Ben woke up staring at a white ceiling.
For a few seconds, he didn't know where he was. Then the pain hit, heavy, deep, spread through his entire body.
He groaned and tried to sit up, failing awkwardly. Every muscle protested.
That's when he heard voices on the other side of the infirmary.
He recognized them immediately.
His grandfather. Recovery Girl. And… Thirteen ?
"Grandpa…?" he called, confused.
The conversations stopped at once.
Everyone turned toward him.
Max's face changed instantly. Relief washed over him as he stepped closer and pulled his grandson into a warm, tight hug, the kind only a grandfather could give.
Ben smiled faintly. "Hey…"
"How are you feeling ?" Max asked softly.
"Sore," Ben replied. "Really sore."
He paused. "How long was I out ?"
Max's expression shifted, just a little.
"…Two days."
Ben blinked. "Two…" He stopped, then gave a small smile. "Well… at least I got some sleep."
That earned a quiet chuckle from his grandfather.
A throat cleared behind them.
Recovery Girl and Thirteen were watching, patient but serious.
Thirteen stepped forward and held out her hand. "Ben Tennyson. I'm Thirteen. It's good to finally meet you properly. I've heard quite a lot about you."
Ben frowned. "About… me ?"
He had only been at U.A. for a little over a month. Sure, he'd faced villains, but being known by a ranked hero felt strange.
Max noticed his confusion.
"She's one of us," he said simply.
Ben froze. "…One of us ?"
"Plumbers," Max clarified.
Ben's eyes widened. "Ohhh."
That explained a lot.
Max then gestured toward Recovery Girl, who stood near the bed. "You already know her. But she knows more than she lets on."
Ben looked at her. "Are you a Plumber too ?"
Recovery Girl laughed softly. "No, dear. But I help when I can. From time to time."
She glanced at Max. "I've pulled him out of more near-death situations than I can count."
"Hey," Max said with a smile. "Don't scare the kid."
Ben let out a small laugh. "Okay…this is all cool. But what's going on ? Why are you here and not my parents ?"
Max's tone turned serious.
"When Recovery Girl realized you might wake up at any moment," he explained, "we wanted to speak to you first."
Recovery Girl stepped closer with a tablet and turned it toward Ben.
A projection appeared, some cells slowly breaking down.
Ben frowned. "What is that?"
"Your cells," Max said.
Ben's stomach dropped. "Mine…?"
Thirteen took over. "The galvannic circuit in the back of your neck allows you to transform. That's a fact. But every transformation destroys and rebuilds your cells."
She paused.
"When you return to normal, the process happens again."
Recovery Girl nodded. "These constant reconstructions are causing unstable changes in your human cells."
Ben swallowed hard.
"What happens if this keeps going ?" he asked quietly.
Max met his eyes.
"…You die."
The word hit like a crushing weight.
Ben went pale. His hands shook. "There has to be something we can do. Medicine, treatment, anything."
Recovery Girl shook her head. "This isn't an illness. It's a flaw in Galvan technology. Whatever is attached to your neck is incomplete, and dangerous."
She hesitated. "We considered removing it. But it's deeply connected to your nervous system. Surgery wouldn't help. It could kill you."
Silence filled the infirmary.
"So… what now ?" Ben asked. "I'm at U.A. I can't just stop using my powers."
"I know," Max said. "That's why I called Thirteen."
Thirteen nodded. "I've worked with alien physiology before. You can reduce the strain by using partial transformations, arms, legs, limited enhancements."
Ben frowned. "…I've done that before, but they are not as powerful as complete transformations"
Recovery Girl said. "It puts far less stress on your cells than full transformations. It's not ideal, but it buys time."
"Until we find a better solution," Max added. "Or until we can contact Galvan Prime and the creator of that device."
Ben fell silent.
His hand slowly moved to the back of his neck. How hadn't he noticed ?
He had been so focused on finally having powers. On finally helping people. On finally being Ben 10.
And in the process, he was killing himself.
Thirteen stepped closer. "We know you didn't want this. But you're not alone. We'll help however we can."
She smiled gently. "You're going to be a great hero, Ben. But heroes face the obstacles in front of them. This is yours."
Ben nodded slowly.
Recovery Girl turned off the tablet. "We'll give you some time to think. Your parents will be brought in soon."
She and Thirteen left the room. Only Ben and Max remained.
His grandfather knelt in front of him, meeting his eyes.
"I trust you," Max said. "I always have. I know you were meant for greatness."
His smile was sad, but sincere. "I just don't want it to cost you your life."
Ben's throat tightened.
"I love you," Max said. "You'll get through this."
He hugged Ben one last time and left.
Ben was alone again. With the quiet hum of the infirmary.
~~~~
Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I'll be changing the aliens' design later on, but I'll let you know so don't worry.
The stories will take a little longer to get updated; I have a new job that takes up most of my time, but I'll try to bring you more chapters when I can. Thanks for everything ;)