It was around midnight and Ben and Gwen had just finished their family's dinner party and were now walking down the empty sidewalk and on their way to Kevin's house. "So what are we doing again?" Ben asked, arms crossed behind his head as he followed his cousin down the empty street of their hometown.
"Well I'm giving Kevin the leftover cake from the dinner," she gestured to the container in her hands. "I'm not sure what you're doing." she sent him an amused look as they continued down the road to Kevin's house.
"Well I knew that but I meant why are we walking?" Ben asked, looking straight ahead and bored. "I mean I could have driven us or you could use your powers and just transport us over." he pointed out the obvious.
"Ben, not everything needs to be solved with our powers," she scolded him for trying to take the easy way out. "Besides I want to surprise him." she smiled down at the piece of cake she saved him from dinner and hoped this would cheer him up from the fight they had a few hours ago.
"Why?" Ben didn't understand why she wanted to surprise him so badly.
Gwen shot him a look that said he was clueless. "Because I want to cheer him up. We left on bad terms and I'm hoping this will help us, you know get back onto the good side of our relationship." she once more looked down at the cake and smiled. She had been worried all night about him, even more when the alarm went off and said there was a Forever Knight attack. She knew Kevin could take care of him but that didn't mean that she didn't worry.
"Relationship?" Ben was confused before a wide grin spread out onto his face. "Which is what exactly?" he teased, loving how the two of them became so uncomfortable when asked questions like this.
"Ben!" Gwen glared at him, warning him not to annoy her.
"Sorry," he apologized before she used her powers on him. "But come on, you guys so obvious like each other. I mean why else would Kevin get so upset about you refusing to hang out with him. Which reminds me, are you almost done with that project of yours. I swear if you wait any longer I'm going to be at the mercy of an angry Kevin Levin." he gave a small shiver, not liking the thought of facing an angry, paranoid, jealously raged boyfriend. He would have to go Way Big to just run away from the angry teen.
Gwen laughed at how her cousin was acting. "I'm almost done. I just need one more piece of material and I'll be all finished and ready to present it." she smiled happily up at the moon, a content look on her face.
Ben got a mischievous look on his then. "Yep and once you're finished you can tell Kevin all about how much you miss him and love him." he made kissing noises and acting like a complete idiot.
"Knock it off, Ben." Gwen called out, ready to use her power to send him flying all the way back home.
He just laughed. "Relax, I was only -" both stopped at the end of the sidewalk when Kevin's car drove past them and they caught a glimpse of him and a girl with long black hair in the front seat next to him. He didn't see them but they saw him and the girl he was with. "Was that Kevin? Who's the girl?" Ben questioned, eyes trying to get a better look but the car was going too fast for him to get another look.
Gwen gulped and gripped the container harder. "Good question." she felt a feeling of dread enter her as she watched the speeding car drive away from her and leaving her feeling cold and confused.
Kevin felt like he was freaking out. Not only did he just find out that his deceased father has a twin brother and he has a cousin but said cousin could absorb energy and not go crazy. "What the heck is going on?" he asked, eyes going from the road to Alona to the road and back to Alona.
Alona only shrugged, crossing her arms and leaned back into the seat. "You kept driving like this and we'll crash."
"Forget that," Kevin could have cared less about his car, surprisingly. He just wanted to know how Alona could do what she did and wondered if he could do the same. "You absorbed energy back there but you never lost it. What I want to know is how?"
"It's quite simple," Marvin was in the back, lying down on his back and relaxing. "Alona is a special girl. The only one on our whole planet that can use energy and not lose her sanity."
"Yeah, I got that already." Kevin gritted his teeth, trying to keep his anger from getting the better of him and not send them crashing into a tree. "Again, I want to know how!" he wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Marvin sighed and finally sat up. "It's complicated." he looked up and saw Kevin giving him a look in the mirror, one that said he didn't care what he said. He just wanted answers. "Our planet is usually a peaceful one. We have problems like everyone else but usually we don't have to worry about attacks from outsiders."
"That so?" this was news to Kevin. He's been getting attacked by people all his life so hearing that his planet was a calm one was a big surprise.
Marvin grinned, "Well would you invade a planet where the inhabitants could suck out all your powers and drain you dry?"
"But I thought we weren't supposed too?" Kevin asked.
"We aren't, but we usually keep that information to ourselves. Only a few know of our weaknesses and secrets," Marvin grinned before becoming serious. "However there are a few that wish to harm us and learned of our weakness." his face turned grim and Kevin almost regretted asking. Almost. "One day our planet was attacked by a man named Aggregor." Kevin scoffed, not surprised when he heard that name. "I take it you know him?"
"You could say that," Kevin held a blank look on his face for a moment. "My friends and I fought him when he was trying to steal some ultimate power. He absorbed a lot of other powers from different types of aliens and became very powerful. He would have killed us if I hadn't absorbed Ben's power from his watch and stopped him."
Alona gasped, eyes wide in shock. "You absorb the power of the Omnitrix?"
"Ultimatrix." He corrected them, not too many knew about Ben's new watch. "But yeah, I absorbed his powers and got turned into a monster because of it. I went on a rampage, going after everyone that wronged me and after those with energy that I could take for myself," his grip on the wheel tightened and his eyes glared at the road ahead of him. He hated thinking of the time in his hideous form and all the things he did. "If not for my friends I probably would still be stuck in that form." he gave a bitter laugh. Had it not been for Gwen and her resolve not to give up on him than Ben would have surely killed him. Not that he blamed him. If he had been in Ben's shoes he probably would have made the same decision. "I pretty much owe them my whole life." He did owe Ben, but he knew the one he really owed was Gwen. She was determined not to give up on him and even when he was mutated she still cared deeply for him. She never gave up on him and it was because of those feelings that he was able to change his life around.
"I see," Alona looked him over and held a strange look in her eyes, one that Kevin didn't understand.
"Then you are like the rest of our people," Marvin added in. "Aggregor was the same. His desire for power caused him to attack us in hopes he could become stronger," his eyes darkened over as he continued. "You see, Alona's mother and my wife was pregnant at the time. Aggregor hoped if he absorbed her power while she was with child it would help him become stronger."
Kevin gulped, almost worried to ask what happened next. "Then what?" It was obvious that Alona survived, she was sitting right next to him but what about her mother.
Marvin looked down at his daughter who was staring out the car window. "We were lucky and the Plumbers arrived and fought him off. I wasn't sure what became of him after that but it seems his thirst for power has never died."
"That's an understatement." Kevin muttered to himself.
"As for Alona and my wife," Marvin continued on. "She survived but the sudden shock of the attack caused her to give birth to Alona who was two months premature. It was because of this that her powers were not able to become complete and she could not absorb matter like the rest of us." They finally arrived at the house but no one moved from their seats.
"What?" Kevin parked the car outside his house but he wasn't going to leave until he got some answers. "But she's a Plumber and she can fight. I saw her." he had never heard of an Osmosian that couldn't absorb.
"It's true she can absorb matter but nothing like we can do," Marvin demonstrated by placing his hand to the glass and absorbing it, letting it consume his body fully. "Alona can only absorb to her hand and that is all." by this point she huffed and muttered something under her breathe. "We had believed that she would never be able to defend herself but one day when robbers broke into our home and nearly killed our people somehow Alona was able to absorb the energy from their blasters and used it against them. Since then she has used this power in battle many times and has never once lost her sanity."
Kevin was in awe as he stared at the girl next to him. "How?" he needed to know.
Marvin smirked. "You'd have to ask her. Alona refuses to share the secret with any of us."
"How come?" Kevin asked, secretly hoping he could learn something from her answer. "I mean if you know how to absorb energy and not go crazy than why not share it with everyone. Why keep it to yourself?" If he had that ability he would want to show everyone how strong he was.
Alona gave him a once over and just shrugged her shoulders. "Cause I wanna." with that said she got out of the car and headed into the house. That was the signal that this conversation was done.
Kevin had gotten just barely any sleep last night, his mind kept him up all night with questions to ask Alona but by the time morning came and she was awake he only got the cold shoulder and a "I don't want to talk about it." So with his hopes of getting an answer as low as dirt he decided to clear his head by fixing up his car. He was always in a better mood after that and he was sure after he gave her some time alone and he had enough time to think of how to ask her nicely than he would get the answers he desired. While it was true that he swore off all energy absorbing just the thought of being able to use that power and fight his enemies made his body come alive in anticipation. He knew when he was mutated that he was a monster but he was a monster with power that gave everyone who challenged him a run for their money. He didn't want the insane monster brain and body that came with it, but he did want the power. He needed the power if he was going to keep his dream alive.
"Kevin?" speaking of dreams. He heard her voice as clear as day and slide out from under his car to see her smiling down at him, holding some container in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other. He felt a little nervous around her right now. With everything that happened last night he had forgotten to call her and with the little he had gotten was of him dreaming that she would yell and scream at him for being a bad boyfriend. Sure most guys would had just laughed off the dream but Kevin had never cared for anyone like he does Gwen. She is special to him and if he has a bad dream like that it worries him like crazy.
"Hey," he tried to sound normal, hopefully not showing any signs that he was nervous. "What's up?" he swallowed hard. Suddenly talking became difficult.
"Not much," she sat down on her knees in front of him and gave him the container and one of the drinks she had brought. "I saved you a piece of cake from last night's dinner." she smiled gently and Kevin felt all his worries disappear.
He returned the smile and happily ate the piece of cake that she had saved for him. It tasted sweet and while he wasn't the biggest fan of sweets he liked the flavoring. "Thanks. This is good." he showed her that his words were true by him taking another piece of cake and eating it all.
"Glad to hear it." she kept smiling at him and while he found it a little weird that she kept smiling he wasn't complaining. It was better than her yelling at him. "So tell me," he put the now empty plate down next to him and tried not to burp in her face. "How'd the fight go last night?"
He swallowed the burp down and leaned forward, placing his arms on his knees. "Fine. Forever Knights were beaten and we'll probably not hear of them for a while." he knew how their system worked. They lay low for a while after a few of them get beaten and then they suddenly reappear to try and do whatever it is that Forever Knights do.
"Good to know," Gwen nodded her head, biting the inside of her cheek.
Kevin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You ok?" she was acting different.
She seemed surprised by his question. "I'm fine." she breathed out. "How about you? Are you ok?"
He was starting to get really confused. "Yeah, I'm good." he didn't understand why she was acting so strange. "They're just Forever Knights. Nothing major like Vilgax or Aggregor." if she was worried about him being hurt by the Knights than she was wasting her time. Even if Alona and Marvin not gone with him, he still could have easily defeated them.
"I know, I was just checking," she was still biting the inside of her cheek and Kevin was starting to wonder if she got her mind taken over or something. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" she was playing with her fingers and Kevin was pretty sure that her mind got taken over and it was making her act like a weirdo.
"Shot." he drank the soda she brought him, happy it wasn't a smoothie for a change.
"Well...I...uh...?" she seemed at a loss for words, a first for Kevin and he was sure it was a first for her. "So," she cleared her throat and seemed to get her voice back. "Ben told me he saw you with a girl yesterday."
"A girl?" Kevin gave her a confused look.
Gwen knew she stunk at lying but she had to keep trying. "Yeah, he said she was pretty and other stuff so I was just wondering..."
"If?" Kevin urged her to continue.
Gwen however didn't seem like she wanted too. "If...I have any reason to worry." she mumbled the last part to herself.
"What you say?" Kevin didn't understand a word she just said. It was too low for him to hear.
"Never mind," she shook her head. "Just forget that last part, but tell me. Were you with a girl last night?" she gulped, almost scared of the reply.
Kevin looked even more confused and frowned. "No, I wasn't." he couldn't tell if she was being jealous or paranoid but he knew that he didn't like how it sounded like she was accusing him. "I came right home after I fought those Forever Knight. Want to ask my mom to be sure I'm not lying." he never thought Gwen would be accusing him of anything but she was and it really did sound like she was accusing him of cheating. He would never do that.
Ok, so he sort of had a tiny little crush on Charmcaster girl but he was depressed and he wasn't thinking straight, and maybe he says other girls are hot but Gwen was his girlfriend and Kevin Levin does not cheat. He steals and fights and does other things that are probably illegal but he does not cheat on girls.
"No," Gwen just gave a small grin and stood up. "No, I believe you. I was just checking because you know how Ben can be with his crazy stories." she gave a nervous laugh and walked out of the garage, leaving a very confused Kevin.
"Ok...?" he didn't understand what just happened.
"What was that all about?" Alona appeared right after Gwen left. She had been watching from the door, unnoticed, and was just as confused as her cousin was.
"Beats me," Kevin shrugged, finishing his drink and threw it in the trash. "She's usually pretty normal but now she's talking crazy. Accusing me of all this weird stuff. I swear, I do not get girls." he huffed out, going back under his car where everything made sense.
"So that's your girlfriend? I believe you're mother said her name is Gwen, right?" she asked and all she received was a grunt as her reply. "She's pretty. You must be really happy since she likes you enough to get jealous so easily like that." Kevin froze, sliding out from under the car and gave her a look of disbelief.
"What do you mean?" he sat back up, mind still trying to wrap the thought of Gwen being jealous. He was the one that got jealous, because he was worried she would leave him, but she is the sensible one who always remains calm. Sure there was that one time when she told that Jennifer girl that she would peel her like a grape but he was somewhat at fault because he kept calling her hot and because that girl had literally come onto him. "What would Gwen be jealous of? I don't even talk to other girls unless I gotta." he wiped his hands clear of the grease he got on them.
Alona was now the one to give him a look of disbelief. "You really don't know why she's jealous? Even after that last question she asked you?" she was trying to lead him there, hoping he would understand the real reason.
Kevin thought over everything Gwen had just said to him but he came up blank. "Nope." he didn't have a clue.
Alona had to resist the urge to slap him upside the head to knock some sense into him. "You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" she put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
Kevin glared. "Hey, what's that supposed to me?" he didn't like being called stupid.
Alona just sighed. "Forget it," she walked over to the passenger's door. "Come on, we need to talk."
"About?" Kevin asked, wondering why every girl he knew suddenly wanted to act weird and talk to him.
"About your powers," she opened the car door and gave him one last look. "And mine." she said softly but he still heard her.
That was enough to get Kevin running to his car and starting it up, driving it right out of the garage.
Gwen let out a long side from her spot in Ben's car, a frown stuck on her face since she got in.
"So...how'd it go?" Ben asked from his stop behind the wheel. They were driving to Mr. Smoothy to help cheer up Gwen, and because he was craving some smoothies for himself.
"Great," she rolled her eyes and her frown deepened. "Except for the part where he blatantly lied to me when I asked him if he was with another girl." she was angry at her boyfriend for lying to her and acting like she was the crazy one when it was him who was crazy. "Seriously, I mean can you believe he lied right to my face?"
"I'm sure he had his reasons, Gwen." Julie replied, trying to cheer her friend up. Ben had been smart enough to bring her along so if he said anything stupid than Julie could fix and help Gwen.
"Like what?" Gwen just scoffed and kept her eyes focused on the window.
"Like because he's Kevin Levin and he lies." Ben said, trying to remind them that even though he changed he is an ex-con and it's hard to break old habits.
"Ben!" Both Gwen and Julie glared at him for what he said and frowned.
"I'm positive Kevin has his reasons. He doesn't seem like the type to cheat," Julie looked all the way into the back and gave her a reassuring smile. "Besides he likes you way to much too cheat. Trust me, I can tell."
Gwen felt herself cheering up at her friend's words. "You really think so?"
"Ship! Ship!" The two girls laughed at how Ship decided to add in the conversation.
"That means yes, we do." Julie patted Ship's head who purred in happiness.
"Hey look," They had stopped at a red light when Ben called their attention. "It's Kevin." he pointed to the green car that was passing them by and thankfully he was all alone. "See, it's like we said. Kevin is not cheating on y-" his words died on his lips when the girl from last night suddenly sat up in the front seat and seemed to be talking with Kevin. "Uh...?" Ben, Julie, and Ship all turned around to look at a horrid and shocked Gwen. "You know what? Just forget I said anything." Ben sank lower in his seat incase Gwen through any blasts.
Unaware that his friends had seen him, Kevin and Alona drove on, talking amongst themselves.
"Are you sure it's under the seat?" Alona asked, bending back down to search under her seat.
"Yeah, I left in there last night before I came home." Kevin replied, watching the road and speeding through every red light that they came across. Alona had promised to explain things once they got to their destination and he was wasting no time in getting there.
"Well I don't see it," she huffed, coming back up and shook her head. "You probably left your cell in your room."
"Whatever," Kevin only shrugged it off. He had been planning on calling Gwen and tell her everything that has happened but it looked like that was going to have to wait until later. "Now tell me again, why are we driving out into the middle of nowhere?" he knew where they were going. He was going to take them to the same camp site where they found Eunice. It was a nice secure area that no one really visited so they would have the privacy that Alona seemed to want.
"Because if we're really going to have this talk, it's better if we're alone and out of earshot of others." the look on her face said he wasn't going to get anymore out of her, so he put his car at top speed and didn't stop until they were in the middle of the forest and completely away from civilization. "I take it you like to go fast." she gave him an amused smile.
Kevin just nodded and waited. "So...you gonna talk or what?"
Alona only rolled her eyes and got out of the car. "Follow me," she instructed and reluctantly he did. They walked away from the car, going in deeper to the woods and covered in more by the trees. "Now before we talk about my powers, I want to talk about yours." she turned around to face him, a serious look on her face. "I've seen you in action, you can fight. Your powers are developing at a good rate and from all the stories and rumors about Ben 10 and his amazing all powerful team really leaves me wondering why you want to learn how to use energy. Even after you've mutated three times from it."
Kevin gasped, "How did you -"
"Your mother told me," she cut him off before he could finish. "She's proud of what you're doing but she's also very worried that you'll absorb energy again and go another rampage and this time you may not come back to her."
Kevin stared hard at the ground, his fists clenched at his sides. He knew his mother worried about him but he didn't know she worried that much. "I know that. I know how dangerous me absorbing energy is but I still want too."
"Why?" Alona wanted a real answer from him.
"Because..." Kevin wasn't sure how he could phrase this without it sounding halfhearted or fake. He needed her to see that he was serious about this whole matter. "You've heard the stories about Ben and our whole team and how we fought against the strongest guys out there," she nodded her head. "Well every time I think about our old battles I can't help but think that there could have been something more for me to do. Something better to help the team. The thought of being deadweight bothers me so much that I'm ready to punch the closest thing to me. I want to get stronger but I want to do it without mutating or become some insane freak." He took in a deep breath and looked up to stare his cousin dead in the eyes. "I want to help protect the people I care about. Even if they can take care of themselves, I still want to protect them." The word "Gwen" was on the tip of his tongue but he kept himself from saying her name. It was awkward talking to others about his feelings for Gwen. He was more of a man of action than a guy that talks about his thoughts and feelings.
Alona gave him a small smile. "I understand what you're talking about," she leaned against the tree and looked up at the clear sky. "The thought of being useless bothered me a lot too when I was growing up." she stared at her hand next. "You heard my father. I couldn't absorb matter like the others on our planet and it was believed that I would never be able to fight or defend myself or my loved ones. I felt so useless." she held a bitter look on her face.
"But then you discovered you could use energy." Kevin reminded her.
Alona only shook her head. "I think it's time I finally tell someone my big secret." she grabbed hold of her crystal and took in a deep breath. "Here," she let it go and tossed Kevin a blaster. "Fire that at me and look carefully at my body."
Kevin looked at the blaster and back at his cousin. "If you say so." he fired, watching a red blast come from it and heading straight for Alona. He paid close attention to her movements just like she told him, and saw that she held both hands to the blast and took in a deep breath. Her body seemed to glow like it did last night and in a flash she fired the blast right back and into a tree.
"So, what did you see?" she asked him.
Kevin looked her over from head to toe and frowned. Honestly he didn't really notice anything different about her. "Your body looked shiny." That was the only difference.
"Exactly." she pulled the necklace from her neck and tossed it to him. "Now absorb that." he did but the crystal was so small it only came up to his elbow. He couldn't really see the crystal on his arm but he felt it and saw his arm was glowing.
"No way." it suddenly clicked in his head.
"Looks like you figured it out," she walked towards him, one hand on her hip and the other touching his crystallized arm. "Crystals are like us, they absorb energy all the time. It's one reason why they never lose their shine. You're father actually taught me that."
Kevin blinked in surprise but still smiled. "My dad?"
Alona nodded, "He did, and because he did I was able to think of using the crystal to help me absorb energy. You see, I encase my body with the crystal. It's only a thin case since I can't absorb like you and my father but it's enough for me spread the energy I absorb around my body and use it against my enemies."
Kevin was amazed. "That's how you stay normal. You don't absorb it into your body. You absorb around it." he had never heard of anyone doing that before and in his mind it sounded a little farfetched but it obviously worked if Alona was still sane.
She nodded once again. "You bet," she moved two steps back. "Now it's time for you to try." she took the blaster away from him.
"You're going to have me absorb the energy form the blaster?" he gasped, not really sure of this plan.
"Actually we're going to have you absorb something a little less dangerous." A new voice joined them and Kevin was surprised to see who it was.
"Max?" Gwen and Ben's grandfather was here but he didn't know why.
"Hi, Kevin. I see Alona here has decided to share her secret with you." he held an amused smile on his face as he spoke to the teen.
"Wait! You know?" he thought no one else knew about this.
"Sort of. Alona never told me her secret. I just figured it out on my own when I was helping her train to become a Plumber." he answered.
"I needed someone who I could trust not to take advantage of me and be able to take me down if I went crazy and I remember your father saying how strong Max Tennyson was so I thought he was the best person to go to for help." Alona explained the next question she was sure Kevin was going to ask.
"Now that we have everything out in the open, I think it's time for you to get started," Max pulled out a blue containment ball from his front pocket and held it out for Kevin. "It has ball contains a small amount of raw energy. We want you to absorb and then fire it back out."
Kevin gulped, "All of it." his voice was low and he felt like he was going to have a panic attack.
"No, just until the crystal on your arm is full," Alona stepped closer, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll start you out slow and get more into it as the training goes on. Kevin, I promise you that we won't let anything happen to you. You're not alone on this. You're with family."
At her words, Kevin felt better. She was right. He was no longer alone, he had family and friends that cared about him and who he wanted to keep safe at all costs. "Alright, I got this." he put his hand on the blue ball and took in a deep breath just like Alona did. He calmed down his beating heart and with his powers absorbed the energy inside and felt it travel up his arm until he stopped it once the crystal he wore was full. "Whoa!" he gasped in amazement at how his arm was glowing and he could feel the power inside it but his mind was still clear.
"You did good." Alona commented with a wide grin. "Now release it back out and make sure you release all of it." he listened to her and with three blasts he knocked down most of the trees that were surrounding them. He felt great. He loved his power but knowing he could do more was amazing. "Is all the energy out of you?"
"Yeah, it's all gone." he felt it all go out of him when he fired the three blasts.
"You need to always do that when you use your energy powers," she suddenly got a serious look on her face and Kevin listened to every word. "If you absorb energy and then get rid of the crystal around your body while you still have energy in it than that power will go directly to your mind and it will cause you to go insane." he gulped, the thought of losing his mind did frighten him. "Remember all the energy you absorb has to be released before you stop using the crystal or else you will go crazy."
He understood the risks but he would make sure that never happened. "I get it. I need to be careful or else I lose it."
"Well if you understand than I think it's time we move on." Alona smiled. She was glad to see her cousin taking this so serious and doing well his new training. She had a feeling that this training session will be very interesting.