surveying the scene with deep skepticism. "This is the isolated place you had in mind?"
"Couldn't think of anything better," Ben said, kicking a loose hubcap. "It's deserted, and there's nothing here to burn down."
As he spoke, a faint sound drifted towards them on the breeze—the rhythmic thud of something heavy hitting the sand, followed by a determined grunt. They both froze, exchanging a wide-eyed glance. Silently, they crept through an alley of crushed vehicles, peering around the edge of a rusted van.
Down on the sand, where the junkyard met the shore, they saw a familiar figure. It was their classmate, Izuku Midoriya. He was attempting to haul a massive, broken refrigerator across the beach. His face was slick with sweat, his muscles straining, his expression one of pure, agonizing effort. Standing nearby, observing him with crossed arms, was a man so thin he looked skeletal. His white t-shirt hung loosely on his gaunt frame, and his wild, blond hair seemed to defy gravity. Neither Ben nor Gwen knew that this man was the civilian form of the number one hero, All Might.
"Is that… Midoriya?!" Ben whispered, his voice laced with disbelief.
Gwen's eyes were narrowed in thought. "What is he doing? It looks like he's training… but why? And with whom?"
"Let's get away from them," Ben said quickly, pulling back. "I don't want anyone interfering with this."
"A smart idea," Gwen agreed, her gaze lingering on the strange scene for a moment longer. "No one should see you do this."
They retreated deeper into the junkyard, finding a small, enclosed clearing surrounded on all sides by towering walls of scrap metal. It was a secluded metal box, open only to the twilight sky. This was it.
In the safety of their makeshift arena, Ben took a deep, steadying breath. He raised his left arm. "Okay," he said, more to himself than to Gwen. "Let's do this right."
He activated the watch. The faceplate popped up with a soft hiss, projecting the familiar green ring. But this time, instead of slamming it down randomly, he placed his fingers on the outer dial and twisted it. With a satisfying click, the silhouette inside the ring changed. The fiery form of Heatblast was replaced by the spectral outline of Ghostfreak. He turned it again. A new figure appeared—a hulking, crystalline brute with a sharp, angular body.
"Whoa," Gwen breathed, stepping closer to get a better look. "You can choose?"
"Looks like it," Ben muttered, his focus absolute. He kept turning the dial. Another click revealed a tiny, gremlin-like creature with huge ears. The next was a hulking quadruped with no visible eyes. Then, an insectoid with shimmering wings. Each silhouette was a promise of a different power, a different body, a different way of experiencing the world. It was overwhelming and exhilarating.
He stopped on a silhouette that looked sleek and aerodynamic. It was humanoid but slender, with a long, whip-like tail and a pointed head. It didn't look overtly destructive like Heatblast or unnerving like Ghostfreak. It looked… fast.
"This one," he decided.
He took one last look at Gwen, who gave him a tense, hesitant nod. He slammed the core down.
The wave of green energy was instantaneous, but the sensation was entirely different from his previous transformations. It wasn't the burning agony of becoming Heatblast or the chilling displacement of becoming Ghostfreak. It was a kinetic jolt, a high-frequency vibration that shot through his entire being. He felt his legs elongate and fuse, his skin hardening into a smooth, armored plating. A black helmet-like structure slid over his face, and a thick tail sprouted from the base of his spine. The world, once viewed through human eyes, was now seen through a green visor.
The transformation was over in a second. He stood there, his new body humming with latent energy. His skin was black and blue, with green spheres embedded at his feet and elbows that served as biological rollerballs. He tentatively swished his long, striped tail.
"A real tail," he said, his voice now a higher-pitched, slightly digitized tenor. He turned his head to look at Gwen, who was staring, her mouth agape.
"It's… really real," she stammered, her mind struggling to process the impossible sight before her.
Ben felt a grin spread across his alien face. "I think I already understand this form's power," he said. "Shall we start the experiment?"
Gwen took a step back, her expression a mixture of apprehension and awe. "Go ahead. But I'll stop you if you get out of control."
With that, Ben crouched down and pushed off.
The result was instantaneous chaos. He shot across the clearing in a literal blur, an unstoppable force of momentum. The world became a smear of color and motion. He hadn't intended to move so fast. He tried to stop, but his new legs didn't have brakes. He crashed headlong into a wall of scrap metal with a deafening CLANG.
He slid to the ground in a heap, rubbing his head. "Annoying to deal with this super-speed," he groaned. He tried again, pushing off more gently this time. He was still too fast, overshooting his mark and pinwheeling his arms before stumbling into a pile of old tires.
But on the third try, something clicked. He stopped thinking about running and started feeling the energy in his body. He leaned into a turn, and the spheres on his feet allowed him to glide effortlessly. He pushed off, and instead of a clumsy crash, he was a streak of motion, weaving through the metallic maze with impossible grace. A feeling of incredible, intoxicating freedom washed over him. The wind was a constant roar, the ground a blur beneath him. He was faster than anything he had ever imagined. Behind him, he left a shimmering trail, a ribbon of blue and black light that hung in the air for a moment before fading.
Gwen watched, her initial fear melting into pure astonishment. She saw the clumsy start, but now she was witnessing something incredible. He was in control, moving with a confidence and joy that was infectious. For the first time, the Omnitrix didn't look like a curse; it looked like a miracle.
Suddenly, a loud, insistent beeping erupted from the hourglass symbol on his chest, flashing a brilliant red.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Before he could react, a final flash of red light washed over him, and the exhilarating feeling of super-speed vanished. He stumbled to a halt, his body shrinking and reforming back into its familiar human shape. He stood there, panting, his school clothes feeling heavy and restrictive after the sleek freedom of his alien form. He and Gwen both looked down at his wrist. The Omnitrix was glowing a dull, angry red, its power spent for now.
For a moment, there was only the sound of their breathing and the distant crash of waves on the shore. Then, Ben looked up, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across his face. The transformation hadn't been a disaster. It hadn't caused any accidental damage. For the first time, he had felt completely in control.
"See?" he said, his voice filled with the quiet confidence of his success. "The forms can be controlled, if you can just understand them properly."
The small victory planted a seed of profound confidence within him. He had faced the unknown and, for once, he had mastered it. But as Gwen looked at the bold new light in his eyes, her own filled with a deep and growing worry. This success hadn't solved their problems; it had just made him braver. And a braver Ben, she feared, was a much more dangerous one.
.
.