Chapter 6: A Secret in the Classroom
The first thing Ben saw when he opened his eyes was the faint green glow of the hourglass on his wrist, peeking out from under the cuff of his pajamas. For a blissful, fleeting moment, his sleep-addled mind tried to dismiss it as the light from his alarm clock. Then, the full weight of the previous night—the fire, the ghost, the police, the wanted poster—crashed down on him. It wasn't a dream.
He pushed himself up, the mattress springs groaning in the quiet room. He sat on the edge of his bed for a long time, just staring at the impossible device that was now a part of him. It felt heavier today, a constant, physical reminder of the chaos that had irrevocably crashed into his life. With a heavy sigh, he stood and began to get ready, deliberately choosing the long-sleeved version of his school uniform from the closet.
The atmosphere at the breakfast table was thick with unspoken words. The clinking of cutlery and the quiet munching of toast were the only sounds. Ben kept his left hand firmly in his lap, while Gwen darted nervous glances at his wrist every few seconds. Grandpa Max sat at the head of the table, calmly reading the morning paper as if nothing had happened, yet the tension radiating from him was palpable.
He folded the paper neatly and placed it aside, his sharp eyes settling on Ben. "Ben," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Remember what we talked about. Be careful today."
"Don't let anyone see it," Gwen added, her voice a hushed, urgent whisper. "And whatever you do—"
"Don't touch it," Ben finished, a sharp edge of irritation in his tone. "I know. You don't have to keep repeating it." He shoved a final piece of toast in his mouth and stood up, grabbing his backpack. The weight of their concern felt almost as heavy as the watch itself.
The corridors of Aldera Junior High were buzzing with a single topic: the Sludge Villain incident. Katsuki Bakugo was at the center of it all, a fact he clearly reveled in. He walked with an extra swagger, surrounded by his usual cronies who were now acting more like a security detail. He was the boy who had survived a villain attack, a story that some twisted into an act of heroism on his part. It fed his ego, but Ben could see the subtle, angry tension in Bakugo's shoulders. He hated that the narrative included him needing to be saved.
The whispers surrounding Izuku Midoriya were far less kind.
"Did you hear? That Quirkless kid, Midoriya, actually ran in."
"Seriously? What was he thinking? Bakugo is way stronger than him."
"What a total idiot. He's lucky All Might showed up when he did, or he'd have gotten them both killed."
Midoriya heard it all. Ben watched from a distance as his friend stood by his locker, his shoulders slumped, his head down. He didn't react to the whispers, simply closing his locker with a soft click and heading to class, the weight of the world seemingly on his small frame.
The school day droned on. In class, the teacher's voice was a monotonous hum, punctuated by the rhythmic scratching of chalk against the blackboard. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. The quiet, orderly classroom was an island of normalcy that Ben desperately clung to. He rested his chin in his palm, trying to focus on the history lesson, trying to forget the alien tech hidden by a few inches of fabric.
Suddenly, a soft, two-tone chime emanated from his left arm. Beep-boop. It was quiet, but in the near-silent classroom, it sounded like a fire alarm. A faint green light pulsed, visible even through his sleeve.
Every head in the room swiveled in his direction. The teacher stopped writing, a piece of chalk held aloft. He pushed his glasses up his nose and stared at Ben over the rims.
"Tennyson," the teacher said, his voice flat with disapproval. "If I hear your phone again, I will be confiscating it. Pay attention to the lesson."
"S-sorry, sir," Ben stammered, his face flushing with heat. He quickly pressed his right hand down on his wrist, smothering the light. "It won't happen again."
Across the room, Gwen watched him, her knuckles white where she gripped her pencil. Her worried expression was a clear message: this is exactly what we were afraid of. The scene was a stark confirmation of the razor's edge he now lived on. His secret wasn't just a secret; it was a ticking time bomb.
The final bell shrieked, releasing the students into the hallways. The air filled with the familiar end-of-day smells of floor polish, old textbooks, and the faint scent of rain from the cloudy sky outside. Ben and Gwen were packing their bags when they saw Bakugo and his friends cornering Midoriya, who had been trying to make a quiet exit. Bakugo had finally found him alone.
He slammed a hand on the locker next to Midoriya's head, caging him in. "Did you think you were a hero yesterday, Deku?" he snarled, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "You did nothing but get in the way!"
Midoriya flinched, clutching his yellow backpack to his chest. "I-it's not like that, Kacchan," he stammered. "It just… it looked like you were asking for help."
The words struck a nerve. Bakugo's face contorted with pure rage. "Asking for help?!" he roared. "As if I would ever need help from a worthless, Quirkless weakling like you, huh?!"
He grabbed the front of Midoriya's uniform, yanking him forward. Before he could do anything else, another hand clamped down on his wrist, firm and unyielding. It was Ben.
"Is that how you treat him?" Ben's voice was dangerously calm. "Instead of thanking him for trying to help a jerk like you?"
Bakugo's furious red eyes swiveled to meet Ben's. The hatred in them was palpable. "This is none of your business, Tennyson," he said, his tone as sharp as broken glass. "This is between me and Deku. Get lost before I lose my temper on you."
Ben didn't let go. His grip remained steady. Bakugo stared at him for a long moment, and then a slow, cruel smirk spread across his face. He seemed to come to a decision.
"Fine," he hissed. "You asked for it."
He released Midoriya's uniform. In the same fluid motion, his hand, now free, shot forward. His palm lit up with a blinding orange light. An explosion erupted directly in Ben's face.
The force of the blast threw Ben backward, his arms flying up to shield himself. Students screamed and scrambled out of the way, a circle forming around the confrontation. The hallway filled with the acrid smell of burnt sugar and smoke.
As the smoke cleared, Ben was on his feet, his ears ringing. His uniform was singed, and the left sleeve of his blazer and shirt had been completely blown away from the elbow down. And there, for everyone to see, was the Omnitrix.
A collective gasp went through the crowd. Bakugo stared, his smirk replaced by a look of genuine confusion. "What is that?"
"Is that some kind of toy?" someone whispered.
"Are they really going to fight? The teachers are on their way!"
Ben ignored them. He looked down at the exposed watch, then up at Bakugo, and a cold fury unlike anything he had ever felt before washed over him. He had had enough. He slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.
The faceplate popped up with a satisfying thump, projecting the silhouettes of his aliens. He discovered that by turning the dial, he could cycle through them. A fiery figure, a ghostly one, a diamond-like one…
"I've had enough," he growled, the words resonating with a newfound power.
Bakugo scoffed, though a hint of uncertainty crept into his eyes. "Huh? What are you talking about, you Quirkless loser?"
Ben settled on one of the silhouettes and looked up, his green eyes blazing. "I'm going to put an end to your arrogance, right here."
He was about to slam the dial down when a shimmering, rose-colored wall of energy materialized between them. It was a massive, solid shield, crackling with Gwen's power. Ben glared at her, his eyes screaming don't you dare interfere.
She rushed to his side, her voice a frantic, desperate whisper in his ear. "I can't believe you were actually thinking of using it! In the middle of the school hallway! You have to be kidding me!"
The logic of her words, the sheer insanity of what he was about to do, pierced through his anger. With a frustrated "Tch," he let his hand drop. The Omnitrix dial retracted with a soft click. The shield vanished. He bent down and picked up his backpack, which had been knocked to the floor by the blast.
"Someone has to deal with him eventually," he muttered, slinging it over his shoulder.
Gwen turned to Bakugo, her expression one of cold disdain. "You're still just a child."
Bakugo's face twisted in annoyance. "Tch," he scoffed, turning on his heel. "No more respect? Maybe I need to re-establish control around here." He shoved his way through the crowd of onlookers. "Get out of the way, you idiots!"
As the crowd dispersed and a teacher's shouting could be heard approaching, Midoriya rushed over to Ben. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ben grunted, looking at his ruined sleeve.
"Thanks to you… I'm sorry for all of this," Midoriya said, bowing his head.
Ben clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Someone has to deal with him sometime." He glanced at Gwen, who gave him a look that was equal parts relief and exasperation. Together, the strange trio turned and walked away from the scene, leaving the lingering smell of smoke and another unresolved conflict in their wake.
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