The Omnitrix released a final surge of unstable green light as it completed the scan, locking onto Saiyan genetic data. For a brief moment, Ben felt something change inside him, like a spark igniting deep within his body. His senses sharpened, his muscles tightened, and a strange energy flowed through him. But it was not overwhelming, not explosive like the power radiating from Caulifla and Cabba. It was… faint, incomplete.
Ben looked at his hands, clenching them slowly as if expecting something more to happen. "That's it?" he muttered, confused. He could feel the change, but it was nowhere near what he had imagined. No sudden surge of incredible strength, no transformation into a warrior of legend. Just a slight enhancement, like his body had taken a step forward, but far from reaching their level.
Caulifla raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "That was your big move?" she said with a smirk, stepping closer. "You picked Saiyan and that's all you got? You're still weak."
Ben frowned, trying to focus, trying to feel that power again. Maybe it needed to be triggered, maybe it needed a push. "Hold on, I just got it. Give me a second—"
But Caulifla was not the patient type.
"Then let me test it," she said, her grin widening as she pulled her fist back.
Cabba immediately sensed the danger. "Caulifla, wait! He's not ready—"
Too late.
She threw a simple punch, not even close to her full strength, just a casual strike by her standards.
But for Ben, it was like getting hit by a speeding truck.
The impact landed cleanly on his stomach, and in an instant, the air was knocked out of him. His eyes widened in shock as his body lifted off the ground and slammed back into the dirt a few meters away. The world spun violently, pain exploding through him before everything went dark.
Silence followed.
Caulifla blinked, her excitement fading into mild surprise. "Oh… he passed out already?"
Cabba rushed over to Ben, kneeling beside him and checking his condition. "Of course he did! You hit him too hard!" he said, clearly frustrated. "He just got that power, his body isn't adapted yet!"
Caulifla scratched the back of her head, looking slightly awkward for once. "I barely used any strength…"
"That's exactly the problem!" Cabba replied, sighing. "Not everyone is like you."
She glanced at Ben's unconscious form, then shrugged lightly, though her tone softened just a bit. "Well… he didn't die. That's something."
Cabba shook his head but said nothing more. He carefully lifted Ben onto his shoulder, making sure he was stable. After a moment, Caulifla stepped closer and helped support him as well, her usual arrogance replaced with quiet acceptance of the situation.
"Guess we can't just leave him here," she said.
Cabba nodded. "We'll take him to Planet Sadala. He'll recover there."
With that, both Saiyans took off into the sky, carrying the unconscious Ben Tennyson with them. The wind rushed past as they flew toward their home, the peaceful planet now about to gain an unexpected visitor.
Far below, the crater where Ben had fallen remained, but the story that began there was far from over. In a world where strength defined everything, Ben had taken his first step… and it had not gone the way he expected.
But perhaps, that was exactly how a Saiyan's journey was meant to begin.