Reincarnated In Ben 10

Chapter 27: Nightmares



The next day, Ben was back to his usual energetic self, thanks to Max's special remedy. He celebrated his recovery by fighting crime. "Oh yeah, it feels good to be me," Ben exclaimed, using Four Arms to pin down a group of bank robbers.

"Looks like it worked after all," Gwen remarked, feeling relieved. After dealing with the criminals, they headed back to the rust bucket, ready to retreat for the night. Max parked at an RV park, and everyone settled in.

"Ahhh!" Ben screamed, waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. Max hurriedly went to check on him.

"You alright, Ben?" Max asked, his voice filled with concern.

Ben panted heavily, his eyes wide with fear. "I... I saw that creepy alien again," he replied. "But this time he was a lot scarier. In fact, the more he shows up in my dreams, the scarier he gets."

Max knelt beside him, trying to calm him down. "Grandpa, what do I do?" Ben asked, looking up at him with desperation.

"Wait, is that all?" Fred interjected, his curiosity piqued.

"What?" Ben responded, confused.

"I'm asking if you can describe the guy or whatever it is you saw," Fred clarified.

"Uh... it's all hazy, but he had green skin and tentacle-like things on his face," Ben answered, his voice trembling.

Max froze, his face turning pale. "Wait! I have a couple of pictures of some dangerous aliens my parents told me to be wary of. Could this be it?" Fred said, projecting a hologram of Vilgax.

"That's him!" Ben exclaimed, pointing at the image.

"Who's that?" Gwen asked. At first, she had dismissed Ben's dreams, but now she understood the gravity of the situation.

"That's Vilgax," Max said in a low, serious voice. He moved swiftly to the driver's seat and turned on the rust bucket, immediately heading out.

"Wait, Grandpa, what are you doing all of a sudden? And what's with this Vilgax guy? How do you know him, and why is he so dangerous?" Gwen and Ben flooded Max with questions, noticing the worry etched on his face.

Fred remained silent, his plan to prompt Max into revealing his past now in motion. "Haaa! I never wanted to involve you guys, but it seems I can't avoid it. I wasn't just any ordinary plumber," Max began, explaining his hidden past as he drove.

"So you were a hero, Grandpa! Awesome!" Ben remarked, his admiration evident.

"Ben, don't get any foolish ideas. Vilgax is not like the bad guys you've defeated before. He's not like Kevin, and he's not like those bounty hunters you fought," Max warned, his tone stern.

"I get it, Grandpa," Ben replied, his excitement tempered.

"Good. I want you not to use the Omnitrix for the time being," Max instructed. Ben frowned, leaning back in his seat, feeling the weight of the command.

The rust bucket drove silently, the atmosphere heavy with tension. That was until Ben and Gwen started squabbling in the back.

"Grandpa! Ben's using his watch!" Gwen yelled.

"Ben!" Max shouted, frustration clear in his voice. "This is not a game!"

"I was just playing around," Ben said, timing out as the sun began to rise.

"Just a few..." Max began, but a giant metal ball crashed in front of them, missing the rust bucket by a hair.

"Grandpa..." Ben muttered remorsefully, realizing this was because he had used the watch.

Max quickly placed the rust bucket in reverse as the metal ball chased after them. He turned and went off-road, still intent on reaching Mount Rushmore.

"Fred," Max said. Fred understood immediately, transforming into Upgrade and merging with the rust bucket. The vehicle began to levitate and sped up in a flash of speed. The metal ball chased behind but was too slow. Vilgax's ship emerged from the clouds, blasting lasers at the rust bucket, but it was too late. They had reached their location.

Fred, thinking quickly, used a special device that mimicked the signal of the Omnitrix and projected a hologram of XLR8, sending it in the opposite direction to buy them some time.

"Beep," the device sounded, the hologram taking off in the other direction.

Max rummaged through several drawers, searching for a specific item. "Um, Grandpa, what exactly are you looking for?" Gwen asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I've never been here before. This place is filled with plumber tech," Fred remarked, looking around in awe.

"Wait, you've been to a place like this before?" Ben asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, well, my parents were plumbers too," Fred replied with a light chuckle, but his expression quickly turned serious.

"Now's not the time. I'm sure Vilgax has already caught on," Max said, leading them back to the rust bucket.

"This weapon is locked into Vilgax's bio-signature. I will make sure to get rid of him this time," Max declared, determination in his voice.

As they drove out from the mountain, Max instructed, "Use those suits Fred made for protection. Don't engage Vilgax, even you Fred I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a metal ball crashed into the side of the rust bucket, knocking it off the road and into the grassland. Luckily, everyone was already wearing Fred's suits. Though the rust bucket was tipped on its side, everyone managed to get out safely. Ben and Gwen took to their hoverboards, Fred used hover boots, and Max, sticking to his old-fashioned ways, emerged holding the weapon.

The metal ball stopped next to the rust bucket, and Vilgax emerged, his presence menacing. "Tennyson," Vilgax muttered with all the loathing he could muster.

With a clear shot, Max fired immediately, blasting Vilgax straight into the metal ball. The ball short-circuited and exploded. "Did you get him?" Ben asked, hope in his eyes.

But as Max relaxed, Vilgax's arm swept through the smoke, striking Max on his left abdomen and sending him flying. Ben caught him in the air, but they both crashed to the ground.

Vilgax jumped and landed where Max and Ben had fallen, both his arms ready to bash the ground. But Ben had had enough. He transformed into Upgrade, merged with his hoverboard, and swiftly carried Max away, with Gwen and Fred following closely behind.

"I thought I told you not to use your watch," Max said, his voice strained with pain.

"I know, but what was I supposed to do?" Ben replied, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and determination.

Max remained silent as they made their escape. The sound of Vilgax's loud, pursuing jumps echoed behind them.

"Ben, above you!" Gwen shouted, warning him just in time.

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