Chapter 12: Enter Ben Tennyson – Broken Hero of Timeline 12-B

The portal opened in a scream.

It wasn't clean like a Kamui rip, or swirling like Ardyn's void folds.

It ripped open.

Sparks of green and orange lightning snapped across the Konoha training grounds, scorching grass and sky alike. Chakra sensors triggered simultaneously. Every shinobi near the clearing dropped their kunai and braced for a fight.

But what stepped through the breach wasn't a beast.

It was a boy.

A boy who looked tired.

Roughly 18. Muscular but lean. Brown hair falling over one eye. His jacket was half-torn, revealing scars up his left arm and a glowing circuit-vein of green alien energy surging up his neck.

And on his wrist—

The Omnitrix.

But not the one they knew.

This one was twisted, corrupted, fused with Chronosapien fragments and Voidstone circuitry. It pulsed like it hated itself.

The boy looked around, squinting at the sky.

Then he spoke, voice hoarse and worn:

"Earth… 17-A? No. Still stable. Good."

Then his Omnitrix flared—and he collapsed.

Medical Bay – Hours Later

Ben Tennyson lay unconscious, his body twitching with energy bursts every few minutes. Machines struggled to stabilize his vitals, the tech around him glitching with each pulse.

Ardyn stood nearby, arms folded, watching.

"You know him?" Tsunade asked.

Ardyn nodded. "I've heard of him. Never met this version."

"Is he dangerous?"

Ardyn smirked. "Only if he thinks you are."

Flashback – Timeline 12-B

Ben Tennyson failed.

Vilgax didn't just conquer Earth—he merged with it, fusing his DNA with the planet's core.

The Omnitrix adapted too late. Gwen died. Kevin disintegrated during a failed fusion attempt. The Plumbers were wiped out in hours.

Ben fled.

Jumped timelines with a fractured Chronosapien shard and the last version of the Omnitrix left in the Forge.

He became a runner.

Then… a breaker.

He started tracking corrupted worlds, collapsing the ones beyond saving, and carving paths for survivors.

He never looked back.

Present – Konoha, Training Field

Ben woke up.

He sat up slowly, groaning, blinking away the static in his vision.

The first face he saw?

Ardyn.

Ben's eyes narrowed.

"You're the Void Prince."

"You're the Omnitrix Wraith."

Ben chuckled dryly. "I've had worse names."

They stood in silence.

Until Ardyn said, "We're forming an alliance. Worlds are dying. We need you."

Ben looked away. "I'm not a hero anymore."

"You're still alive."

Ben's eyes flickered green. "That's not the same thing."

War Room – Later

The council met again.

Ben stood in the corner, arms crossed, not speaking.

Tsunade nodded toward him. "You sure he's not gonna explode?"

Lyra grinned. "If he does, he'll take the problem with him."

Eon stepped forward, addressing the room.

"We've confirmed reports that Obsidian Ardyn has moved to recruit entities from collapsed timelines. The League of Broken Ones is forming."

He tapped the table.

A list appeared.

• Zaraki Naruto – A version raised by Hollowfied chakra.

• Rage Hulk – From Earth 2029, unrepressed and permanently fused with Banner.

• Dark Gwen – Tennyson's cousin in a timeline where the Anodite Queen possessed her fully.

Ben flinched at that last one.

Ardyn noticed.

"You knew her?"

Ben didn't answer.

But his fist tightened.

Later – Rooftop

Ardyn found Ben staring at the moon.

Again.

"It's always the moon," Ben muttered. "In every timeline. Something always goes wrong with the damn moon."

Ardyn smirked. "Could be worse."

"How?"

Ardyn pointed upward. "Obsidian's coming. He just hasn't sent the first wave yet."

Ben finally looked at him.

"I saw him once. In Timeline 8-F. He erased a world by blinking. I had to drag survivors into a pocket Omnitrix loop just to keep their memories alive."

Ardyn stepped closer. "So you'll help?"

Ben sighed.

"I don't do alliances."

"But?"

Ben raised his wrist. The Omnitrix glowed green.

"I do war."

Elsewhere – Beyond the Rift

Obsidian Ardyn stared into the Mirror Nexus.

Another new player entered the board.

He smiled.

And behind him, Dark Gwen stepped forward, cloaked in living Anodite fire.

"So… he's finally shown up."

Obsidian nodded. "He always does. That's what makes breaking him so fun."

[CHAPTER END | NEXT: Mission Zero – Ben & Ardyn Infiltrate Earth-Ragnarok]