newbienovelistRD asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)

Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel.

Mercy Is One Quality Of A Great Hero

Ben growled as he became Gravattack, taking on Attea, who was once again trying to take over the town of Bellwood in her quest to conquer the planet. "You'd think she would have learned by now," he said to himself.

Attea tried to cheat, but Ben outsmarted her and delivered her right into the waiting hands of the Plumbers, but as she was taken away, she turned to Ben.

"You're too soft on your enemies, Ben," she said, her voice filled with distain. "You don't even have the guts to finish off your opponents like I or my race do."

He stood there, glaring at her. "How is battling them being soft on them?" He asked, just managing to keep the curious note out of his voice.

Attea smirked. "When someone dies, they can't come back," she said matter-of-factly. "But because you're so soft when it comes to battle, your enemies will always return and you'll never get a break."

Ben clenched his fists, but the alien's words cut deep and she smirked again. "I'm right, aren't I, Ben?" She said mockingly. "If you finished off your enemies, you wouldn't have to worry about them coming back."

The Plumbers then took her away, but Attea smirked still, knowing she had gotten to Ben and she grinned to herself. "Won't be long before he'll perhaps join me and be my king," she thought to herself.

Ben was angry at what Attea had said, but inwardly, he knew she was right and what she said made sense. Ben liked to make his enemies retreat, but he refused to deliver a killing blow, chosing to be merciful, but now that he thought about it, there were times his soft side was taken advantage of and the universe had been nearly destroyed.

Aggregor and Vilgax were prime examples of that. They were both power hungry and had sought to rule the universe and destroy anyone who stood in their way. The five aliens Aggregor had kidnapped and absorbed into him had nearly been destroyed for good, especially when the madman had gone to the Celestialsapiens and almost rewrote history. While he had been stopped and the aliens freed, Ben had refused to destroy Aggregor as the villain had tried to do to him.

Vilgax had always been after Ben since the boy had first gained the Omnitrix. Even when Ben had met him and battled him, he had only made Vilgax surrender. Even though the tyrant had been bent on ruling the universe, Ben had refused to use his power to eradicate his enemy.

He now hung his head. Was Attea right? The reason he couldn't catch a break was because his enemies kept coming back? While it was true that when someone died, they couldn't return (though Alien X had proven that he could restore someone's life under certain circumstances), Ben didn't want to do something he regretted.

But he was regretting going soft on his enemies. "Not anymore," he said softly and firmly to himself, now glaring at nothing with angry eyes. "She's right. I'll only get a break when my enemies are truly gone."

Rachel noticed how quiet Ben was when he came to the Mansion. "Ben, are you okay?" She asked him, concerned.

He nodded tiredly. "Just was a long battle with Attea," he said.

"Ugh, that girl really puts the 'ugh' in ugly," the blonde-haired woman said, making Ben chuckle a little. "But seriously, you're quieter than usual. Did she say something to you?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, she did, something that totally makes sense," he said.

Rachel blinked. "What did she say?" She asked.

Ben clenched his fists. "I'm too soft on my enemies," he said. "I don't...use my powers to erradicate them. Stop them, yeah, but never...,"

He paused and the girl's eyes widened. "You've never used your powers to...kill your enemies," she said softly, horror gripping her as she had a sinking feeling she knew what Ben was about to say.

"Think about it. The reason you and your family is always in danger is because I never make sure our enemies don't come back and they take advantage of that," the hero said. "Your children have nearly been kidnapped many times and you and the others have been in danger more than once because of my soft side."

There was some slight truth to what he was saying, but Rachel shook her head. "Ben, our enemies come back because they're stupid and don't realize that they'll never win and that we'll never give up fighting for what's right," she said. "There's a fine line between doing what's right and doing something that would have devastating consequences, consequences that could never be amended or even forgotten."

Ben looked at her. "But if I finish off my enemies, we'd never have to face the consequence of them returning," he said. "That way...you can all be safe and myself and the Plumbers can get a much-needed break."

He then stood up, noticing the time. "I've got to head on patrol with Rook," he said.

Rachel stood up too. "Ben," she said, making him look at her. "Whatever you do, choose your actions wisely," she pleaded.

He smiled. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly.

But she was worried and little did she know that two other aliens had overheard the conversation and were just as worried at the blonde-haired girl was.

Ben turned Attea's words in his head and it wasn't long before Rook noticed Fisttrick causing trouble. Ben hopped out and transformed into Feedback. "Alright, Fisttrick, playtime's over," he said with a growl.

Fisttrick laughed mockingly. "As if you can stop me, Tennyson!" He declared.

Moments later, he was on his back and screaming in agony as Ben was beating him down harshly, not giving the criminal a chance to fight back or even get up.

Soon, Fisttrick was on the ground, groaning in pain while Ben charged up Feedback's most powerful electric attack, Attea's words replaying in his mind.

"If you finished off your enemies, you wouldn't have to worry about them coming back."

Ben raised his hands, ready to finish off Fisttrick.

"STOP!"

The unexpected shout startled Ben and the first thing he noticed was that it was super quiet. He glanced around, seeing Fisttrick's gang in running positions, but they weren't moving, like they had been frozen. He then saw his partner frozen by the Proto-Truk and it looked like he had been about to try and stop Ben.

The boy looked around before feeling a hand on his shoulder and turning to find Alien X behind him and the starry alien placed a gentle hand on the Omnitrix symbol, gently timing it out and making Ben revert to his human form. "Ben, Attea was wrong," the alien said gently.

Ben looked confused. "How?" He asked.

Clockwork appeared beside him, placing a gold hand on his shoulder. "While it is true that enemies who are killed can't come back, the consequences of using your powers that way are far worse."

"But...our enemies always take advantage of my soft side," Ben protested, his voice soft and confused.

Alien X looked at Clockwork and nodded. "Ben...there's something you need to see," the starry alien said gently.

Clockwork nodded and took a deep breath. "Brace yourself, kid," he said. "This isn't going to be pretty."

As the hero watched, the two used their powers in sync, bringing him to a place he didn't recognize at first before it hit him. "Is this...Staybrook?" He asked softly.

"Yes," Alien X said softly.

The town was in ruins and there was a force field around the Grant Mansion and they saw Rachel letting people in. "Hurry!" She said urgently.

Rook came running up to her. "That's the last of them," he said, holding his youngest daughter in his arms. "I can't find Ben though."

"He's still out there?" Rachel asked in worry.

The Revonnahgander looked worried then and they turned to find races of war-like aliens coming towards them. "Love, we have to go now," Rook said. "We need to get everyone to safety before it's too late."

She nodded, tears in her eyes at they headed for the Mansion. "Initiate Level 10 Lockdown in ten seconds," she said. "Countdown initiated. Ten, nine, eight...,"

They made it to the Mansion and in seconds, the Mansion was gone, just as the warring aliens opened fire.

Ben looked at the carnage. "What happened?" He asked.

"This is a result of you killing not only Vilgax, but also Attea's father," Clockwork said sadly.

"What?!" The boy asked in shock.

Alien X sadly nodded. "Those races declared war on Earth and not even the Plumbers could stop them," he said. "They gathered their allies and the attack devastated Earth."

The hero was shocked before looking at them. "My family?" He asked, though afraid to know.

Clockwork looked away. "Your grandfather died when the attack happened and Gwen and Kevin managed to get word to Rachel before they perished too. There was little time to get as many people as they could to safety," he said softly.

Ben fell to his knees, shock filling him. "This is what happens...if I finish off my enemies like Attea suggested?"

"Yes," Alien X said. "What's worse is that you are blamed for the attack and many people and aliens turn against you, no longer seeing you as their hero, but as their doombringer."

The boy shook his head. "No," he said softly, tears falling from his eyes. "Rachel was right. There is a fine line between doing what's right and doing something that had consequences that can never be amended."

The two aliens nodded before Alien X snapped his fingers and Clockwork's hands glowed gold, dismissing the vision they had shown Ben before the starry alien helped the boy to his feet. "Ben, your soft side isn't a weakness. It's one of your strengths," he said.

"One quality of a great hero is mercy," Clockwork said. "Though your opponents may not show mercy, if you do, that makes you the better person. Also, showing mercy results in true honor."

Ben knew they were both right and he looked at them gratefully. "Guys...thank you," he said. "Thank you for stopping me from making a terrible mistake."

Both nodded again before they returned to the frozen present. "So, what are you going to do with Fisttrick?" Alien X asked.

The hero looked at his enemy, who looked badly hurt. "How badly is he hurt?" He asked.

The starry alien checked. "Several broken bones," he said.

The boy flinched in shame. "Alien X, can you heal him?" He asked.

"He'll be sore, but yes, I can."

Alien X waved his hand, healing the villain's broken bones before Ben nodded. "I think I'll let the Plumbers take it from here," he said.

A gold hand rested on his shoulder. "A wise choice," Clockwork said, ruffling his friend's hair playfully. "Now, go on. Be the hero that shows mercy and has honor."

With that, the two unfroze time and Ben blinked, seeing Fisttrick still on the ground, looking up at him and the boy glared back at him. "Attea was wrong," he said. "And so are you."

He motioned to Rook. "Cuff him, partner, and we'll deliver him to the Plumbers."

Rook nodded, cuffing Fisttrick and his gang, who the Plumbers picked up moments later. On the way home, the Revonnahgander looked at Ben. "What happened?" He asked. "One moment you were beating Fisttrick to a pulp and the next...it was like time had been reversed."

Ben nodded. "I was forced to reflect back on what I was doing," he said. "And now...I swear I'll never use my powers to finish off my enemies, no matter how many times they attack. They may not show mercy, but I will, because if I don't, I'll be no better than them."

His partner smiled, placing a hand on Ben's shoulder. "And you wouldn't be the partner that I know I can always count on," he said.

They made it to the Mansion where Rachel hugged them and insisted Ben stay for dinner. The boy accepted and went to find Alien X and Clockwork. Finding them, he ran to them and glomped them happily.

Alien X chuckled and returned the hug. "There's the Ben we know," he said, ruffling Ben's hair playfully.

The gold time alien chuckled too as he returned Ben's hug. "Feeling better, champ?" He asked.

Ben nodded. "Much better, thanks to you guys," he said.

As they hugged him again, Ben promised himself that no matter what, he'd show mercy in battle, because that is what a good hero does.

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GoldGuardian2418