Chapter 9: The Reveal and the Fallout
The wave of cheers that washed over XLR8 was a sound unlike any he had ever heard. It wasn't the suspicious muttering from the forest fire, nor the fearful gasps from the school hallway. It was pure, unadulterated gratitude. For a dizzying moment, he basked in it, the smiling faces of the crowd a warm, intoxicating balm. The little girl in his arms had stopped crying, her tear-filled eyes now wide with awe.
But the distant, rising wail of sirens was a sharp reminder that this moment couldn't last. Pro Heroes and the police would be on the scene in minutes, and they would have questions he couldn't answer.
He gently set the girl down on her feet. "Hey," he said, his digitized voice full of energy. "Always watch the skies... or in this case, the construction sites! Stay safe!"
With a final, confident grin at the crowd, he crouched down and vanished. He was a blur of azure and black, the sound of his departure a sharp crack in the air, the scent of ozone lingering where he had stood. He was gone before the sound of his own voice had fully faded, leaving behind a stunned crowd, a saved child, and two classmates whose worlds had just been turned upside down.
Gwen recovered first. Her mind, racing a mile a minute, prioritized the immediate threat: exposure. She grabbed Midoriya's arm, his body still frozen as he stared at the spot where the blue hero had been.
"Come on!" she hissed, pulling him with surprising strength. "We have to go. Now!"
She dragged the bewildered Midoriya away from the scene, her eyes scanning for a place to hide. She found it in a narrow alleyway between a bookstore and a noodle shop. The space smelled of damp concrete and discarded cardboard. It was perfect. A moment later, a flash of red light illuminated the far end of the alley, and the tell-tale beeping of the Omnitrix timing out was followed by Ben's reappearance. He leaned against the brick wall, panting, the adrenaline from the rescue still coursing through him.
Midoriya, finally snapping out of his trance, spun to face him. His mouth opened and closed several times before the words finally came tumbling out in a frantic, breathless cascade.
"Ben? Tennyson-kun? Was that… was that you? That was your—your Quirk? But I thought… everyone said you were Quirkless! When did this happen? How does it work? Is it a transformation-type? The speed was incredible, easily on par with some of the fastest Pro Heroes! I couldn't even track your movements! Does it have a time limit? Is that what the flashing light was? Can you turn into other things, too?"
His hero analysis brain had taken over completely, his shock momentarily replaced by an insatiable, analytical curiosity. 'Incredible velocity,' he thought, his eyes wide, 'seemingly frictionless movement, a bio-mechanical appearance with wheeled feet… The application possibilities are limitless!'
"Are you out of your mind, Ben?!" Gwen's voice cut through Midoriya's rambling, sharp with a mixture of fury and fear. She stalked towards Ben, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "In the middle of a crowded street? With hundreds of people, thousands of phone cameras? What were you thinking?!"
Ben pushed himself off the wall, his initial euphoria giving way to defensiveness. "What was I supposed to do, Gwen?" he shot back, his voice firm. "Stand there and watch her get crushed while I have this thing on my wrist? I did what anyone should have done."
"You exposed yourself! You exposed the watch!" she countered. "We're lucky no one got a clear picture of your face transforming. Pro Heroes are going to be all over this. You broke your promise to Grandpa!"
"I had it completely under control," Ben stated, the confidence from his successful test run now solidifying into genuine conviction. "This power… it's meant to be used. I'm not going to hide in the shadows when someone is in trouble."
Ben's eyes met Gwen's over Midoriya's shoulder. A silent, frantic conversation passed between them in a single second. What do we tell him? Ben's look asked. Not the truth, Gwen's expression immediately replied. Not all of it.
Ben turned his attention back to a very confused and quiet Midoriya, who was looking back and forth between the two cousins. Ben let out a long breath. "Look, Midoriya… it's… it's a Quirk."
The lie felt clumsy on his tongue, but it was the only one that made sense.
"It manifested recently," Ben continued, choosing his words carefully. "It's… complicated. And it's unstable, unpredictable. That's why we had to keep it a secret. I'm still learning what it even is."
Gwen quickly chimed in, backing him up. "We didn't want to tell anyone until we understood it better, for his own safety. Today… he didn't have a choice."
Midoriya's expression shifted from confusion to one of pure, unadulterated awe and happiness for his friend. His trusting nature never allowed for a single shred of doubt. He believed them completely.
"Tennyson-kun, that's… that's amazing!" he beamed, his earlier analytical intensity replaced by genuine excitement. "A transformation-type Quirk, and a speed one at that! It's so powerful! I understand. Of course, you had to keep it a secret. But you were incredible! You saved her! You were a real hero today!"
The praise, so earnest and pure, disarmed both Ben and Gwen. The tension in the alley evaporated, replaced by the strange new reality of their shared secret.
The walk home was different. A new, unspoken bond had formed between the three of them. The air was filled with Midoriya's excited, yet respectful, questions and Ben's vague, carefully constructed answers.
When Ben and Gwen finally arrived home, the atmosphere was heavy. Grandpa Max was in the living room, reading the paper, but he set it down the moment they walked in. His gaze was sharp, and he knew instantly that something had happened.
Ben didn't wait to be asked. He walked into the center of the room, took a deep breath, and faced his grandfather directly. There was no hesitation in his voice, only purpose.
"Grandpa," he began. "I've made a decision. I want to apply to U.A. High."
Max's eyebrows rose slightly, but he remained silent, waiting for Ben to continue.
"I can't ignore this anymore," Ben said, holding up his left arm. "This power exists. It can save people. Hiding it, being afraid of it… that feels wrong. What I did today, that felt right. U.A. is the best place in the country, maybe the world, to learn how to use a power like this responsibly. I want to learn. I need to."
A long silence filled the room. Max's expression was unreadable as he studied his grandson, seeing the new fire of conviction in his eyes.
Finally, Gwen spoke, her voice quiet but firm. "He… he was in control, Grandpa. I saw it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He saved that girl."
Her support was the final, decisive piece. Max looked from Gwen's earnest face back to Ben's determined one. He saw that the argument was over before it had even begun. This was no longer just a reckless kid with a dangerous toy; this was a young man who had found a purpose.
With a deep sigh that seemed to carry the weight of years, Max finally gave his answer. "Alright, Ben," he said, his voice a low rumble. "You can apply."
A wave of relief washed over Ben.
"But," Max continued, his tone becoming ironclad, his eyes locking onto Ben's with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine. "You will do it on my terms. You will train under my direct supervision, starting tomorrow. You have no idea what you're dealing with. There is more to that device than you can possibly imagine."