Ben 10 Radiant War, Volume 4

Family Reunion.

"AAAGGGGHHHH!!" Ben fell to the floor, panting wildly. 

"That's it, we're taking a break!" said Erice. 

"N-no I can do this." Ben gasped, trying to climb onto the couch. "Hanzo send me in again. Not like my real body's getting hurt.."

"Nope.." Hanzo folded his arms, glaring at Ben. "Boss, take a break."

It was noon and Ben had already gone back into his inner world 5 times, each of them ending up in the same result-

Bellicus in his strange Ben-like older form, pummeling Ben out of his own head before he could even attempt to talk to Serena. 

"Come on Hanzo don't be like that-." Ben gasped.

"Your body isn't getting pummeled but your mind is. You're mentally exhausted and you just endured the trauma of being on the receiving end of some pretty painful attacks." said Hanzo. "I should know, I was on the receiving end of Ultimate Shocksquatch."

"And I was on the receiving end of Ultimate Swampfire, you ought to recognize by now that those particular forms don't feel nice when you're hit with them." said Ophelia. "Even if you hold back.."

"I.. I know I kow.. I.. ugh.." Ben groaned and bowed his head. "This was just the worst."

"What happened in this attempt?" Ophelia asked, looking at Erice. 

"He went Atomix... for a moment he started to win." said Erice. "Then Bellicus used Ultimate Atomix and there you have it."

"Oh shit." said muttered Shi-Jian from where he had been sitting and reading a Toradora Light Novel. "Can't you ever express your feelings properly Taiga..? I mean come on you love him."

Everyone just stared at Shi-Jian with frowning expressions. 

"What?! Look I've seen Ben go on the Self Destruct Route before, and this isn't that. If he wants to try again, he'll be fine." said Shi-Jian. "If anything I think this is more the go away and come back later deal, like Dark Souls! Ben's in Rage Quit mode! Not mentally breaking mode."

"That's.. actually a fair point." said Erice tentatively, looking worriedly at Ophelia. 

"True.." said Ophelia. "But, at the same time, he's well on his way there.. if anything I think we should think this through before you get blasted by another Ultimate Alien in your mindscape."

Ben sighed. "Y-you're right. Sorry guys. I'm not used to losing to.. well me. What part of me does Bellicus even represent?"

"Anger, aggression-." Nia began. 

"I know that shit, I mean what part about me specifically?" Ben asked. 

"Hmmm, intriguing question, that's for you to really try and figure out of course." said Nia. 

"That.. is so cliche." Ben muttered.

"Its cliche because it happens a lot, and it happens a lot because that's just how it is." said Nia with a shrug. "You can't just watch an apple fall off a tree and call gravity cliche and wish that it'd mix things up by sending the apple hurling into space instead. Yes, this is a cliche 'fight your inner demons' moment, because that's something you eventually have to do to reach your potential. Some of my best students had to face their inner demons before moving forward in my school. Cloud Strife did it, Mister Uzumaki had to literally fight himself in a waterfall of some sort.. ugh, don't get me started on Asuka Langley, she's still misbehaving in almost every class meet.. why just this morning- ugh though its understandable now that her world is literally a giant globe of primordial human soup."