It was dark........so very dark. It was as if all the light had gone from the world. Ben was surrounded by nothing and nothing surrounded him. All that remained was him, and the great purple eye that stared at him from the darkness..............the darkness that surrounded all things........................
"You think you have suppressed me?" The eye said maliciously. "You do not know how mistaken you are, You cannot suppress your very self."
"Shut up GhostFreak." Said Ben. "I'm not yours to control, you can go put a sock in it."
"You act like you are brave." said GhostFreak. "But you fear me. You fear what you would do while under my influence. You fear hurting those close to you............"
"Go away!" Ben cried out. "Why are you here!? Why!?
"I thought I had made it clear." said GhostFreak. "I am you.........I will always be here, even in the darkest depths of your dreams."
"Well then stop being me!" said Ben. "And get the heck out!!"
GhostFreak cackled sadistically. "You still fail to see.......I have already started taking over your very soul. You can't stop it...........the nightmare will go on forever.............and together, our power will take over the universe!!
"I'll stop you..........."
"Foolish boy". GhostFreak scoffed. "How do you plan on stopping yourself?"
Ben Tennyson woke up to a bright sunny morning. Light streamed through his living room wndow and he was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Misaka Mikoto lying on his shoulder. It took him about 5 seconds to remember the Christmas party that had gone on all last night. Ben had a Santa hat on his head and Mikoto was dressed in a Santa themed dress with furry white buttons and Kamijou Touma was sleeping on the floor with a spilled glass of sparkling cider in his hand. Index and Kuroko were huddled together on the dining table and snoozing soundly. The tv was on the Sumo Slammers tournament addition video game screen saying : Game Over. Both Ben and Mikoto had a controller in their hands.
Ben tried to clear his head. Had that dream just been the result of eating too much fruit cake? Wait a minute! When Ben and his friends had planned this party, they agreed they would do it on Christmas eve....which meant today was.
"Jumping Crashhoppers!!" Ben exclaimed. "It's Christmas!!"
Mikoto stirred from Ben's sudden outburst. "Mmm... what? What happened?"
Mikoto took one look at the wrecked living room and looked at Ben's face and her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my gosh its....."
Ben nodded. "Yeah I know!"
The reason why Mikoto and Ben were getting so flustered about this holiday in particular was because the two of them had volunteered to help out at one of the Child Error orphanages in Academy City. Child Errors were children who were abandoned in Academy City, and therefore they were cared for in an assortment of foster homes in the different districts.
Ben and Mikoto had decided that this year, they would do something to help the world that didn't have to involve beating up aliens or smashing robots. The plan was that Mikoto would dress up as an elf while Ben would use Gravattack to levitate a sleigh on which Mikoto would fly in on and pretend to be Santa's helper handing out gifts. However, Mikoto and Ben had been supposed to leave an hour ago. And unless they could get there in around 23 minutes, a lot of children were going to be missing their Christmas miracle.
Ben and Mikoto frantically ran all over the dorm trying to get ready, not at all paying attention to the fact that they were waking up the other late night party goers. 5 minutes later , everyone else was also frantically running around. Mikoto had put on an elf outfit and a set of elf ears while Ben was frantically dialing the Omnitrix looking for the hologram of Gravattack.
"Ben, you're not there yet, you don't have to go Gravattack now!" Touma exclaimed trying to wrench Ben's hand away from the Omnitrix. "And Gravattack is way too big to fit in this dorm!"
"Touma I'm hungry!!" Index complained.
"You're always hungry!" exclaimed Kuroko. "Besides, there is a bigger issue here. How are we supposed to get to the orphanage in under 23 minutes!? No way Ben's car is-"
"NO TIME FOR CARS!!" Ben said panicking.
He activated the Omnitrix and turned into the red manta like JetRay, who picked up Mikoto, opened the window, and flew out in a blur of speed.
When Ben and Mikoto had gone, Kuroko collapsed onto the couch and screamed furiously.
"K-Kuroko!?" stuttered Touma. "What's wrong?"
"Again! Those two are trying to get another excuse to have some alone time together!" Kuroko said angrilly.
"Aww, come on." said Touma. "It's not like they have that kind of relationship."
"Honestly Kamijou!" said Kuroko. "You are so dense!! Didn't you see what happened with them during the folk dance the last Daihaseisai!?" (Epilogue of A Certain Powerful Omnitrix 2.)
"Eh.....I think Index was making a meal out of my head....."
"I caught that stupid Alien Kid trying to ask Mikoto on a date!! And if I hadn't stepped in at the last second.....Sissy might have actually said yes!!!"
"You didn't try to drop kick Ben like you do with me did you?"
"HE DESERVED IT FOR TRYING TO STEAL MY SISSY!!!"
Touma sighed. "Look, Biribiri has her own life. You can't just stop her from dating guys she likes just because you get jealous. And besides, I don't think Mikoto is the kind of girl who dates.....well.........other girls.........."
"Touma I'm hungry!" Index shouted again.
Right....food.
Behind a building near the foster home, the large rock like alien named Gravattack was using his gravity manipulation to levitate a red sleigh down to the cheering and pointing children below. As soon as the sleigh landed, Mikoto started taking wrapped boxes out of the sack on the sleigh and handing it down to the eager children. Gravattack pressed the Omnitrix badge on his forehead and changed back into Ben Tennyson. He sat down against the wall and sighed. No matter what Mikoto wore, whether it was a silly elf costume, or her usual middle school uniform, she seemed to get more beautifull everyday. Ever since the events of the Daihaseisai, Ben had been trying to find a way to ask Mikoto out. However, everytime he tried, there was either Kuroko peering around a corner, Rukio Saten giving him the embarrassing knowing smile, or Skillout out making trouble again.
The gang of level 0s known as Skillout had been causing more trouble then usual lately. Rumor had it that they were even causing trouble in the Learning Garden area, which was strange considering the high security in that particular area. Ben, who was just getting back into the swing of being a meddling hero, had been seeking out gang hideouts and challenging the Skillout leaders there. Skillout was a gang that tended to target espers, the main reason being that they were bitter for being powerless level 0s. The espers they went after tended to be high profile level 3s and 4s. The espers may have been powerful, but when ganged up on by Skillout's superiour numbers, they were prey to wolves. Ben had hunted down over 50 different new Skillout leaders, always having to fight against superior numbers. Thankfully, when Humungousaur or EchoEcho were involved, it was more an issue of rounding up the runners then dealing with the fighters.
Ben shook his head. Right now he shouldn't have been thinking about Skillout. Of all days, Ben and Mikoto were together without the prying eyes of Kuroko on them. This would finally be the day in which he asked her out. No excuses and no doubts. Ben was just about to come up with a plan of attack when he noticed someone who he knew was probably going to make his day a whole lot more complicate. The possum-like quilled alien named Argit was sneaking around the corner of another building, as if being very carefull not to be caught. Ben walked right up behind Argit.
"Hey Argit. What are you up to this time?"
Argit turned around frantically and tried his best fake smile. "Heeeey! Ben, long time no see! Listen, I'm just here cause I heard this new donut shop opened up on this street, and-"
"Can it Argit. The only reason you're ever here is because of some con or scheme. So unless you want Rath to start doing the asking instead of regular ol' me, I suggest that you start talking."
Argit gulped. "Look man....I don't know what you're talking about-."
Suddenly, Ben felt a powerfull burst of instinctual fury that didn't seem to come from him. His pupils turned purple and his surrounding eyes turned black. Ben grabbed Argit by his coat collar and spoke in a monsterous ethereal voice.
"Listen you street scum!! The only reason I haven't ripped you to pieces yet is because I find you slightly amusing!! Now answer honestly!!"
Argit looked shocked and terrified. "B-Ben?!"
Ben's eyes went back to normal and the strange sensational anger faded away. Ben blinked and dropped Argit. What had just happened?
"L-look, don't get the wrong idea here!!" Argit said scrambling to his feet. "I'm just an honest joe trying to make a living, so if you don't mind...."
Argit made to walk away only to walk face first into the tall form of Tetrax, who had somehow managed to sneak over despite his large form. Tetrax looked down at Argit with his crystal face. "Honest joe? Not the term I would use to describe you Argit."
"Tetrax!?" Ben exclaimed. "What are you doing here!?"
Tetrax gave Ben a serious look. "We need to talk, I'll be back at your dorm in 3 hours. Until then, don't let that filthy rat out of your sight." Tetrax nudged his head at Argit.
"Uhh.....yeah sure."
Ben sighed depressed. Looks like another oppertunity to ask Mikoto out had just went down the drain.