Chapter 27: The Supreme King Appears
Towering pines blanketed the mountains, their scent sharp and clean on the breeze. A clear river carved its way through the landscape, its surface occasionally broken by drifting logs or the ripple of an amphibious creature slipping into the water from the bank.
"Now this is what I call a good day! Nothing like getting close to beautiful nature," Grandpa Max declared, planting his hands on his hips and taking a deep, satisfied breath of the mountain air.
"Yeah, this place is amazing," Gwen agreed, her mood visibly lifted by the picturesque scenery. She tugged Klein's arm, pulling him along to catch up with her grandfather.
Klein took in the surrounding vista. He remained silent, but the slight, almost imperceptible upturn of his lips betrayed his own quiet contentment.
Ben, on the other hand, was the picture of misery. He stood off to the side, jabbing a finger at the Omnitrix on his wrist with a deep scowl.
"What are you messing with now, Dweeb?" Gwen asked, noticing him fiddling with the watch again. She couldn't help but worry he was going to break it one of these days.
"Ugh! This is so annoying!" Ben grumbled, refusing to give up. "I want to turn into Fasttrack and run to town for a burger with extra pickles, but this stupid watch isn't listening to me at all!"
"Ben, nature provides plenty of delicious food," Grandpa Max said, walking over to a large, fallen log. He gave the rotting wood a firm kick, sending it rolling aside. "Like this, for example."
Where the log had been, the damp earth now squirmed with a pile of large, beige, worm-like creatures.
"Mmm, fresh, plump grubs," Grandpa Max hummed, picking one up and popping it into his mouth with a thoughtful chew. "Probably even better stir-fried."
"Ugh," Gwen gagged, a wave of nausea washing over her. She quickly turned away and walked over to Ben, deciding to help him with his project. "Here, let me try. I want my burger with hot sauce. What about you, cousin?"
"Just the classic is fine," Klein replied. After spending so much time with Ben and Gwen, their snack-hunting habits had started to rub off on him. His philosophy was simple: 'Why would anyone eat grubs when burgers exist?' What kind of deprived life had he been living before this?
Just then, a tinny voice crackled from Ben's walkman, the headphone jack not quite pushed in all the way. "According to observations by local astronomers, a small meteorite is on a clear trajectory to impact in the northwest of the state."
"A meteorite?" Grandpa Max commented offhandedly. It was a rare event, sure, but in his many years of traveling the world, he'd seen his fair share of strange things.
"Grandpa," Klein reminded him gently, noticing his casual reaction. "The northwest of this state… isn't that where we are?"
Max froze for a second, the realization dawning on him. He sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, it seems our day with nature is about to be cut short."
He knew his grandchildren were unbelievably powerful and probably wouldn't be scared of a falling rock, but a meteorite impact was no small matter. His grandfatherly concern kicked in; it was best to clear the area.
Just as Max was about to call everyone back to the Rustbucket, Ben finally got the Omnitrix to work. A flash of green light erupted, and the alien hero that emerged made Grandpa Max swallow his words, his attention completely captured.
The creature was predominantly white, with smooth, heavy yellow plates of armor on its hands, feet, and back, giving it a round, bulky appearance.
It was Cannonbolt.
"Whoa," the newly transformed Ben grunted. His new legs were short and stubby, and he immediately lost his balance, toppling over with a heavy thud. He struggled for a moment, unable to get back up.
Grandpa Max and Klein walked over and helped the bulky alien to his feet.
"What do I look like?" Cannonbolt asked, staring down at his large, meaty hands.
"A… round, giant, meaty ball," Gwen offered after a moment of observation.
"Very funny," Cannonbolt grumbled, shooting her an unhappy look.
"A new alien hero!" Grandpa Max couldn't help but exclaim with excitement. "There could be hundreds more aliens in that watch!"
"Really?" Cannonbolt's eyes lit up. He turned his gaze to Klein, figuring that since his cousin gave him the Omnitrix, he would know the most. "Do you think Humungousaur is in here?" Ben had been coveting Klein's Vaxasaurian form for a while now; it looked even stronger than Four Arms.
"Maybe…?" Klein hedged. He honestly didn't know if the Omnitrix's current database included Humungousaur's DNA, but seeing Ben's hopeful expression, he didn't have the heart to shoot him down. Even if it wasn't there, it wasn't a big deal. He could always add it himself. He'd just been too lazy to do it before, not incapable.
"Awesome!" The not-so-perceptive Cannonbolt completely missed the uncertainty in Klein's tone.
"So, what can this guy do?" he wondered aloud, immediately shifting his focus to his new form's abilities.
"Aaaah!" Cannonbolt opened his mouth wide, but nothing came out.
"Can't breathe fire?" He sounded a little disappointed but quickly bounced back. "Maybe my eyes can shoot infrared death rays!"
He stared intently at a nearby tree for a long moment until his eyes started to feel dry, but still, nothing happened.
"Electromagnetic railgun!" He extended his right hand, trying different gestures. He pointed his index finger. He made a thumbs-up. He even tried Spider-Man's classic web-shooting pose. It was all useless.
"Eh!" Cannonbolt gave up with a sigh. "This guy is useless."
"Ben," Klein decided to offer a hint. "Seeing as how round this guy is… have you tried rolling?"
"Rolling?" Cannonbolt repeated, confused. He thought about it for a second, then hugged his knees to his chest, tucking his head down. The yellow plates on his back and arms snapped together, encasing him in a perfectly spherical shell.
With a whirring sound, the ball began to spin, faster and faster, before shooting forward like a runaway bowling ball. He was completely out of control, carving a path of destruction through the forest and knocking down more than a dozen massive pine trees with splintering cracks before he finally came to a stop.
The yellow sphere unfolded, and Cannonbolt stood up, looking back at the trail of devastation. "Hey! This guy is pretty useful after all!"
"Ben!" Klein waved his arms from a distance, shouting to get his attention. "Get out of there! The meteorite is coming!"
"The what is what?" Cannonbolt yelled back, unable to hear him clearly.
"Look up!" Klein pointed frantically at the sky.
"Up? What's up there?" Cannonbolt tilted his head back and saw it: a massive rock, wreathed in flames, rapidly growing larger as it plummeted directly towards him.
His eyes went wide, then narrowed into a look of pure annoyance. "Oh, come on!"
BOOM!
"Aaaah!" The meteorite didn't score a direct hit, but the shockwave from its impact sent Cannonbolt flying through the air like a ragdoll.
"Oof!" He landed hard, the wind knocked out of him. He lay on the ground for a moment, dazed, before managing to push himself back onto his feet.
"What is this…?" he mumbled, rubbing his head as he stared at the enormous, glowing red meteorite now resting in a newly formed crater.
"Ben!" Klein and the others ran over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Cannonbolt replied, his attention still fixed on the strange rock.
A powerful, foul odor wafted from the meteorite. Gwen pinched her nose. "It stinks! I thought it was Ben not showering for three days!"
"Four days," Cannonbolt corrected with a smug grin. "Almost five."
A cracking sound echoed from the crater. The red surface of the meteorite began to peel and fall away like a shell, revealing what was hidden inside: a giant, pale purple insectoid creature that vaguely resembled a massive conch.
At that exact moment, three strange aliens descended from the sky, each standing on a hovering disc. Two of them wore white robes; one was tall and slender with pale skin and blue eyes, while the other was short and stout with yellow skin and six arms. Both had shark-like gills on their necks. The third was a hulking brute in a white bodysuit, his compound eyes identical to Stinkfly's, and he gripped a massive battle-axe in his hands.
The trio landed gracefully before the crater and bowed in perfect unison, their voices booming as one.
"Welcome, Great One!"
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