Climbing up the metal surface of the damaged lift, Shellblade moved as fast as he could while the alien robot squids continued closing in around them from every direction.
One of the machines lunged toward them from below, and Shellblade immediately swung one of his blade-arms downward, slicing straight through it before continuing the climb.
Normally, he would have jumped right back down into the water to deal with all of them himself.
But Orfevre was still clinging tightly onto his back. And unlike him, she could not breathe underwater. Getting her out safely came first.
"Try not to let go and fall to your death," Shellblade muttered as he kept climbing.
"Then stop shaking around so much!" Orfevre snapped back, tightening her grip anyway when another robot squid slammed into the wall beside them.
More of the alien machines crawled across the damaged structure, their metal limbs screeching against the surface as they closed in. Some attacked from below while others moved ahead of them, smashing themselves against the glass walls hard enough to crack them apart.
The moment one of the walls shattered, seawater came rushing downward in a violent surge.
"Hold on tight!" Shellblade shouted.
Orfevre immediately tightened both arms around him as he tapped the Omnitrix dial.
A golden flash exploded outward.
"Big Chill!"
In an instant, Shellblade's form shifted into the tall, ghostly moth-like alien. His wings folded, ice spread from his palms and feet, letting him cling onto the surface, as freezing air burst from his mouth, rapidly creating a thick dome of ice around them.
The incoming water froze solid on contact, while several robot squids crashed into the ice barrier instead of into them.
Because of the sudden change in body shape and size, Orfevre nearly slipped for a second before readjusting herself onto Big Chill's back.
Now that they finally had a stable surface and a moment to breathe, Big Chill lifted one hand toward his Omnitrix again.
Another golden flash erupted.
"Eclipse."
The dark alien form appeared in place of Big Chill. He closed his eyes in concentration.
Orfevre stayed silent beside him this time.
She had seen enough weird things from her brother already to know not to interrupt him during moments like this.
Eclipse focused carefully until he finally locked onto the energy signature of Ben's Omnitrix somewhere above them.
His eyes snapped open. "Chaos Control."
Space distorted around them.
The moment the words left his mouth, both he and Orfevre vanished just as the frozen dome cracked apart under the pressure of the attacking machines.
Back on the surface, the weather had completely turned.
Dark clouds filled the sky while thunder rolled overhead, and heavy rain began pouring across the ocean as Max and Donovan desperately tried contacting emergency services and rescue teams.
Gold Ship, meanwhile, had gone unusually quiet.
Instead of running around or causing trouble, she sat curled up against the wall with her knees pulled to her chest, rocking back and forth silently.
The change in behavior honestly worried everyone more than her usual chaos.
Gwen quietly sat beside her and gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her the best she could.
"It's okay," Gwen said softly. "They're gonna make it back."
Gold Ship did not answer immediately.
Edwin stood nearby awkwardly, clearly unsure how to help. He looked like someone trying to solve a math problem without understanding the formula first. So he moved, heading to their grandpa to see if they had gotten any help yet.
Using the distraction, Ben quietly slipped away and activated the Omnitrix.
He moved searching for Ripjaws. But before he could jump into the water or transform, space suddenly distorted right in front of him.
Eclipse and Orfevre appeared out of nowhere.
Ben immediately stumbled backward and fell onto his butt in surprise.
"Whoa!"
Blinking rapidly, Ben stared at the two of them before realizing who they were.
"Evan! Orfevre!"
The relief in his voice was obvious enough that even Orfevre paused for a second.
Gold Ship immediately looked up the moment she heard Ben yell.
The second she saw her siblings standing there safely, her entire expression changed.
"BIG SIS! BIG BRO!" she shouted before launching herself at them.
Eclipse caught her automatically before she could crash into him.
"You guys stay here," Eclipse said calmly as he set Gold Ship down again. "I'll handle the rest of those things."
The storm winds whipped his quills violently behind him as he turned toward the raging ocean below.
Just before he jumped, Ben suddenly called out to him.
"Evan! Those aliens are after the energy core powering the resort!" Ben shouted. "That's what's drawing them here! I'm going down there with you to handle it."
"No, you stay here." Eclipse said immediately.
"What? Why!? I also have the Omnitrix, I can also go alien to help you!" Ben said, raising his Omnitrix.
"Our watch is different. If the worst happened, I could survive it. You, on the other hand, it's a gamble." Eclipse replied, looking back at him. "Besides, the one who should not be present here is me; it will be better than drawing unwanted attention with you disappearing."
Ben flinched, but he didn't argue with him, since he did have a point.
"Then... Stay safe and come back alive. Got it?" Ben said, looking up at his cousin.
Eclipse looked back slightly. "Got it."
Without another word, he leaped straight into the storming sea below.
He did not know every detail about what originally happened in the Prime timeline, but honestly, that did not matter right now.
These aliens had endangered his family.
And besides, if he left creatures like these alone, then sooner or later they would become a problem for the entire world anyway.
Under the ocean, a golden flash erupted through the dark water.
Shellblade shot downward like an arrow released from a bowstring, his blade-arms cutting cleanly through every alien robot squid that got in his way. Broken machine parts drifted through the water behind him as he continued driving deeper toward the center of the resort.
More and more of the robots swarmed toward him from every direction, their glowing light lighting up beneath the ocean like a school of predators.
Shellblade sliced through several more before realizing their numbers were only increasing.
Then he tapped the Omnitrix dial.
"Brainstorm!"
A golden burst spread outward beneath the sea.
The crustacean-like alien appeared in Shellblade's place, surrounded instantly by a glowing energy barrier that kept the attacking machines away from him. His shell opened slightly, exposing the massive glowing brain within as electricity began crackling across the barrier.
Brainstorm narrowed his eyes. Then electricity surged harder through the field around him before he amplified it further with his electromagnetic abilities.
The surrounding seawater, mixed with dissolved minerals and the metal bodies of the alien robots themselves, became a perfect conductor.
A massive chain reaction exploded outward.
Electricity ripped through the swarm at terrifying speed, jumping from one machine to another as the alien squids violently spasmed underwater. Sparks burst from their bodies while circuits overloaded and entire systems short-circuited all at once.
Several machine aliens simply stopped moving entirely and sank lifelessly toward the ocean floor.
Brainstorm calmly continued forward through the drifting remains of the disabled robots.
The deeper he went, the more abandoned sections of the underwater resort he passed through. Emergency lights flickered weakly through flooded hallways while damaged machinery sank silently in the water.
Every so often, another alien robot attacked him, only to get blasted apart or electrocuted instantly.
Eventually, Brainstorm grabbed one of the damaged alien machines and tore part of it open with his claws.
Using his electrokinetic abilities and high intelligence, he began reworking its systems directly underwater.
A few sparks later, the machine twitched back to life.
Brainstorm nodded slightly. "Primitive, but functional."
Using the reprogrammed alien robot as a guide, he followed the signal deeper into the resort until he finally arrived at a sealed chamber.
Inside it sat a massive glowing pink orb connected to the resort's energy systems.
Brainstorm stared at it quietly. "So this is what they were after…"
He floated closer before using his electrokinesis to force open the protective casing around the orb.
The bright pink glow illuminated the water around him.
"If only you were smaller," Brainstorm muttered while examining it carefully. "Perhaps I should eventually add a size-adjustment module to the Another Omnitrix. Although calling it the 'Another Omnitrix' still feels both wrong and strangely correct at the same time."
As usual, once Brainstorm started thinking too much, his focus drifted slightly.
The Another Omnitrix can absorb objects and energy. But objects that contain energy are a different story.
They have to be fully absorbed, like how he absorbed those charms, without needing to break them apart. Breaking them apart might cause a power leak, causing the energy inside them to lose power or even explode.
He tested this with a battery before; a full battery actually gave him a slight boost in power, but a battery that was dismantled really gave him nothing.
Brainstorm looked back toward the massive orb.
"Still," he sighed softly, "I can't possibly waste something this valuable."
His Omnitrix behaved differently from Ben's; it didn't just transform him into aliens like the original Omnitrix; it could absorb objects or energy and extract their properties to boost both him and itself.
It can also be said that there is a strange relationship between Evan and the watch.
The Another Omnitrix could convert its energy into stamina for him. And his own energy could also replenish the watch.
In simple terms, as long as the Another Omnitrix still had power, he technically could not die from exhaustion, starvation, or dehydration.
He would still feel all of it. But he would continue functioning.
That was why he believed the watch and himself were connected as one system rather than separate entities.
Brainstorm slowly extended the orb closer toward the Omnitrix.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "let's see whether this powers me up or blows me apart."
He opened up his Omnitrix interface. Energy immediately began getting pulled from the massive orb into the watch.
At first, everything seemed stable. Then cracks suddenly spread across the orb's surface.
Brainstorm's eyes widened slightly. Part of the orb collapsed inward and was absorbed into the Omnitrix.
[Data Upgrade Detected. Energy Generator Mode is now available.]
Then the remaining unstable energy inside the damaged orb violently detonated.
A massive explosion erupted through the underwater resort.
The shockwave tore through the surrounding structures and blasted apart the remaining alien robots nearby in an instant.
Above the ocean surface, everyone suddenly felt the enormous ripple beneath the water as the sea itself surged violently upward from the explosion below.
Everyone stared down at the ocean in horror after the explosion.
The massive ripple that spread across the water was strong enough to rock the entire docking platform, and for a moment nobody said anything.
Max and Donovan stood near the edge with tense expressions while Gwen and Edwin stayed beside them, staring at the ocean below.
"That explosion came from inside the resort…" Gwen whispered.
Max's jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his eyes on the water.
Ben, Gold Ship, and Orfevre did not wait. The moment the massive wave passed and the ocean started calming again, the three of them immediately rushed down toward the docks.
Ben already knew how ridiculously durable Evan could be.
Meanwhile, Gold Ship and Orfevre simply believed, without question, that their brother would come back in one piece somehow.
As the three reached the dock, the surface of the ocean rippled quietly.
Then something small floated upward.
A strange disk-like object with a golden Omnitrix symbol on top slowly rose from the water first.
Right after that, a strange golden slime-like creature floated out of the ocean beside it.
The gooey alien had a vaguely humanoid shape, though its body constantly shifted and moved like liquid.
The creature stepped onto the dock while glancing down at itself.
"So that's what getting blown to pieces feels like," it muttered casually.
Then the slime creature reached up and tapped the Omnitrix dial.
A golden flash erupted.
When the light faded, Evan stood there dripping wet at the edge of the dock.
"Ever/Evan!"
The three immediately rushed toward him while Max, Gwen, and the others finally noticed him standing there and started hurrying over too.
But before anyone else could reach him, Orfevre got there first.
The second she reached him, she threw a full-force punch directly into his face and sent him flying straight back into the water.
"YOU SUICIDAL DUMBASS!" Orfevre shouted furiously from the dock. "WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO DO SOMETHING THAT STUPID AND RECKLESS!?"
The anger in her voice came out all at once, mixing together with the fear and worry she had been holding in ever since the explosion happened.
She knew her brother was strong. She knew his alien forms were stronger. But watching that explosion happen underwater still terrified her.
Before she could continue yelling, a hand suddenly shot out from the water, grabbed her ankle, and yanked her straight into the ocean too.
"GGAHHH!"
A second later, both Evan and Orfevre resurfaced. And immediately started throwing hands again while waist-deep in the water.
Ben stared silently. Gwen stopped halfway down the dock. Max sighed, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
Meanwhile, Gold Ship's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"WOOHOOO! ROUND SIX!" she cheered loudly from the dock. "LET'S GOOOOO!"
Evan blocked a punch before splashing water directly into Orfevre's face. The twins continued fighting in the water while everyone else watched with increasingly complicated expressions.
Edwin slowly turned toward Ben. "…Do they seriously do this all the time?"
Ben shrugged helplessly. "Properly..."
Gold Ship cupped her hands around her mouth dramatically.
"ORFEVRE WITH THE LEFT HOOK! EVER COUNTERS WITH AN ELBOW STRIKE! THE CROWD IS LOVING IT!"
"Golshi, stop commentating!" Gwen shouted.
"Never!"
The entire group stood there watching the twins continue fighting each other while swimming in the water, all with varying levels of shock and disbelief.
At one point, Evan actually got kicked hard enough to fly partially out of the water before splashing back down again.
Even Donovan looked genuinely impressed by that.
"Your grandkids… sure are something, Max," he admitted while staring at the chaos unfolding below.
Max looked at them calmly, like this was perfectly normal, before letting out a sigh.
"Alright, break it up, you two!" he finally called out.
Both twins paused immediately.
Orfevre froze with her teeth still sunk into Evan's shoulder while Evan loosened the hold he had around her neck.
The two slowly stared at each other for a moment. Then released each other without another word.
The twins simply started swimming back toward the dock side by side like nothing had happened.
Honestly, after beating each other up for a bit, most of their anger had already disappeared. At this point, they were mostly throwing hands because it felt natural to them.
"You know," Donovan said while watching the twins climb back up onto the dock, "your grandkids really listen and look up to you, Max. What's your secret?"
Max reached down and helped pull both Evan and Orfevre up onto the platform.
"Well," Max said thoughtfully, "I don't expect them to become mini versions of me."
Evan activated his ability and used [Pyretic Overdrive], heat spreading lightly across his body until steam rose from him. Orfevre then immediately climbed onto Evan's back, feeling the heat, as both their wet clothes were starting to get dried.
Max smiled faintly at the sight before continuing. "I just let them be themselves. Faults and all."
Donovan quietly listened.
"You brought them here because they wanted to come," Donovan realized slowly. "Not because you wanted them to."
"Well, yeah," Max replied simply. "This whole trip was for them. If they don't wanna come along somewhere, I'm not gonna force them."
Donovan looked toward Edwin for a moment after hearing that.
"I honestly can't remember the last time I did something for Edwin that I didn't want first," he admitted quietly.
Edwin looked genuinely surprised hearing that come out of his grandfather's mouth.
Donovan noticed the look and gave a small, awkward smile.
Nearby, Gwen stretched lightly before smiling. "Well, at least the good news is all those aliens are gone."
"And the bad news is the resort's gone too, Grandpa," Edwin added.
For the first time all day, Donovan did not seem bothered by that at all.
"Ah, who cares?" he said honestly before crouching down slightly to Edwin's level. "You're all safe. That's what matters."
Edwin looked stunned.
"There are plenty of other places we could go instead," Donovan continued. "As long as it's somewhere you actually wanna go, I'd be happy to come along too."
Edwin stared at him for another second before finally smiling properly for what was probably the first time since they met him.
"Okay," he said. "And by the way… the name's Eddie, Grandpa."
Donovan blinked once. Then laughed softly before pulling him into a hug.
Max watched the scene with a satisfied smile. After a moment, Donovan looked back up toward his old friend.
"Thanks," he said sincerely. "For everything."
Max waved it off casually.
"Don't mention it. Though I guess that's the end of your one-of-a-kind underwater resort."
"Eh, maybe," Donovan admitted with a shrug. "But it just gives me more time to focus on the next project."
That immediately caught everyone's attention.
Donovan grinned proudly. "It's going on the moon."
The dock suddenly became very quiet.
Then Donovan smiled wider and spread his arms dramatically.
"So, Max, how about you and your grandkids become my very first guests?"
"NOT A CHANCE!" everyone shouted at the exact same time.
Even Gold Ship joined in immediately.
Then the entire group burst out laughing together.