Chapter 13: Kevin
Gwen spun around the lobby, her eyes wide as she took in the crystal chandeliers and polished marble floors of the four-star New York hotel. "This place is unbelievable! An open-air restaurant, an indoor heated pool, and a spa! An actual spa!"
Ben slouched against a luggage cart, kicking at the carpet. His gaze drifted aimlessly until it locked onto a massive, glossy banner across the hall. His posture snapped straight. "No way... The Sumo Slammers advance launch event! They have the newest game!"
He didn't even hesitate. Ben sprinted straight for the velvet ropes guarding the exhibition hall, only to bounce off the solid, pinstriped chest of a massive bouncer. The man looked down, his expression entirely unimpressed by the ten-year-old.
"Invitation only, kid."
Ben puffed out his chest, adopting his most serious voice. "Actually, I'm a professional Sumo Slammers expert. They invited me specifically to beta-test the new mechanics."
The bouncer didn't even blink. "Invitation."
Deflated, Ben dragged his feet back to the reception desk. Grandpa Max caught his eye, crossing his arms sternly. "Ben, I know exactly what gears are turning in that head of yours. Don't even think about sneaking in."
Ben held up his hands, the picture of innocence. "Me? Sneak in? Never!"
Max sighed, turning to herd the others toward the elevators. As soon as their backs were turned, Ben dropped the innocent act.
'Yeah, right,' he thought, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
...
Thud! Crash! Clatter!
Three heavy duffel bags hit the New York pavement, followed closely by Grandpa Max, Klein, and Gwen. The heavy glass doors of the luxury hotel slammed shut behind them, the manager glaring through the pane.
Ben's brilliant plan to use the Omnitrix to bypass security had ended exactly as one might expect—with a very public, very embarrassing eviction the moment he timed out.
...
Gwen threw her hands up, her face flushed with absolute outrage. "This is entirely your fault, Dweeb! We all got thrown out into the street! I haven't had a decent bath since this stupid road trip started! They had a spa in there, Ben! A spa!"
Ben scowled, kicking a loose pebble. "I just wanted to play the game! It's not a big deal!"
"It is a big deal, Ben!" Grandpa Max's voice was sharp, carrying a rare edge of genuine disappointment. "You cannot use that watch for petty, selfish stunts!"
Ben's fists clenched. "You guys just don't get it! I use this thing to save people all the time! I fight monsters, I stop robbers! Why is it a crime if I use it to help myself just once?!"
"That is entirely missing the point!" Max stepped forward, his tone hardening. "Your cousin didn't entrust you with that device so you could sneak into video game conventions!"
Standing a few paces away, Klein leaned against a streetlamp, watching the drama unfold with mild amusement. He hadn't expected to be dragged into the crossfire. Still, he didn't intervene. 'They're family,'he mused silently.'They yell, they bicker, but they always patch things up eventually.'
Ben flinched slightly at the mention of Klein, his anger deflating into defensive guilt. "Fine... fine. Just... deduct the room cost from my allowance."
Gwen crossed her arms, her glare piercing right through him. "You don't even get an allowance, Dweeb!"
The argument flared up again, a mess of overlapping shouts and frustrations, until Ben finally threw his hands up and stormed off down the busy sidewalk, disappearing into the New York crowds. Max rubbed his temples, his expression dark, before turning back toward the hotel entrance to see if he could salvage a partial refund.
Klein pushed himself off the streetlamp. "Gwen, go keep an eye on Grandpa," he said smoothly. "I'll go track down Ben."
...
The neon lights of New York City flickered to life as the sun began to dip below the skyline. Klein walked at a leisurely pace, easily keeping up with his younger cousin's frustrated stomping.
Ben kept his head down, kicking at stray garbage on the sidewalk. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice tight. "Are you here to yell at me too, Cousin?"
Despite his lingering anger, Ben felt a twinge of embarrassment. He knew, deep down, that he had messed up, and having Klein—the one who gave him the watch—witness it made it worse.
Klein shoved his hands into his pockets, his tone entirely casual. "No, Ben. I'm not here to scold you." He glanced sideways at the kid. "From where I'm standing, yeah, you acted like a brat. But I'm not going to lecture you. You're smart enough to figure these things out on your own eventually."
Klein paused, letting the words sink in. "I just came to tell you to take a walk and clear your head. Just don't stay out too late. Grandpa worries."
Ben stopped, looking up in surprise. The defensive tension in his shoulders melted away, replaced by a genuine, quiet gratitude. "Thanks, Cousin."
Klein gave a lazy wave over his shoulder as he turned back the way they came. He didn't bother hovering. With the Omnitrix strapped to the kid's wrist, there wasn't much in this city that posed a real threat to Ben Tennyson.
...
Night fell over the international metropolis, but New York remained a sea of brilliant, blinding light. Inside the cramped confines of the Rustbucket, the atmosphere was tense.
Gwen paced the narrow aisle, chewing on her lower lip. "Why isn't he back yet? You don't think something happened to him, do you?"
Klein lounged in the passenger seat, scrolling idly through his phone. "Let's just go look for him."
Grandpa Max sighed heavily, starting the engine. He grumbled under his breath, though it was obvious he was just as anxious to find the boy.
The Rustbucket rumbled through the congested city streets. The static of the dashboard radio suddenly cut out, replaced by a crisp news bulletin: "Commuters are advised that tonight's subway arrival times will face severe delays. According to emergency personnel on the scene, a massive, unexplained fire has broken out deep within the 42nd Street subway station..."
Gwen's head snapped toward the radio. "Grandpa!"
Max gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "I should have known!" he growled, slamming his foot on the gas pedal.
Klein blinked, staring out the windshield in sheer bewilderment. 'Wait a minute,'he thought, utterly baffled.'I literally just comforted the kid and told him to clear his head. How did he go straight from a timeout to committing domestic terrorism in a subway station?'
...
Down in the subterranean tunnels, a runaway subway train tore down the tracks at terrifying speeds. Ben clung desperately to the roof, his fingers digging into the jagged, still-glowing edges of a hole Heatblast had melted through the metal casing just moments prior. The wind whipped violently against him.
Honk! Honk!
The Rustbucket smashed through a maintenance barrier, accelerating down the parallel service road right alongside the speeding train.
Klein rolled down the passenger window, the roaring wind tearing at his hair. "Ben!" he shouted over the deafening screech of metal on tracks. "Over here!"
Max hit a switch on the dashboard, deploying the RV's heavy-duty side awning.
Ben snapped his head toward the RV, then looked forward. A low-hanging tunnel clearance sign was rushing toward his face at fifty miles an hour.
"Okay! Time to jump!" he muttered, hyping himself up. Fighting the violent shaking of the train car, he forced himself onto his feet, found his center of gravity, and launched himself into the gap.
"Whoa-ah-ah-ah!"
He slammed hard onto the extended awning of the Rustbucket, rolling to a bruised but successful stop.
...
Once safely hauled inside the moving RV, Ben collapsed onto the floor, panting. He looked up, catching Klein's deeply skeptical, raised eyebrow.
"It wasn't my fault! It was Kevin!" Ben blurted out immediately. Between gasps for air, he quickly dumped the entire chaotic story onto his family.
The short version went like this: Ben had gone to a local arcade to blow off some steam, only to get scammed by a rigged machine. Enter Kevin—a street kid with the mutant ability to absorb energy. Kevin had hacked the machine, giving Ben free games. When a group of thugs tried to jump Kevin, Ben stepped in to save him. One thing led to another, and the two had bonded over stealing an entire arcade cabinet and outrunning a police helicopter.
But the friendship ended as quickly as it began. Kevin's grand plan to make big money involved derailing a passenger train full of innocent people. Ben refused to let hundreds die for a quick payout. The disagreement escalated into a brutal, super-powered brawl right in the middle of the subway station, leading directly to the flaming chaos they had just witnessed.
Gwen's expression hardened as she processed the sheer scale of the danger. "If he's out there looking for a payday, or worse, revenge... we have to stop this Kevin guy before he hurts anyone else."
...
"I should have known better than to drive in this city!" Max groaned in frustration.
They had barely made it back up to street level before hitting a dead stop. New York lived up to its reputation—the streets were completely gridlocked, a sea of honking yellow cabs and stalled traffic.
Ben scrambled to his feet, dialing up the Omnitrix. "This looks like a job for Stinkfly!" He slammed his palm down on the dial. A brilliant flash of emerald light flooded the cramped RV.
"Oh, come on! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Instead of a winged insect, a massive, red-skinned Tetramand now sat crammed against the ceiling of the Rustbucket. Four Arms grumbled, forced to hug his knees to his chest just to fit inside the vehicle. Groaning in annoyance, Four Arms shoved the side door open. Because of his sheer bulk and the narrow gap between vehicles, the heavy RV door swung out and completely crushed the side panel of the sedan idling next to them.
"I'll go wait for you guys under the 42nd Street overpass!" Four Arms bellowed, his deep voice rattling the windows. He squeezed his massive frame out of the RV, preparing to leap over the gridlocked traffic.
"Hold on a second, Ben," Klein's voice cut through the noise, calm but carrying an obvious weight.
Four Arms paused, looking back. Klein leaned out the window, his expression unreadable. "I am not going to interfere in this feud of yours with Kevin. And I'm not letting Gwen interfere, either. You started this mess. You handle it yourself."
Klein watched the massive alien leap away into the city skyline. He nodded to himself, satisfied. He had decided to use this dangerous incident as a crucial teaching moment, a crucible to help Ben grow up and learn the consequences of his reckless actions.
'Just kidding,'Klein thought, a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he settled back into his plush seat.'If the kid doesn't do all the heavy lifting, how am I supposed to slack off?'
[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!]