Ethen sat on a bench beside Gwen, chatting casually about recent news and getting to know each other.
Every now and then, his gaze drifted toward the forest beyond the campsite, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Deep in the woods, thin wisps of smoke began to rise—followed by flashes of fire.
And those flames were spreading fast.
Someone was setting the forest ablaze.
Ding!
"Mission: Ben Tennyson's Criminal Path issued!"
"Objective: Stop Ben Tennyson from accidentally setting the forest on fire and ruining his future!"
"Reward: 5 Reward Points!"
Ethen's eyes lit up. The System had issued a mission!
After each daily sign-in, the System occasionally assigned special missions.
Completing them earned Reward Points, which could be used to enhance his physique, learn new abilities, or even permanently save an Omnitrix template for future transformations.
In other words — Reward Points were everything.
Suddenly—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Ahhh! Ethen! I'm on fire!!"
A panicked voice echoed through the trees as blazing flames surged toward the campsite.
The forest erupted into a roaring inferno, the heatwave rolling through like a furnace blast.
"What's happening?!" Gwen gasped, covering her mouth in horror.
Max's eyes widened.
"The forest is burning—and I could've sworn I heard someone screaming from that direction!"
Ethen twitched slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Don't tell me Ben transformed and came straight toward us…"
This plot was definitely getting out of control.
RUMBLE!
Flames consumed the trees, and the wave of fire charged toward the campsite.
In the sea of fire, Ben, transformed into Heatblast, froze as he realized the destruction he'd caused.
"Uh-oh…"
"Ahhh!!"
Gwen screamed and stumbled backward as a pillar of fire barreled toward her.
Max yanked her out of the way, then reached for Ethen—
But Ethen was already gone.
He stood before the advancing flames, calm and focused, tapping the Omnitrix on his wrist.
"Ethen! Be careful!" Gwen shouted, voice trembling with worry.
"How are you going to stop a forest fire alone?!" Max shouted, anxiety etched on his face.
CLICK!
Ethen slammed down the Omnitrix core, and a burst of brilliant green light engulfed him.
When the glow faded, a tall, slender alien stood where Ethen had been—his body crackling with arcs of electricity, yellow fins on his head sparking with energy.
"Electrocutioner!"
The alien—known in Ben's world as Electrocutioner (or Ampfibian's electric cousin, known to some as Electric Lizard)—stepped forward like a walking lightning god.
The flames surged toward him… and vanished.
The heat was instantly drawn into his body, absorbed like smoke pulled into a vent.
He exhaled slowly.
"Ahh… refreshing."
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Flames roared again, but each time, Electrocutioner inhaled, drawing the fire into himself until not a spark remained.
"Whoa…" Gwen murmured, eyes wide, completely mesmerized.
"Is this… a movie?"
Max swallowed hard.
"Twelve years old, an apprentice Plumber…? This is way beyond that!"
Electrocutioner raised his hands, sparks dancing across his fingertips.
"Alright, time to make a firebreak."
Ten crackling bolts of energy shot from his hands, slicing through the trees like divine lightning.
The fallen trunks crashed down, forming a barrier zone that stopped the fire's advance.
In the distance, Heatblast stared, mouth hanging open.
"Ethen—how do you even get an alien like that?! That's insane!"
He wanted that transformation so badly.
"Ethen, there are still flames deeper in the woods!" Max shouted.
"Got it."
Electrocutioner twisted the Omnitrix dial again—
WHOOSH!
The green light flared once more, and his body reshaped into a towering, blue-armored alien with barnacle-like armor plates.
"Water Hazard!"
Water Hazard raised his arms, his barnacles glowing as powerful streams of pressurized water burst forth.
"Ben, move!" he warned.
"Huh—?"
RUMBLE!!
Twin water cannons erupted from his palms, blasting a massive surge of water across the forest floor.
The flood swept through the burning trees, extinguishing the flames—and nearly washing Ben away!
He barely managed to take off using fiery propulsion from his feet, dodging the wave.
It still wasn't over.
Water Hazard aimed upward, releasing a final barrage that burst into the sky like fireworks.
Moments later, rain began to fall—cool, heavy, and cleansing.
The flames hissed and died, and the forest was finally calm.
The air smelled of smoke and fresh rain.
Ding!
"Mission complete! Reward: +5 Points!"
Water Hazard smiled as the notification echoed in his mind.
"Ben, quit running around. I'll explain everything later."
"Wait, Ben?!" Gwen's eyes widened. "So, both my cousin and my new friend are aliens?!"
She turned to Max, face pale.
"Grandpa… you're not secretly an alien too, are you?"
Max blinked, speechless.
Two Omnitrix users in one day? That was definitely not in the manual.
Meanwhile — Aboard Vilgax's Ship
Inside a dimly lit chamber, Vilgax floated in a regeneration pod, his body half-wrecked from his last defeat.
His eyes snapped open.
"Any Omnitrix signals detected?" he growled.
A robotic attendant replied nervously,
"Yes, Lord Vilgax. Not just one… but two Omnitrix signals on Earth."
"What?!"
Vilgax's eyes burned red as he roared, sending bubbles swirling in the pod fluid.
"Two Omnitrixes?! That traitor Azmuth must have forged another one in secret! What is he planning?!"
"Orders, my lord?"
"Deploy the drones!" Vilgax bellowed. "Send every last robot to Earth and retrieve both Omnitrixes—no matter what it takes!"
The chamber's hatch opened with a hiss as dozens of spider-like drones launched from the ship, streaking toward Earth like a metallic swarm.
Vilgax clenched his fists, voice rumbling through the ship:
"Azmuth… whatever your game is, you won't stop me this time."