What if Kinger from The Amazing Digital Circus was in Ben 10?
Reminder that Chronosapiens have the ability to look back at past moments by projecting them using their abilities. Kinger does this often to see Queenie again, along with using them to actually have hands again.
After another humiliating defeat from Ben 10, the crazed Albedo was transformed into a 10-year-old version of Ben by Azmuth as punishment for his actions. Azmuth could not take off his Ultimatrix, as Albedo had combined it with his DNA, so he deactivated it.
Albedo was placed back into his cell in Earth's Plumber Headquarters and secretly reactivated his Ultimatrix. Then a Vilgax from many years in the future appeared to free him. Albedo did not want another alliance with Vilgax after what had happened last time but desperate to get out once again he listened to Vilgax. Vilgax had recruited different versions of Ben Tennysons from across the multiverse and had planned to use them to destroy the Ben from Albedo's universe. Albedo, consumed by anger and spite against Ben, followed Vilgax to another universe where a battle between Omnitrix users took place.
In this battle, Albedo and the rest of the evil Bens were double-crossed by Vilgax and were wiped out with the rest of the Omnitrix users from a Chronosapien Time Bomb Vilgax had gotten hundreds of years ago.
Thanks to the only Ben Tennyson without an Omnitrix and the time traveling Professor Paradox, all Omnitrix users were returned. Albedo then chased after No Watch Ben to get answers but was stopped and returned to his prison cell in his timeline.
Albedo once again was recruited by Vilgax to steal the villain Malware's remains on Galvan Prime. Albedo used this opportunity to separate himself from Vilgax and attempt hack into Azmuth's database to steal his secrets, only to be stopped. Azmuth once again deactivated his Ultimatrix and, instead of turning him over to the Plumbers, Azmuth decided to watch Albedo himself and made him work community service for 30 Galvan solar cycles (about 6 Earth months) until Azmuth figured out what to do with him. Azmuth also forced Albedo to see a therapist during this time, hoping Albedo will one day seek redemption.
Notes:
Only a bit of fanfic again for now. Also it's non-linear. Hope you enjoyed me mostly recounting cannon for now.
So I’m sure y’all (ben 10 fans specifically) know about the episode Inspector 13? And how Gwen couldn’t used her mana like she usually does?
Yeah, those are my thoughts today and I’m gonna talk about ‘em.
Let’s get this out of the way first, pure full Anodites will not have the same trouble that Gwen has, regardless of form. Basic reason here same as normal, they’re pure mana and Gwen is a fleshy human with a spark, so inherently there’s already a difference in the flow of mana.
But are other species capable of magic and mana manipulation?
Heck yeah!
Knowing what we’ve seen with Anodites already, sans Gwen of course, they’re the... uh... hmm let’s say playboys of the universe. Much in the same way that humans can’t keep it in their pants, Anodites don’t have pants in the first place and would definitely proliferate with life spanning galaxies. And just like with humans, there is a chance that any hybrid child of an Anodite can have the spark.
But does that mean that Gwen can use mana as each of the aliens she turns into?
Heck no!
At least not on first try.
Now let me explain. Humans have a filter on their flow of mana, one which Anodites don’t possess, but other species have that same filter. Why? Well, it’s their DNA of course, it’s what separates them from the pure energy beings of Anodites, the unfiltered raw flow of mana. This filter is there because while Anodites are filled with mana, a hybrid with a spark produces their own unique life energy that interacts and mingles with the flow of their mana.
But what does that mean for Gwen?
Given that the spark is not... uh... entirely genetic (there’s a need for an Anodite SOMEWHERE in the bloodline for the spark, but it doesn’t come up in DNA), it should exist through each transformation. But the issue here is that, while the spark stays the same, the filter wildly changes.
Gwen, as herself, is athletic and light on her feet, so her mana floats, twists and turns, and when solid, is akin to glass. But as Diamondhead, suddenly there’s more weight and less dexterity. There’s a difference that opens a new set of rules for Gwen that she’s never had to deal with, and just like at the start of her magic career, things don’t work exactly as they should.
I’m done with the whole analysis side of this thought, but the main reason why this is on my mind is because... well... I didn’t like how the show handled the differences in mana manipulation. It’s maybe a sneaky little episode rewrite, and maybe a little more interesting version of the ‘getting-used-to-another-person’s-powers’ trope... which I’m pretty sure is a thing. I don’t know I’ve seen it before a few times so whatever.
ANYWAY! Moving on to what I would’ve like to have happened, let’s go in order of Gwen’s transformations.
As stated (and is obvious), Petrosapiens aren’t very known for their light weight and dexterity, so one’s magic would reflect this. How this will affect their mana would turn the free flowing looseness of floating mana into physics based materialisation. But what makes this different to a Petrosapien’s natural crystalkinesis?
Let’s demonstrate with Diamondhead.
A falling Gwen would realise quick that her attempts at making platforms would fail, seeing them fall alongside her. However, producing these solid objects took nothing away from her physical levels of energy, meaning Diamondhead wasn’t growing fatigued unlike with typical crystalkinesis. Gwen would have the ability to form as much ‘crystals’ as she wants in order to keep her from crashing too heavily into the ground.
This use of mana is more so built upon traps, because they last a lot longer and barely need concentration to work. Used as a replacement for crystalkinesis, a Petrosapien ain’t gonna get very far, because these ‘traps’ work on everyone even if they can disperse the constructs. No, it’s better to stay away from the constructs because they amplify sonic waves (the mana vibrates as if like a tuning fork) and can create shatter explosions if struck the right way. For the latter, if y’all have seen the dude pressure plating a diamond, it’s like that.
Now, let’s talk about the second alien Gwen transforms into, Clockwork!
Chronosapiens are a little more robotic than Humans and Petrosapiens, especially Anodites, so their filter of mana is a lot larger. It is the fact that they are alive in the first place that let’s them use magic at all, but their mana capabilities are extremely limited. It’s like being trapped in a metal suit, where it’s hard to allow the internal spark to manipulate the external environment. But what if one doesn’t use external magic?
Clockwork can work like this.
Gwen may not manage to bypass the filter and create mana constructs, or even a flowing tendril, but she can find ways for her modified magic to work. Clockwork keeps the spark internally, so why not help that along with less offensive and defensive skills, and instead more utility casting. What does this mean? Flight, babes! But instead of the traditional sort of flight, Gwen finds that she can ‘walk on frozen time’ and ‘slip through the seems’.
Okay maybe that sounds a little too much like the Esoterica power set, but it’s not like seeing a fourth dimension and accessing the inaccessible. It may appear to be the same, but just like how people may perceive Clockwork to have super speed, even though he’s just slowed time for everyone else, it’s just a matter of perspective. But in general, learning to use mana outwardly would need more time than Gwen had.
Moving on to alien number 3, we have Humungousaur.
Now, in terms of filters, Vaxasaurians have a little more access to mana manipulation than Petrosapiens and especially Chronosapiens, but they have a whole lot of life energy due to their size, which has an effect on their spark. While the dexterity of their magic can be comparable to Human’s manipulation, the strength of it is quite limited, so while a Vaxasaurian may be dependent on their physical bodies for attack and defence, magic is just a bonus action.
So how would Humungousaur use magic instead?
Well, while Gwen would engage in a good old round of fisticuffs, she can use mana like a lasso/whip to trip opponents and yank them this way and that. And by ‘this way’ I mean directly into her punch, like you’re the ball of a paddle-board. It’s definitely more of an assistance type of magic, and it’s definitely not strong enough to support the weight of Humungousaur, but Gwen can control the battlefield by controlling the stability of the enemy.
Think hunting and gathering, this is where a Vaxasaurian’s magic thrives, where it helps with restraining and retrieval rather than attack and defence, they’ve already got THAT down. Prime Vaxasaurians, with their size increase, would lose the use of their mana when at max height, but Reboot Vaxasaurians can emphasise their tail shockwave with magic to make it even more deadly.
Up next is Upchuck, and boy is this an easy one.
Gourmands already have a natural relationship between themselves and energy, so someone with the spark can super enhance their energy bile. To the point where it’s almost unnecessary to actually eat anything to get at least some sort of fire power. Of course, with a Gourmand’s small squishy body, they are perfectly capable of throwing up defences (I swear that pun was an accident), but who needs defences when you’ve got a whole arsenal of explosive mana.
But there’s a little issue with Upchuck that Gwen has to get over.
The problem? Gwen’s a little self-conscious about a Gourmand’s abilities. Mana is the flow of life energy, so if the flow is restrained by embarrassment, it doesn’t act at its full potential. Upchuck can certainly try to use magic as a crutch to avoid needing to eat and spit her way in, but the free flowing stream cutting off is inhibiting the strength of her defence too.
SO! When Gwen finally caves and eats some metal, there’s enough power to blast a hole into the techadon factory big enough to get inside with time to spare. Aside from enhancing the blasting power of a Gourmand’s natural energy, the use of mana manipulation can change the ‘weaponry’ of the attack, which can turn into a gassy smokescreen (burp) and a sticky ball (loogie) to name a few. A Gourmand’s best strength is confidence, so Gwen would need to adapt her mana the same way.
And last but not least, we have Rath stepping up to the plate.
Now, Appoplexians are... rather straight forward and fight tooth and claw rather than strategically. They have a similar mana to life energy filter ratio to Humans, but that doesn’t mean that they’re just as magic friendly. Mana manipulation typically requires coherent thought other than the urge to beat someone up.
But Rath can use magic, and here’s how Gwen works it.
Cutting to the chase, there’s no range mana attacks, at all. For one thing, Rath would find it cowardly, another being that unlike ripping out a turret and throwing it at something else, there’s not enough brutal violence. And utility magic is not even considered. That needs some planning, and the only plan Rath has going into the fight is to WIN! And Gwen is not immune to the urge for violence.
So what happens instead, Gwen would accentuate a punch, slash or block with the extra kick of mana. Enemy fist approaching at 5 o’clock, t-minus 2 seconds? Mana armour. The techadon warrior is regenerating a little too fast for liking? Mana blade! Inspector 13 is being an annoying little techadon engineer with his constant downplay of their abilities? MANA PUNCH!
And after all that, Gwen gets to be in her own skin again. Some of the abilities she learnt that day don’t translate to her Human form. She can’t form crystal traps, she can’t slip between the seams of time, she can’t modify the properties of her mana. But some of the techniques she learnt can be adapted into her regular fighting. She can manipulate the battle field, she can construct armour on the fly.
But most importantly, she can see the differences of life energy, and how they effect magic use. Seeing a range of different mana manipulation, Gwen has unlocked a more open perspective on magic and can learn so much more, her expectations of Human magic pried open wide.
I think THAT would’ve been neat.
But instead we got same face syndrome not to rag on the episode haha.
Gastrosapien (Gutrot's Species) - Counters Bed Time (Nemuina). Apparently, Gutrot is the only sapient alien in the known galaxy that is immune to Nemuina dust.
Petrosapien - Counters Puddle (Lenopan) and Zeno. Encasing goop in crystal is a well known trick.
Chronosapien - Counters Gatekeeper (Portaler's Species). One warps time, the other warps space, they're both overpowered as [#@$&] once you get over the steep learning curve...
Kraaho - Counters Wrap-Up (Thep Khufan) and Spork... sorta. Basically, the strategy is to just outstretch your opponent.
Chimera sui Generis - Counters Hairy Biz (Molestache's Species). The obligatory strength aliens that round out the roster.
Lately I've been hearing a lot about how people don't like Maltruant all that much.
I mean - I'm not defending the bad guys. You know I'm always rooting for Ben.
But I honestly thought the fandom would find the idea of a Chronosapien gone rogue interesting, considering his abilities.
And, Maltruant using his powers for evil shows us just what Ben’s alien form, Clockwork, can potentially be capable of, too, because the idea of a Chronosapien gone rogue puts his powers fully on display without the moral limitations of an Omnitrix wielding hero behind them.
In The Ink Tank's series, "5 Years Later", Clockwork is even listed under the "Powerhouse Playlist" - a list of all of Ben's "worst case scenario" aliens - proving that he's pretty powerful on his own.
Maltruant's downfall might have been his lack of a strong motive, but regardless, is that really not at all a compelling storyline to explore?
