That single understatement from Four Arms finally allowed everyone's tense spirits to relax. The crisis that had gripped them for most of the day was finally over.
This had been the most dangerous battle they'd faced against enemies yet, bar none.
But through their combined efforts, they'd overcome it.
DING!
"Congratulations to the host for signing in successfully!"
"Reward Obtained: Green-tier Enhancement, Omnitrix transformation time extended by one minute!"
Four Arms completed his second sign-in task, and the watch's transformation time increased by another minute. Combined with the previous extension, his transformation duration had now been extended to a full nine minutes.
'Almost at ten minutes!' Asher thought with satisfaction.
"Grandpa, Gwen, let me give you both a ride. Everyone must be exhausted. I'll explain everything once we get back to the hotel," Four Arms said casually, spreading all four of his massive arms in a now-familiar gesture.
This had become their daily routine.
Back at the hotel room, a sumptuous spread of food covered the table. Asher, Max, Ben, and Gwen gathered around, enjoying the delicious, warm meal together. A comedy show played on the TV, and laughter filled the air at regular intervals.
This kind of ordinary life, even for Asher, who'd become something of a "superhero", felt incredibly comfortable.
A long-overdue moment of relaxation.
"Dude, I honestly didn't expect you to actually get the armor that Asher built for you and beat those robots!" Gwen said to Ben, maintaining their usual bickering tone. But then she added something rare: genuine praise. "This time... you weren't bad at all."
Both she and Grandpa Max had witnessed how hard Ben and Asher had fought to rescue them.
"Maybe I'm not as good as Asher yet, but I'm going to be a hero too!" Ben announced confidently, standing up from his chair with dramatic flair.
"Ow!"
A moment later, his legs gave out from exhaustion, and he sat back down with a grimace. This evening's battle with the robots had drained far more energy than he'd expected.
"Ben, take a hot bath tonight and get some good rest," Asher suggested with an understanding smile.
Ben rubbed his sore knees and returned an embarrassed but polite grin.
"Grandpa, I have a question that's been bothering me," Gwen said, setting down her knife and fork. Curiosity filled her expression. "Why were You and I captured in Times Square for so long... and no one came to rescue us? Shouldn't the police have responded?"
Her question hung in the air, and the happy atmosphere around the dinner table suddenly solidified into awkward silence.
Ben's eyes widened as realization struck him. "Yeah! Why didn't I think of that?"
Both Asher and Max fell silent, sharing a knowing look.
They both understood the reason perfectly well, but they'd been deliberately avoiding the topic.
Asher watched Max carefully, curious to see if his grandfather would reveal any information. He didn't need to worry about protecting secrets, Max could discuss topics like this occasionally without issue.
"In this world, there's an organization called the Plumbers," Max said slowly after a brief pause. He set down his plate and looked at both Ben and Gwen seriously. "It's an organization filled with people who have abilities and aliens. Their purpose is similar to the hero organizations you see in comic books, the members there specialize in dealing with abnormal crimes like what happened today."
"The reason ordinary police officers didn't get involved is because this kind of situation is handled by people with special abilities," Max continued. "People like Plumber agents... or people like us."
To be more precise, Asher's response time was so fast every time that Plumber agents never even arrived before he'd already resolved the situation.
So there was simply no need for them to show up.
Max didn't reveal much more after that. No matter how much Ben and Gwen pressed him for details, he refused to share any truly useful information, like his old Plumber identity. He simply claimed he'd learned about the organization by coincidence.
Of course, neither Ben nor Gwen were easily fooled. They didn't believe Max's explanation for a second. Both suspected that Grandpa Max was definitely a member of the Plumbers in secret.
Why else would a retired old man have such a heavily modified vehicle? It made no sense!
'When I'm a few years older, maybe I should consider joining the Plumbers,' Asher mused silently.
High in the night sky above the city, something streaked through the darkness.
WHOOOOSH!
The Mechadroid that Vilgax had sent to collect Kevin was suddenly caught by a pair of crackling hands. All the electronic energy in its body was instantly drained by Kevin's absorption powers!
"Ahhhhhh!" Kevin's eyes transformed into pure electric light, blazing like stars. His entire body surged with electricity as he floated in mid-air, power radiating from every inch of his form.
The Mechadroid that had been carrying him lost all its power. It hovered for a brief moment before beginning its inevitable descent toward the ground far below.
"Kevin! What do you think you're doing?!" The robot managed one last furious transmission before it fell, Vilgax's voice echoing through its failing systems.
"What am I doing?" Kevin's mouth curled into a wicked smile. He tilted his head back, looking down at the falling robot with his chin raised in contempt. "I'm done being someone's lackey, Vilgax! Kevin Levin answers to no one but himself! Did you really think I'd spend the last few years as some weakling? If we're allies here on Earth, fine. But the moment I step onto your spaceship and enter your territory? You think I'm stupid enough to let you slaughter me like cattle? Don't make me laugh!"
He wasn't an idiot. True cooperation with Vilgax would only work as long as they remained on equal footing. The instant Kevin became vulnerable on Vilgax's ship, he'd be completely at the alien warlord's mercy.
Rather than risk that fate, he'd rather take revenge on Asher alone!
ZZZZZT!
To prevent Vilgax from tracking him, Kevin transformed himself into a bolt of pure lightning. He shot through the night sky like a comet, disappearing into the darkness within seconds. From the ground below, people who glimpsed the electric streak thought it was a shooting star and silently made wishes.
Aboard Vilgax's spaceship, silence reigned.
The atmosphere was terrifyingly quiet.
Vilgax's rage threatened to explode at any moment.
First there was Asher, that infuriating child who dared to resist him and caused his plans to fail again and again.
And now Kevin, with his "my life is my own, I refuse to bow to Vilgax" attitude!
Were all Earth's children this arrogant?!
"How much of my body has recovered?" Vilgax asked in a dangerously low voice, struggling to contain his fury.
He turned his attention to the massive regeneration pod.
His upper body had almost completely healed. It was powerfully built, nearly matching Four Arms' physique in raw muscle mass. However, his arms and lower body still hadn't fully regenerated.
"Lord Vilgax, at the current rate, you'll achieve full recovery soon," the crimson robot reported after analyzing the data from the medical systems. "Perhaps... within half a month at most!"
"Excellent."
Vilgax spat out that single word, his voice dripping with barely restrained murderous intent. "When I've completely recovered, I'll handle this personally. First, I'll deal with that brat Asher and claim the Omnitrix I deserve! As for that boy Kevin... if he can still be useful, I'll use him. If he can't..."
His eyes gleamed with cold malice.
"I'll kill him."
The threat hung in the air like a death sentence.
Pure, undiluted murderous intent radiated throughout the entire ship.
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