ZET-MAN! (Re-Imagined)

~Omniscient Pov~

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Max raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as the boy introduced himself. "Alex, huh?" he repeated, shaking the kid's hand. It wasn't the name that caught him off guard, but the firm grip. For a kid his size, Alex had a surprising strength in his handshake—nothing overwhelming, but enough to make him wonder if there was more to this kid than met the eye...

"Nice to meet you too," Max said, releasing Alex's hand, though his mind was still processing the firm grip. This kid was something else. The bit of uneasy feeling lingered, but he brushed it off for now. "You know your way around fishing, or just starting out?"

Alex shrugged, his red eyes gleaming with something Max couldn't quite read, "I've fished a bit before, but I could always learn more."

Max chuckled softly, nodding, "Well, you've got the bait now. Just make sure you don't go tangling your own line. It's a pain to undo, trust me on that one." He gave a friendly pat on Alex's back... 

It didn't take long for Max to hear more ruffling in the trees, turning to acknowledge the sounds, he could see two familiar figures approaching, "Ben, Gwen, where were you both? I kept calling for you." 

Ben and Gwen emerged from the trees, both looking slightly sheepish as they approached. Ben, with his usual carefree grin, was the first to speak. "Sorry, Grandpa, we got a little caught up exploring by the stream. You know how it is."

Gwen, the more responsible of the two, shot Ben a glare before turning to Max with an apologetic smile. "Yeah, we didn't mean to be gone so long. We heard you calling, but we were a bit too far out to answer right away."

Max sighed, a mixture of relief and mild frustration settling in. "Well, you're here now," he said, waving them closer. "But next time, don't wander off so far without saying something first. I was starting to think wild bears got to you or something."

Ben laughed, though it was clear he was trying to brush off the reprimand. "We're fine, Grandpa. No bears out here today."

As the two came closer, Gwen's eyes drifted to Alex, standing by the water's edge with his fishing rod, completely focused on his task. "Who's that?" she asked, her brow furrowing slightly. Not having much of any luck in seeing him face to face, but she had a clear view from behind.

"He's, fishing?" Ben added, questioningly, fishing was the last thing he'd see a kid his age do...

Maxwell stared, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at Alex. "Maybe, but he's got a solid form. Look at him—he's handling that rod like he's done it a hundred times before. Way better than I did my first time."

The two siblings just nodded, not knowing what a proper fishing form would look like. As soon as Maxwell said that, he saw the boy winding up the rod, catching his first meal for the day.

"Oh, this is a big one." Alex smiled, 'Might as well stick around for two more' He placed the fish right next to himself.

Max looked surprised, giving Alex an approving nod. "Well, I'll be... Nice catch. You're a natural." He said. Alex glanced back with a small grin, clearly proud of his work. "Thanks, mister. Guess I just have a knack for it." He carefully set the fish aside, as if he were preparing for a second go. "I'm gonna stick around for a bit and catch a couple more. Never hurts to have extra."

As Alex did so, Ben saw the guy face to face, realizing his eyes were strange, He tapped Gwen on the shoulders, "Hey Gwen, his eyes were actually red... Gwen? Hello? Earth to Gwen?" Ben kept snapping his fingers at her.

Gwen on the other hand looked absolutely starstruck. Realizing what was going on, Ben smiled cheekily... "Wow... I'd never thought I'd see the day you'd fall in love~" He snickered to himself.

Gwen spun towards her cousin, "Shut it dweeb!"

Ben laughed, reveling in the playful banter, "What? I'm just saying, you look like you've seen a ghost or something. Or maybe an alien!" He wiggled his fingers dramatically, making alien sounds, which only made Gwen roll her eyes.

Alex watched their exchange, a mix of off-handed confusion, he had realized those kids sound and looked terrifyingly similar to Ben and Gwen from that one cartoon series he used to watch as a kid... A little too much like them.

Now that he got a good look, both had green eyes, the girl was wearing a blue and white shirt that a cat symbol in the middle, with pants that seemed to go just below her knees. The boy had a white t-shirt that had a black stripe running through the middle of it, with a dark green cargo pants...

Alex's stomach dropped as he spotted the familiar green watch—the Omnitrix—strapped around the boy's wrist. 'Oh no...' he thought. This wasn't just some weird lookalike situation. That was the real deal, the actual Ben Tennyson, standing a few feet away from him. And this wasn't some casual, safe universe. He had been dumped into the Ben 10 world, where aliens, interdimensional beings, and life-threatening battles were part of the daily routine.

'Out of all the universes… why this one?' Alex thought, his heart racing. Of course, it couldn't have been something more peaceful, like a slice-of-life anime world where he could just live a quiet life. No, he had to land in a universe filled with high stakes, alien tech, and galactic threats.

He stared at the Omnitrix again, the green glow faint but undeniable. His mind raced through all the possible dangers. Vilgax, the Forever Knights, the freakin' Null Void… A wave of anxiety washed over him as he realized just how much trouble he could be in at the moment.

'Okay, stay calm. Maybe I can just… keep my head down. Lay low, avoid any insane alien invasions, and just... figure things out.' But deep down, Alex knew that was wishful thinking. If he was truly in Ben 10, things were bound to get crazy, and fast.

Ben was oblivious to the existential crisis brewing inside Alex, too busy goofing around. But Gwen… she kept stealing glances his way, her sharp green eyes narrowing like she was trying to figure him out...

Alex took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Just my damn luck..." he muttered under his breath. 

'I need to get my fish and get the heck out of here, I don't want to-' He stopped his thoughts. Thinking about it for a moment, 'Wouldn't it be worse if I stay too far from them?' He could hardly remember much of the series, but typically, it's worse off for you when your not with kids who can literally tango with interdimensional beings...

But, he's normal, and he doesn't know in what time period he's in. Ben looks like he has his watch under his belt enough to not feel weird about it, and Gwen has that weird necklace around her neck; he was pretty sure that gave her magic. 

'But me? I'm normal. Totally powerless.' He glanced at Ben, who seemed pretty comfortable with his Omnitrix by now, and Gwen, who had that necklace he vaguely remembered giving her magic abilities. He wasn't sure when in the timeline he'd landed, but they were already capable of handling some serious threats...

'I'm utterly fucked...' He sighed to himself.

"Ah, hey?" Ben said out of nowhere, catching Alex of guard, "Ye-Yeah? What's up?" Alex tried to play it off and sound casual again. Ben just shrugged it off ad, pointing at Alex's right hand, "What's up with your hand?" Ben asked.

"Huh? What do you mea-" Alex looked towards the back of his hand, only to see a large ring-like object underneath his skin. 'What the?' He asked himself the same question; just what the hell was it. However, not having an answer, he quickly thought of something.

"Never mind this, what's up with your watch?"

Ben's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of caution crossing his face. He pulled his hand back, resting it on his waist near the Omnitrix. "Oh, uh, nothing. Just, you know, it's... complicated." He shrugged again, clearly not wanting to dive into details with someone he'd just met. "Anyway, your hand looks kind of weird though. You sure you're alright?"

Alex cursed internally, realizing he might've pushed a bit too far too soon, 'Yeah, that was dumb,' he thought, noting the way Ben had casually deflected. No way was he going to spill any secrets about the Omnitrix to some random kid, even if Alex looked like he recognized it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Probably just hit it on something earlier," Alex lied, waving his hand like it was no big deal. He couldn't afford to draw attention to whatever this was now, especially when even he had no idea what was happening with him, or it.

Ben gave a brief nod, seemingly dropping the subject. Gwen, still watching from a short distance away, raised an eyebrow but didn't press further either. There was a brief, awkward silence before Alex figured it was time to focus on what mattered—getting out of this weird situation.

'Alright, no more poking around for now.' He stood up, grabbing his 4 pieces of fish fish and preparing to leave, but that gnawing feeling of uncertainty remained. 'I might need to stick close to these two... just in case. Even if they don't know me, at least they can handle the crazy stuff that's probably gonna happen.'

Before walking away, Alex glanced back at the two, who were still talking amongst themselves, both of them watching him with curious eyes, 'Yeah... definitely gonna keep an eye on them.'

As Alex hoisted the fish over his shoulder, he cast a final glance at Ben and Gwen. Right, time to make myself scarce, he thought, but the nagging feeling that staying away from them might end badly gnawed at him. He was stuck in their world now, a place where interdimensional threats were a daily occurrence. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in something without the protection of the universe's only kid who could tango with alien overlords.

Still, there was no sense in sticking around any longer if it meant drawing unwanted attention. Alex turned to leave, but just as he took a step, Gwen called out, "Hey, wait a second!"

He stopped, wincing inwardly. Crap, what now? Slowly, he turned back to face her. "Yeah? What's up?"

Gwen walked over, her arms crossed as she examined him. "You said you were fishing out here alone?" Her tone wasn't accusing, but there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "Aren't you a bit too young to be doing that by yourself?" He cursed shrugged, he always did remember she was very observant... 

Alex fumbled for a quick response, not wanting to appear suspicious himself, "Uh, yeah, just needed to catch some food. It's kind of a... family thing." he lied again, though the knot in his stomach tightened. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up this charade before they potentially started digging into who he really was. 

Ben raised an eyebrow, still eyeing Alex curiously but not prying further into the conversation. "Yeah, well, just be careful, alright? There's been some weird stuff happening lately."

Weird stuff? Alex thought, alarm bells ringing in his mind. His gut told him to play dumb, though. "Oh, yeah? Like what?" That was a rhetorical question, she was likely talking about some alien in the middle of the forest.

Ben exchanged a quick look with Gwen before he replied, "Nothing to worry about—just, uh, stuff. You know, the usual. Anyway, if you're heading out, you should probably stay close to the neighborhood."

Alex nodded, feeling like he was being subtly told to not stick around here alone, "Right, good idea." He adjusted his grip on the fish, giving them both a small wave. "I'll see you guys around, I guess."

As he turned and began walking away, his mind raced, 'Weird stuff? Usual?' He couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking straight into a minefield by staying in their orbit... But what choice did he have? He had no idea where he was, no real resources, and judging by the weird object in his hand, things were already off to a bizarre start.

Alright, play it cool for now, he thought as he moved further from the clearing. 'But I've got to figure out what's happening, and fast. Otherwise, I'm going to end up caught in the crossfire when this world's craziness kicks off.'

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, a rustling sound came from the trees nearby, snapping him back to the present. Alex froze, heart pounding. Something's watching me. Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the tree line, but saw nothing...

'I need to move—now.' Without waiting to see if the feeling passed, Alex quickened his pace, heading toward the neighborhood. He had no idea what was waiting for him, but one thing was clear: sticking close to Ben and Gwen might not be an option, it might just be a necessity...

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END