Hey guys! The month of December is finally upon us! That means it's time for Jade 10, and a particular moment you've all been waiting for! It's time to take a look into the first date of Jade and Ben! Before that, however, I have a slight announcement.

I have edited the details of this story to where Ben is now 13 years old instead of 12. To make things clear for Jade, she is 14 as it's the end of her series. This makes their relationship more believable and helps with the scenes we've seen of them. This change and this clarification felt necessary to improve the quality of the story. Now that we have that out of the way, let's answer some reviews!

Reader- I'm glad that you liked it! Ben was burnt pretty badly, and Jade definitely had the means to get justice for him. We're about to see how that date will pan out. Hopefully the fact I could only get one chapter out for Chan in Bellwood back in September wasn't too disappointing. Look forward to that story getting back on track as part of my New Years plan.

Inkaliber: Alright! I don't own Ben 10, Jackie Chan Adventures, or any other series that might appear. I do own original characters, concepts, creatures, and other such stuff unless stated otherwise. Action!

Voices

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

"YELLING!"

"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity talking."

"AUTHOR/GUEST/HIGH OR DEMONIC ENTITY YELLING!"

"Whispering."

"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity whispering."


Rust Bucket

Max hummed as he did some maintenance to the Rust Bucket, sighing as he wiped sweat from his brow. He had to make a stop in this town because the engine was giving him a worrying signal. Luckily, it was only the fuel sensor's wiring that was finicky. He found some other problems, however, thus leading to his position as he pushed some strange rods into their slots. He was thankful that he was finished as the door to the Rust Bucket opened, quickly shutting the hood as Ben ran out with a fearful look on his face.

"Grandpa!" cried the boy. "Help!" This outcry made the old man's face turn to a concerned frown as he wiped motor oil off his hands.

"What's wrong?" questioned the elder Tennyson. "Is your arm still bothering you after the burn healed up? I have some medicine if you need it. You'd need to eat something to help it go down though." Ben quickly shook his head in denial, his expression still displaying his fear.

"No! I don't have any clothes to wear for my date with Jade today! I only packed a few copies of this shirt, this pair of pants, some socks, my pajamas, and some swim trunks! Curse my inability to pick unique outfits!" This outburst caused Max to sigh in relief before putting a clean hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Now that's something I can deal with. What kind of restaurant are you thinking of taking her to?" Ben blushed at this question, rubbing his arm at the thought of this whole thing.

"We talked about it and we're gonna go to a small place called Costa Bread. It's not all that fancy but it's a nice first date place. We're gonna walk in the nearby park after that…" Max blinked a few times as he shook his head. He crossed his arms with a small smile.

"Bad idea." Ben blinked in surprise, shocked that the old man would interrupt him blatantly. "You never want to have a first date at a fast food restaurant like that. I can get us a reservation at PF Chang if you don't mind Mandarin. And yes, I do mean us as I have to chauffeur this date since neither of you are 16." Ben slowly nodded his head, a small smirk on his face.

"That sounds nice actually. I'd still need a way nicer outfit if we're going there. Anyway, after the park we're catching that new Jurassic World movie. The one with the Indoraptor in the trailers. We both thought it'd be cool to see."

Max nodded his head in understanding as Ben's blush grew a bit. "I may or may not have suggested it because the few romance movies Mom made me sit through growing up had girlfriends jump and hug the guy's arm when it comes to jump scare movies." This had the grandfather chuckle at his grandson as he nodded his head.

"I was young too, Ben. Admitting something like that is nothing to be embarrassed about. We'll stop by the nearby clothing store so that we can get you something to wear. Hopefully you'll also pick out some more everyday outfits." This has Ben chuckling, the boy nodding his head in embarrassment. The door to the Rust Bucket opened, Jade walking out with a small smile.

"Hey guys!" greeted the girl. "Is everything good with the engine now? I'm looking forward to getting to this date. I can already taste those sandwiches." Ben rubbed his arm as he looked down a bit.

"So it turns out Costa Bread is basically a fast food restaurant," revealed the boy. "Grandpa said he could get us a reservation at PF Chang if you'd like that instead." This actually had Jade grinning as she nervously chuckled.

"Awesome! It's been a while since I had Mandarin so I'm down for that. It's just that… I don't have anything nice enough for a restaurant like that right now. Jackie also has any money outside what I brought saved for emergencies."

She kicked her feet as she looked down. "I'd like to wear a Qipao if we're going to a nice place, but I left all of mine back in San Francisco. It'd be weird to go out to a nice place in what I've got right now." 'Especially since this is my first time going to one on a date.' She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up as Max sent her a smile.

"Don't worry about it," reassured the elder Tennyson. "Since I changed your plans so abruptly, I'll cover the charge on the qipao. Lucky for you the nearby Mega Mart has several stores, and I hear this one has a foreign apparel store. You kids should just focus on having a good first date, alright?" The daters smiled at each other shakily before nodding their heads.

'Easy for you to say,' thought the duo. Ben was just thankful that his telepathy didn't send this particular thought out for the others to hear. It didn't take long for Max to drive them to the promised mall, the group checking several apparel shops inside of it. While Ben had found exactly what he wanted to wear three stores into their search, Jade was having no such luck. The few stores that fit what she wanted just didn't have what she was looking for.

'This is a disaster!' cried Jade. 'Nothing works!' She was in the midst of another store, looking over a few qipaos. One of them was way too big while the other was so small that she felt it would give several wrong messages. She threw the outfits to the side as she harrumphed.

Time was running out for them to even prepare for the date, making her extremely antsy. She was so used to ordering her qipaos exactly how she liked them that she didn't even consider how hard the task of finding such a thing in store actually was. Ordering one was completely out the window as well, the shipping process taking a week or two on good days. She groaned as she leaned against a wall, pulling at her hair. "Why do clothes have to be so difficult!?"

She took a moment to breathe, knowing that this wouldn't fix anything. She had to think of something, and fast. She could just go for a dress, but this was a special occasion for her. It had to be perfect for her. Running out of options, she pulled out her phone.

She pressed on a caller ID as she brought the object to her ear. "Please be the one to answer. Jackie would be fine, but please pick up! Don't let it be…" Her call was answered as she heard a cry that she was hoping not to hear.

"Jade!" cried the voice of an elderly man. "It is good to hear from you! How are you? Is lucky rabbit's foot keeping away bad chi?" Jade gulped at all of these questions as she nodded her head.

"Uncle! Everything's good! Glad to hear you're doing good. Are Jackie and Viper there?" She heard a slight huff from the other side.

"Bah! You have no time to talk to Uncle!? Children these days never take time to appreciate their elders! Back in my day, we were taught to respect those older than us!" Jade waved her free hand dismissively as she tried to speed things a lot.

"I respect and appreciate you a lot, Uncle. I'm having a bit of an emotional crisis and I need one of them to help as it's personal. I promise I'll call you to talk later. Please?" She earned a sigh of resignation as she pulled the phone away from her ear.

"JACKIE! Jade has called over a great crisis! Sounds VERY important!" Jade pulled the phone back to her ear as she heard footsteps approaching. The feminine voice on the other end thanked Uncle, Jade smiling even though she knew that it definitely wasn't Jackie.

"Hey Jade," greeted a woman. "Jackie's at the museum appraising an artifact that was brought in. Figured I'd be adequate adult help. How's the trip going?" Jade grinned ear to ear as she stood up.

"Viper!" cheered the girl. "It's going great so far! It's like Talisman hunting all over again only without the mortal peril of ninjas. The Tennysons are awesome, especially Ben." She mentally kicked herself for mentioning the boy as Viper sent her an all-knowing hum.

"Well it sounds like you're very fond of this Ben kid. You'll have to introduce him to me at some point. Don't beat around the bush, Jade. What's going on?" Jade sat down on the couch as she did her best to keep her voice from betraying her.

"Well… there's this really important thing going on tonight. I'm talking really important, where I can't just wear my normal stuff. I really want to wear a qipao, but I can't find anything in my size at the stores and I left all my other ones at home. Not gonna lie, the whole thing is stressing me out so I was kind of hoping you'd be the one to answer as this is girl talk territory." This earned her a hum, the tone worrying her a bit as it sounded too knowing.

"What's the occasion? You sound desperate to present yourself at your best. If you're looking at qipaos then it's definitely not something like a concert. Anything you wanna tell me?" Jade sighed, knowing that Viper wouldn't let her get out of this.

"Can we please not do this now!? I only have an hour to find a proper qipao! I can't go out dressed like I'm going camping! That would totally ruin it!" She took a moment to breathe as Viper calmly lulled her into a better state.

"Easy, Jade. Yelling won't solve anything. I'm genuinely trying to help, but I need to know the situation before I can say anything. It sounds important, but if that's all I have to go on I could give you the wrong advice." Jade took another deep breath, doing her best not to panic further.

"W…well, let's say you have a very important day that you didn't think would happen until you were a lot older. Something that you want to go perfectly because it could determine your relationship with someone you really like for the rest of your life. Someone you… really don't want to lose. It's like… a date." This earned her a much longer hum than before, imagining the knowing look on the woman's face.

"So I take it I'll want to meet Ben much sooner than I thought. My little tomboy is finally wanting to look like a girl for once. I just wish it were here where I could see it happen. Tell me one thing, does he make you happy?" Jade didn't even have to think on this one as she played with her hair a bit.

"Yeah. He's the best. He doesn't treat me weirdly for being me, is incredibly sweet, and to be honest he makes me warm and fuzzy inside…" She cleared her throat in order to keep herself from adding ammunition to the fire. "The point is, I really want this to work, Viper." She only had to wait a second before she heard computer typing.

"I'm heading to a helpful search engine I used to use when I would plan my heists. And no, I'm not telling you what it's called. We both know you with knowledge like that is not a good combination. The call can give me a general lead on your location, but I need a target point." Jade nodded her head with a small but weary grin.

"Um… I'm in a Mega Mart, on the west side." She waited with bated breath as more typing was heard. A mimicry of Uncle's victory cry was stated calmly by Viper.

"Got it. The store on the other side of that area has something I know is exactly what you're looking for. The place is usually pricy, but you won't have to worry about that. When you get there, tell the clerk with the bald spot that 'Viper's calling in a favor.' He'll know what I'm talking about." Jade's nervousness didn't settle as she clicked her toes together a bit.

"What if he doesn't believe me? He might even call the cops." This had Viper chuckle at her concern.

"If you show him my number, he'll know. He can always call it if he's that stubborn. He and I go back, so as long as you don't cause trouble he should be fine to work with you. Otherwise, let's just say a leak here and there would really sink his ship." Jade began to smile, though her heart still pounded like crazy.

As if sensing this, Viper decided to continue. "And Jade, just relax. This is your first date, so stop worrying so much and have fun with it. If all you do is worry, then the whole thing is doomed to fail. If something goes wrong then don't take it too hard."

Jade felt her body begin to relax as the woman kept going. "Whether you and Ben keep going with this or not, there will always be more dates. You're still so young, so you should take the time to enjoy the moment and roll with what happens. If you need me, I'll always be a call away." The young girl nodded her head as her smile became even more sincere.

"Thanks Viper! This helped a lot." She heard a soft chuckle on the other side of the line.

"I'm glad it did. Now, I want details about everything that happens tonight. If you don't tell me, I might just make a visit and ask Ben myself. Maybe I can even find out what else you two have been up to…" Jade suddenly panicked again, both from fear of the woman finding out about the Omnitrix and from embarrassment at the implications she was setting.

"Well, I gotta go! Time's wasting! Bye!" Jade put her phone away before quickly running out of the store. She headed straight into the store Viper described, noticing a fair amount of expensive items lining the walls.

She looked around, hoping to find the man that fit the bill. She soon spotted a man that was balding, dressed much fancier than the other employees as he had a scepter with a ram head decal that he was using as a walking stick. Jade gulped, hoping that the man would at least be friendly as she approached. "Um… excuse me," The guy turned her way, a polite yet unreadable smile on his face.

"Helo, girl," greeted the man with a thick accent, his English sounding broken. "Are yu lozt? Were uhre eowr puhreentz?" Jade cleared her throat, quickly showing him Viper's number.

"Dúshé shuō tā shì lái bāngmáng de. Tā shuō nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ zhǎo yī jiàn hǎo de qípáo." (1) The man hummed as he looked over the number. He was about to say something when his own phone pinged him. He pulled it out, looking over a message before sounding his understanding.

"Chan Yu?" Jade did her best not to show her distaste for her original name as she bowed her head. The owner then put his phone away before bowing to her respectfully. "Zhè biān qǐng." (2) Jade nodded her head as she followed him.

She was surprised to find herself in the fitting room rather than doing a lengthy search through the store. The man immediately brought over a rolling rack with the exact size she needed. She could only guess that Viper sent him the measurements as he began to look through the selection. "Size and color, Miss Yu?" Jade blinked, surprised by how clearly he spoke.

"So you do speak clear English. Why talk like what you did earlier?" The man sent her a cheeky smirk.

"A test I give to most customers. Many people pretend to be genuine by learning Mandarin, though they lack the proper knowledge of our culture to sell the point. You not only spoke clearly and fluently, but also bowed your head in respect rather than nodding like a tourist. Another benefit of the test, which I learned in a different life, is how quickly one can dismiss a man who makes his knowledge of a language seem illiterate. If it were not for Viper's text, we would be having a lengthier conversation."

He cried out in annoyance as he immediately moved some qipaos to the other side of the rack, only to smile as he glanced her way again. "Now, I do believe I asked you a question." Jade adjusted her stance a bit as she bowed her head.

"Blue, with a purple flower pattern please." The man sounded his interest as he looked through his collection of apparel. He spun the qipaos around gently yet swiftly, as if he had done this hundreds of times before. He cried out in success as he found something. He pulled it off the rack, a metallic shine catching her eye at the holes of the qipao.

"One of my finest works. Usually priced highly, even for my usual customers. As this is a favor for an old friend, however, I am willing to part with it. So… what do you think?" Jade's eyes glittered as she carefully felt the fabric of the qipao.

"It's perfect."


Vilgax's Spaceship

Vilgax growled from inside the tank he was forced to recover in. The reason for his anger was that the Omnitrix had still eluded him. It had been a while since he last sent a drone to collect the device, the power to his ship nearly ceasing to where all hands needed to be on deck. The more distractions that popped up, the angrier he became. One of his crewmen walked over with a floating, holographic keyboard and screen in front of him.

"Sir, the power supply has been stabilized," revealed the smaller alien. "The drones are ready for deployment at your command." Vilgax's growl of annoyance shook the acrylic of his tank.

"Finally!" roared the warlord. "Perform a planetary sweep! I want the Omnitrix found, now! I will remove the head of anything that gets in my way!" His servant nodded before typing in the command, hoping to find the sought out device quickly.


Rust Bucket

Ben hummed to himself as he washed up in the bathroom. He had kept his hygiene up due to Jade being around, but this time he really needed a deep clean. He swore he never thought he'd be going this far over a girl. Then again, Jade wasn't just any girl. She was his girlfriend, the very fact making him want to do his best to keep her.

He scrubbed everything thoroughly, even the small mole on his back. He finally finished as he shut off the shower. He dried as quickly as he could, resisting the urge to sing in case Jade was waiting outside. Ben was not willing to embarrass himself with bad singing on this day. The boy grunted as he worked on getting his outfit put on, finishing up with his shoes.

He stood up in order to get a better look at himself, thankful that the steam of the shower didn't get through his outfit bag. He was wearing a light gray polo with black buttons, a nice pair of blue jeans, a black belt with a silver buckle, and a new pair of red sneakers. His amulet shined through his shirt a bit as he tried to calm himself. The boy smiled as he moved some of his freshly cleaned hair away from his forehead. A knock at the bathroom door caught his attention as he turned towards it.

"Don't waste all the hot water, Ben!" cried Max. "Jade could be back any minute!" The boy nodded his head as he threw his dirty clothes in the bag. He walked out of the bathroom, making sure to leave the fan on so the steam would die down.

"I just finished, actually," revealed the boy. He tossed the bag towards an empty clothes hamper, sticking the landing as it plopped inside the basket. He watched as his grandfather nodded his head in approval.

"You look nice. Jade's gonna love it." Ben blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. The door to the Rustbucket suddenly slammed open, causing the Tennyson duo to jerk. Jade huffed as she shut the door behind her, the bag in her hand immediately catching her companions' attention.

"I'm running late!" cried the girl. She took a minute to look at Ben as her face softened a bit. "Wow. You look nice." Ben smiled as he nodded his head.

"Thanks!" cheered the boy. "We lost you in the mall, but I convinced Grandpa that you could take care of any creeps with the Omnitrix. You got back right on time with 20 minutes to…" Jade's expression turned from attracted to frightened as she grabbed the side of her head.

"20 MINUTES!? THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME!" The girl gently put the qipao bag on the couch before making her way towards the bathroom, immediately taking off her jacket as she kicked off her shoes. "Scuse me Handsome!"

Ben blushed as he moved to the side, watching as Jade practically forced the bathroom door open. She didn't even wait for the door to shut as she began to take off her shirt. Her boyfriend nearly got a glimpse of her bra before the door shut behind her. Ben's whole body went red as a tomato as he tried to think of anything other than what he just saw. He failed miserably as Max chuckled at the boy's flustered expression.

The sound of knocking on the other side of the bathroom door caught the duo's attention. She opened the door as she used her shirt as a screen to cover herself, making Ben's expression even worse as he was actually gaping. "Get the RV moving Max! We're gonna be late!" The old man crossed his arms as he sent Jade an apologetic look.

"Jade, I told you a few hours for shopping," revealed Max. "You have more than enough time to take a shower as we still have an hour. I can still start heading there if you want." Jade blinked multiple times, her shirt starting to slide a bit. She suddenly slammed the door before letting loose a loud shout, followed by stomping that caused some cups on the table to shake and clatter.

Max sighed with a small smile as he placed his hands on his bumbling grandson's shoulders. "Sit down while I drive, Ben." The boy made no objection as his grandfather sat him down on the opposite side of the couch from Jade's qipao. Max walked towards the driver's seat, sitting down as he let loose another sigh. "Now I'm glad both my kids were sons."

The drive to the restaurant wasn't long, double the 20 minutes that Jade had left. The girl could be heard slipping and crying out in pain from ramming against the shower walls, those moments being times when Max was forced to take a turn rather sharply. The reason for their almost leisurely ride was the very fact that Jade was still in the shower. If she had waited until he got there to start showering, she would have had a much more pleasant experience. As soon as Max parked, Jade opened the bathroom door while wearing nothing but a fluffy blue robe.

"Would it have killed you to take those turns a little slower!? I fell over so many times that I swear it could have killed me!" Max shook his head with a small frown.

"If you would have waited I could have gotten here much faster and given you time to shower while here." Jade only huffed as she stomped over towards her qipao, grabbing the bag as she walked over to the bed area. Ben finally was able to escape his mind as he scooted to the other side of the couch, allowing Jade to more easily slide the large curtain shut. He took a moment to breathe as he decided to cope with the thoughts that now lived rent free in his head. Jade poked her head out faster than the boy would have expected, showing off an upper bra strap.

"Can someone look through my bag for some of my makeup, please? I think I left the color I wanted to use at home, which would really suck." Ben popped up like he was ready to help, only for Max to speed walk past him with a serious face. The boy harrumphed as he crossed his arms, looking down at the floor.

'I can look for makeup,' thought the boy. 'What did he think I was gonna do? Jade was just in her… undies…' Ben's blush returned as his mind caught up with what could have happened. He quickly ran to the kitchen sink as he splashed cold water in his face.

He had to dry his hair a bit again, but he decided that would be better than looking like a tomato on his first date. He also took a moment to breathe so that a rather different situation wouldn't pop up. He dried his face off and made an effort to use the ceiling vent to dry off his wet hair. As he finally got the image he was receiving out of his head, a headache reared its ugly head.

Flashes of memories he couldn't recognize filled his head as if they were his own. He finally got them to stop as he took a few deep breaths. He did so just in time too as, in the midst of his episode, he heard shuffling from Jade. "Okay. I'm ready!" Ben immediately stood at attention as the curtain was pulled away.

Sparkles appeared in the boy's eyes as he drank in his girlfriend's appearance. She had pulled her hair back into a bun, her bangs framing her face. She was wearing a blue qipao with a purple floral pattern to it, a metallic silver edging at the bottom of it and the sleeve holes. It was accompanied by a pair of black leggings, white heeled sandals with fake blue flowers on them, and a white purse. A closer inspection showed that she also was able to apply a teal lipstick to her lips.

She held her hands in front of her in a traditional manner out of nervousness, her head tilted down as she glanced up at Ben's face. "So… what's the verdict?" Her nervousness proved to be unfounded as Ben took a few steps closer to her.

"Beautiful," Both lovebirds blushed at his words, but he didn't let up as he took her hands in his. "Worth every moment of waiting." Jade smiled longingly as she nodded her head. Max looked at his phone to check the time, smiling a bit.

"And with three minutes to spare," stated the man. "Let's head on over." This news had Jade sigh as she rubbed her arm.

"It's not really what I wanted because I couldn't find the rest of the makeup I was hoping to use. I wanted to remind you guys that I'm a girl and can look nice. Without the rest of the makeup it just doesn't work." Her chin was tilted upward and moved over a bit by Ben. The grin he gave her had a soothing effect on her, similar to what the boy himself would feel when she'd touch him during his anger.

"I mean, you're already perfect in my book," admitted the mystical hero. "You impress me without makeup every day." Jade smiled as she rubbed her boyfriend's hand.

"You're sweet, Ben, but I still would have liked to wear makeup today. I guess I'll just have to be more prepared next time." Ben nodded his head, his grin turning into a soft smile. A camera shutter caused the duo to separate, Max chuckling as he had his phone in one hand while the other was rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, but I need pictures or else Ben's mother won't let me hear the end of it," revealed the old man. "Please try to smile as I'll be sending this one out to some other family members. And yes, Jade, I'll be sending pictures back to San Francisco too." The kids gulped at the fact that almost every important person in their lives would know about this, only to hold each other's hand. The group immediately made their way outside, Max locking the door behind them.

As the trio walked towards the restaurant, Max found two more times to snap a quick photo. He did his best not to make it too obvious so that Ben and Jade could enjoy this moment together. Thankfully, they seemed to be in a bit of a trance as they acted like there was no one else in the world around them. Ben looked towards Jade with a small smile, the girl returning the expression. Upon reaching the front door of the restaurant, Ben immediately released Jade so that he could open it.

"After you," offered the boy. Max immediately took another picture, catching his grandson's smile just before he received a frown. Jade bowed politely to her boyfriend, bringing about his smile once again.

"Why thank you," thanked the young Chan. She walked into the building, Ben following closely behind. This left Max having to stop the door from closing, chuckling as he realized he deserved that. He followed behind so that he could check the group in. As the door closed behind them, some construction workers were working on a large billboard.

An olive skinned man let loose a sigh of relief as he wiped sweat from his brow. He had just gotten the tether to keep the sign in place set up, the cord looking stable enough to him. He was about to do a quick check when a red haired worker walked over with sub sandwiches.

"Alright!" cried the redhead. "Who's hungry!? I got subs!" An Asian man abandoned his post in order to acquire one of the sandwiches, a grin on his face. The man by the cable smacked his lips as he stood up from his crouched position. He quickly ran over to his companions as he waved his arms.

"Hey!" cried the man. "Don't touch my sandwich!" As he left, the wires of the cord began to fray and snap.


Uncle's Rare Finds, San Francisco

Jackie sighed in relief as he walked into the shop, having his back to the door as he sighed. He had a rather long day at the museum, especially when the sword they brought in was cursed to duel whoever pulled it from its scabbard. Even when Jade was on trip, magic haunted him every week it seemed. He was grateful that he only received minor cuts before he was able to put the blade back where it belonged. Long story short, the sword was now under lock and key in the safety of Section 13's vault.

"Uncle!" cried Jackie. "I'm back!" He walked further into the shop. He looked around, confused as he heard nothing. "Uncle?" A shadow walked up behind him, totally covering him.

"Welcome home," greeted a deep voice. Jackie turned around with a sudden cry, only to sigh in relief as he saw a large Japanese man wearing what appeared to be a wizard's robes. "Sorry, Jackie." Jackie patted at his own chest a few times to slow his beating heart. He nodded his head towards the big man.

"It's okay, Tohru. Have you seen Uncle?" The large man shook his head in denial.

"Sensei said that he was going to the market. He won't be back for a while." Jackie nodded his head as he began to make his way upstairs. "One more thing…" Jackie did his best not to groan as he turned towards the big man.

"Whatever Uncle needs, I will take care of it tomorrow. Please let me shower and get some rest." Tohru bowed his head politely before walking into the back of the shop. Satisfied with his success, Jackie made his way upstairs. His shower was rather lengthy as he also had to deal with cleaning where the sword cut him.

He walked into his room in a blue robe, planning to change into his pajamas. He only just entered the room when he noticed someone sitting in front of his vanity. His eyes widened as he recognized the woman. "Viper!?" The woman chuckled as she looked at him through the reflection, still combing her hair.

"Long day at the Museum, Mr. Chan~?" greeted the woman playfully. She had tan skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. She was currently wearing a yellow silk robe, the sash holding it in place and the accents being green. "I expected you would be back sooner." Jackie couldn't help but chuckle in embarrassment.

"Magic sword trap. Section 13 had to buy it from the museum so no one could pull it out again." Viper smirked as she stood up from her seat, making Jackie blush as she revealed how short her robe was. "...Did it get shorter?" The woman rolled her eyes as she grabbed her phone from the vanity desk.

"We can 'talk' swords and scabbards all night. Before that, I've got quite the gem for you. Exclusive pictures a mutual friend stole away. Straight from Jade's date." Jackie scoffed as he pointed upwards with his eyes closed.

"Viper, we agreed no more…" Jackie suddenly paused as his eyes opened wide. "JADE IS ON A DATE!?"


Meanwhile

Jade and Ben sat across from each other at the table, Max sitting a few tables away and out of view as he tried not to interrupt. The duo were quiet after the server took their orders. Thankfully they were able to quickly find different topics to talk about. In a sense it was similar to their normal conversations, but it was clear they were working up to more relationship based talks. Their orders arrived only a few moments ago, the kids having paused their conversation to dig in.

The duo would sometimes steal glances at each other, as if trying to find something new to say. Jade seemed to have something as she slurped up a lo mein noodle. She smiled as she watched Ben chew on his own meal.

"So Ben, I know we've been traveling together, but have you been enjoying the trip?" questioned the girl. "You know, with ALL things considered, it has to be different than last time." Ben chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

"All things considered, it's been the best Summer of my life," revealed the mystical boy. "I might have lost something along the way, but I wouldn't trade what I have now for what I had then. I'm still on the road, still seeing the world, still kicking butt as a hero… But now I have something greater than all of that." This had Jade smirk cheekily as she leaned forwards a bit, her hands on the table.

"Oh yeah, Mr. Hero? What?" Ben smirked as he made a fake air of vanity as he held his hand up like he had a wine glass.

"Golden Sumo Slammer card, kung fu skills…" He then dropped his playfulness as he placed his hands on top of those of his date. "And I got the greatest girlfriend in the world to top it all off. No Summer vacation can beat that." Jade blushed as she looked down at the table, trying not to say something embarrassing. Her smile turned into a frown as her mind went back to when the clerk called her by her birth name.

Ben immediately noticed this and leaned even closer to his date. "Hey, what's wrong?" Jade sighed in response to the question, feeling a sense of safety in her guy's grasp.

"I… I'm not the greatest in the world. You're sweet for saying that, but there's probably someone better here in the US for you. Meanwhile, I'm here as part of the last Summer where I'm even allowed to live here. I have to go back to Hong Kong to do school there, and now I'm even more worried about the Omnitrix being there. China is known for people disappearing, either for the government not liking you or because you have something they want. I just so happen to fall into the latter of the two."

Jade had basically forgotten that Max was there at this point, the man growling as he clenched his fist. He had thought about this himself ever since Jade had gotten her hands in the device. If there were anyone within hearing range of this conversation he would have stopped it to take her outside. He watched as Ben tilted his head, the boy seeming to think of something. The boy gently squeezed Jade's hands to get her to look up at him again.

"Why not stay here then? I'm sure your uncle Jackie could take care of you." Ben suddenly kicked himself, though he wasn't sure why. It was as if he knew the answer, but he couldn't recall why. Jade chuckled as if he said a hilarious joke, her face displaying that her humor was passive aggressive.

"You really haven't left America before, have you? There's no freedom in China, Ben. The concept is thrown in a blender and fed to the pigs. My only escape would be when I'm 18 and can get a work visa. At least, that's the easiest way to do it."

Jade placed her hand on her chest as she looked down again. "Until then, girls like me are bound to obey their fathers and one day their husbands. Even then the government can break off any marriage I have if they don't like it. It's how things work in China. If I could be free to go wherever I want like you can, I'd jump at the chance."

Realizing how she sounded right now, and now thankful that she didn't put on much makeup, Jade rubbed away at the tears she only now realized she was unleashing. "I'm sorry. I ruined everything before we even got to the movie." Ben grabbed at her hands to stop her from doing anything else, his grip soft yet firm. The look he was giving her was not one that a young boy would give out.

"Jade, stop." Ben's voice was a bit deeper, his amulet glowing as a soothing green wave washed over Jade. "It's not your fault that your home country is messed up. Sometimes it's easy to forget that freedom isn't a thing outside of the United States. Never, ever let them detract from the value you have to me."

He brought her hands across the table to his chest, allowing her to feel his heartbeat. "You ARE the most perfect young woman on this earth. I can't see a world without you in it, because that world would be a dark place." Both Jade and Max were surprised by how Ben was sounding at this moment. The Chinese girl looked away as she huffed, a small smile on her face.

"Now you're just being cheesy. Still, you deserve someone you know you can be with." Ben began to feel words come into his head that felt so unusual yet so natural at the same time as he leaned forward.

"Jade Chan, look at me." His girlfriend did as requested as she saw the serious look in the boy's eyes. It was like looking at a completely different person, but someone she still recognized as Ben. "I swear we'll find a way to make this work, even if we have to run away and never look back. When the two of us work together, no power in the universe will ever tear us apart."

Max's concern grew even more as he leaned forward in his seat. Ben was making promises the old man didn't think he could keep. That was a dangerous game to play in the real world. However, the scary part was that the boy's commanding presence made him feel like his grandson could actually do it. Jade felt her heart skip a few beats as she began to lean closer to her boyfriend, her food pushed to the side.

"You're making a lot of promises, Ben. Where'd you get those ideas?" Ben was about to answer, only to blush as he realized how close Jade was getting. It was like whatever part of him came out was forced to slink back as a childish naivety overtook him. He leaned forward a bit himself as he went through the motions.

"I have no idea." Max began to stand up as he realized what was about to happen. Fate decided to beat him to it, however, as a notification chimed throughout the restaurant. Jade and Ben suddenly sat back down in their seats, shocked by what almost happened. Another chime revealed that the noise came from Jade's purse. She pulled her phone out, reading the title before chuckling nervously.

"Um… I better check this. Viper wouldn't text in the middle of our date if it wasn't important so… Do you mind if I…?" Ben quickly waved dismissively at Jade as he nodded with a nervous grin.

"Yeah! I'll be here. Don't worry." Jade quickly stood up from her seat as she walked towards the women's' restroom. Ben suddenly grabbed at his head as his elbows hit the table.

He did his best not to vocalize his scream as he stared down at his bowl. 'What just happened!?' Suddenly, he heard the older voice that he used with Jade scream in his head as if it were trying to fight its way to the surface. Flashes of events he never knew coursed through his head yet again, feeling as if he was experiencing them in rapid succession. He finally got a chance to breathe and make the flashes stop as his grandfather shook him.

"Ben!" cried the elder Tennyson. "Ben! Talk to me! Are you okay!?" Ben blinked multiple times as some of the flashes remained, shaking his head to get back on track.

"I… I think so. I just had a massive headache all of a sudden." The boy couldn't help but moan as he rubbed his hands in his face. "What did I do?" Max decided to answer as he rubbed his grandson's shoulder.

"You started making promises you couldn't keep, dangerous ones. What you said was something I never thought would come out of your mouth. Ben, I think you need to take a step back and remember that you and Jade are still very much human. You're still bound by human laws and you can't just put ideas into her head like that." Ben removed his hands from his face as he looked at the table.

"I know, Grandpa. It's just… I couldn't stand seeing her like that. Lowering herself into the dirt, making herself seem like she didn't have any hope, and the tears. I… I couldn't take it. It was like a part of me was dying just sitting there and listening to her try to make herself less than human!" Max sighed as he slightly turned his grandson towards him.

"Ben, I understand what you mean. If you keep saying things like that in public, none of us would be able to let you visit her in Hong Kong. They can make you disappear just as easily as they can Jade. You have to think about these kinds of things before running your mouth." Ben took a few moments to breathe again, feeling a similar feeling to what he was going through earlier.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I didn't mean to scare you or potentially hurt Jade. I understand that, even in our free world, words can be a double edged sword. I need you to understand something just as much as you need me to understand this." Ben placed the same firm hand on Max, only this time no green waves flew out.

Max still couldn't tell if this deep voice mentality was a good thing for Ben as the boy looked into his eyes. "I won't take back a single word I said. I will find a way to save her, no matter what they throw at me. She's become an important part of my life and to see her like that really does kill part of me. I… I love her. You have to understand what it means to love someone so much that your own safety means nothing if they're in pain."

Max winced as he closed his eyes, knowing exactly the pain that the boy was talking about. He wasn't sure if Ben even fully comprehended what love even meant in its entirety, but the boy spoke with assurance of someone actually growing into a young man. The old man released his grandson as he crossed his arms.

"We'll… talk about this later. Also, if you try to kiss her again, I'm ending this date and we're going straight back to the RV." Ben nodded his head, as if an understanding had been reached. Max took a deep breath as he walked outside, needing fresh air. Ben quickly felt the headache return, only this time it wasn't as bad as before.

Jade took a few minutes in the bathroom to breathe, having similar thoughts to Ben about what had just happened between them. She had to prop herself on one of the sinks as she tried to calm down, blushing at how Viper unknowingly caught them in the moment. Finally having some semblance of control over herself, she immediately opened her text app to see what was going on. Her face paled as she saw a picture of Jackie doing a similar breathing activity at the vanity table. Before it was an emoji of a thinking man, though that did nothing to ease Jade's nerves.

"Aw man!" cried the girl. "She actually told him! I was afraid he'd react like that!" She quickly noticed the repeating three dots, a sign that either meant dread or salvation. Jade finally got a moment of relief as the symbol gave way to a thumbs up emoji.

Another text came in immediately after, Jade deciding to read it. "'He's taking it pretty well. Enjoy the honeymoon period.' Honeymoon period?" Jade didn't entirely know what that meant, but she had a feeling she should take Viper's words seriously.

Finally having enough time to breathe, Jade walked outside of the restroom. She was about to go back to her and Ben's table, only for the sound of a scream to catch her attention. The signboard the construction workers were setting up began to jerk forwards as the sound of creaking metal grew louder. The men themselves could only watch in terror as the work they did began to come undone. Max ran back into the building, immediately locking eyes with Jade.

Realizing what she had to do, the girl ran back into the bathroom. A flash of orange light escaped the frame of the door before Cheetahgirl bolted out of the entire building. She immediately began to remove people from the impact area as the sign grew closer and closer to falling. She finally grabbed hold of the last person as the board finally began to fall at high speed. The hero moved faster than before, getting away with the civilian just in time as the object crashed into the ground and sent debris flying everywhere.

She took a few moments to breathe deeply, quickly running away as she heard the sound of police sirens. Seeing as she couldn't go back into the restaurant without drawing attention to herself, she ran through a few alleys before ending up at the back of the restaurant. She took a few more breaths, the rush of the moment causing her blood to pump. She looked around to make sure no one was around before slumping to the ground. A trashcan was suddenly knocked over by something she couldn't see, causing her to jump to her feet as she held up her hands defensively.

"Jade!" cried the voice of Ben. He became visible as he was revealed to be in his Komodo armor. Cheetahgirl sighed as she began to mimic Jackie's chest patting habit.

"Don't scare me like that," requested the alien. "I almost mistook you for a…" She suddenly tapped the Omnitrix in just the right way, causing another flash to go off. Ben removed his arms from his face as the armor subsided, only to gawk in surprise as Jade was now back to her normal self. He suddenly facepalmed as he groaned.

"Please don't be mad, but I genuinely forgot that the watch could do that. Granted, I only saw it happen once and never thought to figure out how it works." Jade slowly looked his way with a glare, only to sigh as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"You're lucky that you're handsome and adorable." Silence passed over the duo as they thought over everything that happened in the restaurant. Their thoughts were interrupted as Max ran into view.

"There you kids are," huffed the old man. "I just finished paying the bill and heard a noise back here." He noticed how far apart they were, nodding with a small smile before turning towards Jade. "You're getting faster. Good work out there." Jade blushed with a smile as she rubbed her arm.

"Thanks." The girl then turned towards Ben as she sent him a soft smile. "There's still time for our walk in the park before the movie, Ben. Now that we know the watch can be timed out early, maybe we can keep going." She watched her boyfriend smile before he nodded his head. The duo followed Max in order to get back on track, unaware that the three construction workers were getting yelled at by the foreman on the rooftops above.


Vilgax's Ship

The servant of Vilgax was checking the signal as ordered, never taking his eyes away from the screen. He had to be ready for any eventuality, lest he face his master's wrath. Suddenly a marker appeared on his screen as it pinpointed a location, quickly blipping away as soon as it arrived. He triangulated the radius of the area before running to the med bay. Vilgax's eyes opened as the smaller alien returned to him.

"An Omnitrix signature has been located, Lord Vilgax," informed the servant. "It was rather quick to disappear, but we have a general search apparatus." The growl of the alien warlord permeated the healing tank as his eyes widened.

"The Earthling is learning to use MY Omnitrix!" roared Vilgax. "It must be stopped before it can truly comprehend the Omnitrix's immense power! Send 12 scout drones to Earth! Bring me MY Omnitrix!" The servant looked concerned as he tilted his head.

"Sire, this would see the ship repairs delayed by some time. Might I advise…" Vilgax slammed his good hand against the acrylic, causing it to bulge from the force.

"Silence! When I say 12, I mean all 12!" The servant knew better than to push any further as he made the call. Exactly 12 of the drones left their place in ship repairs as they flew down towards earth. The machines burned up a bit as they began to encounter the atmosphere.


Meanwhile

The park was rather quiet at this time of day, people mainly filtering out in order to get home. Ben and Jade walked along the path, Max keeping a safe yet respectful distance behind them. He trusted Ben, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the moment at the restaurant gave him. He quickly saw them slow down a bit, mostly Jade as she pulled Ben to match her speed. The girl looked up at her boyfriend with a small smile.

"Hey, Ben?" questioned the young Chan. "About what happened at the restaurant, thanks for trying to cheer me up. You kinda have me worried with what you said, but it was sweet." Ben winced, reminded of what he did. He rubbed the back of his head as he sighed.

"Sorry," apologized the boy. "I just… couldn't let you look down on yourself. I'll try to be better." This earned him a small nod from Jade as she hugged against his arm. The boy blushed at the close proximity, only for the sound of screaming to catch their attention.

Ben growled as his eyes began to glow slightly. "Oh come on! What!? Can no one put up signs in this… town?" His eyes widened as he saw the drones Vilgax sent swarming through the city, Jade sharing his expression as she let go of his arm.

"It's those bots again! They're tearing up downtown!" Jade looked towards Ben, a serious look on her face. "Looks like we're missing that movie." Ben growled as armor began to form over his head, only for Max to put his hands on both kids' shoulders.

"Wait," requested the old man. The daters looked at him, confused as to what was going on. Max could only sigh as he shook his head. "Lead them away from the city. I have a hunch their attacks aren't random."

The duo nodded their heads as Max released them. "Just please, be careful." Ben smirked as he nodded his head.

"I'll have her home in time for dinner," joked the boy. Max smiled, happy to see the Ben he knew pop up again. Jade turned the dial on the Omnitrix before transforming into Ice Empress. As she did this, Ben called upon the armor based on Zon as he flapped his arms like wings. The duo took off into the air, gliding towards the danger.

At the attack site, the drones began to tear things apart in their search for the Omnitrix. Originally beginning with subtle scans, they now determined property damage was the best course of action. One of them crashed into a motorcycle, taking in a few of its parts as it created a makeshift flamethrower. It aimed the weapon at some nearby people, only for a large rock to crush it.

The crash caused all of the drones to stop in their tracks, turning towards the origin of the assault. Ben flapped his wings in order to stay in the air as he glared through his pterosaur helm construct. "Hey loser bots! Come and pick on something your own size!" One of them was sent to comply with the declaration, preparing to hit the boy with a device similar to a blowtorch.

It suddenly cooled rapidly as its shell began to ice over. Ice Empress suddenly floated out from its form as the machine hurtled towards the ground. It shattered upon impact, leaving bits of frozen metal everywhere. The drones suddenly honed in on the Omnitrix, their red lights focusing tremendously. The alien hero wagged her finger in the air as she floated backwards.

"You want it?" questioned the ice moth. "Come get it." This time only five drones refrained from attacking as the rest launched forwards. The duo scattered in order to separate the load they had to deal with. They both flew around as they made the drones scrape against buildings.

Ice Empress soon got her group into an abandoned parking garage, leading them inside. She continued onward before disappearing from view. The drones tried to locate her, forced to scan once again. They didn't have to look far as one of them froze completely. Water droplets hit the others, causing them to look up as ice stalactites were formed on the ceiling.

Ice Empress became visible again as she kicked at the ice with her usual battle cry. The machines didn't have the chance to escape as the spikes pierced through them, causing them to explode as the heroine flew away. "Next time, wear a coat." She continued on her way as she tried to locate Ben.

Speaking of, Ben was soaring around at speeds he could never reach when he used the Omnitrix. He couldn't help but cheer as he performed a loop de loop in spite of his situation. The two drones began to catch up with him, trying to determine what he was. He took that moment to loop around, straightening his body as he fell straight between the machines.

"Too slow!" The drones turned as they opened fire on him, only for the boy to open his wings. He used the momentum to curve back up into the air, dodging the attacks. "You're not even trying! At this rate we'll be done in time for…"

Ben turned to do his dive only to scream as he saw one of the drones zooming towards him. He tried to change direction and dodge, but the momentum was too great. His feet faced the drone as the talons were ready to strike. With a strong flap he actually braced himself as he stopped the drone in its tracks, the leg constructs only cracking slightly. Instincts had his claws clamp down, crushing the metal of the drone and destroying its camera.

Ben blinked multiple times in surprise, only to quickly notice that the other drone was approaching at the same speed. He smiled as he flew around with the damaged drone, finding the right momentum before flinging it at its companion. The enemy couldn't stop in its tracks as it collided with its ally, the two of them crushing from the impact before exploding. "Home run!"

The boy flew back towards his companion, smiling as he met up with her over a smaller park. "Looks like that's all of them." Ice Empress hummed in delight as she nodded her head.

"Nice work. I took the other three down. How'd you take out the other six?" Ben blinked multiple times, quickly realizing something. He slowly tilted his head in order to display his confusion and concern.

"…I thought the rest were chasing you. I only fought two." Ice Empress quickly began to realize what her partner did as she slowly turned around. The last six drones floated in place, as if they were analyzing the duo in combat. Five of the machines flew to the sixth one, the whole group looking like they were tearing each other apart.

The heroes looked on in shock as the drones merged into one super drone, several cameras pointing in different directions. Many weapons were aimed at the duo, Ben growling in anger. "Move!" He and Jade flew high into the air, drawing the fire away from the city below. They did their best to maneuver around the attacks, having a few close calls from time to time.

Ice Empress finally found an opening when one of the guns went on cooldown, diving through the weapon while intangible. She continued to fly around the insides of the drone as the machine began to freeze over. She would have went through the entire thing, only for a familiar jingle to fill the air.

"Already!? No!" She quickly flew out of the drone, trying to get to the ground as quickly as possible. One of the guns aimed down at her as she neared her target. Ben growled as he was high above the machine, seeing what was about to happen.

In his head he saw the male version of Zon again, only this time it dived quickly as an energy surrounded it. He returned to his senses as he heard the sound of charging energy from the drone. The boy flapped to where he'd fly down as fast as possible, a shining green energy surrounding him. The speed of his fall made a loud screeching noise that the drone could not ignore. The machine turned its weapons up towards the boy, quickly gathering as much data as possible.

"SONIC WING!" He spread his wings out, the energy created a hardened point along the front edge. He blitzed along the side of the machine, a massive pressure wave following as the weapons and shell on that side were sliced off. Ben flew around like this a few more times, cutting more and more away from the machine. He finally zoomed away as every severed piece exploded in fiery energy.

Ice Empress looked up when the attack started, watching everything go down faster than she could blink. She slowed down too soon, however, as she turned back into Jade. The girl cried out in fear as she tried to keep her qipao from flying upwards from the fall. She braced herself for a painful impact, only for something to grab her arms and slow her descent. "Next time don't dive without a parachute, Miss Chan."

Jade smiled as she looked up, watching as Ben flew her through the air with extremely cracked armor. The boy returned to the park, gently placing his girlfriend on the ground before flapping away from her. His armor suddenly shattered, sending him falling towards the ground. He cried out in shock, only to thankfully land on his feet without causing much damage. He began to laugh in relief, only for Jade to hug him from behind.

"That was awesome!" cheered the young Chan. Ben chuckled as he turned around in her grasp, returning the gesture. Jade looked up at her guy with an intrigued smile. "How'd you do that by the way, the wing thing?" Ben thought over his answer as he bobbed his head back and forth.

"I guess I'm just figuring out all kinds of cool magic powers. As long as it keeps you safe, I don't care." The mystical hero watched his girlfriend's smile turn into a loving one as she leaned a bit closer.

"Well I only have one thing to say to that." Ben's eyes widened as Jade's lips grew closer to him. He was about to try and stop the moment, only for her to thankfully plant the kiss on his cheek. She remained there for a bit before pulling back. "Remember, no lips on the first date."

This made Ben chuckle in relief before he returned the gesture upon Jade's forehead. They remained in each other's embrace as the Rust Bucket came to a stop beside them. Max stepped out, smiling as the kids looked his way.

"Nice work," complimented the old man. "As little damage as possible. I know the movie's a lost cause, but there's always an arcade." The daters separated as they looked rather tired. Ben smiled as he shook his head:

"I think we're a little too tired to run around an arcade," guessed the boy. "I think I have a better idea." Max hummed at this declaration, wondering what his grandson had in mind.


Vilgax's Spaceship

Vilgax roared in fury as he once again slammed his good arm against the wall of the healing tank. There was a fury in his eyes that made his servant bow his head further in terror. Very few could elicit the wrath of the warlord, yet the wielder of the Omnitrix had done so rather easily. Vilgax's growls filled the ship as his hand clenched at nothing. The villain looked towards his servant, hatred still present in his eyes.

"How!?" roared the squid being. "How could 12 drones lose to a single Earthling!? This is an outrage, even with the Omnitrix in his possession!" The warlord could do nothing more than take deep breaths as he had no means to unleash his violence without worsening his condition. His servant hurriedly brought up the holographic screen, turning it to face his master the proper way.

"In spite of the drones' failure, Master, we were able to gather important intel," revealed the smaller alien. The first image displayed Ice Empress to the warlord. "The subject is female, as depicted by the Necrofriggian form. Also, the female was not alone. The enemy was assisted by an unknown creature."

The image was then swapped for one of Ben in the midst of his newly dubbed Sonic Wing attack. Vilgax's eyes narrowed, hissing at this new annoyance. He released the tension in his fist as he looked towards his flunky.

"Gather as much data on this creature as possible! Nothing can be allowed to stand in my way without being crushed beneath my heel!" The servant bowed before leaving his master to rest.


Rust Bucket

Hours Later

A monstrous roar filled the air as the movie played on the tv. Ben had decided that a good way to end his and Jade's date was to watch the previous Jurassic World movie in the Rust Bucket, meaning it'd just be them and Max the rest of the night. It turned out to be the right call, popcorn being flung back and forth over the course of the film. Max smiled as he parked the RV at the next rest area, surprised that the laughter had stopped. He looked back at the kids, only to grin as he saw them asleep in their spot.

Jade had cuddled up to Ben, smiling as she nestled her head into his neck. The boy held her in kind, his head resting on hers. Max felt like a young father again, imagining both of his own sons in similar positions with past dates. He stood up as he grabbed a blanket from nearby. He covered the daters up in the sheet, taking one more picture to end the night.

A thought crossed his mind as he saw Ben's expression change slightly. The memory of what the boy said at the restaurant made him frown. He stepped outside, still thinking about what to do. One thing that was constant within the Tennyson household was that they never joked about promises. His grandson made it clear he was following that tradition.

If Max was entirely honest with himself, he sympathized with Jade's situation. Throughout his long career, he had seen people in the same legal situation as her. At the time he wanted to help them but didn't have the power to do anything. With how important Jade had become to Ben, Max had to do something. If he didn't, he knew the kids would find themselves in a worse situation.

The man sighed as he rubbed his temples, silently praying for a simple solution. He slowly removed his hand from his face, the thought of his prior work returning to his mind. Jade definitely had the same energy he had back then, more so even. His face turned serious as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a different kind of device from his phone. He quickly made a call, the recipient picking up instantly.

"Labrid, this is Max Tennyson," stated the old man. "I'm calling in a favor. No matter how long it takes, this needs to happen."


Well, that's all for this week! Ben and Jade finally got to go on their first date, though there were some bumps along the way. Ben also had a strange episode before Vilgax decided to strike once again. To end it all, Max made a special call to help Jade. What the results of this call are will be a subject for much further down the line.

Anyways, what did you think about the chapter? Did you like how the date went? Will Ben and Jade find a balance in this new relationship of theirs? Let me know what you think down below, and I'll try to get back to you ASAP. This is Inkaliber, signing out.

(1) "Viper said she's calling in a favor. She said you could help me find a good qipao."

(2) "This way please."


Omake: Other Family Reaction

Bellwood, Pennsylvania

Carl Tennyson sat in front of his tv, drinking coffee as he sat in his lazy chair. It had been a while since Ben left on his Summer Vacation, the house feeling empty without him. The quiet was nice, but it left the man of the house constantly feeling like something was suddenly going to happen. As such, he took moments like this to relax with a calming movie. His moment of peace was ruined as his wife practically slammed the door open.

"Carl!" cried Mrs. Tennyson. The man nearly spewed his drink from how sudden his wife's cry was. "Ben, Date, Pictures!" Carl took a moment to breathe so he wouldn't choke on what drink was left in his mouth. He swallowed before looking towards his wife.

"Sandra, please don't do that," requested Mr. Tennyson. "What's this about Ben?" Sandra held up her phone, revealing the first picture Max took of Ben and Jade's date.

"Ben's on a date! Max has been sending us pictures all day!" Carl's eyes widened as he immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"No kidding!" He pulled up his texts, checking over the pictures that were sent. "Well what do ya know! Who is she?" His wife couldn't drop her smile as she looked over the images with him.

"She's Jade, the family friend Max mentioned he was bringing on their trip. Apparently they've been growing closer ever since Max picked her up. They decided to give dating a try after visiting Vera. According to Max, Ben's been a gentleman the entire time." Carl hummed as he nodded his head.

"That's my boy… Wait. Ben's being mature?" His wife nodded, her expression showing that she was also surprised by the fact. Another text came through the system, the parents looking at the phone. Max had sent the picture from the end of the date, the curled up teens looking adorable.

A high pitched noise began to rise in Sandra's throat as Carl braced himself. "3…2…1…" His wife squealed at the image, excitement clear on her face. Carl sighed as he shook his head. "Well, there went my plans for tonight."