Chapter 168: Kevin is Being Targeted
The night air was cool and quiet, broken only by the low, steady purr of Kevin's sports car tearing down the empty asphalt.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was considerably less peaceful.
"Cousin, think about it! What if we recruited all the Plumbers' kids?" Ben leaned forward from the backseat, practically vibrating with excitement. "We could form a whole army! How cool would that be?"
Klein leaned his head against the window, his eyelids drooping. "No need. Getting to know them is fine, but that's about it."
In Klein's pragmatic view, the descendants of the Plumbers were better suited as casual acquaintances than actual combat assets. Let's be honest—if a threat ever escalated to the point where he actually needed backup, a bunch of untrained teenagers wouldn't make a dent.
The tires suddenly screeched. Kevin slammed his foot on the brakes, throwing everyone forward against their seatbelts.
"Whoa! What's the big idea, Kevin?" Ben yelped, rubbing his shoulder.
"Accident up ahead," Kevin muttered, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
The group piled out of the car into the chilly night air. A massive fissure had torn straight through the concrete of the overpass ahead. The structural integrity was completely compromised, leaving the bridge sagging dangerously. Stranded vehicles littered the cracked pavement, their drivers and passengers carefully inching out of their doors, panicking as they tried to find a safe route off the crumbling structure.
Klein let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "I'll handle it. The sooner we fix this, the sooner I can go back to sleep."
Without waiting for a response, he slapped the dial of the Another Omnitrix.
A brilliant, quiet blue light washed over the highway. In place of the lazy teenager stood a massive, rocky, planet-like entity. Gravattack.
Towering at nearly fifteen feet tall, the sheer mass of the alien made Kevin's prized sports car look like a cheap plastic toy. Gravattack raised his heavy, boulder-like hands. The glowing core in his chest flared to life.
With a deep, rumbling hum, the gravitational field around the broken bridge inverted.
Screams of panic turned into gasps of confusion as stranded commuters, chunks of shattered asphalt, and entire sedans gently lifted off the ground, floating weightlessly in the air.
Gravattack swept his right arm in a wide, deliberate arc. The floating mass of humans and vehicles drifted smoothly through the air, guided by his localized gravity field, until they hovered over the stable, undamaged section of the road below the overpass.
He lowered his hands. Gravity reasserted its grip. Tires touched down softly, and shoes met solid ground without a single scratch.
Another flash of blue light illuminated the night, and Klein stood there, stretching his shoulders. "Done. Now, back to bed."
Lately, a bizarre lethargy had been creeping up on him. He just wanted to sleep. Curiously enough, Gwen had been displaying the exact same symptoms, constantly yawning and seeking out naps.
But of course, the Dweeb had to ruin it.
"Wait, Cousin, look!" Ben pointed toward the edge of the ruined overpass. "There's a girl over there!"
Klein stared blankly at him. 'What does that have to do with me? There are billions of girls on this planet. Am I supposed to run across the globe for every single one of them?'
Swallowing his complaints, Klein dragged his feet, following Ben toward the edge of the fissure. A young girl with dark skin lay unconscious near the jagged drop-off, her breathing shallow.
"Hey," Klein called out, his tone flat. "You're going to catch a cold sleeping on the concrete."
He walked over, but the girl remained completely unresponsive.
Crouching beside her, Klein reached out to shake her shoulder. As his fingers brushed her arm, his eyes caught something unusual. Right in the center of her forearm was a strange, circular mark—a multi-pointed star pattern burned lightly into her skin.
His brow furrowed. "What is this?"
Before he could lean in to inspect the mark...
"Cuina!"
A voice echoed from above, followed instantly by a blazing streak of golden light descending from the sky.
Klein immediately stood up, casually stepping back to create distance. Ben mirrored his movement, retreating a few paces.
The light faded, revealing a tall, conventionally handsome young man with perfectly styled blond hair. His entire body radiated a faint, sparkling golden aura.
The moment his boots hit the pavement, the blond man dispersed his glowing aura. He dropped to one knee, wrapping his arms protectively around the unconscious girl.
The sudden flash of light and the dramatic entrance drew the attention of Gwen and Kevin, who jogged over from the parked sports car.
"I... I need to get out of here..." The girl, Cuina, suddenly gasped, her eyes snapping open in a panic. "I was running... and then I..."
The blond man hushed her gently, putting on a perfectly practiced mask of concern. "It's alright now, Cuina. These people saved you. You're completely safe."
"To be precise, we just picked... discovered her," Klein corrected dryly. He had zero interest in taking credit for a rescue he hadn't actually performed.
"Well, thank you all anyway," the blond man said smoothly, his voice dripping with practiced charm. He released Cuina and stood up to face them. "No matter who you are, or what kind of beings you are. Recently, a few female classmates at our school have been acting strangely, wandering off like this."
Ben's eyes darted downward, catching the glint of metal clipped to the blond's belt. The familiar red hourglass symbol stood out clearly in the dim light.
"Whoa, you have a Plumber badge?" Ben blurted out, his eyes widening.
The blond man blinked, feigning a look of mild surprise. "Yes, my dad gave it to me. You know about the Plumbers?"
"Not just know about them. We're practically becoming them," Kevin smirked, pulling his own Plumber badge from his pocket and tossing it lightly in his palm.
"What a coincidence," the blond man smiled, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you. My name is Michael Morningstar."
Behind that polished smile, Michael's mind was already racing with greedy anticipation. 'Plumbers. Perfect. They must have so much more energy to feed on.'
Michael stepped forward, offering his hand to Ben.
"I'm Ben," the Dweeb said, eagerly accepting the handshake.
"Wait, the legendary Ben Tennyson?" Michael gasped, playing the part of a starstruck admirer flawlessly. "Then is your cousin here too?! I'm a huge fan!"
As he spoke, Michael subtly drew a fraction of energy through their connected palms. A jolt of satisfaction ran through him. 'Hmm... as expected of Ben Tennyson. His life force is incredibly dense.'
Even without factoring in the Omnitrix, Ben carried dormant Anodite blood in his veins. Naturally, his baseline energy reserves far exceeded those of any ordinary human.
Klein finally stepped forward, his expression unreadable, and briefly clasped Michael's hand. He had been quietly observing the golden boy since he landed. The smile didn't reach his eyes. The concern for the girl felt rehearsed. In short, the guy was a complete fake.
Getting involved with someone like this was a guaranteed one-way ticket to unnecessary trouble. Klein instantly made up his mind to ignore the guy and ditch him at the earliest opportunity.
His sleep schedule was sacred. No one was going to keep him up late.
Klein's deadpan stare and limp handshake made Michael's smile twitch awkwardly. "Uh, hehe... Hello."
Despite claiming to be a fan, Michael merely preferred Klein's ruthless reputation over Ben's boy-scout antics. He wasn't an actual admirer. Sensing the cold reception, he decided not to press his luck with the older cousin.
Yet, internally, Michael was reeling in shock.
When their hands met, he had tried to siphon a tiny sliver of energy, just to test the waters. But he felt absolutely nothing. Not a single drop. It was like trying to drink from a solid wall of steel.
This was impossible. Even the weakest, most sickly ordinary human possessed a baseline life force.
What Michael didn't know—and could never possibly comprehend—was the absolute cheat code embedded in Klein's very existence. During a previous transformation into Alien X, Klein had permanently altered his own baseline reality settings. One of those modifications granted him absolute immunity to all negative status effects caused by biological, magical, or non-biological entities.
Simply put, Michael attempting to absorb his energy was classified as a 'negative effect.' Therefore, the universe simply refused to allow it to happen. Michael's absorption ability was completely nullified at the source the moment he touched Klein's skin.
Unable to figure out the anomaly, Michael quickly masked his confusion and turned to Kevin, extending his hand once more.
Kevin grabbed it firmly.
The moment their skin connected, Michael's pupils dilated slightly.
'Oh... you strong man. So much energy!' The sheer volume of raw, volatile power coursing through the Osmosian was intoxicating. Michael immediately realized that Kevin wasn't just a Plumber kid; he possessed potent superpowers of his own.
Hungry for more, Michael turned his charming smile toward Gwen, reaching out for a fourth handshake.
"Hello," Gwen said politely. However, she kept both of her hands firmly wrapped around Klein's arm, making absolutely no move to reciprocate the gesture.
She had noticed Klein's dismissive attitude toward the blond. More, she always kept a polite distance from other guys to avoid making her cousin jealous—even if Klein would never openly admit to feeling that way.
Michael lowered his hand, chuckling awkwardly. "Uh, hehe..."
Internally, he scoffed. 'Hmph. You might be beautiful, but I've drained pretty girls a hundred times over. Physical beauty is boring. I crave raw, spiritual power now!'His gaze slid back to the dark-haired Osmosian.'Kevin... you are the one who can truly satisfy my hunger!'
With that twisted thought taking root, Michael's demeanor toward Kevin shifted into overdrive, becoming unsettlingly enthusiastic. Normally, Michael targeted teenage girls; his handsome face and golden-boy charm made them incredibly easy to deceive and isolate.
But he wasn't opposed to draining a man if the energy was this delicious. Not at all.
"I should probably get Cuina home safely," Michael said smoothly, adjusting his grip on the still-dazed girl. "But after that, I'd love to invite you all back to my house to chat. We have so much to discuss."
As he spoke, Michael stared directly at Kevin, his eyes practically gleaming with a bizarre, predatory affection. He had never actively pursued a guy before, but he figured the manipulation tactics were probably the same. Flattery was flattery.
Kevin shifted his weight uneasily. A sudden, violent wave of goosebumps erupted down his arms. The way the blond guy was looking at him felt incredibly wrong. "Uh, how about..."
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry to go back to sleep," Klein cut in, rejecting the invitation without a second of hesitation.
Without waiting for a counteroffer, Klein turned on his heel and walked straight back toward the parked cars. Gwen and Ben immediately fell into step behind him, trusting Klein's judgment.
Kevin let out a massive sigh of relief, eager to escape the blond's creepy staring, and quickly jogged to catch up with the Tennyson trio.
Seeing his prime target walking away, Michael's polished facade cracked with sudden anxiety. "Wait! You can rest at my house! We have plenty of guest rooms!"
"Sorry. I'm not used to sleeping in strangers' beds," Klein called back over his shoulder, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.
Desperate, Michael took a few steps forward, pitching his voice toward the younger cousin. "Ben, look! The Plumber badge! We can talk about this! Weren't you just saying you were interested in teaming up? I can join your squad!"
Ben paused for a second, glancing between the shiny Plumber badge and Klein's retreating back. He scratched the back of his head.
"Uh... my cousin said we don't really need to do that anymore," Ben replied, recalling Klein's earlier lecture. Shrugging apologetically, the Dweeb turned and hurried after his family, leaving Michael Morningstar standing alone on the broken bridge.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]