XLR8 ran at full speed, racing toward the Rust Bucket as quickly as his legs could carry him.
He had spent enough time running around in that dream world. Now that he had finally managed to return to reality, he wanted nothing more than to find his family and make sure everyone was all right.
The Rust Bucket soon came into view.
Without slowing down, XLR8 rushed toward the RV and pushed the door open.
"Grampa!"
His Omnitrix beeped just as he entered, and the familiar green glow enveloped his body. His alien form disappeared, leaving Ben standing in the doorway in his human form.
He barely paid attention to the transformation, too focused on looking around the RV.
"Grampa, I'm-"
Ben stopped.
Inside, Max and Gwen were standing beside Gold Ship, who was currently holding Perry in her hands. All four of them appeared to be watching something happening nearby, their attention focused on Orfevre.
And Orfevre was busy keeping Pesky Dust in a chokehold.
For a few seconds, Ben simply stared at the scene.
He had just escaped a nightmare that had made him question everything he knew, and the first thing he saw upon returning to reality was his family gathered around his cousin while his twin sister held his alien form in a chokehold.
Somehow, that sight was almost more confusing than anything he had experienced in the dream.
Still, considering the family he belonged to, perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised.
To explain how things had reached this point, it was necessary to go back to what had happened earlier.
After Evan fell unconscious, Max decided to continue their journey. Although the situation had initially worried everyone, they eventually learned that Evan was simply in a state of deep sleep. Knowing that he wasn't in any immediate danger eased some of their concerns, allowing them to focus on the other problems they had to deal with.
Unfortunately, Ben had been having a terrible day.
Things had gone wrong one after another until he was eventually captured by the Forever Knights. Rather than simply keeping him imprisoned, they placed him inside an artificial dream, forcing him into a deep sleep while they attempted to remove his Omnitrix.
With Ben trapped inside the dream, his family had to find another way to reach him.
Fortunately, Max, Gwen, Orfevre, and Gold Ship managed to pick up the frequency of the machine responsible for maintaining Ben's dream. They hijacked it and used it to enter his dream world, hoping to find Ben and wake him up from the inside.
It was a risky plan, but they had little choice if they wanted to bring him back safely.
That was when Evan finally woke up.
After opening his eyes, he found four of his family members sitting in their seats, each with a strange metal machine placed on their head. It didn't take long for him to realize that something unusual was happening.
Rather than immediately interfering, Evan transformed into Grey Matter.
With his small size and sharp intellect, he was able to examine the machines closely and study how they functioned. He wanted to understand what they were doing and, more importantly, why his family members were using them.
It didn't take him long to figure out their purpose.
Once he understood how the equipment worked, Evan decided to use it to his advantage. He transformed again, this time taking the form of Pesky Dust, the Nemuina whose abilities allowed him to enter the dreams of others.
With that ability, Evan entered Ben's dream world himself.
It was there that he quickly discovered what had happened to Ben and learned about the situation he had found himself in. Rather than simply helping Ben escape the dream, however, Evan came up with a different approach.
He decided to use the opportunity to teach his cousin a lesson.
And, honestly, his method was questionable at best.
For starters, Evan never told the others that he was the real Evan rather than some dream-made copy. As far as Ben and the others knew, the Evan they encountered inside the dream was simply another part of the artificial world surrounding them.
That alone could have caused some serious problems. But the stranger part was Evan's decision to turn Ben's dream into a complete nightmare.
Normally, the dream was supposed to keep Ben asleep, allowing the Forever Knights to continue their work without interruption. Evan's solution was to do the exact opposite of what the machine had been designed to accomplish.
He deliberately made the dream frightening enough to force Ben to confront the consequences if he failed.
After all, pleasant dreams were meant to keep people asleep, while nightmares were often what made them wake up.
Of course, there was no guarantee that his plan would work out the way he wanted.
Ben could have broken under the pressure. He could have lost his confidence, questioned his ability to be a hero, or even decided that he no longer wanted to carry the responsibility of wielding the Omnitrix.
Evan was aware of those possibilities. He simply didn't seem particularly worried about them. It wasn't because he didn't care about Ben. Quite the opposite, actually. Evan cared deeply about his family's safety, and that was precisely why he had taken such an extreme approach.
To him, being a hero wasn't just about having incredible powers or being able to defeat powerful enemies. It was also about accepting the responsibility that came with those powers and understanding what could happen when someone failed to live up to that responsibility.
The Omnitrix was an incredible device, but its power came with enormous consequences. If Ben wanted to wield it, then he needed to understand that his decisions could affect far more than just himself.
Evan wasn't interested in letting his cousin carry that responsibility without understanding what it meant.
If the Ben of this world wasn't as strong-willed as the Ben from the Prime Universe, then perhaps it would be better for him to give up early rather than continue until the pressure finally became too much for him.
It was a harsh way of looking at things, but Evan had his reasons.
He was someone who placed his family's safety above almost everything else. If Ben proved unable to handle the responsibility of being a hero, Evan would step up and take his place if that was what it took to protect everyone he cared about.
He might find it annoying, and he certainly wouldn't be happy about having another responsibility thrown onto his shoulders, but that wouldn't stop him from doing it.
His own feelings came second when the safety of his family was involved. His own safety is third.
Of course, none of that made his method any less questionable.
After all, there was a difference between teaching someone a lesson and putting them through a nightmare severe enough to make them question everything they knew.
Now that Ben had finally awakened and returned to the Rust Bucket, he had a much better understanding of what had happened.
Learning that the nightmare had been Evan's doing only made him feel more wronged.
Ben couldn't help feeling that Evan had gone a little too far this time.
He wanted to complain. He wanted to ask Evan what on earth he had been thinking and why he couldn't have simply explained things to him like a normal person.
But then again, Ben couldn't deny that the experience had taught him something.
The nightmare had forced him to confront the responsibility that came with wielding the Omnitrix. It had shown him what could happen when he failed. He had learned that being a hero wasn't just about defeating the villain in front of him.
He also had to pay attention to his surroundings, consider the consequences of his actions, and remember that innocent people could get caught in the middle of a fight.
It wasn't a pleasant lesson, and Ben certainly wasn't grateful for the way Evan had taught it to him.
Still, he couldn't deny that he had learned something from it.
So, after a moment of consideration, Ben decided not to complain.
...
Currently, at the beach, Gwen was enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet.
Sitting comfortably on a beach chair, she had her face buried in her spellbook, taking full advantage of the opportunity to catch up on her summer reading.
The sound of the waves rolling onto the shore and the cool sea breeze made for a rather pleasant atmosphere, especially after everything their family had been through lately.
Nearby, Max was busy working on some kind of new device. Wearing his work goggles, he focused on the equipment in front of him, occasionally making adjustments as he continued tinkering with it.
"Ah, it's so nice to finally get a little peace and quiet so I can catch up on my summer reading," Gwen said contentedly, turning a page in her spellbook without even looking up.
Max paused his work and took off his goggles, glancing around the beach.
"Although, I can't help but feel that it's a little too quiet."
Gwen stopped reading for a moment. She looked toward the water, where a group of girls had gathered near the gently rolling waves.
"Well, at least we have more people to keep the twins company," she replied, returning her attention to her spellbook. "Honestly, I didn't expect to have so many cousins."
Near the water, the atmosphere wasn't as peaceful.
"So, my dear little brother. I heard you've been causing everyone a lot of mental trouble lately."
The calm, almost casual voice came from somewhere nearby.
The speaker was a fourteen-year-old girl with long, light-black hair, a large white strand running down the middle. She wore a pair of glasses and a simple black one-piece swimsuit, with a white hoodie layered over it.
Dream Journey looked down at her little brother with a sharp gaze, her expression calm enough that it might have seemed harmless to anyone who didn't know her.
Her hand rested casually on the iron shovel she had stabbed into the sand.
And beneath her gaze was Evan. More specifically, Evan was currently buried in the sand with only his head sticking out, surrounded by several of his sisters.
He looked up at Journey, then briefly glanced at the shovel beside her. He had a feeling this conversation wasn't going to end particularly well for him.
"Yeah, you better have a good reason for worrying all of us," Nakayama Festa added.
Sitting cross-legged on the sand, Festa wore a simple blue swimsuit. Her light-brown hair swayed gently in the cool sea breeze as she regarded Evan with an expression that was considerably less relaxed than her usual demeanor.
"I have no idea what you-"
A foot came down on Evan's head from behind, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"You still have the nerve to say that? You suicidal idiot."
Orfevre stood behind him, glaring down at her twin brother. She wore a yellow swimsuit and had her arms crossed over her chest, her expression filled with irritation.
Of course, Evan knew better than to mistake that irritation for a lack of concern. Orfevre had been worried about him, and she wasn't particularly interested in hearing excuses.
"Just because you can't die easily doesn't mean we aren't worried about you!"
As she spoke, she ground her foot down against his head a little harder.
"Ugh! Oru, I'm trying to talk here!"
"Then try talking about something that makes sense!"
"How am I supposed to do that when you're stepping on me?!"
"Sounds like a you problem."
Evan stared at her, and Orfevre stared back. Neither appeared interested in backing down.
A short distance away, a smaller voice finally spoke up.
"Big Sis Oru, please don't kick Big Brother anymore."
Fenomeno stood nearby, looking at the scene with visible worry. She was a somewhat small girl with long, spiky black hair, wearing a black swimsuit.
Unlike Orfevre, who was expressing her concern through physical punishment, Fenomeno seemed much more troubled by the situation itself.
She looked at Evan, then at Orfevre's foot resting on his head, clearly hoping that her sister would show him a little mercy.
After all, Evan had always been there for them.
Their father was rarely home to take care of them, and as the brother, Evan had suddenly matured and stepped up to fill the role that had been missing from their lives. He had taken care of his sisters, looked after them, and made sure they were safe.
He had become someone they could depend on. That was precisely why learning that their brother didn't seem to value his own life had hurt them so much.
The person who had spent so much time looking after everyone else apparently had little regard for his own safety.
How were they supposed to accept that?
For the sisters, it wasn't something they could simply ignore.
And that was why they had come here.
Dream Journey had abandoned her summer camping trip with her friend. Nakayama Festa had escaped from summer camp. Fenomeno had practically cried her way out of summer school.
All three had interrupted their own plans just to have their mothers bring them to this beach after agreeing to meet up here with their grandfather, siblings, and cousin. All to make sure their brother hadn't somehow disappeared from their lives forever.
Evan shifted his eyes toward Fenomeno, hoping to find some support. Unfortunately, the worried expression on her face only made him feel more guilty.
"...You guys are making this a bigger deal than it needs to be," he muttered.
Orfevre's foot pressed down again.
"Would you like to repeat that?"
For a moment, the siblings remained where they were, their attention fixed on the buried twin. Then Evan suddenly seemed to realize something was missing.
He glanced around the group.
"Wait, where's Gold Ship?"
The question made everyone pause.
It was a reasonable thing to ask. Gold Ship was usually one of the first people to show up whenever something interesting was happening, especially if there was a chance to cause trouble.
The fact that she wasn't around was almost suspicious in itself.
Festa looked toward Fenomeno.
"She's with Feno."
That answer immediately drew the others' attention to the younger girl, causing Fenomeno to stiffen slightly.
"Uhh... I can't keep her in check," she admitted sheepishly. "She usually drags me into her schemes with her."
There was a brief silence between them.
"Well, she isn't wrong," Orfevre agreed.
She then turned her attention toward Journey.
"Didn't we agree that you would be watching over her?" Journey looked at her younger sister with a tired expression. "I was busy burying Ever. Shouldn't you girls watch her while I'm busy?"
She sounded genuinely exhausted. Being the eldest sister in a family filled with weirdos was clearly a demanding job. Of course, she seemed to have conveniently forgotten one rather important detail.
She was also one of those weirdos.
Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the direction of the sea.
"Wooohoo!"
All five siblings turned their heads.
Out on the water, Gold Ship was riding a water jet ski at an alarming speed.
Perry was perched on top of her head, apparently content to accompany his owner on whatever reckless adventure she had decided to embark on this time.
The only problem was that the jet ski didn't appear to belong to her.
Somehow, Gold Ship had managed to steal it. And she was riding it as though she had been doing this her entire life.
The siblings watched in silence as she sped across the water, leaving a trail of splashing seawater behind her.
Then she crashed directly into Ripjaws. The collision sent Gold Ship and Perry tumbling into the water.
For a moment, the five siblings simply stared at the spot where she had disappeared beneath the waves.
Evan was the first to speak.
"...Huh. At least we know where she is now."
Festa scratched her chin, watching the water with a puzzled expression.
"Uh, does she know how to swim?"
Fenomeno continued staring at the sea.
"I don't believe so. We haven't learned how to swim yet."
Silence followed between them. One second passed, then followed by another. The waves continued rolling toward the shore, completely indifferent to the situation unfolding in front of them.
The five siblings kept staring at the water, waiting for the troublemaker to resurface. After five seconds of silence, all four older siblings finally reached the same conclusion.
"God damn it!" Their voices rang out at the exact same time.
The 'peaceful' atmosphere of the beach was immediately shattered.
Journey and Festa kicked off the sand with Oru stepped on her brother's head and rushed toward the water, while Evan burst out of the sand, freeing himself from his temporary prison. All four siblings rushed toward the sea, desperate to reach their little sister before something happened to her.
The fact that Gold Ship had somehow managed to steal a water jet ski was a problem for later.
The four siblings entered the water and began swimming toward the spot where Gold Ship had disappeared. They pushed through the waves as quickly as they could, their earlier irritation replaced by the urgent need to find her.
Fortunately, it took them less than two minutes to reach her location.
They soon spotted Gold Ship in the water, desperately holding onto Perry while the platypus tried to swim upward.
Despite his simple-minded appearance, Perry seemed to understand that his owner was in trouble. He paddled as best he could, attempting to help Gold Ship stay afloat while making his way toward the surface.
The siblings didn't waste any time worrying about the details. They reached Gold Ship and Perry, grabbed the two, and pulled them toward the surface.
With everyone working together, they managed to get both of them out of the water and back toward safety.
A short while later, Ripjaws burst through the surface of the water. He emerged from the sea before transforming back into his human form.
...
Later, the Gold siblings gathered together to play a game of beach volleyball, hoping to cool off a bit after spending so much time under the sun.
With all six siblings present, they decided to split into two teams of three. Evan, Gold Ship, and Nakayama Festa would play on one side, while Orfevre, Dream Journey, and Fenomeno took the other.
The teams took their positions on opposite sides of the net, with the volleyball resting in their hands as they prepared to begin.
"Let's do this!" Gold Ship roared, raising her arms excitedly.
After all, how often did she get the chance to play with all her siblings at once? With Festa and Evan on her team, she was already looking forward to having some fun. Whether that fun would involve actually following the rules was another question entirely.
"Pass the ball to me!" Festa called out.
"Got it!"
Without a second thought, Gold Ship passed the ball directly to her sister.
Festa caught it, took a few steps forward, and charged toward the net. Her light brown hair bounced behind her as she leaped into the air, raised the ball above her head, and slammed it down toward the other side with all the enthusiasm of a basketball player going for a dunk.
The ball struck the sand with a satisfying thud.
For a moment, everyone went quiet. Evan immediately face-palmed.
Orfevre tilted her head, looking at the ball and then at Festa as if she were trying to figure out what she had just witnessed. Dream Journey, meanwhile, simply chuckled lightly at the sight.
Gold Ship and Festa cheered as if they had just scored the winning point in a championship match.
"YES! THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!"
"THAT WAS AWESOME!"
"That's basketball, not volleyball." Fenomeno's words cut through their celebration.
The black-haired girl stared at her two sisters in disbelief, wondering how either of them had managed to confuse two completely different sports.
Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa paused.
Then, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, both turned their heads toward Fenomeno at exactly the same time.
"Heh?" The identical looks of confusion on their faces somehow made the situation even worse.
Evan let out a quiet sigh.
"How did you two even come up with that?"
"What? We hit the ball over the net, didn't we?" Gold Ship argued.
"Yeah! And it went down on their side!" Festa added, nodding as though she had just presented an undeniable argument.
"That's not the point!" Evan exclaimed.
And so, before the game could continue, the Gold siblings had to spend some time explaining the actual rules of volleyball to the two girls who had apparently decided that the net was just a suggestion.
Once Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa finally understood what they were supposed to do, the game could properly begin.
Surprisingly, the siblings managed to play a somewhat normal game of volleyball with each other.
At least, normal by the Gold family's standards.
"Ora!"
With Nakayama Festa lifting her by the waist, Gold Ship rose into the air and kicked the volleyball toward the opposite side of the net.
The ball sailed over, but Dream Journey was already in position. She moved quickly to block its path, sending it back into play before directing it toward Fenomeno.
"Feno!"
Fenomeno adjusted her position and struck the ball upward, sending it high enough for Orfevre to make her move.
The orange-haired girl bent her knees before launching herself into the air. Her eyes followed the ball as it descended, and she swung her arm with enough force to send it rocketing toward the opposing team.
"Royal Guard!"
Evan stepped forward and raised his arms in time to block the incoming Aura-coated ball flying toward him.
The impact sent a sharp force through his arms and pushed him backward across the sand. His feet dug into the ground as he struggled to hold his position, but he managed to keep the ball from getting past him.
The volleyball bounced away, returning to the air as the game continued.
Meanwhile, some distance away from the siblings, Ben was having a rather different kind of afternoon. He had been minding his own business when a massive mutant seagull suddenly attacked him out of nowhere.
Needless to say, the encounter had forced him to transform into an alien to deal with the unexpected threat.
The Omnitrix flashed, and Ben found himself transformed into a new alien; he called Ditto.
Standing about as tall as an average human child, the alien had distinctive black-and-white skin, three fin-like growths on his head, and gem-like orbs embedded in his arms. Three button-like gems lined his waist, while his green eyes, with their light-green pupils, gave him a curious appearance. The Omnitrix symbol sat prominently on his forehead.
His ability was straightforward but useful: Ditto could split himself into multiple copies, allowing Ben to create an entire group of himself to handle a problem, with the downside being that they shared senses, meaning if one got hurt, the others also felt it too.
Unfortunately, even having the ability to make clones didn't mean he could immediately figure out what to do with a giant mutant seagull.
Ditto was still trying to get the situation under control when a volleyball suddenly came flying out of nowhere. The ball slammed straight into the massive bird's head.
The impact caught the creature completely off guard. Its head jerked to the side, and its enormous body lost its balance before crashing down onto the ground.
For a brief moment, everything went quiet.
Ditto stared at the fallen seagull. Gwen, who had been searching for a spell, blinked as well. Then they looked toward the direction the ball had flown from.
A group of six siblings came running over, apparently having noticed that their ball had gone somewhere it wasn't supposed to.
They slowed down as they reached the scene, their attention shifting from the volleyball to the enormous creature lying on the ground.
Feno was the first to speak.
"What even is that!?"
The siblings stared as the massive mutant seagull began to rise again. It shook itself, spread its enormous wings, and let out an angry shriek that made it very clear that it wasn't happy about being struck in the head.