After dealing with the two Ghostfreaks, the Desert War God's massive form rapidly shrank, returning to its original state.
The Sandbox glanced down at his hands, watching the sand continue to flow between his fingers, and could clearly feel how much energy he had expended.
It seemed that while gigantification greatly boosted his combat power, it also drained stamina at a much faster rate. Against ordinary opponents, his normal form was more than enough.
Boom!
A thick pillar of flame surged forward like a roaring dragon, carrying blistering heat as it slammed straight toward Red Spikesnake.
Red Spikesnake grabbed a nearby car and hurled it forward, blocking the incoming flames head-on.
Unfortunately for that "lucky" car, it exploded midair in a blinding burst of fire. Shattered parts and bolts scattered everywhere, clanging loudly as they hit the ground.
"Oh, come on. How am I even supposed to fight with this thing?"
Red Spikesnake weaved left and right to evade Kevin's attacks, his frustration steadily mounting.
"Hah! You're still as pathetic as ever, buddy!"
Kevin burst into laughter as he extended a crystal arm and grabbed hold of Red Spikesnake.
Red Spikesnake startled and struggled fiercely, trying to break free from Kevin's grip.
But at barely two meters tall, his strength was nowhere near enough to match Kevin's bulky frame. His arm was locked tightly in place, leaving him unable to escape.
"Die, Ben Tennyson!"
Kevin raised his right hand, reshaping it into a razor-sharp blade, and brought it crashing down.
Red Spikesnake's crimson pupils shrank sharply. Faced with imminent death, his instincts kicked in and his latent potential erupted.
Clang!
A sharp, blood-red spear shot out from his fist, bracing in front of him and stopping Kevin's blade dead in its tracks.
"What?" Kevin froze, completely caught off guard.
"Nice! I'm starting to love this alien hero," Red Spikesnake said with a wide grin.
Shh… shh…
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from behind.
Kevin snapped his head around, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.
It was the Sandbox.
He slid across the ground like a mass of flowing golden liquid, rapidly closing the distance.
Seeing the seemingly harmless Sandbox, Kevin's heart sank.
Zs'Skayr and Qyskaar were already dead. He was the only one left, fighting on his own.
If it were just Ben Tennyson, he might still have a chance. But the presence of the Sandbox filled him with dread. Kevin hadn't missed a single moment of the Desert War God's terrifying strength earlier.
No. He couldn't stay here any longer.
If he did, he would definitely be cut down today, trapped between the Sandbox and the still-dangerous Red Spikesnake.
With a ruthless resolve, Kevin poured all his strength into the crystal blade and slammed Red Spikesnake back.
Then he leapt without hesitation, diving straight off the San Francisco Bridge.
Splash!
His body vanished into the early morning sea, white waves erupting where he disappeared.
"Don't run!"
Seeing his opponent trying to escape, Red Spikesnake immediately gave chase and jumped straight into the ocean after him.
But the moment he hit the water, a powerful sense of suffocation slammed into him.
Gurgle!
Endless seawater surged in from all directions, wrapping tightly around Red Spikesnake's slender body.
He covered his mouth and struggled violently, pain flooding through him as he found himself completely unable to breathe.
Red Spikesnake had originally assumed that, since he was snake-like, swimming wouldn't be a problem. He never expected that he would actually be afraid of water.
For a brief moment, even Ben thought this alien was unbelievably lame.
Just as Red Spikesnake's consciousness began to blur, a mass of golden sand moved through the water like a stealthy sea serpent. It coiled around his body and dragged him back up to the surface.
"Huff!"
Red Spikesnake burst out of the water, gasping for air as he coughed violently, spitting out mouthfuls of salty seawater.
Beside him, the enormous golden sea serpent gradually transformed into a human shape, a green box embedded in the center of its chest. Faint green eyes stared silently at the utterly miserable Red Spikesnake.
Red Spikesnake scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry, Cuz. I was too reckless. I just wanted to chase Kevin…"
Sandbox waved his hand, stirring up a bit of sand.
"Forget it. Let's head back. Just don't be so impulsive next time."
"Awesome! We can finally go back and eat some Sumo Slammers Cereal!" Red Spikesnake cheered, then immediately drooped. "But… Kevin got away."
"He's absorbed the abilities of ten aliens, including Ripjaws' genes. He can breathe freely underwater and he's extremely fast," Sandbox said after a brief pause. "My movement is limited in the water, so catching Kevin won't be easy."
More importantly, his earlier transformation into the Desert Giant had consumed far too much energy. He was already close to reverting to human form, and chasing Kevin any further would only put him in danger.
"Oh, what a pain… Guess we'll have to wait for next time," Red Spikesnake sighed.
Before long, Sandbox and Red Spikesnake returned to the bridge and gradually reverted to their original forms.
"Cuz, I'm so glad you're okay!"
Gwen's face lit up with relief and excitement.
"The Feedback and Sandbox you transformed into today were amazing! Way stronger than your previous aliens!"
"Hey, I helped too, you know…" Ben immediately sulked. His nerdy cousin only praised their cousin and didn't say a single word about him.
Grandpa Max stepped forward and patted Ben on the head.
"Hehe, you both did great today. You protected the city and took down two Ghostfreaks. That's really impressive."
"Of course. When has this hero ever messed up?"
Only then did Ben's expression finally soften.
Beep!
The Omnitrix on Ben's wrist suddenly emitted a strange sound and switched to a green screen.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Ben focused and cautiously tapped the watch, bringing up the Omnitrix interface.
The next moment, Ghostfreak's genetic profile lit up on the display.
Ben's eyes widened. He rubbed them in disbelief.
"Awesome! Ghostfreak's DNA is back? How did that happen?"
"It must be because Lucian defeated Ghostfreak, causing the DNA to return to the watch," Grandpa Max said with a hearty laugh.
"That's great! I can turn into Ghostfreak again!" Ben exclaimed, overjoyed, as if he'd just recovered something precious he had lost.
Lucian's watch showed the same change, having also reclaimed Ghostfreak's genetic data.
Moreover, his Ghostfreak was Zs'Skayr, whose power had already returned to its peak. All of that strength had been inherited by Lucian, making him far more powerful than Ben's version.
At that moment, Lieutenant Steel led the Special Alien Containment Team toward them.
"Pleasure working with you, Watch Boy."
Lieutenant Steel gave a faint, unreadable smile and extended his hand toward Lucian.
"I don't know how you pulled this off, but you defeated the rampaging alien monsters. That's enough for me."
"You're too kind," Lucian replied calmly as he shook his hand.
Lieutenant Steel then glanced at Grandpa Max, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Mission complete. Pack it up!"
With that order, Lieutenant Steel led his team into the black Humvees, which quickly sped off into the distance.
...
With the crisis resolved, everyone set off once again toward their next destination.
Along the way, Gwen looked worried and whispered, "Grandpa, both Lucian and Ben exposed their identities today. Won't Lieutenant Steel capture them for experiments?"
Lucian gave a slight nod. It was indeed a potential problem.
He wasn't afraid of Lieutenant Steel, but the man was backed by the military and had deep connections. If things turned hostile, it wouldn't be easy.
Grandpa Max paused for a moment, then laughed.
"Heh, don't worry. Grandpa will just go have a word with the plumbers. They won't make things difficult for ordinary folks like us."
"That's a relief," Gwen said, finally relaxing.
As for Ben, he was already absorbed in a frenzied game of Sumo Slammers, a bucket of popcorn sitting on the table as he enjoyed himself to the fullest.
Under the warm morning sun, a battered old RV rumbled onward with a dull roar, continuing toward the distant horizon…