Chương 15: Should've Minded The Signs
"Benjamin! Fredrick! Gwendolyn! Get out here now!" Max's voice echoed through the house like a thunderclap, waking him with a jolt.
Gwen's eyes widened with worry. "Gwendolyn! He knows, let's come clean."
Ben rolled his eyes. "You really are a dweeb. Never admit to anything."
Fred, yawning and rubbing his eyes after another all-nighter, chuckled. "Quite the delinquent we have here."
The three of them stumbled out of the house, still groggy, only to be greeted by chaos. Their small town was in shambles.
"Woah! What happened here?" Ben's eyes darted around in disbelief as they approached Max.
"I'd like to know that as well," Max replied, eyes narrowing. "What on earth could have done this?"
Just then, the mayor stormed up to them, fury etched across his face. "I think it's pretty clear who's responsible for these juvenile acts," he barked.
Max's gaze flickered to the trio, guilt written all over their faces. "Yeah, I..."
The mayor cut him off, "I'm not talking about the kids."
As he spoke, a streak of electricity zipped through the air, landing next to Ben. A small creature, crackling with energy, grinned up at them, almost mischievously.
"What in blazes is that?" Max exclaimed.
"Megawatt," the mayor said, stepping closer.
"MegaWhat?" Ben responded, bewildered.
"Exactly. Normally it's wrapped up tightly in rubber bands. Until now, that is," the mayor explained, eyeing the trio with suspicion. "I wonder what could've caused this."
The three friends exchanged nervous glances, trying to stifle their awkward laughter. "Its origin is a mystery. Some say it's a ball of lightning come alive. Others speculate it's static cling running amok," the mayor continued.
"Or an alien," Gwen suggested, earning a scoff from the mayor.
"Now that's nonsense," he replied dismissively. "Anyway, we need to find a way to stop that thing."
The Megawatt morphed into a bolt of electricity and dove into a nearby vending machine.
"What's it doing now?" Ben asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.
"Feeding off electricity," the mayor replied nonchalantly. "And it also has a dangerous sense of humor," he added as cans began to fire from the vending machine, forcing the group to take cover behind a nearby vehicle.
Fred, ever the problem solver, looked thoughtful. "That thing is a Nosedeenian, an electric-type alien. Diamond Head could do the trick."
Before anyone could respond, the mayor joined them in taking cover. "That thing is far too dangerous to be contained by simple rubber bands."
"Not if people minded the signs," the mayor retorted, casting a pointed look at the trio.
"Alright, fine. So, we might have something to do with this," Ben admitted reluctantly.
"Hey! Don't lump me into this," Fred defended himself.
"We'll talk about this later," Max interjected. "For now, we should focus on catching it."
"Yeah, and how do we do that?" Gwen asked, her voice laced with frustration as they looked at the mayor.
"Don't look at me. You let it out, you should deal with this," the mayor responded, washing his hands of the situation.
As they walked the desolate streets ravaged by the Megawatt, Gwen ranted, "How are we even going to lure it?"
As they strolled down the ruined streets, the Megawatt burst into action, launching itself at Max. In a flash, Fred raised a transparent barrier, causing the Megawatt to ricochet off.
Max let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That was a close one, good one Fred."
Ben, ever eager, turned on his dial, expecting his trusty Diamondhead transformation. "It's time for some Diamondhead," he declared. But as he transformed, he found himself as Upgrade instead, and his face fell in disappointment.
Fred sighed, walking up to his friend. "I thought we agreed that I'd step out of this one," he muttered, transforming into a hybridized Galvan-like creature with a touch of dark matter from the reboot. With a swift motion, he pressed the Omnitrix on Grey Matter's chest, turning Ben into Diamondhead.
"Woah, how'd you do that?" Ben was stunned, but Fred, always one step ahead, had his reasons for keeping secrets. He avoided the question, focusing on the task at hand.
"Deal with the Nosedeenian first," Fred said, knowing Ben would pester him about Master Control eventually. But that was a problem for a future Fred to handle.
"Ahh, don't do that!" Fred yelled as Ben started firing diamond shards at the Megawatt.
"What?" Ben paused, confused. One diamond shard struck the Megawatt in the middle, splitting it into two.
"Uhh, oops," Ben muttered, realizing his mistake.
"When I said use Diamondhead, I meant to encapsulate it, not help it multiply," Fred groaned, walking closer as he returned to his normal form.
"Ohhh, I thought it was because... Nevermind," Ben trailed off, feeling sheepish.
"Good job, doofus. Now there are two of them," Gwen said, crossing her arms as she stood next to Ben.
"So what now?" Ben asked, watching the Megawatts cause even more chaos.
"Now that it has a friend, they're much more of a nuisance," Max said, urgency in his voice. "Let's solve this before it gets worse."
"If only there was a way to lure them," Max mused. Suddenly, the town grew eerily quiet.
"Uhh, Grandpa, where'd the Megawatts go?" Gwen asked, her voice tinged with concern. The telephones started shaking and ringing.
"This can't be good," Ben said, his anxiety rising.
"I know I said I'd handle it, but I need some help," Ben admitted, looking at Fred as the Megawatts swarmed out of the phone booths.
"Yeah, I'll definitely need help with this," Ben echoed, seeing the growing numbers.
"Fine. But you'll owe me one," Fred said, transforming into Gravattack and curling into a ball, holding the Megawatts in a gravitational lock to prevent their escape.
"Woah, now that's a cool alien," Ben marveled at Gravattack in action.
"Ben!" Max and Gwen yelled, snapping him back to reality.
"Make a dome and I'll throw them in it. We'll entrap them," Fred instructed. Ben quickly created a dome of diamond, and Fred placed all the Megawatts inside.
"Make sure to make it spacious for them," Fred said, ensuring their containment.
"There. Now they won't be going anywhere," Ben said, sealing it off just as the Omnitrix timed out.
"Smart thinking, you two," Max praised as he approached, and Fred returned to normal.
"Well, at least with these diamonds, they can fund the town's repairs," Fred said, with a hint of relief. With the ordeal now over, all that was left was getting some rest before they moved on to their next adventure.
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