Kapitel 19: Unforseen Trouble
Parked by a gas station, Max diligently cleaned up the rust bucket while the kids were inside, shopping for snacks. After the Kevin ordeal, the mood had been somber, but things were slowly starting to return to normal. In the flurry of recent events, they seemed to have forgotten about their mysterious pursuer.
"Hmm, wonder what I should get," Fred mused, wandering the aisles in search of something to eat.
"Don't you already have more than enough snacks?" Gwen remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"There's no such thing as having enough snacks," Fred replied with utmost seriousness. Gwen just stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and amusement on her face.
"Yeah, that will surely get to you some of these days," she said, walking off. Fred merely shrugged and continued his snack hunt.
After some time browsing, they finally made their purchases and returned to the rust bucket.
"You sure you don't need any help?" Fred asked as Max continued cleaning.
"Yeah, Grandpa, I'm sure we could finish this in no time," Ben added.
"Nah, it's fine, you t..." Max began, but his words were cut off as an explosion rocked the area. A money truck about to refill the ATM machine by the gas station had been blown up by what looked like a laser.
"Woah, how the hell did someone get a laser gun that powerful?" Fred exclaimed.
"Get down!" Max shouted, pulling the kids to safety. Three figures in biker clothes and helmets approached the money truck, their weapons gleaming ominously.
"Hero time," Ben declared, turning his watch. Fred followed suit, transforming into Chromastone as Ben became Four Arms.
"Cool! Who's this guy?" Ben asked, eyeing Fred's transformation. Chromastone looked similar to his Alien Force version but with violet-purple hues instead of pink.
"Is that supposed to scare us?" one of the thieves scoffed, clutching their stolen money.
With a mighty leap, Ben closed the distance, restraining the two thieves with smaller weapons. He left the third to Fred, who swiftly covered the distance and, with an open palm, sent the thief flying and crashing down.
"Easy there. You don't want to hurt them, do you?" Ben called out to Fred.
"I was already holding back plenty," Fred replied, his voice calm.
"Anyway, let's see who these guys are," Ben said, removing the helmets of the ones he'd captured. His eyes widened in shock. "They're women."
"What are you doing?" Fred asked, confused.
"I... I can't hurt women," Ben stammered, dropping their helmets.
"What are you guys doing? Don't let them get away!" Gwen yelled as the two women Ben had let go made a break for it.
"Well, that's too bad," the other thief sneered, revealing her face as well.
"Woman or not, it doesn't change your crimes," Fred declared as he charged at her. She pointed her gun and fired, but Fred tanked the blast, absorbing the energy effortlessly.
"That won't work on me," he said, delivering a swift chop that knocked her out. But before he could catch his breath, two drones appeared out of nowhere, raining laser fire on Ben and causing chaos in the surroundings.
"No!" Ben yelled as one of the drones aimed at Max.
"I got it!" Fred shouted, firing a rainbow ray that spread into a dome, forming an energy barrier around Max and Gwen.
Ben, consumed by anger, caught the two drones. He crushed them by smashing them into each other and then tossed the wreckage away. He ran towards Max, the Omnitrix timing out just as he reached them.
"Grandpa! Gwen!" he cried, his voice filled with fear.
"We're fine, Ben," Max assured him.
"Hmm, maybe I should
"Hmm, maybe I should add a barrier feature to the bracelets I gave you," Fred mused, returning to his human form.
"What was that just now? And didn't those robot drones look familiar?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide with concern.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same. I'm assuming that whoever sent them is the same who sent that big one when Ben got the Omnitrix," Max replied, his brow furrowed in thought.
"And it's safe to assume they can track Ben every time he activates his watch, just like how we managed to find him," Fred added, his voice serious.
"Just like those bounty hunters," Gwen murmured, the pieces falling into place.
"Okay, guys, I'm starting to get lost," Ben said as they climbed back into the rust bucket.
"What we mean is that you have to be more cautious when using that watch. And Fred has to be more cautious as well," Max explained as he started the engine and they drove off.
"By the way, what happened to those robbers?" Gwen asked, suddenly realizing they had lost track of them amid the chaos.
"What is this thing? I've never seen someth... Ahhhhh!" the woman holding the large laser gun exclaimed, examining the broken drone that Ben had faced. As she got closer, the drone launched a tentacle at her, and she lost consciousness almost instantly.
When she finally awoke, she felt different. She picked up a mirror in her hideout, but the moment she touched it, the glass shattered, sending shards flying. Miraculously, she was unhurt. As she looked at her reflection in the shattered pieces, she realized she had undergone a transformation.
"It must be that weird drone thingy," she thought, clasping her fists as she felt a surge of power. From her shoulders protruded two laser blasters, resembling those from the drones, but bigger and stronger. She accidentally fired them, blowing up her bike.
"Oh yeah," she said, a wicked grin spreading across her face. She was ready to use her newfound powers to steal more valuable items. She knew of a jewelry store in town, and she wasn't going to let the day end in disappointment because of those two aliens or whatever they were.
"If you are willing to go above your budget, I can show you..." a worker at the jewelry store was saying to her clients. Suddenly, the entrance exploded as the cyborg-like woman stormed in, breaking glass and stealing jewels.
"Easy money," she muttered, but as she grabbed the jewels, she couldn't control her strength, crushing them into dust.
"Wh-what?! They're worthless now!" she screamed in frustration, her eyes darting to the other jewels. Suddenly, she felt a sharp headache and heard a voice commanding her.
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Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein