章 17: New Friend
Ben walked briskly to a nearby arcade, his mood as rough as the gravel under his feet. Gwen trailed behind, concern etched on her face. "Grandpa won't be happy with this," she said, hoping to bring Ben to his senses, but his moodiness blocked her out.
"Why are you even following me? This is none of your business," Ben snapped as he entered the arcade.
"Sigh... This vacation is taking a lot out of me," Gwen muttered as she followed him inside.
"I mean... it could be worse," Fred mumbled, trying to lighten the mood.
Ben ignored them, heading straight to a baseball game. But as soon as he started, the machine malfunctioned and the game ended abruptly. "What?!" he exclaimed, drawing the attention of one of the arcade workers.
"This game ate my tokens," Ben said, frustration boiling over.
"Tough luck, kid. Maybe next time you read the signs before playing," the worker replied nonchalantly, walking away.
"Play at your own risk!? This game is rigged!" Ben fumed, reading the small sticker by the token slot.
"I know, right? This place stinks," a boy nearby said, his interest piqued by the new, irate face in the arcade.
"Yeah, but not as bad as that guy's breath," Ben retorted, making the other boy laugh.
"I like you. Name's Kevin," the boy said with a chuckle. "Here, let me juice you up, but you'll owe me one." Kevin placed his hand on an arcade game, electricity flowing from his hand into the machine, causing it to malfunction and spill out tokens.
"How'd you do that?" Ben asked, amazed.
"I've got some skills," Kevin replied pompously as Ben picked up the tokens scattered on the ground.
Gwen and Fred, searching for Ben, were drawn by the commotion. They moved closer, spotting Ben with another kid. The tokens on the ground and the malfunctioning machine made it clear that this was their doing.
"Ben, what are you doing?" Gwen exclaimed, her voice a mix of frustration and concern.
Fred sighed, "This can't be good."
As the trio stood there, Kevin smirked, "Seems like you've got some fans."
Ben shrugged, "Let's just say they're not here for autographs."
"Umm, hello? Did you already forget what Grandpa said? We can't take those; they're not even ours," Gwen said, her voice filled with concern as she and Fred approached Ben.
"They are now. And besides, this is just compensation for scamming me earlier," Ben replied defiantly. Turning to Kevin, he added, "Thanks, by the way. I'm Ben. Wanna play some air hockey?"
"Ben, you sure you want to do this? There'll be major consequences, you know," Fred cautioned, clutching a bag of chips.
"Stay out of it," Ben snapped.
"Sorry, but I gotta bail," Kevin said, turning to leave with a group of kids trailing behind him.
"I'm telling you, Ben, he's total trouble," Gwen warned as Kevin disappeared from view.
"Yeah, more than you can handle," Fred added.
"He seemed okay to me," Ben shrugged, oblivious to the kids bumping into him as they followed Kevin. Kevin quickened his pace, trying to lose his followers, but soon found himself face-to-face with another rowdy kid.
"Long time no see, freak. Where you rushing off to? Is Mommy calling you to recharge her batteries?" the bully taunted, blocking Kevin's path.
Kevin took a step back, only to be grabbed by the kids behind him. "Need some help?" Ben offered, stepping forward.
"Stay out of it, shrimp," one of the kids sneered, shoving Ben so hard that he was sent flying.
"And stay down," the bully added.
But Ben wasn't one to back down. He got up, dusted himself off, and muttered, "Well, it is now." With determination, he turned the dial of his watch.
"Ben!" Gwen yelled, her voice filled with urgency. "Don't!"
Fred grabbed Ben's arm, trying to stop him. "Ben, it's still not too late."
But Ben didn't listen. He slammed the watch down, transforming into XLR8 in a flash of green light.
"You messed up trashing our place," one of the bullies sneered at Kevin. "Just 'cause you're a freak doesn't mean you can take us all on alone."
"But I can," XLR8's voice sliced through the tension, drawing their attention.
"Haha, and what are you supposed to be?" the bullies laughed, mistaking Ben for a mere cosplayer.
"Someone who's not easy to mess with," XLR8 retorted. In a flash, he blitzed around the group, leaving the bullies sprawled unconscious on the ground.
"And stay down," XLR8 said with finality, leaving the arcade.
Kevin, stunned by his luck, stood there momentarily before hurrying away. "I can't believe you went alien," Gwen said as they stood outside.
"What's the big deal? He helped me out, and I was just repaying the favor," Ben replied defiantly.
"Oh, you're here. Did you see what that speed guy did to those losers?" Kevin said, reappearing.
"Yeah, pretty cool, right? His name's XLR8, and me and him are pretty tight actually," Ben boasted.
"Really? Wanna get a tour of New York?" Kevin offered.
"That's enough, Ben. If you keep this up, you'll only get in more trouble," Gwen and Fred warned simultaneously.
"We have to get back now," they added.
"Don't you mean you have to go back now?" Ben retorted, brushing them off as he walked alongside Kevin. Gwen and Fred exchanged worried glances before heading back.
"Well, it's a good thing I marked him with a location spell. It's not like I can force him or anything. I mean, I get the pressure of having this much power and being restrained from doing what you want, but that can also be a dangerous thing," Fred pondered as they walked.
"Right now, Ben is just a child. Unlike me, he doesn't fully grasp the true weight of wielding the Omnitrix. Heck, even I, who reincarnated here, ain't a saint. I've been and will continually use my powers for myself. Just because I'm not harming others or committing crimes doesn't necessarily make me better. That's why I think Ben should learn for himself as he sees Kevin for who he really is," Fred mused, his thoughts heavy as they made their way back.
As they returned to the rust bucket, Max was devastated by Ben's defiance and sudden disappearance. He didn't know where to begin. He sat down, trying to collect himself, a sense of guilt washing over him. Maybe he should have handled things differently.
Fred and Gwen exchanged worried glances but could do nothing but watch Max, who was riddled with grief. After a moment, Max pulled himself together.
"I'll have to trouble you guys, but we're heading out to search for Ben," Max announced, determination clear in his voice. Seeing this, Fred recognized Max's unwavering love for Ben. He couldn't sit this one out.
"I can use my Grey Matter form to build a tracking device that locates the Omnitrix's signal whenever Ben uses it," Fred offered, giving Max a glimmer of hope.
Fred pulled out some tech from his pocket dimension and transformed into Grey Matter. He set to work, his tiny hands moving with precision and speed.
"In the meantime, I'll start the engine," Max said, his voice steadying as he found a plan of action.
Fred worked diligently, piecing together components and wiring them with expertise. Gwen watched in awe, her worry for Ben mingling with admiration for Fred's skills.
Max's heart was heavy with concern, but seeing Fred's dedication filled him with a sense of relief. As the engine of the rust bucket roared to life, hope flickered in his chest. They would find Ben, no matter what.
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