The Elemental Enerithian (Ben 10)

Fool's Gold

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Gwen, Aria, Orb, and Mayor Coleman get to the farm where Ben and Kevin stand with the aliens tied up. "You kids been busy." Mayor Coleman whistles. "What do you wanna do with them?" Ben asks. "Well, for starters, let them go." Mayor Coleman tells him. "But... but look what they did." Ben points to the destroyed building and silo. Mayor Coleman walks over to one of them and unties it. "Our popcorn festival is only once every 17 years. No one wants to press charges. It's just a little damage." Mayor Coleman tells him. "They destroyed the farm!" Ben points out. "Boys will be boys." Mayor Coleman brushes him off. "I hate that saying." Aria mumbles. The aliens cheer and leave the farm. "Now, don't forget to eat lots of popcorn!" The mayor calls out to them. "That's it? They leveled an entire building, and all you can tell them is eat lots of popcorn?"Ben asks. "Why don't worry your head, son. It's complicated." Mayor Coleman says. 

"What's so complicated? The aliens eat popcorn then they leave behind solid gold, right?" Gwen asks. "That's why this town is so rich." Aria adds. "Okay, you got us. Every 17 years, we make some popcorn then we shovel up the gold. Our entire colony is based on alien--" "Poop." Kevin covers it up with a cough. "You're so wrong." Aria tells him. "Nobody wants to be punishing the alien kids. And the festival's almost over. They gon be heading back to school in the morning anyway." Mayor Coleman shares. "Not all of us." Orb says. "I'm not leaving until we find Decka." "Decka? He probably went home already. Looking for him is a waste of time." The mayor tells them. "All the same, we're gonna take a look around." Ben says and walks away. "I'll go with Ben." Kevin offers and follows the boy.

 "Kevin. Are you avoiding me?" Gwen asks. "No, I just love hanging out with your cousin." Kevin replies and walks away. "If it makes you feel any better, I feel avoided as well." Aria says, watching Ben walk away. "That's the second time you've ditched her. Are you fighting?" Ben asks, watching the boy who is walking beside him. "If we were, would I talk about it with you? Besides, that's the second time you've ditched Ari as well." Kevin points out and walks ahead. "That's not what I'm doing, but okay." Ben says.

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The group stood beside a tractor watching the aliens enter the cornfield. "What's happening?" Ben asks, following Orb. "The festival is over. It's time to go back to school." Orb explains. Kevin pulls out a necklace from his pocket and looks at it before putting it back in his pocket. They watch as the spaceships leave, all except two, Orb's and Decka's. "This has been the worst popcorn festival ever." Orb says, sadly. "Maybe the mayor was right. Maybe your friend went home." Gwen suggests. "I don't trust that mayor. Plus, there are two spaceships here. One's Orb's and the other has to be Decka's." Aria informs. "He's still here!" Orb beams. "And we have something to track him with. Which ship is yours?" Gwen asks. Orb points to his ship, and Gwen walks over to Decka's, she touches his ship, and her eyes glow pink. "Got it." She tells them.

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The group gets to the mayor's house and finds the barn's door busted. Aria summons a light orb to light up the place, and they walk through. They look around and Gwen stops walking when she sees a broken cage. "I don't suppose he used to be in there." Ben says. "It's the mayor's barn. Let's find him and ask him." Gwen says and looks at Kevin. "See? I never trusted him." Aria says. "Won't be a problem finding him." Kevin says and turns to his right. "I see you hiding back there." He tells the mayor, who was hiding in the shadows with a gun. "Come on out before I have to hurt you." He threatens, and the mayor comes out and starts shooting at them. Aria has the light orb float in front of her, and she puts her hands over it, spreading them apart to create a photon shield to block the lasers. He continues shooting, but the lasers bounce off the shield. "See? This is why everybody ates politicians." Kevin says.