Well, ladies and gents, I have a p atreon account. I decided to see if I can motivate myself to amping my production. I hope to see you there as well as I continue writing content in these strange times.

p atreon/I4MD347H

The android, layered in bronze yellow, tread on four legs, crab-like and blunt on each end. Its voice box was predominantly male, its tone synthetic yet coarse, as the lens of its visor focused in on the wristwatch's green hourglass.

"Hah! Are you serious?!" The crab bot laughed upon looking at Gwen. "Easiest bounty I ever made."

Poising his crab arm at Gwen, energy gathering at the focal point between the pincers, he shot a stream of burning orange at the girl. However, sliding between Gwen and it, Garou interposed the beam and, with a swing, deflected it with his hand as it blasted a crumbling hole in the wall.

"Whoa, whoa!" Kevin shouted, stumbling back, astonished by Garou's feat.

"Thanks!" Gwen quickly stepped back as she prepared her Omnitrix, cycling through the aliens one by one until she spotted Four Arms and struck the dial.

"Four Arms!" She shouted in her alien form, flexing all four of her crimson arms before the assailant.

The metal crab looked at the group, the kid that deflected his lasers with his bare hands, and then at the hole in the wall.

"...I had to use my big mouth." The crustacean groaned as he aimed at Four Arms.

"I call first dibs!" Four Arms shouted, but before she could jump at the assailant, Garou raised his hand and stopped her in her tracks.

"Denied."

"Thanks, I… what?" Four-Arms blinked her four eyes at Garou.

It was the first time he turned her down despite their nurtured relationship regarding the rights to fight the bad guys so far.

"You heard me. I got something cool to show Kevin."

With a smirk, Garou walked over to the oversized bronze crab, rolling his shoulders one after the other with a confident gait. The attacker narrowed its lenses at the approaching kid, raising its pincer arm at the kid.

"Human or freak, I don't know but I don't care, but I'm not here for you. Hand over the Omnitrix or there will be trouble." The cyborg crab threatened with a rapid clench of his pincers.

"Omni… trix?" Four-Arms caught notice of that word and looked down at the dial on her muscular chest. By this point, they had faced nothing but killer robots or random encounters with the strange and majorly criminal elements of their world. None of them so far mentioned the object that fell from the stars and latched onto her wrist.

Garou looked back at Gwen and Kevin. He decided to show them something interesting… strange. He never wanted to show off before. Either way, he needed to stretch his limbs. Sitting in a vehicle for hours of inaction was not healthy for his body.

"Hey, Kevin," Garou called out. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Like what? Blocking a frickin' laser and your cousin becoming a freak is hard to top!" Kevin stated hyperactively, blown away by the sudden happenings. Confused, but indeed excited by the twist of events.

"About that…" Garou smiled. Behind the assailant. Keven and Four-Arms blinked. When did he appear behind it? At one point, he was before the crab man, next second without them noticing, Garou was behind him without warning.

"Here, let me pass through for a second."

At the first word of Garou's sentence, the bronze crab fell apart in a spectacularly loud fall, every limb of the metal crustacean rested beside Garou's feet, warped metal stumps replacing where its arms and legs were before.

In his hand, Garou held something. It was the giant claw arm from the assailant.

"Aaaaaaaagh?!" The victim squalled.

The owner of said limbs crashed on his face, flailing in panic like a fish on dry land.

"Not gonna lie, this is my first time preparing a crab this big. Kinda metallic, too," Garou finished off, his lines eliciting a groan from Four-Arms.

"How can a human be able to move this fast?! What are you?! Some kind of Kineceleran hybrid?!" The mechanical crab grunted but failed as he had lost every part of his features.

Garou turned to the metal crab, throwing away his primary arm. Looking at Gwen and Kevin, he wriggled his eyebrows as he relished their reactions. Four-arms couldn't help but giggle at his attempt to show off.

"Holy crap…" Kevin, on the other hand, was sparkling with wonder. What he saw was probably the coolest thing in his life.

"Okay... gotta admit, that was definitely cool." Gwen admitted. She wondered if she could mimic that with XLR8.

"Hey, at least we have some food in case we get hungry. Kevin, you have a can opener?" Garou gestured to the canned food on the ground.

"Yeah, why?" Kevin asked in knowing mischief, sharing Garou's desire to break the alien man open and see his insides.

"What?! Don't even think about it, flesh bags!" The cyborg alien warned assertively, trying his hardest to wiggle away somehow.

"Oh? Afraid we're gonna see your soft parts, little crab?" Garou wriggled his eyebrow, insinuating his intentions.

Gwen pursed her lips and shook her head like a highly disappointed mother, "Garou, as amusing as this is, I think this is crossing some lines."

"Hey, this is an interrogation. Either he talks, or we crack him open. Besides, he knows the thing on your wrist more than we do." Garou tapped on his wrist for emphasis.

"That's true…" She could not deny that. For once, someone who knew of the device on her wrist arrived, and the only one that knew of it was at Garou's mercy.

"But that doesn't mean we should torture it. We're heroes, right?" Gwen rebuked.

"How else are you going to get him to talk? Bribery? You not expecting him to talk if we said sorry, are we?" Kevin asked. "Besides, I could take some nifty gadgets from this guy and see if I can sell it for a pretty penny."

"This is high tech alien stuff, Kevin! We can't simply take it and sell it! Right, Garou?" Gwen asked.

Garou did not answer back, merely staring at the fallen crab bot for a moment.

"...Garou?"

"Hm? Ah, right. Though I do want to take a souvenir… maybe that laser claw." Garou muttered.

Gwen was not amused, "Really?"

"Oh yeah, definitely the laser claw," Kevin supported.

"No! Definitely not that!"

"I am tempted for some reason when I see the laser claw," Garou admitted. There was something in him compelling him to take the scrap but he didn't know why. He simply could not disagree with the appeal of having futuristic alien tech in his possession. Was it because of his current young age?

"NO! Where will it even fit in the Rust Bucket?! I-agh?!"

Out of nowhere, a purple-suited figure dropped down from the sky and grabbed onto Gwen. He had a black visor with four pink lines extending from each corner, painted the same color as his massive shoulder pads. Attached to the mysterious individual's back was a gray jetpack that granted him the ability to fly.

"Gyaaah! Garou!" Gwen screamed fearfully, seething in pain from the alien being's vice-like grip.

"Finally! Took you long enough, Sixsix." The downed crab cyborg mused in an impatient tone.

Sixsix immediately stepped back as Garou hoisted the crab's leg, holding it like a javelin while glaring daggers into the one called Sixsix. A series of strange clicks and warbles came out of Sixsix's visor instead of normal speech like his colleague with a tinge of spite, wiggling around Gwen's entrapped wrist for emphasis.

"So what if you got the goods? Help me get out of here! You got the hostage!"

"Go ahead and try if you want to find his leg in your brain," Garou warned, already aiming for Sixsix's head.

The armored alien called Sixsix warbled as something projected from its armor around from its left thigh, showing a compartment holding a cylindrical handle. Once it took the device, a laser blade of scarlet flared to life near Gwen's neck.

Their gazes clashed, eyes sparking a deadlock of spite and daring.

Meanwhile, Kevin darted his eyes between Garou and Sixsix. He looked at him and then at his hands, then back at Sixsix. On the one hand, he could run away and leave them for dead… but on the other hand, he could do something for them.

"What are you standing there for, Sixsix?! Cut the girl's arm off, and let's bounce with the watch!" The crab shouted with narrowed optics. Gwen's skin paled a sickly white at this suggestion.

Sixsix garbled back in random gibberish, anger present in its voice.

"Alright, I admit I got careless, but seriously, mutant or not, he's still a human!"

"Garou, please!" Gwen yelled out desperately as Sixsix garbled back at them.

While they were not looking at him, Kevin ran towards Sixsix and tackled the armored alien, locking his arms around its waist as he performed his magic.

"You owe me for this!" Kevin shouted as a stream of blue energy permeated around Kevin's body, the power of Sixsix's advanced suit coursing through his veins.

Sixsix shrilled in garbles of vocal panic, raising his laser sword to slash at Kevin's head. However, before it swung, something rammed through his hand and dragged him down the alleyway away from Kevin until it struck the wall and dropped Gwen as she tumbled mid-flight.

Garou looked at Sixsix as his faux spear pulled it away from Kevin and pinned it to the wall.

"You idiot! Don't let her use the watch!" Kraab cried out in anger. This inadvertently gave Gwen the idea to perform said action as she picked herself off the ground.

Sixsix shouted back as he grabbed the pike and struggled to yanked it off his other hand. Kevin, twitching slightly from the intake of new power, observed his body for any noticeable changes.

"What do you mean the Osmosian crippled your weapon system?!"

Kevin did not know what they were talking about nor did he care. All he knew was that he was high on alien energy, and he was about to kick some butt. He ran towards Sixsix, grinning as he pulled back his right arm.

"Hey, tin face!" Kevin shouted as he punched Sixsix clean across the face. His empowered fist broke through the alien's suit; the impact completely shattered Sixsix's faceplate.

Sixsix convulsed in immense pain, parts of his true appearance becoming more visible. He seemed to be an ugly gray creature with sharp teeth and insectoid eyes.

"I!" Kevin punched. "Hope!" He punched some more. "You like!" He broke almost all of Sixsix's visor, and he was still pinned down by the hand. "A bloody! Knuckle! Sandwich!"

Sixsix was practically close to passing out, the breathing apparatus built within his suit beginning to fail. Slobber was starting to ooze out of his broken jaw as well.

"Are you frickin serious?!" The crab thrashed around, rolling left and right, trying to get away from the kids, but before he could gain ground, he felt someone stepping on his metal body.

"Not so fast, tin can," Gwen declared, smiling victoriously over the android.

"Agh, damn it all! This is just not my day!"

Meanwhile, Kevin continued beating on Sixsix, until he felt a hand stopping him. He turned around, seeing Garou holding his shoulder.

"Stop. You've won." Garou gestured to the sorry state of Sixsix.

Kevin blinked as he looked at Sixsix again, seeing the alien bleeding and bruised.

"Oh… Oh." Kevin could feel his heart still pumping with energy. He slowly lowered his fist as he tried to calm himself.

"But you did well." Garou smiled. "For a street punk."

Kevin couldn't help but scoff at his remark.

"Hey, I've been in street fights! Well, I'm not as good as you, but I still have room to level up!" Kevin joked back.

As they chattered, another voice interjected their conversation from above.

"Impressive. You Earthlings really do know how to make a mess of things." A deep, booming voice came from the sky. Riding on top of a hoverboard, a third alien of a much bigger stature descended from the heavens. He wore a gray suit of armor with black boots and shoulder-pads, his face concealed by a large helmet. He also only seemed to have one glowing green eye in the mask's centermost point.

"Oh, Tetrax! Quick, get us out of here!" The crab shouted, wriggling around in protest, wanting to escape from this hellscape.

Kevin clenched his knuckles, ready for a fight. Garou entered his stance, ready to add another victim to his win-streak.

"Oh! Dibs! No excuses!" Gwen shouted, priming her watch… or Omnitrix, whatever they called it, and prepared to press down on her selected alien. She had watched from the sidelines as Garou took one guy down, and Kevin took down the second. She refused to lag behind the scoreboard and not kick alien butt.

"You are mistaken, Kraab. While I am surprised that you and Sixsix somehow fell, in the end, the bounty was never ours to share." The alien called Tetrax expressed.

The three kids were confused. Did they have a falling out?

"You double-crossing son of a slagmarite! I will-"

Tetrax ignored the bounty hunter's stream of insults, walking towards Gwen's current position as intended.

"Who are you?" Gwen asked as she was about to hit the dial at the slightest provocation.

Garou inspected the bulky figure from head to toe. If he was anything like Darkshine, Garou could still break him down. Just in case, he picked up another one of the crab robot's legs and pulled back.

"I am known as Tetrax." The armored alien introduced himself. "I was sent here to retrieve the Omnitrix before it fell into the wrong hands. However, it seems I'm too late."

"Make one wrong move, and we will shred you like him!" Gwen shouted, pointing at the limbless bronze android.

Tetrax glanced back at the heavily wounded Kraab and Sixsix for a moment before switching his focus back to the children.

"None of you are injured, correct?" Tetrax asked in minor concern, his features concealed under his mask.

Garou, Kevin, and Gwen looked at each other and then back at him, confused by his question regarding their safety.

"Dude. We just kicked their butt. I'm pretty sure we can take you on, big guy." Kevin boasted as he raised his fist, ready for another brawl.

"I simply felt obligated to ask. Those two were some of the most ruthless bounty hunters in the entire galaxy. It's quite an anomaly by human standards." Tetrax emphasized in a monotone.

"...you aren't with them, are you?" Garou asked, taking a shot in the dark.

It was rare for a group of villains to have a falling out in front of innocents. Even rarer when one of them was a double agent hiding within their ranks.

"No. They, however, thought otherwise, even though we are competitors." Tetrax revealed, gesturing to Kraab's and Sixsix's injured bodies.

The three relaxed their guard, but still ready to fight as they stood before a stranger with unknown intentions. Garou wasn't sure what he wanted. Gwen was nervous and excited, finally able to learn the origins of the device on her wrist. Kevin… he was just along for the ride, spectating with interest.

"Could… could you tell me about the watch then?" Gwen awkwardly wondered, holding up her wrist so that Tetrax could see it. Within his mask, the alien's face darkened somewhat at the sight of the hourglass dial.

"It is indeed your right to know what fate dragged you in. The device on your wrist is a highly advanced biotransformer that contains the DNA of all extraterrestrial life in the known universe. It shouldn't be in the hands of a naive child." Tetrax summarized intently, sharing only the most necessary information.

"""What?""" The trio uttered at the same time.

The word 'DNA of every life' in the known universe shattered all expectations. Garou was convinced that it was a transformation device, but not one with options of such a universal scale.

"All… all of the aliens in the universe," Gwen coughed with widened eyes, looking down at the Omnitrix in awe with hyperventilating breathes as the possibilities opened before her eyes.

"Yes, but neither you, nor anyone, was meant to possess it. Whatever you did to obtain it, it was an unintentional error." Tetrax accused harshly, pointing his finger at Gwen's comparably small figure.

"And I'm here to fix that," Tetrax stated, approaching Gwen with an outstretched hand.

"Are you…" Gwen reflexively pulled her watch back in defense.

"You'll have to come with me. The Omnitrix has bonded to your genetic structure. It cannot be removed by simple means, so I must bring you with me to my ship."

He had come to take her watch away. Gwen looked at the Omnitrix, remembering all the good she did with it on her hands. As a logical girl, Gwen could not deny Tetrax's logic, having more experience and familiarity with the Omnitrix than she did.

But…

She did not want to let it go. No, she refused to believe that she could not be worthy of it. She may not have the proper knowledge or insight to the risks and functions of the alien device, but she would not accept that she did not have the potential to master it.

"No way! I've done nothing, but good with this watch, and I'm not just giving it up that easily!" Gwen yelled as she protectively rested a hand on her wrist.

Tetrax did not respond for a moment, merely staring at her in contemplation.

"Your kind is not ready for this level of technology. By right, it is not yours to keep." Tetrax slightly raised his booming voice.

"I'll… I'll prove it then!" Gwen stammered, remembering the time Garou challenged her to spar. If she did not have the right, then she would fight for it.

"I challenge you to a duel! Winner takes the Omnitrix by right of combat!" Gwen growled in active defiance, her temper dominating the more logical side of her brain.

Tetrax continued staring at her. Despite his metallic helm covering his countenance, the three could sense a tinge of surprise behind the mask.

"A duel? Aren't you too young to gamble by combat?" Tetrax asked, amused by her issue.

"So what if I am? Come on, afraid to lose to a girl?"

Kevin whistled at her brazenness. He had to admit; she had guts.

"Interesting dare for a child. Very well. But to affirm your logic, if you come out the loser, then all further arguments will be annulled," Tetrax accepted with a nod.

He then scanned the damaged alleyway and his rival hunters, the green light glazing the environ.

"However, we will do it outside of the city. The less these humans see, the better." Tetrax ordered authoritatively, deploying his green hoverboard once more.

"Deal." Gwen nodded, burning figurative holes in Tetrax's head.

"I'm starting to like her more and more," Kevin admitted with a pleased grin.

"I think I am rubbing off on her a little too much." Garou wasn't sure if she was taking reference from his actions so far, resorting to combat first and negotiation second.

Before heading out, Tetrax took out a strange weapon from within his jumpsuit. It was a small handheld gun with a glowing generated in the center.

"Do something for me, first. Gather Sixsix and place him by Kraab." Tetrax exclaimed, staring at Kevin and Garou's general direction.

"Hm?"

Garou and Kevin looked at each other for a moment before they shrugged.

"Alright. We need to clean them up anyways." Garou walked to Sixsix and, with a careless yank, pulled the brutalized Sixsix from the wall, tearing out the cybernetic arm in the process. Tendrils of sinewy wires and crumbling circuits bled from the stump as Garou dragged him towards Krab and dumped it next to the limbless one. Sixsix groaned in its bloodied slumber atop of Krab's optics.

"I hate this planet…" Kraab grumbled to himself in annoyance. Tetrax then fired the digitized cube at both galactic criminals. The projectile hit the ground and grew in height and width, trapping the two inside of it before shrinking back to normal.

"I'll bring them to the proper authorities once we're finished," Tetrax explained, picking up the small cube and gently placing it back in his pocket.

"Huh…" Garou whistled, impressed with the defiance of physics.

As far as he knew, there was nothing like that was possible back home. The more he saw advanced alien tech, the more interested he grew.

"Let us go. Attention is starting to spread the longer we're here." Tetrax referred to the possible crowd of onlookers that will congregate the longer they stay.

The armor-clad alien then flew on his hoverboard to the furthest edge of the city. Garou, Gwen, and Kevin followed close by.

Privacy was abundant in New York's outskirts. Abandoned warehouses left to rust, ripe for criminals or other unsavory elements to take shelter unnoticed by the masses. Dark minds festered in these territories, and gang wars fought continuously in the silent background as the world moved forward, unseen like a following shadow.

In one of these warehouses, Tetrax and Gwen stood athwart the other, with Garou and Kevin on the sidelines. Kevin at atop of an empty crate while Garou stood with his arms crossed, his gaze now critically sharp as he called out.

"Allow me to show my face." Tetrax pressed a button on the side of his neck. His helmet retracted backward, revealing a face Garou and Gwen were quite familiar with.

"You're… a Zirconia?!" Gwen gasped in surprise, taking an instinctive step backward.

"I believe you mean 'Petrosapien.' However, I am the last of my kind." Tetrax informed as if it weren't a big deal. His dark green eyes examined Gwen's form, waiting for her to make a move.

"Whoa. What are the odds?" Garou widened his eyes at the thought. Of all the aliens that existed in the universe, Tetrax had to be one of the ten in Gwen's watch. Garou smirked. She held an advantage.

"Remember your training! You should already know how to fight against Zirconia from me!" Garou shouted, his version of a supportive cheer. He found it strange for him to cheer for someone else, but… he shrugged the thought.

"Right!" Gwen stated confidently, slamming her palm on the watch's dial. Green crystals extended from within the watch and covered Gwen's entire skin, converting her eyes into glowing yellow gemstones. She wore a dark and light blue jumpsuit, the size of her arms growing larger in conjunction.

"Poor choice. Do you even know my species' weaknesses?" Tetrax critiqued, holding his hoverboard in hand as a makeshift weapon of sorts.

"Biologically? No." Zirconia shook her head. She clapped her hands together, smirking, but when she separated them, she was pulling a chain of ultradense crystal out of her hand, which ended in a sickle. "But, I do know how to take you on."

Tetrax's eyes widened for a moment, surprised by her ingenuity.

"Hm, interesting…" Tetrax muttered, somewhat impressed by this sophisticated weapon.

"Hehe." Gwen threw up the sickle and then twirled it by the chain, circling a pivot of growing momentum above her head. It looked like she formed a helicopter blade overhead.

"Think fast." Tetrax shot a barrage of smaller crystals from his palm, aiming directly for Gwen's midsection while she was distracted.

However, beneath Gwen's feet, a crystal pillar erupted and launched her into the air.

"I think ahead!" Gwen spun in a corkscrew revolution and threw her chain sickle, with all of her weight channeled into her weapon. The reaping blade sliced through the air in its flight, faster than Tetrax expected from a fellow Petrosapien.

"Clever," Tetrax whispered to himself with an amused smirk. He almost took back his words that Gwen was unworthy.

However, like a baseball bat, Tetrax smashed the tip of his hoverboard into the sickle's crystalline blade. He wasn't nicked by the attack but was still discombobulated by the knockback of leftover shrapnel.

However, behind the blade, when it covered his sight at that moment, he saw a volley of crystal shards flying towards him the moment he rebounded her weapon.

'She followed up with a crystal barrage when the sickle hid her in that brief moment?' Tetrax rolled backward to dodge, but the surprise attack still hit part of his body.

Gwen caught her sickle as she landed, throwing all her weight downwards as she continued her relentless assault. As Garou said, she needed to learn from his experience. During their spare time, they spent quite a lot of time practicing her aliens.

"Eat thiiiis! Crystal Wave!" Gwen shouted as she slammed her hand into the concrete, throwing an explosive wave of growing crystal towards the struck Tetrax.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Tetrax shouted powerfully, throwing out a similar implosion of emerald that was about to collide with Gwen's.

The immensely powerful constructs crashed into each other, sending out a massive shockwave that affected both combatants. Broken pieces of green diamond flew in all sorts of directions at high speeds, embedding themselves in the warehouse's surrounding walls. Some were heading for Kevin and Garou as they watched from the sidelines.

"Whoa!" Kevin rolled back, dropping behind the crate.

Garou, on the other hand, casually swatted the shards away as he watched unflinchingly.

Tetrax caught a shimmer around the corner of his eyes, his warrior's instinct forcing him to duck as he caught sight of the flying sickle flying, passing where his neck was before, as it wrapped around the pile of their diamonds.

"RAHHHHHHHH!" Emerging from where the chain came behind the mound, Zirconia appeared, reeling herself towards Tetrax's position using the chain to pull her bulky form, kicking off the pile and launching herself towards Tetrax as she abandoned her weapon. While in midair, her two arms reformed into the standard blades, sharpened to cut metal and stone with ease.

It was a primitive method of transportation, but Tetrax must admit its ingenuity and convenience were genii.

"You're quite familiar with my kind's lack of mobility." Tetrax admirably complimented as he moved his head to the side to dodge Gwen's fierce stab.

"Not that hard to figure out." Gwen shrugged, still slashing at the more experienced Petrosapien. Tetrax used his hoverboard as a shield, struggling to block it efficiently.

"But how did you come up with this tactic? I am sure you humans don't rely on weapons of old, especially at your age," Tetrax asked, openly admiring her creativity as she continued to strike at his openings with growing efficiency.

"I have a great teacher!" Gwen boasted with pride as she successfully smacked the hoverboard out of Tetrax's hands. This left the Petrosapien vulnerable to a swift swipe of Gwen's feet, knocking him down back-first.

"Oof!" Tetrax grunted in slight pain, his weight leaving a noticeable imprint on the floor.

Immediately, Gwen formed two large crystal hooks and slammed them on Tetrax's arms before he could raise them, not to cut them off, but to clamp them to the floor as she climbed atop of the helpless Tetrax with her sword-arm poised at his throat. She was panting hard, but her Petrosapien heart pounded with growing pride as she stood victorious over the veteran.

"Do you… surrender?" Gwen asked exhaustedly, increasing the pressure on Tetrax's throat. Tetrax, his mouth wide open from shock, simply nodded his head, knowing when to concede.

"Heh… hahaha." Tetrax laughed as Gwen got off of him. "I didn't think you would win even when I was holding back… I admit the brashness of my judgment and rescind my previous statement."

He felt a sense of… relief in his crystal chest despite being beaten by a child. It was a refreshing feeling, something he didn't think he would encounter in this world.

"I knew Azmuth made the right call using my genes." Tetrax chuckled as he helped himself off the floor, shattering the hooks off his arms with some effort.

"Wait… Zirconia came from you?" Gwen wondered with widened yellow orbs.

"I did mention I'm the last of my kind, didn't I?" Tetrax shrugged coyly. He then picked up his discarded hoverboard, inspecting for any present damage.

Kevin was watching from behind the crate, left in awe by the finale.

"Dude…" Kevin looked at Garou. "That was frickin awesome."

Garou simply gave him a sideways glance. "Heh, I've seen better."

"There's better? You gotta show me this 'better' later."

As they chattered, Tetrax walked up to Zirconia as he brushed the dust off his armor.

"I'll admit, girl. That was one of the most entertaining fights I have had in years. I miss sparring with my own race."

Gwen smirked. Hearing this, she had a wicked idea in mind.

"If you think that was fun, how about giving my cousin a go?" Gwen suggested, gesturing a crystallized thumb towards her 'cousin.'

"Oh… oh, he is so screwed." Kevin smiled wider, starting to like Gwen more and more.

Oblivious to the danger, Tetrax appraised the brown-haired boy with a cursory glance.

"Are you sure that's wise? You humans are pretty fragile." Tetrax argued.

"Please, I insist. You'll not regret it." She nodded very entreatingly, her smile the widest she made this summer.

Garou snickered as he walked forth, deciding to entertain Gwen's mischief.

"Ok... uh… Garou, let's-" Tetrax looked around to see that no one was in front of him.

"Here. Let me pass through for a second."

In that instant, Garou already walked past Tetrax. Tetrax only heard Garou's soft voice when he endured thirteen blows to his shoulders, knees, neck, and face.

Tetrax could not scream or cry out. One of the blows struck his Petrosapien vocal cords. His crystalline body even cracked under his blows, all strength at that moment bleeding out dry as he fell to his knees, speechless and riddled with cracks.

Tetrax was starting to understand as he pieced it together. He wondered how the younglings managed to defeat the bounty hunters without using the Omnitrix. That boy was the reason! And…

"Y-you… how… you knew t-that was going to happen, didn't you?" Tetrax moaned painfully. Mentally, he was thanking whatever god out there that Garou didn't get the Omnitrix.

"Pffffffffffffff, ahahahahahahahaha! Oh, my stomach! Ahahahahahahaha! That was priceless!" Kevin pointed a finger at Tetrax as he laughed in tears.

Gwen slowly joined the laughter as she covered her mouth, snickering at Tetrax's current state.

"M-May… may you help me up? I think… you broke my joints. I can't move…" Tetrax mumbled in embarrassment, his legs and arms bent into a pretzel as he toppled down like a stringless puppet. The boy managed to disable all of his joints with the strength of a falling meteorite and the speed of a Kinecelaran.

What was the boy? Was he human? How the hell was he so fast? Or was that some unique form of teleportation? These were the questions that ran through his head as he laid there, wracked in newfound agony.

"So, who's this Azmuth you talked about?"

Gwen asked Tetrax, who Garou was dragging outside by the foot. Kevin was still snickering at Tetrax, finding Garou's way of dragging his victims too hilarious to cease.

"Simply put, he's the inventor of the Omnitrix and one of the most brilliant minds in the entire galaxy," Tetrax recalled with the utmost respect.

"Really?" Garou looked back. "I thought the maker was some mad scientist or something…"

"Well, technically, you're not wrong…" Tetrax reiterated. "All geniuses at the level of Azmuth's intellect can be considered strange."

"Huh. Well, the more you know." Garou continued dragging him out but realized that he did it without direction.

"What does he look like?" Gwen wondered, trying to imagine some super powerful, god-like entity.

"He's a Galvan. It should be one of the options on your watch." Tetrax struggled to inform. Hearing this, Gwen scrolled through the options on her watch.

"What's a Galvan? An alien with an oversized brain?" Garou asked, his image was someone with a head the size of a giant centipede.

"Well, you're not truly inaccurate…" Tetrax trailed off.

"Is it this one?" Gwen pointed to the shadow of a frog-headed figure with skinny legs and arms. Curious, she popped open the dial and slammed down. In a flash of green, she seemed to vanish before Garou's and Kevin's very eyes completely.

"Huh? Where'd she go?" A highly confused Kevin asked, moving his head around in all directions.

Garou was also confused as well. However, his dynamic vision caught something moving as he whipped his head down, scanning for the source.

Garou squinted his eyes, catching sight of the diminutive form of a tiny gray thing as it gazed back with its frog-like eyes. Looking closer, Garou spotted a familiar green dial, one drastically downsized to fit its frame.

"... Gwen?" Garou could only guess.

"...hello." She squeaked as she frigidly waved her hand. Garou wasn't sure if it was because of the distance or that it was the alien voice itself.

Kevin turned to the squeak and trailed Garou's line of sight until his eyes landed on the small, little bug frog.

"Wait. Wow. Are you telling me that the one who made that watch was this small thing?" Kevin asked, pointing at the bug-sized alien.

"The size of Galvans might not be much, but their intelligence rivals those of planets'." Tetrax simply replied.

Now Garou was intrigued. Time to test the intelligence of a supergenius.

"Hey, what's the square root of infinity?" Garou teased.

"Well, actually, that is an improbable equation. Infinity would result in infinity, no matter what." Gwen corrected knowledgeably.

Kevin and Garou looked at Gwen with eyes, emptied by disappointment.

"Tsk. I was hoping to get a better answer." Garou clicked his tongue. "Another question, how fast am I?"

Another test

"Approximately four hundred miles past the speed of light." Gwen estimated off the top of her head.

Garou's smirk turned into a defeated frown. Garou did not think that she could answer that.

"Wait, how can you tell?" Smart did not mean perceptive.

"Simple. I first recollected your initial placement when fighting Kraab and then calculated how long it took to get past him. Since you weren't visible, I estimated that it was about 0.0000000001 seconds long, which is, to say, four times faster than it would take to turn on a flashlight. Although I suspect you might be faster given the casual nature of your attack," Gwen explained, speaking super fast due to the intake of information.

Kevin and Garou stared at the tiny Gwen in stunned silence. The latter was surprised to hear a close numerical reflection of his speed. The first was gawping that Garou was even that fast.

"...you can move faster than light?" Kevin uttered. "I'm pretty sure that is something a human cannot do."

Garou scrunched his lips in return to that statement. "Yes, they can. I know another guy that can pull that off, and he's human."

Kevin and Tetrax stared at him with skepticism.

"Hey, shorty. Is he human?" Kevin asked Gwen now that they have a professional analyzer.

"Partially. Theoretically, I suspect he is about 50% human and 50% of some unidentifiable creature. However, he is most likely a mutant based on his genetic code. Do you have human parents, might I ask?" Gwen lectured with squinted green eyes.

Garou scowled at the mention of his parents.

"...yes. They're human," Garou confirmed.

"Most peculiar. Is the science of your world as advanced as this one? Any mutagenic-related experiments?" Gwen interrogated, hypothesizing about nuclear reactors and the influence of radiation.

"Yes. We have Geico meters and such. And I am sure I was not experimented on. I grew up in the Dojo, remember? Besides, there is a man even stronger than I am where I am from," Garou informed.

"Really?" Kevin asked.

"Ah yes. The Caped Baldy as you simply put." Gwen hummed to herself, stroking her smooth, gray chin.

"Caped Baldy?" Tetrax listened in, curiosity filling his tone.

"Not important. Anyhow, maybe I could try dissecting your own DNA. I might need to find a scalpel…" Gwen wondered aloud, her thoughts starting to get a little sidetracked.

"If you want blood, I don't think a scalpel would work." Garou retorted. He was sure blades of steel couldn't cut him at this point.

"Hmmm, a syringe should work then. I'll have to ask grandpa to stop by the hospital." Gwen made a mental note, intending to use her small size to sneak in.

"So… uh… what are you going to call this alien anyway?" Kevin attempted to divert the conversation before it got too complicated.

"Midget frog?" Garou suggested with a mischievous smile.

Gwen placed her hands on her hips, pouting at Garou.

"Ah, yes, you name your aliens. Isn't it a bit childish?" Tetrax sighed, wondering if Azmuth would feel offended by this practice.

"Hey! The names are cool… and categorization is needed to avoid confusion. I got this watch without a manual, you know? I only know like three aliens so far by their exact name, so don't force your biases on me because you have the advantage of prior knowledge." Gwen defended her desire to name her forms.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, little one. No need to get aggressive," Tetrax apologized.

"Hmph!" Gwen puffed out her chest with sass.

Strangely, Gwen looked cuter in this form - as a small animal. The kind he could not help but tease.

"So, what are you going to name her?" Garou hoped she would stick with midget.

"Hmmm how about… Grey Matter!" Gwen cheered triumphantly, patting herself on the back of her creativity.

Garou tilted his head for a moment. "...oh."

Grey matter. Of course, the alternative word for the matter that comprised the brain.

"You chose a name just to boast your smarts?" Garou asked.

"Of course I would. I am one thousand percent sure you would do the same to boast your might. Tell me, what is the name of the original martial art you made?" Grey Matter pointed at Garou, smirking with confidence.

"You made your own martial art? What's it called?" Kevin asked, now curious to know.

Unable to retort, Garou's lips quivered for a moment before he sighed.

"...Monster Calamity God Slayer fist…"

"Your penchant for names is even worse than my own. It only bolsters the fact that your stupidity knows no bounds." Gwen rolled her eyes.

Garou narrowed his eyes into a glare at her. It seemed that her transformation granted her a massive ego, consequently.

"I was in battle. I overcame Death at my lowest point and rose from the dirt with more than enough resolve to crush the greatest heroes that the world had to offer. I am more than a hundred person sure that it matches its namesake. You think I came up with it during my free time? Guess again!" Garou rebuked as veins started popping up under his skin.

"Ha! Evidently, the excess adrenaline got to your brain." Gwen sniggered mockingly.

"I survived a hole in my stomach, you frickin midget," Garou pointed out.

"And who's fault was that, you simpleton?" Gwen snapped back in a condescending tone.

"Oh, now you are ignoring the point." Garou felt his fingers quiver in rage as his eyes twitched, his lips creaking in an enraged rictus.

"So, what? There is no point when I'm talking with someone as thick-headed as you!" Gwen squealed, her gray skin lit up a bright red in frustration.

The two spectators watched the bickering two. Kevin wasn't sure whether to intervene or watch how it played out for his personal amusement.

"Wow. They argue like an old married couple." Kevin whispered over to Tetrax.

"Indeed. Are they young lovebirds by any chance?" Tetrax asked just in case.

"No, they're cousins. It's kind of… creepy." Kevin winced, his brown eyes darting from one person to the other.

"I'm more concerned with the context of their story than their relationship. Besides, some species and cultures allow such relationships to form," Tetrax shrugged.

"Really?" Kevin wasn't sure how to react to that nugget of information.

"You, diamond man." Garou abandoned the topic as he pointed at Tetrax. "Don't you have a ship or something to leave this planet?"

"Not a ship per se. I have a teleportation device in my belt. It will send me back to anywhere I please." Tetrax informed, struggling to point to the left pocket near his hip with his near-useless arm.

"...why'd you ask us to drag you outside then?" Garou pointed out.

"I need to be… within range. It is entirely experimental at the moment." Tetrax said as he struggled to reach for the device. His arm was shaking with tremendous effort despite its snail-like pace.

"Plus, you crippled my arms at the moment. I can't reach it now." Tetrax deadpanned with a disheartened scowl.

"I have no regrets," Garou spoke with seriousness.

Hearing this, Kevin and tiny Gwen looked at each other for a moment… and then they both broke down snickering at the memory of Tetrax's face when Garou blitzed him.

"Yes, haha. Laugh at the Petrosapien. Now assist me in my dilemma so I can depart!" Tetrax groaned sarcastically, his day growing more embarrassing than he would have liked.

"No, no. Let us laugh some more. Then you can leave." Kevin grinned and took a deep breath before he exploded with laughter.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

Tetrax was not amused.

"If you stop, I'll give you my hoverboard." Tetrax hummed, taking advantage of their young age with temptation.

Kevin and Gwen stopped when they heard 'hoverboard.'

"...maybe…" Kevin and Gwen looked at each other, both narrowing their eyes as frictions sparked. There was only one hoverboard and two of them. So… who gets the cool alien gadget?

"You already have the Omnitrix. I should have something too." Kevin smirked competitively, gesturing to himself with his thumb.

"What? So you can use it to break into the local gas station, ruffian? The obvious choice is for me to have it." Gwen protested in the nasal voice of Grey Matter.

"Take that back, midget!" Kevin growled, sparks of blue energy emitting from his fingertips.

"Make me!" Gwen childishly seethed. The two then went back and forth, hurling insults, one after the other.

While Garou and Tetrax stared and endured through the process.

After Tetrax teleported away in a vibrant flash of red, the trio made the trek back to New York City. Kevin and Gwen ultimately agreed to share Tetrax's hoverboard after an intense, overly long session of Rock-Paper-Scissors. However, Gwen had to agree to transform out of Grey Matter first so that she wouldn't have an unfair advantage.

But before they could start, Garou had to bring up an important question.

"Kevin," he called out. "I've been asking this for a while… what do you want to do from now on?"

"What do you mean, man?" Kevin asked.

"New York is one of our many pit stops." Garou pointed out. "And you're just some guy we just met by chance in an alleyway, so I want to ask. Do you want to come with us or stay?"

Gwen stared at Kevin, realizing that he was right. New York was Kevin's home. Kevin might be a jerk, but he somehow got involved in their private world of aliens and strange encounters. In the end, Kevin's place was here, although Gwen did not know why he was in New York alone.

"Well, what do you think?" Kevin asked in a hopeful tone. "I mean this day has been the most fun I've ever had. I got to punch an alien in the face! Heck, I get to see Garou destroy an alien! Twice! What gets better than that?! Of course I want to stick with you guys!"

Garou and Gwen shared a glance, considering their options.

"...we do have a mountain of food supplies…" Gwen pointed out, narrowing her eyes at the root cause for the need of them. Garou avoided eye contact, turning away from Gwen's accusing gaze.

"...would the old man even take him?" Garou asked, unsure if Max would allow it.

"Oh, shoot! We forgot about grandpa!" Gwen squeaked, looking up at the sky to see what time of day it was. She hoped he hadn't been waiting in the hotel for too long.

"Grandpa? You're here with some geezer?" Kevin laughed.

"Who do you think even thought of a trip around the country?" Garou reminded him.

Kevin could not argue with that train of logic.

"Guess that's true. So, you think the geezer will agree to take me along?" Kevin unsurely raised an eyebrow, shoving both hands in his pockets.

"Maybe. My grandpa's not an ordinary old man. He's had experience with aliens based on what we've gathered." Gwen guessed, realizing that Kevin was technically an inhuman as well considering his supernatural power.

"Our party is not ordinary now that I think about it…" Garou remembered.

One had a watch that could turn anyone into any life form in the universe. One was an old man with an unknown history with aliens. And he, himself, was a stranger from the outer universe that somehow got thrust into the body of an annoying brat, cursed to live with his annoying voice and weak, poorly managed body.

"How about we go ask him for you? It's not that long of a walk." Gwen offered tentatively, looking at Garou to see if he agreed.

Garou rubbed his chin, thinking about it for a moment. "Hmm, true. But you might have to follow some rules though… otherwise…"

Kevin did not need him to finish. He already knew that the kid could one-shot him faster than he could blink.

"Yeah, yeah I gotcha. Trust me. I've acted all goody-goody in the past. How do you think I got out of trouble with the cops and my mom?" Kevin slyly quipped, poking at his temple with a naughty gaze.

"Alright, then. Let's ask him. I'm sure he would say yes."

"No."

Grandpa Max glared down at his grandchildren with a displeased look. First, they wandered off for two hours and left him alone in the hotel room. Now, they have the gall to bring this troublesome punk along and ask him to come with them.

Kevin was waiting outside, resting his ear on the door to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.

"Why not? He helped Gwen escape from that bounty hunter. We beat up all of the bounty hunters. Plus, he has nowhere else to go," Garou pointed out.

"No, he has a family that he ran away from. Have you two even considered how worried his mother could be?!" Max fumed in disgust, knowing what it's like to be a concerned parent.

"Did we mention he also has the power to absorb energy? Think about it, Max. What would happen if you let him go alone unattended for so long with no proper direction? Are you really willing to condemn someone who is a little… lost?" Garou asked, using himself as a reference.

"I realize that, but you two don't know that much about him. He could just be acting like your friend." Max pointed out in a stern tone.

"Yeah, but…" Garou shrugged. "He saved Gwen. He could've run away when they attacked. There's not many out there who would stick around like that."

Max paused for a moment, breathing out a resigned sigh.

"Gwen, bring him in." Max gestured to the door, massaging his forehead.

"You don't have to." Garou pointed at the door. "He's already listening in. He can come in himself."

Realizing that he was caught red-handed, Kevin slowly opened the door and walked into the room. He sheepishly smiled as he waved at the old man in the red Hawaiian shirt.

"So, uh… hey there. You don't need an intro from me so… what do you think, pops?" Kevin asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"It's Max, son. What's yours… hm?" Max leaned forward, squinting his eyes. Something about Kevin seemed familiar to him.

"K-Kevin Ethan Levin." Kevin introduced himself.

Max's eyes widened slightly after hearing the last name.

"Levin. You're his son," Max uttered.

Gwen and Garou looked at Max strangely. This reaction was a new one.

"Kevin. Do you know your father's name?" Max asked insistently.

"Um, why?" Kevin asked, confused.

"Is it Devin E. Levin?"

Kevin blinked, his jaw hanging a little, "Wait, how'd you know my old man's name?"

"Eh?" Gwen and Garou looked at each other for a moment. They huddled together behind Max as they whispered.

"What are the chances that he is the kid of someone he knew?" Garou asked.

The odds of that were a million to one, and they were traveling on a roadmap around the country.

"Like a bajillion to one. The sheer coincidence is so weird," Gwen whispered back, feeling as if she was starting to know less about her grandfather than she thought.

"Is your family cursed or something?" Garou commented.

"How rude! But I cannot deny the strange coincidences..." Gwen muttered.

Was her bloodline really cursed? After the strange series of encounters, she had evidence to believe there was some force in the universe responsible for their strange lives.

"Son, I… knew your father way back when I was still in the military. He was one of my partners, and we fought side by side in our missions in other countries."

"What? Y-You knew him?" Kevin gasped in surprise, resting his hands on a nearby desk to keep his balance.

"Yeah. He was my last partner before he retired as a Plumber." Max informed, looking up at the ceiling in recollection.

"Plumbers? Like cleaning toilets?" Kevin's shock began to be replaced with confusion. Max shook his head, expectantly.

Max let out a small smile when he heard that.

"Something like that, but he was also a soldier like I was. However, he sadly passed away not long after retirement."

Garou whistled at the tidbit of information. The chain of events couldn't be more convenient than now.

"So… you'll be taking him in?" Garou asked. Something within him warmed, but he shrugged it off as always.

"Guess it'd be the right thing to do. However, when this summer's over, I'm taking you back home. I think you need to spend some time with your mother after this." Max lectured

Kevin groaned at the mention of returning home, "Awwwww, come on! I don't wanna!" Kevin whined.

Garou could relate with Kevin to some degree. After all, he was also a runaway.

"I'll visit," Garou added, waving his hand.

"Ben has parents too, you know. You'll have to meet them eventually." Gwen reminded Garou mischievously.

"Tsk. Well, that depends… if I can get out of this body." Garou rolled his eyes. He wondered what kind of parents Ben had? They must not be good to raise this kid so poorly.

"By the way, Ben's mom is a horrible cook." Gwen smiled brightly.

"...how bad are we speaking?" Garou's eyes rolled to Gwen, now concerned.

"Let's just say she's a weird kind of vegetarian. Emphasis on weird." Gwen informed.

Garou's face slowly degraded with horror. Gwen could understand, knowing how much of a health nut Aunt Sandra could be.

"Ugh! That's it, I'm getting out of this body if it's the last thing I'll do." Garou swore if he had to escape this hell. He preferred the other hell he made for himself than this one. Garou liked his freedom to choose his diet.

Kevin looked at the three, now confused.

"Uhh, am I missing something?" Kevin asked.

Max looked at Kevin, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Now… that's another long story…"

"Wait, are you telling me that you're a former villain from another universe and you're stuck… in a child's body?" Kevin asked as they made their way off to their next destination in the Rust Bucket.

Garou sighed as Gwen giggled, smiling at his predicament.

"If you want my honest opinion, if you met the original, he will be way less cool. And infinitely more annoying," Garou remarked.

"Like how uncool are we talking here?" Kevin pondered, lazily placing his feet on the table.

"Someone who only knows how to play video games, laze around, being disgusting, and oh, he leaves his dirty clothes all over the place… yeah, he is normal-ish. But it's the annoying kind." Gwen chimed in, placing her elbow on the table as she rested on her cheek.

"Hey, Sumo Slammers is a good game. I've played it once or twice." Kevin lied through his teeth.

He looked away a little, not wanting to tell them about his hidden stash of trading cards back home. He stole them sure, but they were still nice to look at.

"Alright. Which is cooler then? Training to become an actual hero or pretend to be a 'fat man' fighting other 'fat men?'" Garou asked, testing Kevin's values.

Kevin was about to raise his hand and object, but thinking about it now… he slowly lowered his hand and closed his mouth.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Kevin scratched his head sheepishly.

"See?" Garou scoffed.

"Have you ever played video games before?" Gwen asked, now curious of his childhood.

"I did once… then I grew out of it after I dropped out of school to train in Bang's dojo." Garou shrugged.

"Dude, that is a weird name. You gotta tell me more about these heroes your world has." Kevin burned with curiosity as he picked at his teeth.

Garou laughed as he recalled the heroes back home.

"Maybe later. I still haven't told Gwen the stories of each hero back home, honestly."

"Alright, alright. Still, I cannot imagine living in your world. Is it really overrun by monsters? What are they like?" Kevin asked with brimming interest.

"I wouldn't say overrun, honestly. My home… a lot more dangerous than here, if you ask me."

"Yeah, and it is an existential health hazard now that I think about it," Gwen added, remembering all the mentions of monsters popping up in his homeworld.

"That doesn't mean we aren't helpless. I was born there, you know?" Garou pointed at himself.

"Yeah, and you turned out even freakier than the ten aliens I have in my watch." Gwen jokingly pointed at her Omnitrix.

"So, what is it like? Training in the mountains to become a villain?" Kevin asked.

"What part do you want to know? The harsh gruesome training regimen or the fact everyone has to climb the mountain just to get to the dojo?" Garou joked.

Garou sort of lived in the dojo now that he thought about it. He did run away from home, after all.

"Is being in a dojo fun, though?" Kevin asked.

"Depends. If you consider countless hours of gruesome practice 'fun,'" Garou joked.

Kevin and Gwen chuckled at his humor.

"Aside from fighting, what else did you do?" Kevin brought up.

"I don't know what you mean." Garou raised an eyebrow.

"Did you ever like… have fun or something other than doing villain things or training?"

"What? I liked hunting heroes. And training is essential for the body and mind." Garou retorted.

"Okay, okay. I mean, did you have fun 'fun?' What do you do when you get bored other than what you usually do?"

Garou opened his mouth for a moment… then he slowly closed it.

"...uhh…" now that Garou thought about it, he could not remember, honestly. His daily life was nothing but hardship and perseverance ever since that fateful day.

"He had a rough childhood, Kevin. Besides, I don't think it's easy for anyone to enjoy anything when monsters are lurking in every corner." Gwen interrupted him in an understanding tone.

"Well, if you put it that way, why not start over? I mean…" Kevin looked at Garou, inspecting him from head to toe. "Actually, what do you look like before you…" He waved his fingers around, gesturing to Garou's original appearance.

"Oh, I am older. I don't look whiney, I am fit, and my body is toned. I've survived flames, a Monster King's beat-down, psychic power, broken bones, and even the damn Baldy's smackdown that I will not delve into for obvious reasons."

Gwen spluttered when he mentioned the baldy with comical hate. Now Gwen wanted to meet the guy that beat some sense into the former Hero Hunter.

"But all in all, I would say I look kinda terrifying… in a way," Garou hummed in thought.

"How old are you exactly inside?" Kevin asked.

"Eighteen."

Kevin nearly coughed out as he lurched forward from his seat, placing his feet down out of shock.

"Whoa whoa whoa. You're eighteen? You telling me you kicked some serious hero and monster butt at eighteen? Duuuude, you are definitely hardcore."

"Hah! I am a prodigy, kid. Is it wrong for me to push my talents past their limits?" Garou scoffed with pride.

"Whoa. Wait, now that I think about it… Ever scored some chicks?" Kevin asked.

Garou raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why would I do that?"

"Why would you-you're a complete bonafide badass! Dude, you're literally the coolest kid in the world right now! I mean, you should totally try out your bad boy charm on the girls!" Kevin nearly shouted as he pointed at Garou.

Garou hummed in thought as he wondered about that. He had never considered a love life before, honestly. In all his life, he was alone… that was kind of sad, now that he thought about it.

Garou glanced at Gwen… who did not look amused by this topic. Frankly, he could not bother thinking about this any longer, so he decided to change the subject.

"Anyways, what about you?" Garou asked Gwen, pointing at her watch. "According to the cripple, presumably, your weird watch has the 'genetic code of every living thing in the Universe' or so I quote. If that's true, then why are you limited to only ten?"

"Well, before Tetrax left, he told me something about the Omnitrix being a work in progress. The more I use it, the more aliens and abilities I will unlock." Gwen explained, dialing through each of the current ten aliens at her disposal.

"I still call dibs on his hoverboard. You don't need it anyway." Kevin spoke out before she could get the early worm.

"I won that Rock-Paper-Scissors match and you know it!" Gwen snapped in irritation, smacking her fist on the table.

"You got a watch that lets you turn into anything! What'd you even need it for?!"

"Because it is cool, and I beat Tetrax fair and square! I get the victor's spoils!" Gwen retorted.

Garou snickered as the two butt heads against each other as they resumed their bickering over the hoverboard. While Garou was interested, he did not need a working device that grants him flight, despite how cool it was. Right now, he preferred… trophies. He would settle for the loot he got from the bounty hunters, the laser claw of Kraab, and the laser sword of Sixsix.

He smiled as he looked back, seeing his trophies piled up in the back of the RV. It was tough convincing the old man to let him have it, but he caved in when Garou said he wanted mementos of their time together before he finally leaves Ben's body and returns home.

There were a bunch of scraps from Kraab and Sixsix as well… he wondered if…

In case you're wondering, Ben 10's canon is screwed like hell. There are cases of Azmuth not exiling himself to another world like when he created the galvanic mechamorphs and so on, so we decided to create an original canon of sorts that suits the series best to avoid the confusion while including the other villains from Omniverse and Alien Force. Hope you guys enjoyed it :D