"So, this is the guy who exposed you?" Kevin asked, arms crossed as he leaned casually against the Rust Bucket.

Standing in front of them was a scrawny teenager with messy hair and a nervous grin. "My name is Jimmy!" he said defensively. "I just thought you might wanna be famous, Ben."

"Famous?!" Reiko's voice was cold, her green eyes narrowing. "Do you know what that almost cost? It almost got Kuri killed."

Jimmy faltered, his nervous grin slipping into a guilty frown. "I—I didn't mean for that to happen," he stammered, glancing at Ben for support.

Ben hesitated. He wanted to be mad, but something about Jimmy's expression made him pause. "Look," Ben said, his voice softer, "I don't think he meant for things to go that far."

Jimmy perked up, relief flooding his face. "Exactly! See, I saw all these aliens with the same symbol on them," he said, pointing to Ben's Omnitrix emblem. "That's how I knew it was you!"

Reiko crossed her arms, unimpressed. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at Jimmy's laptop screen.

Everyone leaned in to look at a grainy image of a strange, water-like alien with tendrils and glowing blue markings.

"She's right—that's not one of Ben's aliens," Kuri said, her silver-blue eyes narrowing.

Jimmy nodded excitedly. "It's from Florida. I tracked its movements back to NASA."

XXX

The group boarded Kevin's new jet, a sleek black aircraft with upgrades courtesy of Kevin's engineering skills. "Let's see how this baby flies," Kevin said, smirking as the jet soared into the sky.

The trip to Florida was smooth—until the Air Force intercepted them.

"Unidentified aircraft, you are in restricted airspace," a stern voice boomed over the radio. "Land immediately, or we will engage."

Kevin cursed under his breath. "What now?"

Ben grinned, slamming down the Ultimatrix. "I've got this." In a flash of green light, he transformed into Jetray and shot out of the jet, cutting through the clouds like a missile.

"Is that…Ben?" Kuri asked, watching him fly with awe.

"Yeah," Kevin muttered, rolling his eyes. "Show-off."

Ben intercepted one of the Air Force pilots, who had lost control of their plane. He dove beneath the jet, using his tail to stabilize it. "Gotcha!" he called, his voice crackling through their comms.

The pilot's voice was shaky but grateful. "Thanks, Jetray."

Unfortunately, the military didn't see it that way. When Ben landed back at the base, he was promptly arrested for "interfering."

Kuri sighed as she handed over the bail money to get him released. "For a hero, you sure do find a lot of ways to get in trouble."

Ben grinned sheepishly as they walked out together. "Hey, you were proud of me back there, admit it."

Kuri didn't answer, but the faint smile on her lips said enough.

XXX

The group arrived at NASA's restricted facility under cover of night. As they approached the scene of the alien thefts, Kuri gasped, her eyes lighting up as she caught sight of the telescopic imaging displays.

"Ben, look at this," she said, her voice filled with wonder. "They're mapping entire galaxies… This is incredible."

Ben watched her, his heart skipping a beat at the way her face glowed with excitement. "Yeah," he said softly, more focused on her than the stars.

"Focus, Tennyson," Kevin muttered, snapping Ben out of his daze.

Before they could regroup, the alien thief emerged from the shadows. It was a towering water-based creature, its body rippling and shifting as if it were made of living liquid.

"Sacred Arrows!" Kuri shouted, summoning her bow. She fired a barrage of glowing arrows, but the alien dispelled them with a wave of water.

Reiko tried her own magic, her hands glowing with energy. "Fulminus!" she cried, but the alien absorbed the attack, its liquid form dissipating before reforming.

Kevin charged in, swinging a massive metal pipe. He landed a few solid blows, but the creature retaliated with a water blast, sending him flying.

"Ben, come on!" Kuri shouted, grabbing his hand. The instant their skin touched, the Ultimatrix activated, transforming Ben into Chromastone.

"Whoa, how did that happen?" Ben asked, his voice echoing in his alien form.

"Figure it out later!" Kuri yelled as the alien surged forward.

Chromastone fired a powerful energy beam, but the alien dodged, slipping away into the water.

XXX

"We can't let it get away!" the NASA general shouted. "That thing has a nuclear bomb!"

Kevin shook his head. "We can't breathe underwater. What now?"

Reiko grinned, raising her hands. "Kogitsune Sirenix!"

A faint shimmer surrounded the group as Reiko's spell took effect. They dove into the ocean, finding themselves able to breathe and move as easily as if they were on land.

After a long swim, they tracked the alien to an underwater cave. Its glowing blue form pulsed faintly as it worked to activate its stolen device.

"You can't do that!" Kuri shouted, her voice amplified by the magic. "You'll destroy all of Florida!"

"She's right!" Ben said, stepping forward. "I won't let you!"

The alien turned, its tendrils lashing out in a defensive attack. Kevin deflected the blow, while Reiko used her magic to freeze the creature in place.

"Stop fighting!" Reiko commanded. "We can talk this out."

Kuri stepped closer, her eyes glowing silver as she reached out empathetically. "Let me try," she said softly.

Her presence calmed the alien, and she placed a hand on its rippling surface. "We're not here to hurt you. Tell us your story."

The alien's body stilled, and a voice resonated through the cave. "My name is Bivalvan. I am on the run from Aggregor, along with five others. We escaped from the Andromeda Galaxy, but I was separated and stranded here."

Kuri's expression softened. "You just want to go home."

Bivalvan nodded. "But my ship requires an immense power source, and this planet's oceans provide the only means to survive."

Ben's Omnitrix beeped, scanning Bivalvan's form. A hologram displayed his species, and a new transformation icon appeared.

"Ben," Kuri said, turning to him. "Call the Plumbers. Let's get him home."

Ben nodded, his gaze lingering on Kuri for a moment longer. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Kuri smiled faintly. "I had a good teacher."

As the Plumbers arrived to take Bivalvan into their care, Ben glanced at the new alien symbol on his Omnitrix and grinned. "Another addition to the collection. Not bad for a day's work."

"Not bad at all," Kuri said, her voice warm.

Ben couldn't help but think that, with her by his side, they could handle anything.