Chapter 83: Matchmaker Klein and the Teenage Werewolf
Kai and Gwen wanted to join the hunt for the Yenaldooshi. Wes Green shut that down immediately. He crossed his arms, his weathered face stern, declaring that only seasoned warriors could track the beast. Consequently, Wes led Grandpa Max and Ben into the arid desert scrub, leaving the girls behind.
Kai crossed her arms, a deep frown marring her features. Gwen mirrored her annoyance. However, their irritation evaporated the moment they noticed Klein leaning against the side of the Rustbucket, making zero effort to join the hunting party. If Klein was staying, remaining behind suddenly did not seem so bad.
Klein caught the lingering pout on Kai's face. A brilliant, entirely misguided idea sparked in his mind. He would use this downtime to elevate Ben's status in Kai's heart. It was a flawless plan. Of course, Klein conveniently ignored one glaring flaw in his logic: he had absolutely zero experience wooing girls. In his previous life and current one, people usually threw themselves at him. His emotional intelligence regarding romance hovered somewhere around absolute zero. Still, how hard could it be?
Kai sat on a weathered wooden crate near the campfire pit. Klein pushed off the RV and strolled toward her. Hearing his footsteps, Kai looked up. A furious blush instantly crawled up her neck, painting her cheeks crimson. She opened her mouth, closed it, and ended up staring at her boots, completely tongue-tied.
Klein dropped onto the crate beside her. He leaned back, adopting what he assumed was a casual, approachable posture. "So, Kai," he began, his tone entirely too conversational. "Do you have someone you like?"
Kai nearly choked on her own breath. Her face burned hotter. She gave a tiny, jerky nod, emitting a sound that resembled a dying mosquito. "Mmm."
'Hiss. This is tough,'Klein thought, his expression remaining perfectly neutral.'Ben actually has a love rival? I need to extract some intel. Let us see who this guy is.'
"This guy," Klein pressed, leaning in slightly. "Have I met him?"
Kai swallowed hard, her eyes darting everywhere except his face. "Probably... you could say you have."
'I have met him?!'Klein's mind raced.'And he is male? Well, obviously. The age difference cannot be that massive.'
"Does he have any... distinguishing features?" Klein asked, playing the role of a master detective.
Kai tapped her chin, a small, dreamy smile breaking through her shyness. "Hmm... he has a very cool watch."
'I have met him. He has a very cool watch. Ben! It is settled!'
Klein mentally pumped his fist. He was a natural-born matchmaker. Ben owed him big time. Having cracked the case, Klein stood up abruptly, gave Kai a solemn nod of approval, and walked away.
Kai watched his retreating back, utterly bewildered. She did not understand why Klein suddenly looked so triumphant, but seeing his rare, genuine excitement made her heart flutter. The corners of her lips remained curled upward.
From the shadows of the Rustbucket, Gwen observed the entire exchange. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. While she highly doubted her lazy, overpowered cousin harbored any interest in a girl their age, a sharp spike of protective cousinly instinct flared in her chest. She marched over and intercepted Klein before he could reach the RV door.
"Cousin," Gwen demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "What exactly were you just discussing with Kai?"
Klein saw no reason to hide his monumental success. "I was just asking her if she likes Ben."
The tension drained from Gwen's shoulders, instantly replaced by burning curiosity. "And? What did she say?"
Klein offered a confident, self-assured nod.
Gwen's jaw practically hit the dirt. She stared at Klein, completely flabbergasted. She simply could not fathom a universe where a girl looked at Klein and somehow decided she preferred the Dweeb. Driven by sheer disbelief, Gwen abandoned Klein and made a beeline for Kai.
"Do you..." Gwen started, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Do you really like him?"
Kai clasped her hands over her chest, her eyes sparkling with a dreamy haze. "Of course! He is incredible. So handsome, and truly captivating!"
Gwen blinked. She could not understand Kai's taste in boys, but she decided to be supportive. "Uh-huh. Well, it is good that you like him. It just so happens that Ben likes you quite a bit, too."
The dreamy haze vanished from Kai's eyes, replaced by pure confusion. "Ben? Did Grandpa Max not call him Klein earlier?"
Gwen froze. The gears in her head screeched to a halt, then violently reversed. "Wait. What exactly did my cousin just say to you?"
Kai, looking increasingly lost, repeated the bizarre interrogation word for word.
Gwen slapped a hand over her face. It all made sense now. A massive, catastrophic misunderstanding. She had gained another love rival, but honestly, Ben was the real victim here. Now she faced a dilemma: how to break the news to Klein that his matchmaking skills were garbage? She glanced over at Klein, who was currently looking incredibly pleased with himself. Gwen sighed. She really did not have the heart to crush his delusions just yet.
...
Night fell over the desert. The Rustbucket sat parked beneath a blanket of stars, the group gathered outside in the cool air.
Ben bounded over to Klein, his eyes wide with anticipation. "Cousin! How did it go? What did she say?"
Klein offered a faint, knowing smile and patted Ben heavily on the shoulder. "It is settled."
"Awesome!" Ben shouted, leaping into the air.
He launched himself upward, hanging in the air for an unnervingly long second before landing with a heavy thud. Did he just jump three feet higher than normal?
Klein noted the anomaly but brushed it aside. His attention shifted to the horizon, where a line of villagers trudged away from their homes, carrying heavy bundles and bags.
"Where are they going?" Klein asked.
Wes Green followed his gaze, his expression grim. "They are leaving to avoid the Yenaldooshi."
A long, guttural howl shattered the quiet night.
Everyone whipped around. Ben was crouched on the dirt, his posture hunched and feral. Thick, coarse blue fur sprouted along his arms and face. He tilted his head back, howling at the full moon hanging in the sky.
"Holy cow, Ben, you mutated?" Klein raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised for once.
Ben snapped out of his trance, staring down at his fur-covered hands in absolute horror. "I do not know! The werewolf scratched me earlier, and the Omnitrix started acting weird. It seemed like it was recording DNA, but also not..."
Klein analyzed Ben's frantic explanation. If the watch was simply scanning a new genetic sample, it should not take this long, nor should it cause a slow, physical mutation.
[Translator Note: The Omnitrix was indeed stuck in a slow-sampling mode due to a glitch, causing the user to gradually transform into the scanned species.]
Wes Green stepped forward, his eyes filled with deep concern. "Ben, how could you hide the fact that the Yenaldooshi scratched you? This is no joke. Once infected by its claws, you will eventually turn into a mindless beast. You will not recognize your own family, and you will tear apart those closest to you."
Klein waved a hand dismissively, entirely unbothered by the dramatic revelation. "Relax. So what if he turns into a werewolf? At worst, I will just have to buy an extra leash when I take the dog for a walk."
He possessed more than enough power to reverse the mutation if things went south. For now, he was perfectly content to sit back and enjoy the show.
Grandpa Max, however, did not share Klein's relaxed attitude. His face paled. "Wes, what do we do?"
Wes kept his voice steady. "The only way to break the curse is to eliminate the Yenaldooshi."
"Shoot it with a silver bullet!" Ben yelled, raising a furry fist.
Wes shot down the idea instantly. "That is just Hollywood nonsense. You must soak a pure silver medallion in the extracted juice of a matrimonio cactus. Then, you must press that medallion directly against the beast's heart. And we must do this before the moon reaches its peak tonight. Otherwise... you will never turn back, Ben."
Ben's jaw dropped, revealing slightly elongated canines. "Never?!"
Wes offered a grim nod, turning toward the darkness of the desert. "I will go retrieve the medallion."
Gwen immediately sprinted into the Rustbucket, flipping open her laptop to track down the local habitat of the matrimonio cactus.
Outside, Ben's remaining humanity seemed to slip further away. He dropped to all fours, panting heavily. He scrambled around the campsite like an oversized, hyperactive hound. He raided the village's remaining supplies, hoarding a massive pile of raw eggs. Then, he somehow managed to milk a stray cow, filling an enormous metal basin to the brim.
Panting happily, Ben grabbed his foul-smelling feast and trotted toward the RV door.
A foot planted firmly against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. Klein stood in the doorway, staring down at the basin of raw eggs and warm milk with absolute disgust. If Ben consumed that unholy mixture inside the Rustbucket, the resulting stench would permanently ruin the upholstery and guarantee a sleepless night.
Klein pointed a stern finger toward the desert. Out.
Inside the RV, the atmosphere was significantly calmer. Gwen sat cross-legged on the sofa, her fingers flying across the laptop keyboard as she scoured topographical maps. Kai sat pressed against her side, leaning in to read the screen, occasionally stealing glances across the table.
Klein sat opposite them, his chin resting in his hand as he stared blankly out the window into the starry night. He looked deep in thought, exuding an aura of deep mystery.
In reality, his mind was completely empty of anything useful. He was currently debating which brand of heavy-duty dog leash would best suit a teenage werewolf. As for the color, he had already made his final decision.
Green. Definitely green.
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