A soft click echoed in the cramped space of the RV. Tyler Levison hovered over the Error Watch, his fingers poised to select the Sinister-Savant.
"Wait." Ben reached out, his hand clamping firmly onto Tyler's wrist. His expression was unusually focused. "Tyler, don't use the Imp to fix it. I like the watch exactly how it is now."
Tyler frowned. Ben was currently at the mercy of a glitched system that triggered at random, yet he was smiling. "Ben, it's literally malfunctioning. You don't know what it's doing to your biology."
"But there's no cooldown, Tyler! I can jump from form to form without waiting." Ben's eyes gleamed with a reckless excitement. "I can handle a few random rolls."
Tyler sighed, slowly retracting his hand. He knew that look. If a patient refuses the medicine, there is little the doctor can do. "Fine. But the second this becomes a threat to Gwen or Grandpa, I'm stepping in."
"No problem!" Ben nodded eagerly, already distracted by the green glow of his dial.
Max and Gwen exchanged a weary glance. They both saw the red flag, but in the face of Ben's stubbornness, they could only prepare for the inevitable fallout.
"Enough with the gadgets for a moment," Max announced, his voice carrying a hint of his old authority. "No one fights well on an empty stomach. Let's eat."
The group spent the morning in a rare moment of peace. Max had gone all out, preparing a spread of dishes that filled the air with a savory aroma. By noon, they had found a secluded, sun-drenched lawn overlooking a distant lake. They spread out a picnic mat, the tension of the previous days melting away under the gentle warmth of the sun.
Tyler bit into a sandwich, savoring the familiar flavors. "Grandpa really knows how to hit the spot. I needed this."
CRUNCH.
The sound of a massive bite echoed from the center of the mat. Everyone turned to see a tiny, grey-skinned creature—the Sinister-Savant—sprawled over a hamburger three times his size.
"Mmm... devouring a burger at this scale is a purely logical joy!" Ben's voice, filtered through the small alien's vocal cords, sounded chirpy and satisfied.
Tyler chuckled. "I've thought about doing that myself. Just... don't choke."
After the meal, the vacation continued, but the "normalcy" was starting to fray. Ben didn't just walk to the lake; he transformed into The Crystal-Executioner, using diamond shurikens to spear fish from the shore. He didn't climb the nearby mountain path with the others; he vanished in a blur of blue light, appearing at the summit as The Kinecelere-Slayer before the others had even started the ascent.
"I got here first!" Ben cheered, leaning against a rock as Tyler, Gwen, and Max finally reached the top. "Just using it for travel, guys. Efficient, right?"
Tyler nodded, but his eyes narrowed. Something was shifting in Ben's behavior. The proactive energy was good, but there was a growing arrogance in how he used the watch. It wasn't about being a hero anymore; it was about convenience.
The group boarded a cable car at the summit, designed to carry tourists over a vast stretch of the glistening sea toward the neighboring peak.
Gwen leaned against the railing, the salty sea breeze tossing her orange hair. "It's so beautiful... it feels like forever since we've just looked at the ocean without something trying to kill us."
"Wasn't that back when we fought Kevin?" Tyler asked, leaning beside her with a grin.
"That was a mission," Gwen said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "This is a vacation. It's different."
A sudden gust of wind whipped past, snapping Gwen's hair clip free. It tumbled toward the edge, but Tyler's reflexes were faster. He caught the clip mid-air. Gently, he reached out and slid the clip back into her silky hair, smoothing the strands with a practiced touch.
"Thank you," Gwen whispered. Her face flushed a deep pink, and she looked away, her heart fluttering.
Tyler felt a brief moment of nostalgia. He had always taken care of her like this—a habit born from years of being the older, protective presence. But as he looked at her now, he realized the way she looked at him had changed. The sisterly affection was being replaced by something deeper, something more intense.
WHOOSH!!
A blinding green light erupted inside the small cable car.
"Ben! Enough is enough!" Max shouted, his patience finally snapping.
In the center of the car stood The Tech-Wraith (Upgrade). His liquid-metal form rippled with embarrassment. "Sorry! I just... I wanted to check the cables! Making sure the facilities are up to code!"
As he spoke, his body spread thin, coating the interior of the car. The machinery hummed, and the cable car's speed began to climb. It was obvious to everyone: Ben wasn't checking the safety; he was bored and wanted to go faster.
Tyler had an epiphany. The "Anti-addiction" protocols of the original Omnitrix had been bypassed by the glitch. Ben was becoming addicted to the feeling of being superior. The watch allowed him to ignore social rules, to bypass effort, and to stand above ordinary people.
If I don't fix that watch soon, Tyler thought grimly, he's going to lose himself to it.
Ben roared with excitement, pushing the cable car to its limits, turning the scenic ride into a high-speed roller coaster. He laughed, relishing the shocked and envious stares from people in passing cars.
BOOM!!
The sunlight was suddenly blotted out. A colossal, golden-hued figure descended from the sky like a falling star, slamming onto the roof of the high-speed car.
The metal groaned and buckled. The cable car lurched violently, its wheels screeching against the wire before coming to a dead stop, swaying dangerously over the abyss.
SPLASH!
The force of the impact threw the side door open. Tyler and Gwen, caught off guard, were flung out into the open air, plummeting toward the dark sea below.
"Tyler! Gwen!"
Ben's features materialized on the surface of the car, his anger flaring. He looked up and froze.
Standing on the roof was Vilgax. But he was different. His body shimmered with a polished, golden armor, and his eyes burned with a cold, renewed malice.
"I have seen the recordings," Vilgax rasped, his voice a low, guttural vibration. "You have obstructed my destiny for too long. Today, the lineage of the Tennyson's ends."
He extended his claws, tearing into the reinforced roof of the car like it was wet parchment.
"What are you talking about?!" Ben roared, detaching from the car's skin and reforming into human form just long enough to slam the dial again. "You're the one who won't leave us alone!"
WHOOSH!
Ben transformed back into The Tech-Wraith, his form merging with the car again. This time, he didn't just speed it up. The metal twisted and groaned, sprouting a pair of massive, hydraulic iron arms from the car's chassis.
"Get off my ride!" Ben screamed, swinging the massive iron fists directly at the Golden Warlord's chest.
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