Alex Carter was a 17-year-old drowning in the monotony of his own existence. Life was a predictable cycle: wake up, trudge through school, clock in at his part-time job at the local convenience store, then collapse into bed. Repeat. His parents were alive but might as well not have been—always buried in work, leaving him to fend for himself. He wasn't miserable, just invisible. Not bullied, not a star, just another face in the crowd. To escape, he dove into anime, comics, and video games—worlds where heroes and villains clashed, where life had stakes. One night, after marathoning Ben 10 and My Hero Academia, he sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Why can't I have a little spice in life?" he muttered, half-joking, more out of boredom than intent.
He didn't know a cosmic entity—maybe a god, maybe something trickier—was listening. And it took his words very literally.
Alex jolted awake, but his soft bed was gone. He was sprawled on a cold, gritty rooftop, the night sky above him glittering with unfamiliar stars. His heart raced as he scrambled to his feet, scanning the horizon. Below stretched a sprawling city—futuristic skyscrapers pierced the skyline, but familiar landmarks twisted into something strange. Billboards flashed ads for Stark Industries and Vought International, while a distant roar of cheers hinted at a hero tournament. This wasn't his world.
"What the hell…?" he whispered, rubbing his eyes. The chill biting his skin and the rough rooftop under his palms were too real to be a dream. Then he saw it: a sleek, black-and-grey device clamped onto his left wrist. It resembled the Omnitrix from Ben 10, but not quite. Its faceplate glowed with ten colored segments—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, pink, white, and light grey—circling a grey hourglass symbol.
"Is this… an Omnitrix?" Hesitantly, he tapped it. A holographic menu sprang to life, displaying a name: Dimple from Mob Psycho 100. Instinct kicked in—he didn't know how, but he knew what to do. He selected it, and in a flash of yellow light, his body melted away, reforming as a translucent, floating spirit.
"Whoa!" His voice carried Dimple's mischievous edge. He zipped around, phasing through a wall and back, before a beep signaled the timeout, snapping him back to human form. He stared at the device, breathless. "This is real. But how?"
Fishing his phone from his pocket, Alex frowned—it was his, but different. The interface was sleeker, and the date read June 23, 2025. Two years had jumped forward from 2023. Opening the news app, he skimmed the headlines:
- "Tony Stark Announces New Initiative with Vought International"
- "All Might Retires: New Generation of Heroes Steps Up"
- "Mutant Registration Act Debated in Congress"
Mutants? He dug deeper. In this world, "mutants" was an outdated term from when powers were rare. Now, with over 90% of the population sporting abilities dubbed "Quirks"—straight out of My Hero Academia—the word felt archaic. Vought International, ripped from The Boys, offered services to awaken or boost powers, luring in the powerless and the ambitious alike. A Quirk was just power by another name.
But Marvel? That cracked the facade wide open. Tony Stark meant Iron Man, which meant Avengers, which meant cosmic threats like Galactus, Knull, and the Phoenix Force. Even if this Earth was tamer, with heroes like All Might and The Seven holding the line, the potential for disaster loomed large. The Seven might parody the Justice League, and MHA's heroes might inspire hope, but Marvel's heavy hitters could end it all.
Alex's stomach dropped. "This is the 'spice' I asked for?" he muttered. "More like a one-way ticket to chaos."
He turned back to the Omnitrix, cycling through its roster. It wasn't the classic version with endless aliens—this one capped at ten, each tied to a color and a defining trait. Here's what he found:
1. Red - Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul) - *Anger, but not total*: Kaneki's rage simmered, controlled yet potent.
2. Orange - Genos (One Punch Man) - Greed of any form*: Genos craved power to match his mentor.
3. Yellow - Dimple (Mob Psycho 100) - Fear: Dimple's cowardice shaped his every move.
4. Green - Zygarde 100% Form (Pokémon) - Earth and defense: Zygarde protected its domain fiercely.
5. Cyan - Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) - Peace: Geralt sought a quiet life amidst chaos.
6. Blue - Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass) - Extreme hope for a better tomorrow: Lelouch dreamed big, bending the world to his will, good or bad.
7. Purple - Goku (Dragon Ball) - Transformation from mean to good: Once a ruthless Saiyan, a head injury turned him into Earth's protector.
8. Pink - Alucard (Hellsing) - Caring yet pragmatic: Alucard's affection came with a bloody edge.
9. White - Simon (Gurren Lagann) - Wholly good, willing to sacrifice: Simon grew into a hero who'd give everything to save all.
10. Light Grey - Darkseid (DC Comics) - Truly evil, ruthless ruler: Locked away (for now), Darkseid embodied tyranny.
The roster was a patchwork of emotions and archetypes, from anger to evil, each color a window into their soul.
Alex exhaled shakily. He was an orphan now—his parents gone, erased by the wish that flung him here. No family, no safety net, just him and this Omnitrix in a world teetering on the edge. Hiding might keep him alive, but for how long? Galactus could devour the planet, Knull could drown it in darkness, and Darkseid—well, he was in the Omnitrix, but what if he broke free elsewhere?
He thought of Ben Tennyson, a kid who stumbled into the Omnitrix and chose to be a hero. If Ben could do it, so could he. "Guess it's time to snap out of it," Alex said, standing tall. "Let's go hero."
The city sprawled before him, a mix of hope and danger. With the Omnitrix humming on his wrist, he took his first step into the unknown.