CH 22: I'm Broke (E4)

(A/N: For those of you who haven't seen the notice in the synopsis, I changed my mind about Drew becoming a lover. I don't like harem or anything near it in a modern world setting, and it would be WAY too much drama to end up with her. So, sorry for those of you who don't like the idea, but it happened. So now, it's just Charmcaster.)

"Oh my, such a polite little gentleman! And so handsome too!" Vera smiled brightly, hugging and pinching his cheeks too. Unlike some people, he returned the hug, and even though it did sting a bit, he didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you've found a good friend, Ben." She smiled at Ben :"Remember, the friends determine a lot of things. How you act and your growth are some of them. So it's important to find good friends! And thankfully, you seem to have that covered! Alright, I shouldn't keep you guys out in the heat anymore. Come in, come in! I can't wait to chew the fat with all of you."

"What about the alien oldy there?" Ben walked back, whispering to Alistair who hummed :"Gotta be a bit patient. Let's wait till your aunt Vera is asleep, then we'll deal with them. The sooner we deal with this, the better."

(A/N: AKA this fic isn't going to follow every episode step by step like how most fics do, which ruins the story.)

Ben nodded, before Gwen walked beside him, smirking :"Aliyev? Did you just come up with that or something?" He shrugged with a smile :"After studying myself a bit —with actual equipment, I mean— I found out that I'm genetically Russian. Pretty cool, right? And no, I didn't just come up with it. It would be weird if I didn't have a last name, so I looked into the internet and found a simple one that was similar to my name."

"Well, however you're happy." Ben patted his back, frowning as he smelled the air when they walked into the cozy house :"Ugh. Why do old people's houses always smell like somebody's cooking socks or something?" Causing Alistair to pinch his side sneakily, making him wince :"Be nice, Benji." He gritted out with a whisper, even though he wholeheartedly agreed.

-

"Oh, Vera, this is delicious." Sitting around a table, Max commented on the orange jello with weird pieces inside :"Now, what are these brown chunks in the mold?"

"Pork chops. And the white parts are cauliflower." She smiled, but Ben and Gwen's appetite immediately disappeared when they heard her. Not Alistair though. He was still enjoying the food. In fact, he appreciated even more meat in his food.

He couldn't know if he was happy or not about his taste buds changing so much because of the Nemetrix though. So instead of thinking about it, he decided to eat instead. Eating always takes your mind off of the problems. Him actually eating Vera's food did earn him disgusted looks from the cousins though.

Vera turned to Ben :"So, Ben, what have you been doing so far this summer?" And Ben answered, dead serious :"Dealing with alien life forms with Alistair." Earning a chuckle from Vers :"Oh, you."

'Why don't you say you met god while you're at it, genius?'

Spotting Vera's collection of stuffed birds on the shelf, Gwen went to take a look. And while Vera's attention was occupied, Ben threw his piece of jello into Alistair's nearly finished dish :"I am totally stuffed."

'Eh, whatever, I was going to have seconds anyway.' Alistair indulged into the desert. Seeing him enjoying her food, Vera smiled as she walked up with a bowl full of candy :"Alistair, please eat as much as you want! I'm happy to see you enjoying my special snack."

Mouth full, the noiret simply gave a thumbs up. Hey, he might be crazy and an asshole, but he wasn't impolite. Professionals have standards. And one of them was keeping up manners, like not talking with your mouth full.

"Ben, would you like some candy?" She held up the bowl for Ben, who smiled :"Now we're talking." But the moment he threw it into his mouth, he froze in place before spitting it into his hand :"Ugh! Coffee as candy? Is this some kind of joke?" Before taking off towards the bathroom :"I need to use the bathroom."

'Why so dramatic? Coffee candy is delicious. Or maybe it's just me, since I like dark/bitter chocolate and the like.' Alistair raised an eyebrow before smiling at Vera :"Can I have a few, Mrs Tennyson?"

She smiled brightly :"Oh, please, eat as much as you want, young man!" Before putting the entire bowl in front of him. Alistair honestly felt bad for her :'Poor lady. She probably doesn't get to meet relatives here at all. She's so obviously excited, but Ben is being such a jerk. Don't worry, Mrs Tennyson. Since you've treated me so well, I'll have a talk with Ben about manners later. Specifically, I'll let Menace have a talk with him.'

Just as he was busy with his thoughts and the beat- ahem ahem, conversations he was going to have with Ben, the tingling sensation in his head returned. He frowned when he didn't see anything, but calmed down when he realized :'Oh, right, this was the first appearance of Ghostfreak. With many premium ones to come. Ugh.'

And Ben left. Seriously, such a bitch move. Alistair felt so bad when he saw the elderly woman get sad about it. He had a soft spot for kind old people. But well, she didn't stay sad for long. Literally, because she went to bed at 6.

Which to be honest, amazed him, who couldn't sleep until past midnight. And that was the earliest hours he would sleep at. The internet needed him far too much for him to leave it alone. He was a hero for not just the people, but also for the internet-

'Hey, wait a minute!' Laying down on the couch nonchalantly, his eyes sprung open :'Why don't I actually become a hero for the internet?! I can still remember that weird episode where they made a lame cartoon of Ben's transformations!

Heatblast, Fourarms and Wildmutt specifically, if I remember right. So since some assholes could make money from just a lame ass cartoon, why shouldn't I do it first myself so they wouldn't be able to rip off of us?! Oh my god, this is a brilliant plan!

Money was always on my mind as a huge issue. After all, I'm not going to always stick with grandpa Max. And even if I did, I'm not going to mooch off his kindness. Honestly, literally making money —as in actually MAKING money— would be hella easy, since I can just make a money making machine.

But that's illegal. And my antihero acts stop at killing people who deserve it. I'm not going to commit crimes. And besides, this idea sounds so much more fun than that! Seriously, I can make my own show! My own cartoon! Wait, no, why should I stop at cartoons?!

I can make a machine that will instantly turn the shows I make into cartoons! That way, kids and people who don't like cartoons can watch it at the same time! Oh my god, this is actually genius! I can make a machine that will instantly turn the shows I make into cartoons! That way, kids and people who don't like cartoons can watch it at the same time! Oh my god, this is actually genius! I can make a channel in YouTube or something and post the episodes of what we actually do on there, while masking it as a cartoon/movie! Wait, but YouTube isn't even made yet... oh well, I'll just make it myself! Will even add the shorts function and everything.

(A/N: YouTube was created in December of 2005, which is quite far. So MC will make it himself!)

This is one of the best ideas I've ever had, if I exclude the Techtrix! I'm going to make Ben 10 inside of Ben 10! Oooh, the irony! Hahahahaha!! Wait, hold on, I can't name it Ben 10 if I'm the main character and Ben is my partner.

Hmm... what to do here? What should I name the show? Chimera, as in a fusion of many beasts? Hydra- nah, I'm not a dragon and I definitely don't have just 9 heads. Hmm... let's name it... Predator & Savior!'

"Guys!" Suddenly, Ben ran inside, looking shocked. But not as shocked as he was when Alistair suddenly pounced on him, grabbing him by the shoulders :"Ben, I've got the best idea ever! You're going to love it!"

"H-huh?" He answered dumbly before Max hushed them :"Shhhh! Quiet, Vera is in bed." Earning a weirded out look from Ben :"Seriously? It's, like, only 6:30. Nevermind. Listen-" But was interrupted by a grinning Alistair who whisper-shouted :"Nevermind you, hear me out!"

-

"Whoa, Al, that's..." Ben looked baffled, before grinning widely :"So freaking awesome! So you want to make a movie about us and what we do?!" Thankfully, Alistair had used the Techtrix to activate the ability of a device he had absorbed into it. Which basically didn't let any sound go outside of wherever he chose. Best way to stay up past bedtime. He didn't want to interrupt Vera's sleep after all.

"I've gotta admit, it is a pretty good idea." Max smiled, pinching his chin thoughtfully :"And since basically nothing is dangerous to you two since you've unlocked the full potential of the watches, I don't think it can be that risky. Especially since you're masking it. The idea is honestly pretty good."

"Is it?" Gwen, not a fan of action, sci-fi or fantasy probably, looked unsure :"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be negative here! It's just, do you actually think the idea of two kids turning into different aliens would be popular?"

'Oh, the irony. Gwen, you're not going to believe this, but...'

"What are you talking about, dweeb?! Of course this idea would sell!" Ben smiled brightly :"Why do you think superheroes are so popular?! It's because of awesome action and superpowers! And we're basically a bunch of superheroes mashed into one! Why wouldn't that sell?!"

"Ben's right, Gwen." Max nodded in agreement, smiling :"I'm pretty sure I would sit down every weekend and wait for that kind of a show to start on the TV if I was a kid of your age."

"Well, I guess boys would love that." Gwen shrugged :"But how are you going to do this? Are you just going to keep a camera strapped onto you every time a villain shows up? And what about what has already happened? Are you going to skip those?"

Smirking, Alistair raised his right hand :"1: Pandora's Box, remember?" The name he had given to the Techtrix :"I can simply create the best camera in the world, and take it from there. And as you know, I treat this the same way as I treat the watch. It doesn't come off even when I sleep. And 2: I'll just make a device that can go through our memories, then I'll make a video of what's shown up in our heads. As simple as that."

She looked at him weird :"Yeah, I don't think our definition of simple is exactly the same, Al." But Ben didn't care :"Oh, who cares how he's going to do it? Why do you even bother with things that Brainiac and Brainstacean will come up with? All that's important is the outcome! And I can't wait for it!"

Thinking of something, Alistair hummed thoughtfully :"Hey, Ben? If I'm right, you should have burst in because of getting something about our unwelcome alien friends in here, right?" Ben's eyes widened in realization :"That's right, I completely forgot! You're not going to believe what I just saw!"

"Alright, bet." Alistair smirked, eliciting a snicker Ben :"Alright, fair enough." And so, he began to explain what he saw. Going from seeing a grandma stick to the ceiling to eat a fly and then tailing the grumpy grandpa next door to a secret hideout, where he saw numerous unconscious people inside of weird green pods.

Max frowned as he finished :"Who would have thought all these people would be kidnapped and replaced by aliens. Wait, what about Vera?! Was she among them?!" His eyes widened in worry, but Ben shook his head :"I checked everywhere, but I didn't see aunt Vera. I think they haven't gotten everybody yet."

"Explains why they're still around." Alistair hummed before smirking :"And that works the best for us. And our little idea~."

(Alistair be like :"Fuck the cringe ass "reincarnated MC makes a company" plot, I'mma start my own show!")