Chapter 130: Too Good a Day
Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds of the Rustbucket. Ben stretched his arms wide, a massive grin plastered across his face. Today was already shaping up to be the greatest day of his life.
Why? Because for once, Klein was actually sharing the bottom bunk with him, leaving Gwen banished to sleep alone on the top bunk. Sure, they weren't exactly sharing a pair of pants like blood brothers, but sharing a bunk was a monumental step up.
'Cousin finally stopped playing favorites!' Ben thought, wiping a dramatic, imaginary tear from his eye.
He rubbed the sleep from his face and lifted his left wrist. The Omnitrix was acting up again, its dial flashing with an erratic, pulsing green light. He frowned, tapping the faceplate.
Before he could dwell on the malfunction, a loud thump echoed through the cabin. Gwen had somehow rolled right off the top bunk, landing in a tangled heap of blankets on the floor.
Ben burst into laughter, pointing at her disheveled form. "Yep. I have a feeling today is going to be a fantastic day."
"Kids, breakfast time!" Grandpa Max's cheerful voice boomed from the kitchenette. "I've whipped up my world-famous morning special."
Max set the plates down on the dining table with a flourish. Ben braced himself for the usual horror—pickled sheep eyes, deep-fried grubs, or some gelatinous alien squid. He peeked over the edge of the table.
His jaw dropped.
Sizzling strips of crispy bacon. Perfectly golden-brown toast. Fluffy scrambled eggs.
'Wait... what?'Ben stared at the plate in sheer disbelief. How could it be so... normal? He grabbed a fork with trembling hands, poking the eggs suspiciously. He took a tiny, hesitant bite. No crunch of beetle shells. No burst of slimy entrails. Just pure, buttery goodness.'Grandpa finally wised up!'Ben chewed rapidly, actual tears of joy pricking the corners of his eyes.'I never thought I'd live to see the day I get a normal breakfast!'
Feeling bolder than ever, Ben leaned across the table. "Hey, Dork, are you going to eat your bacon?" Without waiting for an answer, he snatched the crispy meat right off Gwen's plate.
Gwen's face flushed red. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but before she could utter a single insult, Klein intervened.
"Let him have it, Gwen," Klein said, his voice carrying a stern, authoritative edge. "Ben works incredibly hard as a hero. You need to be more understanding of his appetite."
Gwen blinked, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Alright," she muttered gloomily, staring down at her empty plate.
Ben nearly choked on his bacon. 'When I argue with Gwen... Cousin actually took my side?!' He stared at Klein as if the older boy had suddenly grown a second head. This was unmatched.
After polishing off every last crumb, the trio decided to head out and find some entertainment.
Stepping out of the Rustbucket, Ben took in the scenery. They were parked in a sprawling, picturesque park. Lush green trees provided cool canopies of shade, the manicured lawns swayed gently in the morning breeze, and a crystal-clear river babbled beneath a quaint stone bridge. Several cars lined the smooth asphalt road, the Rustbucket resting peacefully among them.
Ben stretched, cracking his knuckles. "I can feel it," he declared, scanning the idyllic surroundings. "Something exciting is definitely going to happen around here."
As if on cue, a bright yellow school bus trundled down the road. Everything seemed perfectly ordinary—until the sky ripped open.
A massive, ominous spaceship materialized out of thin air. The loading ramp dropped, and a colossal figure plummeted toward the earth.
Boom!
The asphalt shattered as Vilgax landed dead center in the street. The warlord didn't even flinch as the school bus screeched toward him. He simply raised one massive, cybernetic hand, catching the front bumper and bringing the multi-ton vehicle to a dead halt. With a metallic groan, he lifted the entire bus over his head.
"Ben Tennyson!" Vilgax's gravelly roar echoed across the park. "Hand over the Omnitrix!"
Without a second of hesitation, the galactic conqueror hurled the massive bus directly at Ben, Klein, and Gwen.
"Time for a hero to make an appearance!" Ben smirked, slamming his hand down on the flashing dial.
A blinding flash of emerald light engulfed him. Where a ten-year-old boy stood a second ago, a towering, crystalline alien now stood.
Diamondhead.
He planted his feet into the cracked pavement, shifting his right arm. The pale green crystals rapidly shifted and expanded, forming a massive, reinforced catcher's mitt of solid diamond. He braced himself, catching the flying bus with a deafening screech of metal against crystal. With a grunt of exertion, he gently lowered it safely to the grass.
The bus windows were lined with wide-eyed schoolgirls. The moment they realized they were safe, they erupted into high-pitched cheers, waving frantically at their crystalline savior.
"Ben Tennyson!!!" Vilgax bellowed, his cybernetic muscles bulging as he charged forward, fists raised to crush the alien.
"Vilgax!!!" Diamondhead roared back, not backing down an inch. He lowered his shoulder and sprinted directly at the warlord.
The collision should have shattered the street, but strangely, Vilgax felt... light. Diamondhead swung a brutal right hook, catching the warlord square in the jaw. Vilgax stumbled. Diamondhead followed up with a devastating uppercut.
Bam!
The supposedly unstoppable galactic conqueror was sent flying backward, crashing into the dirt in a pathetic heap. Just two punches.
"Woohoo!" The bystanders cheered, chanting his name.
"I'll be back!" Vilgax groaned, struggling to push himself up from the crater. He shook a fist before leaping awkwardly back into his hovering spaceship, which immediately blasted off into the atmosphere.
"You're so strong! And so handsome!" the schoolgirls shrieked from the bus windows, blowing kisses at the faceted alien.
Diamondhead puffed out his chest, soaking in the adoration. But the real prize came when he turned around.
Klein walked up to him, a warm, incredibly proud smile on his usually indifferent face. He reached out, patting Diamondhead's crystalline shoulder.
"Ben," Klein said, his voice thick with genuine emotion. "You are already a fully qualified hero. I am so proud of you. I know, without a doubt, that your future achievements will not be below mine."
Klein looked deeply relieved, like a master watching his student finally graduate. Even in his wildest fantasies, Ben wouldn't dare dream of actually 'surpassing'his overpowered cousin. Being'not below' him was the absolute highest compliment his brain could conjure.
As if the universe itself was trying to reward him, something even more miraculous occurred.
A large delivery truck rumbled down the street. Emblazoned on its side was the glowing, muscular logo of the Sumo Slammers franchise. It was carrying the latest, unreleased game cartridges. Thanks to the craters left by the brief battle, the truck hit a massive bump. The rear doors jolted open, and a cascading waterfall of pristine, shrink-wrapped Sumo Slammers games spilled out onto the road.
The driver, completely oblivious to the spilled cargo, just kept driving, turning the corner and vanishing from sight.
"Cool!" Ben yelled, having already reverted to his human form. He sprinted over to the pile, dropping to his knees and scooping up one of the shiny boxes. "The latest super-awesome Sumo Slammers! These aren't even supposed to hit the shelves for another week!"
Grandpa Max and the others strolled over to the pile. Ben clutched the game to his chest, his shoulders slumping defensively.
"Alright, alright, I know," he muttered, bracing for the inevitable moral lecture. "I shouldn't take them. I'll put them back."
He looked up, waiting for Max's stern frown. Instead, Max beamed at him, his expression radiating pure, gentle grandfatherly love. "Nonsense, Ben!" Max chuckled warmly. "The truck has already driven away. Go ahead and play to your heart's content!"
Ben stared at his grandfather, utterly dumbfounded. "Man, I don't know what's gotten into you guys today," Ben whispered, clutching the game tight. "But you'd better keep it up."
The day was so flawless, so perfectly tailored to his every desire, that it almost felt unreal.
Later, deep in the park.
Ben and Klein had set up a folding camping table, two comfortable chairs, and a portable TV hooked up to a game console. They were furiously mashing buttons, battling it out in the new Sumo Slammers game.
"Oh, right, Cousin," Ben said, pausing the game halfway through a match. He pulled off his gaming headset, suddenly remembering the morning's oddity. He held up his left wrist, tapping the faceplate. "Today has been so much fun, I totally forgot to tell you. The little watch is acting really strange. It just keeps flashing non-stop."
Klein barely glanced at the pulsing green dial. His eyes remained glued to the screen. "It is a minor issue. You do not need to worry about it."
Hearing the dismissal, Ben shrugged. If Klein wasn't worried, he wasn't either. He slipped his headset back on and grabbed his controller.
Less than two minutes later, the peaceful atmosphere shattered.
Another Grandpa Max and Gwen suddenly burst out from the bushes, sprinting toward the table. They grabbed Ben by the arms, desperately trying to haul him out of his chair.
"Ben, quickly! You have to come with us!" Max shouted, his voice tight with panic.
"Dweeb, get up right now! Come with us! Hurry!" Gwen yelled, tugging at his sleeve.
Ben yanked his headset off, staring in utter confusion at this second set of relatives who had suddenly reverted to their usual, frantic personalities. "What is wrong with you two?" he demanded, digging his heels into the grass.
"Ben! Get behind me!" The 'Klein' sitting at the gaming table suddenly stood up, yanking Ben behind his back. He glared warily at the new Max and Gwen. "They are shapeshifters! Vilgax's subordinates in disguise!"
Seeing this, the newly arrived Max and Gwen fell into combat stances, preparing to fight.
Gwen hesitated, her fists raised but trembling slightly as she looked at the fake Klein. "Even though I know you're not real," she muttered, her expression deeply conflicted. "It is really hard to throw a punch when I have to look at that face."
Before the brawl could kick off, the 'Max'and'Gwen' from the morning jogged over from the direction of the Rustbucket. They immediately flanked the fake Klein, forming a protective wall in front of Ben.
"Everyone, wait!" Ben shouted, completely overwhelmed. He pushed past the fake Klein and stepped directly into the space between the two opposing groups. He pointed frantically between them. "I am completely confused! How can there be two Grandpas and two Gwens?!"
"Dweeb! Listen to me!" the frantic, newly arrived Gwen shouted. "You were captured by the Forever Knights! They concocted this beautiful dream world just to keep you distracted while they try to take the Omnitrix! Grandpa and I came in to get you out!"
She spoke rapidly, clearly not expecting Ben's thick skull to process the sci-fi logic immediately, but she tried to explain it as patiently as she could. Hearing that familiar, bossy, exasperated tone, Ben already believed half of what she was saying.
"Do not listen to them, Ben!" the fake Klein urged, his voice smooth and reassuring as he tried to maintain the deception. "They are Vilgax's subordinates!"
Ben looked back and forth. He was already pretty sure the frantic Gwen was the real one, but there was one glaring hole in her story. He tilted his head, genuinely curious. "Okay, if this is a rescue mission... then what about Cousin? Why didn't he come in?"
The real Gwen crossed her arms, fixing him with a deadpan stare. She was never one to sugarcoat things. "Cousin said he couldn't be bothered with your mess and had zero interest in coming in here."
Ben blinked. He looked at the fake, overly supportive Klein, and then back to the brutally honest Gwen.
'Alright,'Ben thought, a sweatdrop forming on the back of his head.'That really is Cousin's personality.'
Though it stung his pride just a little bit, Ben now believed her completely.
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