[2] He’s Got Superpowers, He’s No Ordinary Kid

Chapter 2: He's Got Superpowers, He's No Ordinary Kid

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The forest night air had a crisp, smoky scent as we gathered around the campfire Grandpa Max had built. I sat cross-legged near the flames—still as Heatblast as I played with the fire in front of me.

"So that's everything," I finished, watching Grandpa's face for his reaction. "This watch just latched onto my wrist, and now I can turn into... whatever that fire guy was."

I'd spent the last fifteen minutes explaining every detail—the meteor, the watch jumping onto my wrist, the transformation. The whole time, Grandpa had listened with this weird, intense focus, like he was cataloging every word.

"I see... a watch from space that turns you into aliens..." Grandpa Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully, turning a marshmallow over the fire.

"Alien?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, her cheeks stuffed with marshmallows. She looked ridiculous. "Isn't he just a monster? Maybe a Mutant."

I rolled my eyes. Trust Gwen to ruin the coolest thing that had ever happened to me by calling me a monster. I guess my returning memories didn't change my views of her. Nerd.

"A-ah right, it could be those too..." I backpedaled, though I knew better with my restored memories. "I just assumed alien since they seemed to come from space, haha... Also, Gwen, don't refer to them as monsters. It's fine between us, but some of them might get pretty mad and take it as racism."

"Oh, okay..." Gwen blinked, taken aback by my suddenly serious tone.

"Now, where did you say the thing fell?" Grandpa Max asked, and I pointed through the trees.

"Over that way. Maybe half a mile?"

"Hmm..." Grandpa's eyes narrowed, that same knowing look from earlier crossing his face.

While he pondered, I felt something soft land on my head. Gwen snickered as I realized she'd placed a marshmallow on top of my scalp. The sugary treat browned instantly, and she plucked it off with a triumphant grin, popping it into her mouth.

"Perfect toast," she declared, chewing happily.

I shot her the driest look I could manage, which only made her smile wider. Annoying as ever.

"By the way, Ben, are you stuck like this forever?" Gwen asked suddenly, reaching for another marshmallow. "You should come to my house and sit in the fireplace during winter. I'll pay you."

"Piss off," I muttered, though the question had been nagging at me too. "I don't know if I'll be like this forever or not. It’s a transformation, so I probably can return? I don't know. Like the Human Torch."

"Like the Thing more like. He can never return to his human form, you know?" Gwen smiled sweetly, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Aren't you also encased by rock? He too. Maybe you're stuck forever..."

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could get the words out, something strange happened. The hourglass symbol on my chest began to beep, flashing red instead of its usual green.

"Uh, guys?" I stared down at it. "I think it's—"

A blinding flash of red light cut me off. I felt a bizarre tingling sensation, like my body was being rapidly disassembled and reassembled. When the light faded, I was sitting in exactly the same spot—except now I was just regular Ben again.

I flexed my fingers, relieved to see normal human skin instead of molten rock. "See?!" I exclaimed triumphantly.

Gwen sighed dramatically. "Aw man. I liked you better like that..."

"Of course you did," I grumbled.

Grandpa Max laughed, stood up, and brushed his pants off. "Alright, then, kids. Since Ben looks safe, I'll go check out where the meteorite fell." He fixed me with a stern look. "Ben, stop playing with the machine before I return. It's dangerous."

I yanked my hand away from the watch, which I'd already been poking at. "Ah, sure."

Grandpa gave me one last suspicious glance before disappearing into the trees, the flashlight beam bouncing through the darkness. The moment he was gone, I turned my attention back to the watch—my Omnitrix. I couldn't believe I had the actual, honest-to-god Omnitrix on my wrist.

"Hey, give me some marshmallows too," I said, eyeing the bag beside Gwen.

She pulled out the last one, making a show of dangling it before slowly placing it in her mouth. "...Oops, the last one's gone."

"I'll burn your hair."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare, Mr. Tennyson." She narrowed her eyes, but there was a hint of genuine concern there. "I'm growing it. I'll be really mad if you ruin it."

I couldn't help but laugh, turning back to my watch and pretending to activate it. Gwen yelped and scrambled backward, nearly tumbling off the log she was sitting on. The look of panic on her face sent me into hysterics, and I pointed at her as I doubled over.

"...This is not funny," she hissed, straightening her shirt. "I swear, I'll get back at you for this."

"Sure you will, nerd," I replied, standing up and stretching. The night was still young, and I had freaking superpowers now. No way was I just sitting around. "Now, wanna go check the area around?"

"What? Grandpa said-"

"No? Fine, I'll do it myself." I fiddled with the watch, figuring out how to use it intentionally this time. When I twisted the dial, the face popped up, displaying a holographic silhouette. I cycled through a few alien forms until I spotted one I recognized immediately—a hulking figure with multiple arms.

"Perfect," I grinned, slamming my palm down on the dial without hesitation.

The transformation was instantaneous yet somehow stretched across what felt like minutes. My skin turned red as my muscles expanded, and my bones elongated and multiplied. I felt my shoulders split, and a second pair of arms grew beneath my first. My entire body surged upward, expanding to nearly nine feet tall. Thick red skin replaced my clothes as the Omnitrix symbol materialized on my chest.

When it was over, I towered over Gwen, flexing all four of my massive arms. "Four Arms!" It'd be an insult to the universe if I didn't respect the classic shouts.

[Image Here]

I could feel the raw strength coursing through my veins—I could probably lift a car with each hand now.

"W-whoa..." Gwen stared up at me, her eyes wide with genuine amazement… and something more that I failed to pinpoint.

"Let's go," I rumbled, my voice deeper and more gravelly in this form. "Don't complain. I can't leave you here alone when Grandpa's not around. I think I saw a different shooting star too, and if I had to guess, it's probably someone sent to bring this thing back. Alien monsters. We gotta defeat them so that they don't hurt grandpa."

"…You're assuming too much," she said, finally taking her eyes off my arms and chest.

Without waiting for her to protest further, I reached down with my lower arms and scooped her up, holding her against my chest.

"Ben! What are you—put me down!" She stammered, her face flushing as I secured her against me.

I ignored her complaints and leaped into the air, amazed at my own strength. Each jump carried us dozens of feet, the forest blurring below us as I bounded between trees, searching the area for any signs of trouble.

Now... what were those drone things called again? Mechadroid? I tried to recall as we soared through the air. I just blabbered to Gwen, but I'm not sure if they'd come or not since this is a world mixed with Ben 10 and Marvel, but it's better to be careful.

****

The forest whipped past us in a blur of shadows and moonlight as I bounded between trees. Each leap carried us twenty feet into the air. Four Arms’ legs were powerful too, as they propelled us forward like we weighed nothing.

Wind rushed around us, carrying the scent of pine and earth.

I'd positioned Gwen carefully – my upper pair of muscular arms shielded her from any stray branches or debris, while my lower arms wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her pressed against my chest. Her hair whipped against my face sometimes, but I didn't mind.

"D-did you have to bring me?! Come on! Drop me already," Gwen still complained, squirming in my grasp. Her face was flushed, but I couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment or the rush of air.

I grinned down at her, feeling the power coursing through every inch of my alien body. "You'd have regretted not coming. Besides, what if there are alien bounty hunters after this watch? You'd be all alone at camp."

She just grumbled something under her breath, folding her arms across her chest. Her cheeks were still tinged pink.

Not caring about her protests, I kept searching, scanning the forest floor and sky for any sign of trouble. The moon provided just enough light to make out shapes in the darkness. I leaped again, pushing off a thick tree trunk that groaned under my weight.

Mid-jump, something slammed into my back with explosive force.

– BOOM!

The impact knocked the wind from my lungs and sent us hurtling toward the ground uncontrolled. Gwen screamed as we tumbled through the air, branches snapping against my tough skin. Instinct took over.

I tightened my grip on Gwen, tucking her safely against me as I twisted my massive body. The forest floor rushed up to meet us, but I managed to flip backward by using a nearby branch as a platform, landing in a crouch that cracked the ground beneath my feet.

"Hide behind that rock," I ordered, setting Gwen down and pointing to a large boulder nearby.

"Be careful!" she shouted, darting toward cover without argument.

I liked that about her. For all her endless complaints and eye-rolling, when things got serious, Gwen never wasted time with blame or hesitation. She could have easily thrown an "I told you to not bring me" at me right now, but instead, she just focused on what needed to be done.

A metallic glint caught my eye overhead. I looked up to find a sleek, spherical drone hovering about thirty feet up, its head glowing bright crimson. The light intensified, and I barely rolled aside as a laser blast scorched the ground where I'd stood seconds before.

"So you wanna play?" I growled, flexing all four arms. "Let's play."

The drone fired again, but this time, I was ready. Four Arms had serious speed for someone so bulky, and I dodged easily. Instead, the beam hit a tree and set it ablaze. Using the momentum of my dodge, I pushed off the ground with enough force to send me soaring straight toward the drone.

It tried to fire a third time, but I was already on it. My upper hands grabbed its metallic body while my lower pair gripped its weapon arm. With a satisfying roar, I tore the limbs clean off and then crushed the main unit between my palms.

I landed on the forest floor with the broken pieces scattering around me.

But it wasn’t over. Movement flashed in my peripheral vision. A second drone burst from the trees to my right, already charging its weapon. I leaped onto a thick branch, feeling it bend under my weight, then launched myself toward the new threat.

The drone fired, but it was too late. I clasped all four hands together and slammed them down onto it like a volleyball spike. The machine crumpled with a pathetic electronic squeal and smashed flat against the ground.

I dropped down beside my handiwork, brushing debris from my shoulders and whistling with satisfaction. "Now that's what I call—"

The Omnitrix symbol on my chest suddenly started beeping rapidly and flashing red. A familiar tingling sensation washed over me as the red light enveloped my body. In seconds, I'd shrunk back to normal size, my extra arms disappeared, and my strength faded.

"Well, it’s fine since the trouble’s gone," I said, examining my human hands. From the show, I remembered that there had only been two drones in this initial encounter.

"Ben, behind you!"

Gwen's panicked voice made my blood freeze.

I whipped around to see a third drone hovering just feet away, its weapon port already glowing with deadly energy. My eyes widened in shock as I glanced down at my Omnitrix – still red and recharging. There was no time to run, nowhere to dodge.

In that split second of paralyzing fear, a blur of orange hair streaked past me. Gwen rushed forward, wielding what looked like a thick branch she'd found. With a fierce yell that would have made any warrior proud, she swung her makeshift bat directly at the drone's sensor array.

– CRACK!

The impact knocked the drone sideways, its laser firing harmlessly into the trees. Before it could recover, Gwen struck again, smashing its main processor unit. The machine sparked, twitched, and dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Hah! No one’s hurting my cousin!" she declared, planting her foot triumphantly on the destroyed drone. She rested the branch across her shoulder, giving me the smuggest grin I'd ever seen.

“...Damn.”

"Well, you were right. I would have regretted not coming," she smirked, tossing her hair back. "I guess this is why you brought me, Ben 'Damsel in Distress' Tennyson. You wanted someone reliable to save you, is that it? You're welcome."

I just stared at her, mouth hanging open, unable to form a response.

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