A Camping Day with Grandpa!

I went to grandpa's weaponised RV, and saw him grilling a few greasy strips of bacon on the grill, while Gwen was sauteing a few omlettes on his side, and setting them up on the table.

I came to her, greeting them, while taking the bottle of water from the mini fridge and washing my hands and face.

"Since when did a disgusting boy like you, learn to wash his hands?"

I heard Gwen sneer at me, and realised Ben must truly be a disgusting creature, if he cared so little of personal hygiene. I smiled, and stuck my tongue out.

I saw, that she didn't expect me to help her out, and was mostly a freeloader. I decided to give her a hand, took the pan from her hands, snatched the hand towel from her waist, which I folded over my shoulders, and peppered the eggs, which I seasoned with some dry thyme while sprinkling a little salt, once the eggs were off the pan.

I saw her look at me, as she could smell the aroma and say, "I didn't know you were good at anything, besides getting in my way, and playing that stupid Sumo game." I went close to her, saw her take a step back at my intimidating posture, and gently kissed her cheek.

She had squeaked so cutely, at that unimaginable gesture, that it was grandpa Max's chuckle that brought her back to her senses. "You've won this round, Ben."

I saw Gwen pout like I had ruffled her feathers, but she sported a red hue on her cute cheeks.

The rest of the morning was spent trekking along the woods, where grandpa taught us about traps and knots, watching the signs of nests and wild animals for footprints. Tracking and marking our path, and so on, which I knew already, either with my first life experiences or with the inherited memories from Agent 47.

I had enjoyed the calm and serene winds that blew southeast, as the sun set towards a scarlet sky. I saw Gwen look and glance at me, from time to time, when she saw how different and matured I acted, instead of the snotty brat I was till last night.

I had made sure that I had arrived exactly two days before the Omnitrix arrives, because suddenly a calm and quiet Ben getting away from the RV, in the middle of the night would be too suspicious for the nosy cousin or the retired Plummer Grandfather.

I was quiet, quick to help and assist, and even helped with the bug spray, when it was late afternoon. I recognised a few leaves Grandpa had brought, and with a sniff, I could identify Eucalyptus leaves, Fresh rosemary herbs and even some mint leaves.

I kept some of the Eucalyptus and mint leaves in a boiling water, while the Rosemary and the rest of eucalyptus leaves went in a small crucible, which I lit in fire, near the door.

"I didn't know, you knew about the different herbs and leaves."

Grandpa asked in an impressed way, when all he had seen was me burying my eyeballs in that handheld game console.

"I was bored in the start grandpa. I had a few plans, but I was told, I am too young to try new things out. I wanted to go White Water Rafting, Bungee Jumping, Rock Climbing, Scuba diving and on a horse ranch. But I found from all their brochures and upon contact, that they didn't want children on such high risk outdoor activities. I am sorry for being a brat, grandpa."

He smiled at my thirst for adventure, my excuse giving me a reason to not put up an act of a bratty boy, while giving me a chance to apologize, and also allowing Max to believe in me being matured enough, when problems come knocking with the Omnitrix.

He ruffled my hair, the mess of the uncombed and uncared hair tangling and knotting as Max smiled. "You're acting like a grownup son. It takes courage to accept you're wrong. Though, if you wanted, we could rig something up here. I could teach you to scale tall trees, rope a zipline through the strong and thick stemmed trees, and I am certain, we could try some swimming and fishing in the nearby brooks."

I smiled at him, with a megawatt innocent smile. "Thanks grandpa. You are the best."

He laughed at that, and we continued putting the burning coals out, and pouring the water around the RV and the nearby bristles. The twigs were dry, and getting a wood nearby wouldn't be difficult, as there were a few chopped logs and a stump of a tree close by. This was apparently a camping ground, and people were generous enough to leave the spare dry wood behind.

I took an axe from the back along with a four inches long iron pike, and went to the stump. I placed the logs, and quickly chopped some logs on the stump, as grandpa and Gwen came to see me work.

With my strength and my body, I wasn't sweating or even remotely tired, when the woods were chopped in a knee-high pile, and a few bigger logs were left, as we wouldn't need them.

I didn't want to use coal today, and decided a small campfire would be ideal. I found the smooth stones, and arranged them in a rough circle about a foot and a half wide. I put the logs in a upward pile, placed a tongs for holding the tinder wood and a good campfire, with more than enough time for sun to set.

We had a few meats and vegetables to smoke in the campfire, as Skewered and smoked veggies and meat tasted best in the fresh air.

I was praised for my skills, and even a little promise extracted from Grandpa to go out next summer for a similar trip.

And just as this first day, the second day passed with me, being a helpful boy, assisting Grandpa for all the work, and not bothering Gwen, apart from a few instances ribbing and catching her unguarded to mess with her.

I had also restated my meditation, instead of sleeping, which regulates and recirculates my increasing mana. And as the sun set on my third day in this world, I grinned as I prepared my grandfather to sleep early, so that we could go for the brook, swimming and hunting for shallow water fishes and crabs.

I had enlarged my senses, as I had drawn runes around the trees to find any variable and signal from the sky. As soon as I sensed the change and the alarm of the runes vibrating in my magic, I apparated to the rune, making an illusion of my sleeping form in my bed.

I saw a falling star landing nearby, and pulled the runic array stones I prepared which had engraved Arresto Momentum and Silencing spells on them. I threw the stones around me which made the escape pod slow down when it was within the array and finally halted it mid-air.

I pulled it towards me, put the pod in my Hammerspace, and left the area, when I saw the scouting robot from Vilgax's ship fly at breakneck speeds closeby.

It saw the Omnitrix vanish, and must have thought it was a fluke, when I saw it was turned away, as the camera and scanner lens was pointed the other direction, I cast a Bombarda spell, and saw the robot explode soundlessly, as the runes had silenced it's blast away.

I also pulled the exploding pieces towards me, while I was under the cloak, as I didn't want advanced robot parts simply lying near a known campsite.

I chucked them all in my space, apparated to the RV, put up the Notice-Me-Not Spell which was placed above a Disillusionment charm, which would prevent Vilgax's ship from seeing us and targeting us.

I didn't wear the Omnitrix immediately, as I had a few things to do, and immediately went to sleep, as I had just successfully changed the future of this world!