Chapter 146: Learn Magic, Kenny and Devlin
On the vibrant, mana-rich surface of Anodyne.
Verdona floated high in the air, her glowing violet Anodite energy flaring as she engaged in a fierce, devastating battle with the Blood-Red Demon Dragon of Nahuatl. Crimson flames clashed violently against her purple shields. Just as the massive beast reared its head to unleash another apocalyptic inferno, a casual, entirely out-of-place voice echoed from behind her.
"Verdona, we've come to see you."
Klein appeared out of thin air, Gwen standing right beside him.
"You..." Verdona recognized the newcomers immediately, but the blinding wave of dragon fire spewing toward her forced her to keep her focus forward. She gritted her teeth, pouring more mana into her barrier.
"Oh, you're busy?" Klein blinked, his tone completely flat, devoid of any urgency. He looked at the towering, roaring dragon, then back at Verdona. "Never mind. I'll give you a hand."
Klein casually raised his right hand. He didn't transform. He didn't chant. He simply made an empty grasping motion toward the sky.
With a sickening crunch of spatial distortion, he literally plucked the massive Demon Dragon—along with the very fabric of space it occupied—and crushed it. The apocalyptic beast was annihilated in the palm of his hand, reduced to absolute nothingness in a fraction of a second.
Verdona stared at the empty sky. The terrifying monster she had been locked in a grueling death match with for hours was just... gone. She slowly lowered her glowing hands, utterly speechless. "..."
"Long time no see." Gwen stepped forward, breaking the stunned silence with a polite wave.
"Long time no see," Verdona replied, shaking off her shock. Her glowing Anodite form rippled as she floated down, her expression shifting to one of deep confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Kenny celebrate his birthday?"
A faint blue light flashed across Klein's form as he stepped up beside Gwen. "This time, we mainly came for you."
"For me?" Verdona pointed a glowing purple finger at herself, even more bewildered.
Klein nodded, his expression lazy but serious. "I want you to teach Gwen magic."
"Please!" Gwen clasped her hands together, looking at her grandmother with wide, pleading eyes.
Verdona's lips curved into a warm, radiant smile. "Of course. It would be my absolute pleasure."
After all, Gwen was her own flesh and blood. Helping her granddaughter master her innate Anodite spark was something she had always wanted to do.
The trio quickly hit it off, relocating to a serene, open field of glowing alien grass to begin the lesson.
"The essence of magic is mana, the life energy that flows through all things," Verdona explained, her voice taking on a soothing, authoritative tone. "You must first calm your mind. Feel the nature around you. Let it flow into you."
Verdona and Gwen sat cross-legged on the grass, facing each other. Following her grandmother's guidance, Gwen closed her eyes, steadied her breathing, and entered a deep meditative state.
The meditation lasted for hours. The quiet, tranquil atmosphere was perfect for learning magic, but it was absolute torture for Klein.
Bored out of his mind, Klein sat off to the side, his head bobbing as his eyelids grew impossibly heavy. He let out a soft yawn, struggling to stay awake.
Seeing the boy nodding off, Verdona quietly stood up. She floated over to Klein with a mischievous, yet incredibly tender smile. Reaching out, she gently pushed his shoulder.
Klein, already half-asleep, offered zero resistance. He tipped over, falling directly into her lap.
Verdona knelt gracefully on the soft grass, adjusting her posture to guide his head onto her full, plush thighs. The unique, comforting fragrance of a mature, elegant woman enveloped Klein's senses. It was warm, inviting, and smelled faintly of ozone and sweet flowers. He let out a soft sigh, his posture relaxing completely as he drifted into an exceptionally sweet sleep.
Verdona looked down at his peaceful face, her glowing purple eyes softening. She reached out, her slender fingers gently brushing through his hair, caressing his scalp with rhythmic, soothing motions. She had wanted to do this for a long time, but the perfect opportunity had never presented itself until now.
A few feet away, poor Gwen remained deep in her meditation, completely unaware that while she was working hard to master her mana, her boyfriend was being happily stolen by her own grandmother.
Meanwhile, back on Earth in the future timeline.
Kenny soared above the bustling, futuristic streets of Bellwood on his hoverboard, a heavy scowl plastered across his face. The wind whipped through his hair, but it did nothing to cool his foul mood.
"Hey! That hoverboard is totally wicked!"
A voice called out from his flank. Kenny glanced over to see a boy around his own age, dressed in a rugged jacket, flying perfectly in sync with him on a custom hoverboard.
"Think you can pull off this trick?" the boy challenged with a confident smirk. He suddenly banked hard, kicking the tail of his board and riding it vertically along the mirrored glass side of a towering skyscraper before flipping back into the air.
Seeing a fellow rider with actual skills, Kenny's gloomy mood instantly lifted. A competitive spark ignited in his eyes.
"Watch this!" Kenny slammed his hand onto his Omnitrix.
In a flash of brilliant green light, he transformed into the plant-like alien, Wildvine. Using his elastic, vine-like arms, he swung from a streetlamp, grabbed his hoverboard mid-air, and executed a flawless, spinning triple-flip before landing perfectly back on the deck.
The two boys cheered, instantly bonding over their shared adrenaline rush. They spent the next hour tearing through the skyline, pulling off increasingly ridiculous stunts.
Sometime later, as the afternoon sun began to dip, Kenny and his new friend, Devlin, sat perched on the shoulder of the massive, golden statue of Ben 10,000 in the center of the city.
"Man, that was awesome," Devlin said, kicking his legs over the edge. "Hey, Kenny. I saw the news broadcast of that massive fight earlier. The whole father-son tag team thing."
"Oh. Right." Kenny's excited smile vanished, replaced by a bitter pout. He kicked a loose pebble off the statue's shoulder.
Sensing the sudden drop in mood, Devlin quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean, we don't have to talk about it if—"
"They wouldn't let me do anything!" Kenny burst out, unable to hold back his frustration. "My dad took down a dozen bad guys without breaking a sweat. And then... uh, Dad also handled a few of the heavy hitters. But me? I didn't even get to punch one! Not a single one!"
Kenny crossed his arms, his face flushed with annoyance.
Devlin blinked, his brain completely stalling as he tried to process that sentence. "Wait. Hold on. I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but... did you just say 'your dad'and'your dad'? You have two dads?"
"No! Both of them are my dads!" Kenny groaned, throwing his hands up. "Wait, no! One is my dad! The other is also my dad! They are literally the exact same person! Ugh, no... now I'm all confused!"
Kenny grabbed his hair, feeling like his brain was about to short-circuit. How was he supposed to explain time travel to a guy he just met? Could he just lie and say one was a distant uncle?
Seeing Kenny having a minor existential crisis, Devlin decided to throw him a lifeline. "Okay, okay, skipping the weird family tree stuff. Anyway, it's still incredibly cool that you get to be heroes together!"
Kenny sighed, resting his chin in his hands. "It would be a lot cooler if they actually trusted me enough to let me help."
Just then, the Omnitrix on Kenny's wrist beeped. Ben's stern voice echoed from the faceplate. "Kenny. It's time for dinner. Get back to headquarters."
Kenny rolled his eyes. "I gotta go. Catch you later, Devlin."
He hopped onto his hoverboard and zoomed off toward the horizon. Devlin sat on the statue, watching Kenny's retreating figure with a deep, unreadable expression.
The sun finally set, casting long shadows over the sprawling Ben 10,000 headquarters. The massive facility had just settled into a quiet evening routine when blaring red lights suddenly bathed the corridors.
[Intruder alert! Intruder alert!] The automated AI voice echoed through the halls.
"Who would be stupid enough to try a sneak attack on us here?" Kenny yelled, running out of the dining room.
Older Ben and young Ben flanked him, both already reaching for their Omnitrixes.
"It happens more often than you think," older Ben explained casually, not breaking his stride. "Every once in a while, some idiot decides they want to take me down to prove they're the toughest guy in the galaxy."
"Let's go! Let's go beat him up!" young Ben cheered, excitedly punching his fists together.
They hadn't even finished speaking when the heavy reinforced wall at the end of the corridor suddenly exploded inward.
A massive, terrifying figure stepped out from the rolling clouds of concrete dust and smoke. He was a grotesque, hulking chimera of mutated alien DNA—part Tetramand, part Pyronite, part Petrosapien, and a dozen other horrors mashed together.
"Kevin!" Both Bens shouted in unison, their eyes widening in shock.
"Long time no see, Ben," the mutated Kevin 11,000 growled, his voice a sinister, echoing rasp that grated against the ears.
Older Ben didn't hesitate. He scooped Kenny up under one arm and sprinted in the opposite direction. "Computer! Activate emergency lockdown system!"
Young Ben followed close behind, his sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.
Massive, foot-thick iron plates slammed down from the ceiling in rapid succession, sealing the corridor and temporarily blocking Kevin behind them.
After putting a safe distance between them and the intruder, older Ben set Kenny down. His rugged face was dead serious. "Kenny. Go back to your room. Now."
"But why?!" Kenny pointed an angry finger at young Ben. "Why does he get to stay and fight?"
Older Ben crossed his arms, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Because I'm your dad."
Young Ben puffed out his chest, secretly chuckling to himself. 'Heh. Pulling the dad card. This feeling really isn't bad at all.'
"He's right," young Ben chimed in, trying to sound authoritative. "We're your dads. It's our job to protect you. Now, go to your room, kid."
Before Kenny could utter another word of protest, older Ben tapped a hidden panel on the wall. The floor beneath Kenny's feet instantly opened up.
"Hey—!" Kenny yelled as he dropped into a smooth, high-speed escape slide, completely unable to argue as he was whisked away to the safety of his bedroom.
"Alright. Now let's go deal with Kevin," older Ben said, cracking his knuckles. The two Bens turned and sprinted back toward the lockdown zone.
Deep within the facility's high-security prison sector.
Another reinforced wall was blown to pieces, molten slag dripping from the edges as Kevin 11,000 stomped into the vault. His mismatched eyes scanned the room, widening in furious disbelief.
"How?! Where is the Null Void Projector?!" Kevin roared, slamming his massive, rocky fist against an empty pedestal. The room was completely stripped bare.
Bang! Bang!
"Kevin! Get back to the Null Void where you belong!"
Two heavy thuds shook the floor as Four Arms—older Ben's transformation—and Diamondhead—young Ben's transformation—leaped through the gaping hole Kevin had just created.
"Where is it?!" Kevin snarled, ignoring their entrance. He desperately needed the Null Void Projector to enact his revenge.
"You'll find out soon enough," Four Arms grunted, his four massive, crimson fists clenching tight.
With a thunderous roar, Four Arms charged forward. Kevin reacted instantly, morphing his right arm into a jagged Petrosapien diamond blade and slashing viciously at the Tetramand's chest.
Four Arms ducked sideways, the blade whistling mere inches from his face.
From the rear, Diamondhead raised his arms, firing a rapid volley of razor-sharp crystal shards. The projectiles struck the side of Kevin's head, shattering on impact. The sudden sting of pain forced Kevin to flinch, breaking his focus.
Four Arms seized the opening instantly. He lunged, grabbing Kevin's thick, armored tail with his lower hands. Planting his feet firmly, the Tetramand spun like a massive top, dragging the heavier chimera off his feet. After three rapid rotations, Four Arms released his grip, hurling Kevin across the room.
Kevin crashed into the far wall with the force of a freight train, embedding himself deep into the reinforced steel and leaving a massive, spiderwebbed crater.
Groaning, Kevin peeled himself out of the wall and dropped heavily to the floor. He shook his head to clear the dizziness, propping himself up with his right hand. Without missing a beat, he thrust his left hand forward, unleashing a blinding, roaring pillar of Pyronite fire directly at Four Arms.
Four Arms vaulted backward, his massive leg muscles propelling him out of the inferno's path.
The pillar of fire missed him entirely, striking the exterior wall of the vault. The intense heat melted straight through the armor plating, blasting a massive hole that led directly to the outside night sky.
"He's trying to escape!" Diamondhead shouted, pointing his crystalline arm at the breach.
Before either Ben could move to intercept, a metallic clatter echoed from above. The heavy grate of a ventilation duct popped open, and a tiny, frog-like alien poked his head out.
"You can't leave me behind! I want a piece of this action too!" Grey Matter squeaked, his oversized eyes glaring down at the battlefield.
But Kenny's timing couldn't have been worse. Just as he tried to squeeze out of the vent, the Omnitrix symbol on his chest began to flash a rapid, warning red.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
In a flash of crimson light, the tiny Galvan transformed back into the human teenager. Because of the sudden increase in size, Kenny found himself hopelessly wedged tight inside the narrow ventilation shaft.
"Kenny!" Four Arms yelled, his four eyes widening in sheer panic.
Diamondhead whipped his head around, his attention completely ripped away from the enemy to focus on the trapped kid.
Seeing both Bens entirely distracted, Kevin let out a dark, mocking chuckle. He immediately activated his Stinkfly wings, launching himself through the molten hole in the wall and disappearing into the dark, sprawling skyline of Bellwood.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]