Meanwhile, somewhere out in the desert, Max had set up a rough training area using whatever he could find, old cans stacked on boards, rusted pipes hanging from wires, and a few homemade catapults pointed toward the open clearing. The sand stretched out in every direction, the heat shimmering above the ground as the Rust Bucket sat parked a short distance away.
Max stood near a cluster of levers he had rigged together, while Ben waited across the clearing. Inside the Rust Bucket, Evan, currently using Brainstorm, was busy working on one of his latest upgrades and parts scattered around him as he muttered to himself and occasionally sparked a bit of electricity from his claws.
Max glanced toward Ben and folded his arms.
"You ready?"
Ben grinned and raised his wrist, already tapping the face of the Omnitrix as it popped up.
"You know it."
He scrolled through the silhouettes before slamming the dial down.
A bright green flash burst outward as the transformation began. Ben's body was quickly encased in layers of green crystal that formed around him like armor. The crystalline shell climbed over his arms and legs, spreading across his torso before sealing over his head. The structure hardened and shifted, turning a brilliant golden color as the transformation finalized.
Four spike-like diamonds pushed outward from his back, two large ones above and two smaller ones below. His clothes reshaped themselves into a sleek bodysuit split down the middle, black on one side and white on the other, while the Omnitrix symbol appeared on his upper left bicep.
The light faded.
"Diamondhead!" he announced proudly, copying the exact way his partner liked to call out his transformations.
He rolled one shoulder and flexed his arms.
"Oh yeah," Diamondhead said. "I'm ready."
Max nodded once, though he kept a serious look.
"Remember to think out there, Ben. Don't try to muscle it. Might isn't always right."
"I know, I know," Diamondhead replied, already shifting his forearms as they reshaped into sharp crystal launchers. "But it's always fun."
Max pulled the first lever.
One of the catapults snapped forward with a loud clack, launching a cluster of empty cans into the air.
Diamondhead reacted instantly, firing a rapid volley of crystal shards. The diamonds sliced through the air and embedded themselves neatly into the spinning cans before they even started falling.
Max pulled another lever.
A second catapult launched cans from the opposite direction.
Diamondhead spread his arms wide and unleashed another flurry of diamonds. The projectiles streaked through the desert air and nailed each can one after another, the metal clanging as they were pinned mid-flight.
Max gave a small approving smile before reaching up and pulling another lever mounted above him.
Two practice targets dropped down from wires overhead.
At the same moment, the twins fired from opposite sides of the clearing, their diamond shards striking the targets dead center. The wooden boards splintered from the impact.
Diamondhead didn't stop there. He pivoted and fired several more crystals toward targets tied to nearby cacti and boards placed along the top of a small hill. Each one shattered as the diamonds punched straight through them.
Once the last target broke apart, Diamondhead relaxed and shifted his arms back to normal. He casually blew the dust off his fingers before starting to walk away from the firing area.
Nearby, Gwen watched the whole thing from a folding chair. She squirted some sunscreen into her hand and began rubbing it into her arms while shaking her head.
"Show-off."
Max pulled another lever without warning.
"Focus, Ben," he said. "Think."
"No worries, Grandpa," Diamondhead replied confidently.
A few more cans launched toward him, and he shot them down with another clean volley.
But then something different came flying out of one of the catapults.
A tire.
Diamondhead barely had time to notice it before it slammed straight into his chest.
"Whoa!"
The impact knocked him off balance, and he instinctively fired diamonds in every direction.
Max immediately ducked behind the lever stand.
Gwen screamed and dove off her chair, scrambling under the table just as several crystal shards punched straight through the seat she had been sitting in. One of them also pierced the sunscreen bottle, sending it tumbling into the air.
A moment later, Gwen cautiously peeked out from under the table.
Right as the bottle came down and splattered sunscreen directly onto her head.
She froze. Then groaned loudly in pure disappointment.
Across the clearing, Diamondhead looked over at the mess he had caused and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Heh…" He gave an awkward little chuckle. "Sorry. My bad."
...
"You rockhead! You almost turned me into swiss cheese!" Gwen shouted from the back of the Rust Bucket as it rumbled down the long desert highway.
The old RV bounced slightly with every crack in the road, the hot wind blowing dust across the windshield while the engine droned steadily, at least for the moment.
Ben, sprawled out across the booth seat, threw his hands up defensively.
"I said I was sorry! What else do you want?" he shot back.
Across from him, Evan was finishing up inside the Rust Bucket's makeshift work area. A few alien-looking devices were scattered across the table, and he carefully packed them away into a small metal case before snapping it shut. The faint glow from one of the components faded as he powered it down.
Max kept his eyes on the road while gripping the wheel.
"And what we want from you," Max said calmly, "is for you to start taking that thing on your wrist a little more seriously."
Ben slumped slightly.
"You need to think more when you use it," Max continued. "Look at Evan. He understands his alien forms. He studies what they can do and figures out how to get the most out of them."
Evan simply slid his case under the table and leaned back in his seat.
Ben groaned. "I know, I know, but come on!" he said, waving a hand dismissively. "You guys have seen the action. I'm the baddest Ben in town."
He leaned back smugly and kicked his feet up onto the table.
"I've kicked so much alien butt our feet hurt!"
Before he could settle in comfortably, Gwen immediately shoved his feet right back off the table.
"Keep your gross feet off the furniture."
Ben grumbled but sat back up.
Gwen crossed her arms and leaned against the window.
"Yeah, but one of these days you're gonna get your own butt kicked," she said with a small grin. "And I hope I'm there to see it."
Ben scoffed.
"Besides," Gwen continued, nodding toward Evan, "you're not the only one doing alien butt-kicking around here."
Ben waved her off. "Yeah, yeah."
He leaned back again, clearly not worried.
"Well, you better keep dreaming, geek face," he said confidently. "Because that day's not coming anytime soon."
Max was about to respond when the Rust Bucket suddenly gave a loud cough.
The engine sputtered. Then it sputtered again, louder this time.
The entire RV lurched as the engine rattled violently under the hood.
The Rust Bucket let out one last wheezing groan before the engine completely died.
The RV rolled forward a few more feet before slowly screeching to a stop in the middle of the empty desert road.
Silence filled the vehicle.
Max sighed as he looked down at the dashboard. "That doesn't sound good."
...
Back at the abandoned training site, the desert wind had already started reclaiming the area the Tennysons had used earlier. Empty cans rolled slowly across the sand, the catapults creaked as their ropes swayed in the breeze, and several of the targets still hung crookedly from the wires where Diamondhead's crystals had torn through them.
Hoverboard stood near the center of the clearing with Samus beside him, surveying the scattered remains. He held his hoverboard under one arm while checking a compact radar tracker in his other hand. The device gave a few faint blips as it scanned the area.
He adjusted a dial and studied the readings.
"This is where the Omnitrixes were last activated," he said, glancing across the desert before starting toward the training equipment for a closer look.
Behind him, the camera angle shifted upward toward the cliff overlooking the site.
Two other figures stood there watching.
Six-Six gave a short series of mechanical-sounding phrases in his native alien tongue before igniting his jetpack. With a burst of flame, he shot up into the air and rocketed off across the desert sky.
Kraab remained where he was for a moment, his large armored frame silhouetted against the sunlight.
"You can say that again," Kraab grumbled as he looked down at the scattered junk below. "A rock pile like this is better off as space dust."
Down in the clearing, Samus activated the tracking functions inside her visor. A faint scanning grid passed over the ground as she followed the same energy trail Hoverboard had located.
Her visor locked onto something.
She stepped closer and crouched down, brushing some sand away to reveal one of the metal cans Ben had been shooting earlier. Embedded firmly in its side was a sharp crystal shard from Diamondhead's attack.
Samus reached toward it to examine the fragment, but suddenly an extendable claw shot forward and snatched the can first.
The Predator stood nearby, its armored gauntlet holding the can firmly while its other arm lifted, the missile launcher on its wrist aiming directly at Samus.
Hoverboard reacted instantly.
He stepped forward and grabbed the can, yanking it out of the Predator's grip before the alien hunter could react.
The Predator's response was immediate. Twin arm blades snapped out from its gauntlet with a metallic shing, and it reached for the plasma caster mounted on its shoulder.
Hoverboard didn't flinch.
He slowly brought up his own blaster and pointed it directly back at the hunter.
"Don't even think about it, Yautja," he said calmly. "I've dealt with your kind back home too."
The Predator tilted its head slightly, letting out a series of sharp clicking sounds.
From above, Six-Six's voice crackled through a distant comm signal as he spoke something in his own language that sounded suspiciously like a threat.
"Whoa! Big talk from a gearhead," Kraab called down from the cliff.
Hoverboard didn't take his eyes off the Predator.
"Get in our way again," he said evenly, "and I'll teach you how to say 'dismantle.'"
For a moment, the two of them simply stared each other down.
Then the Predator slowly retracted its blades.
Six-Six's voice came through again with what sounded like a mocking reply before his signal faded as he continued flying off into the distance.
Hoverboard lowered his blaster and slid it back into its holster before walking away with the crystal shard still in his hand.
Kraab snorted. "Whatever."
His legs suddenly rotated and locked together, transforming into a massive drill. With a loud mechanical whir, he plunged straight into the ground and tunneled beneath the Earth's crust, sand spraying outward as he burrowed underground to track the Tennysons.
The Predator remained still for a moment longer, glaring in Hoverboard's direction.
It made a few quiet clicking sounds.
Then its cloaking device activated.
Within seconds, the alien hunter faded from view and vanished completely.
Samus watched the others disperse before turning to leave the site with Hoverboard.
But as she stepped forward, her foot suddenly caught on one of the ropes still stretched across the ground.
The rope snapped tight. Several of Max's training mechanisms instantly activated.
Targets popped up from behind rocks. Catapults snapped upright. A few more practice boards swung down from the wires overhead.
Samus reacted purely on instinct.
Her arm cannon came up in an instant.
A bright blast of energy erupted from the barrel.
The power beam tore through the entire training setup in a single sweeping shot. Targets exploded, boards shattered, catapults blasted apart, and several nearby cacti were vaporized as the beam carved through the area.
When the dust finally settled, almost nothing remained of the training site except scattered debris and smoke.
Hoverboard stepped up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Watch it, Samus," he said quietly.
Samus lowered her arm cannon and looked at the destruction she had just caused.
...
The Rust Bucket rattled slowly down the cracked road before finally rolling to a stop at the edge of a small, abandoned town.
Dust blew through the empty streets as the Tennysons stepped out to take a look around. The place looked like it had been forgotten decades ago. Old wooden buildings leaned at odd angles, broken windows creaked in the wind, and several of the nearby farmhouses had collapsed roofs and rusted tools scattered across their yards.
A faded sign barely hanging from two posts read: Slatterville.
Ben looked around at the silent streets and sighed. "Looks like nobody's home."
Gwen stepped out beside him and glanced down at her handheld device.
"Not for a while," she said. "My Intellimap program says this is Slatterville. Incorporated in 1857 after the discovery of silver. It went bust in the late 50's when the mine ran out."
Evan leaned against the side of the Rust Bucket and watched a tumbleweed lazily roll across the road.
"So we stopped at a ghost town," he said. "Cool."
Ben glanced at Gwen. "Why does everything that comes out of your mouth sound like a book report?"
Gwen rolled her eyes.
Nearby, Max had already popped open the Rust Bucket's hood and was leaning inside while examining the engine. After a moment, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Aha! I think I found the problem."
He reached down and pulled out a section of the fuel line.
A sharp green crystal shard was still lodged through the rubber tube. "Leaky fuel line."
Ben leaned over and looked at it.
"Lucky shot?" he chuckled.
Gwen groaned. Max carefully removed the shard and inspected the damage. "I should be able to patch it up."
"Sorry, Grandpa," Ben said casually as he started dialing the Omnitrix.
"I think I can help with that. Maybe Four Arms…" He paused, turning the dial. "No, wait, Upgrade."
Max immediately shook his head.
"I think you've done enough already," he said firmly. "I'll handle this."
Ben shrugged. "Alright. I guess I'll check this place out."
Without waiting for a response, Ben started walking down the dusty street toward the old buildings.
Max watched them go with a concerned look before turning to Gwen.
"Maybe you should go-"
"Make sure he doesn't find a way to blow everything up?" Gwen said, already starting after them. "I'm on it."
Further into Slatterville, Ben wandered toward the entrance of the old mine that sat at the edge of town. The wooden beams supporting the entrance were old but still standing, and rusted carts sat on broken rails that disappeared into the darkness.
Ben stepped inside, looking around at the old equipment and abandoned tools scattered everywhere.
"Man," he muttered. "Talk about old school."
He kicked a loose rock aside while looking at the dusty machinery. "Look at all this junk."
From outside the mine, Gwen's voice echoed across the empty town.
"Ben! Ben!"
Ben blinked and walked back toward the entrance, poking his head out of the mine just enough to see Gwen looking around the street for him.
A mischievous grin spread across his face. He quietly tapped the Omnitrix. A bright flash of green light filled the mine.
Gwen cautiously stepped inside a moment later, squinting into the dim tunnel.
"Calling all dweebs!" she called out while scanning the shadows.
She paused. "Ben?" Something moved behind her.
Before she could react, a dark presence suddenly passed straight through her body.
Gwen gasped and spun around.
A shadowy silhouette floated in the air behind her, slowly reforming into a familiar shape. Torn strips of skin wrapped around the floating figure, leaving small gaps where a single eerie eye shifted and moved beneath the surface.
Ghostfreak folded his arms and smirked.
"What's the matter, Gwen?" he asked in a faint whispering voice. "You look like you've seen a ghost…" His eye slid across the tear in his skin. "…freak."
He started laughing to himself.
Gwen crossed her arms. "Get over yourself, doofus. You don't scare me."
Before Ghostfreak could respond, the ground nearby suddenly began rumbling.
Both of them turned just in time to see the dirt bulging upward.
A massive shape tunneled rapidly toward them beneath the surface.
Ghostfreak reacted instantly. He grabbed Gwen and lifted her off the ground as he floated backward just as the earth exploded upward.
Kraab burst out of the ground in a spray of dirt and rock, his massive armored body unfolding as his claw snapped open and shut.
The two stared at him. Gwen slowly pointed.
"But he does," she admitted, her voice shaking slightly.
Ghostfreak floated forward, tilting his head while his wandering eye examined the alien crab from top to bottom.
"No problem," he said. "I'll handle this guy."
He circled Kraab in the air, inspecting him.
"Man," Ghostfreak muttered. "You really put the 'ugh' in ugly."
Kraab's claw snapped again.
"Hand over the Omnitrixes," he ordered coldly, "and I promise that you won't suffer… much."
"Dream on, claw-boy," Ghostfreak replied. His eye shifted toward Gwen. "What's he talking about?"
"He wants the watch, Einstein!" Gwen snapped.
Ghostfreak rolled his eye. "You don't have to get snotty about it, Ms. Know-It-All."
He turned back to Kraab.
"Sorry, crabby," Ghostfreak said casually. "But the watch and I are kind of attached."
"Not for long," Kraab growled.
Ghostfreak floated a little closer. "You have no idea who you're messing with."
Kraab leaned forward slightly.
"Funny," he said. "I was just about to tell you the same thing."
Suddenly, the mine entrance exploded inward.
A large figure burst through the doors with a loud metallic crash.
The Predator stepped inside, snarling as its wrist blades extended with a sharp metallic shing. The alien hunter glared at both Kraab and Ghostfreak, clearly ready to claim its own prize.
Ghostfreak slowly looked from one alien to the other.
"Okay," he said. "Do you know this one?"
"Now you see me…" His entire form vanished. "…now you don't."
Ghostfreak disappeared completely, leaving behind a very confused and very freaked-out, Gwen standing in the middle of two very dangerous alien bounty hunters.