Vacation Continues

"Careful, you fool. Those eggs are practically priceless. Just one of those will set us for life," Jonah said at the Friends of Fish temporary research lab by the lake, handling the Kraken's eggs delicately.

The Tennyson gang and Rodwell borrowed one of Shaw's boats, sneaking into the base. "We'll split into three teams. Gwen and I will sneak in and find what they took from the Kraken. You two will be the muscle, creating diversions on different fronts," Max instructed as he and Gwen climbed up the ladder under the dock. Suddenly, the Kraken appeared from below, causing the ladder to break and their boat to capsize.

"Guess now we improvise," Fred said, transforming into an Arachnichimp to save Max and Gwen. Ben turned into Ripjaws as the boat capsized.

"I'll drop you in a safer place," Fred said, taking them while avoiding being seen, helping them to sneak in. "I'll go join the fray," he added, turning into XLR8 and speeding back to the fight. Arriving there, he saw Ben, Jonah, and the Kraken fighting over its eggs. He then turned into a Nectofriggian, flying to lend a helping hand. With Jonah currently holding the Kraken's eggs, Fred turned intangible, freezing the mech hands. As they shattered, the eggs fell into the lake.

"Be... err, Fish guy. You deal with the Kraken, and I'll take over things here," Fred said, with Ben leaping into the lake and the Kraken following him.

"Now then, I hear you like rare things. I've got a big surprise for you," Fred said as he pulled Jonah out of his mech, freezing his feet and immobilizing him. As Jonah tried to say something, Fred turned into Toepick and opened his cage-like helmet. Seeing Toepick's face, Jonah blacked out from fear, soiling his onesie as he lay there on the dock.

"The police are on their way," Max and Gwen arrived. "Where's Ben, and what's with him?" Gwen asked, covering her nose to the stench Jonah made.

"Don't worry about it," Fred said as he turned back.

"Alas," Shaw's voice echoed as his boat came near the bunch. "I've finally caught one. It's a baby Kraken," he said.

"Then why come to us? It's not like we're its friends," Fred muttered. As Shaw's boat came near, they saw that it was Ripjaws caught in the net. They couldn't help but laugh a little. As Shaw's boat stopped, he wasn't paying much attention to the net, wanting to gloat to the Tennysons and Rodwell.

"I think you should check again," Max said with a slight giggle. As a red light flashed, Shaw turned his focus on the net and saw Ben caught up in it.

"But how..." Shaw said disappointedly. "I had caught it," he muttered.

"Yep, it's not the first time he's been referred to as a monster," Gwen mocked Ben as she laughed.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Now can you get me out of here? I'm starting to get cold," Ben said.

After the cops arrived and dealt with the aftermath of the shakedown, the gang gave their statements and continued their trip.

"Alright, gang, now that we've freshened up, it's time for our next destination," Max announced with a determined smile as he drove off. It was early in the morning after the whole Kraken incident.

"Say, how is it that you can turn into more aliens than I can?" Ben asked, curiosity and a hint of frustration in his voice.

"I thought I explained it to you. Well, it's kinda like..." Fred began, searching for the right words. "Somehow, when my powers awakened, it caused your watch to glitch out, resulting in an outburst of energy. That outburst allowed me to unconsciously copy all the data your watch had," Fred explained.

"Okay... How about this. Basically, my powers allow me to copy things. That's what my dad told me. So I 'accidentally' copied all the aliens in your watch. Meaning you just haven't unlocked them yet," Fred clarified, trying to sound reassuring.

"Ohh. So that means I can turn into those guys too in the future?" Ben responded, his eyes lighting up with hope.

"Well," Fred replied, "to keep it simple, I'll say yes," leaving them confused again. "Just don't let it get to you," Fred added easing Ben's frustration, not wanting to steal Ben's spotlight of being the hero nor share it with him. He already had plans on becoming a plumber and skipping things like high school.

"Must be nice to have superpowers," Gwen commented, a hint of envy in her voice as she typed on her laptop.

"Aw, don't be like that, Gwen," Ben responded, trying to comfort her. "You've got superpowers too. Yeah, you're like a super geek," Ben mocked smugly, leaving Gwen fuming as Fred chuckled at the bickering bunch.

"Don't worry about it, Gwen. Superpowers don't make a hero," Max said, his voice gentle and comforting as he drove.

"That is true," Fred mused. "You could use cool gadgets to fight, plus there's even body enhancement technology too," he muttered, leaning on his hand, his tone thoughtful.

"Yeah, I'll pass, thank you," she said, going back to her typing, her voice tinged with resignation.

"You really are into tech, huh?" Ben remarked, referring to Fred.

"What can I say? Tech is awesome. Look at your watch, for example. I mean, by now you should know that it was probably made by some being out there, right?" Fred replied, his voice filled with admiration for technology.

"I mean, I never thought about it," Ben replied, sounding a bit sheepish.

"Well, that's pretty carefree of you," Fred replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm more of a 'now' person," Ben responded, leaning back with a relaxed smile.

"What a remarkable creature you are," Gwen said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Haters gonna hate," Ben responded as he leaned back, a smug grin on his face.

"So... where are we heading, Grandpa?" Ben asked, curiosity piqued.

"We're actually heading to your Aunt Vera's. We'll arrive there tomorrow," Max replied, leaving a sour mood on the faces of the two Tennyson cousins.

"That bad?" Fred remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't even know the half of it," Ben and Gwen said simultaneously, their voices filled with dread.

"Uhhh. I thought this was summer vacation," Ben sulked, his voice heavy with disappointment.

"Come on, you'll love it," Max said with a chuckle, trying to lift their spirits.

"You always say that," Gwen responded, her voice tinged with skepticism as they drove off.