~💚~
"And then, kablamo, no more Vilgax. Or so I thought, until today," Max was telling Ben and Gwen the story of how he took down Vilgax. "You were a hero? Princess, why didn't you tell me?" "It wasn't my place to tell you, Benji," I said, truthfully. "I was just a guy doing a job." "Excuse me... but exactly what was that job?" Gwen asked. "We called ourselves the Plumbers. Officially, we didn't exist. We were the guys who fixed the problems no one else could. Extraterrestrial, extrasensory, extraordinary," Max explained.
~💚~
"So all this time I've been going hero and Paige has used her magic... we've really been following in your footsteps. We're Plumbers in training, princess!" Ben said, excitedly. "And you knew about the watch the whole time?" Gwen asked, not sure what to believe. "Not really, just rumor and scuttlebutt. I was surprised as you guys, when it turned up on Ben's wrist," Max said.
~💚~
"You always told us we could tell you anything, grandpa. Guess you didn't feel the same," Gwen said. "All right! Could be a chance for the Plumbers to go back to work," Ben said, excited. "You should start by unclogging that hairball... from your brain, Mr. Plummer," Gwen said, mocking him. "You're just jealous because you're not part of the family business." "There is no family business. My hero days were over a long time ago," Max said to Ben.
~💚~
"Well, mine and Paige's are just getting started. Come on, princess," Ben said as I got up to follow him. "Ben, Paige. Wait!" Max said. "Time to XLR8!" Ben slammed down on the Omnitrix, but instead of XLR8, he transformed into Ripjaws. "Ripjaws, what a RIP-off," Ben said, disappointed. We followed the firetrucks wherever they were going. "There's some kind of creature inside, tearing up the place," I heard a man say.
~💚~
They all looked up when they felt water on them. "Sorry, just needed to moisturize," Ben said. Then we went inside to confront the creature. "OK, who's the punk giving us creatures a bad name?" Ben asked, hoping the creature would show itself. What appeared was not what Ben and I expected. It was a very small alien. Ben started laughing because he thought it was so funny. Then the alien threw a rock at Ben.
~💚~
"You picked the wrong day to be an alien, pal," Ben said as he charged at the creature. The creature moved and Ben hit the fountain. I tried to blast a fireball at the alien but he dodged it. Then it sprayed some water at Ben. "That won't do anything but help Ben," I thought. "That's just a breath of fresh air to me," He said. Ben was looking for the alien, when he backed up into a man.
~💚~
They both screamed and asked each other who they were. It was actually really funny to watch. Then the stranger blasted Ben. "That it!" I thought as I came out from my hiding place. I stood between Ben and the stranger with a fireball in my hand. "Listen, I don't know who you are and quite frankly, I don't care. But if you lay another hand on him... I promise, it will be the last thing you ever do," I said, wanting to barbecue this man.
~💚~
"Looks like today's my lucky day. Two aliens for the price of one. Just sit tight, fish stick. I'll be back in a minute," The stranger said. Ben picked up a pitcher of water and poured it over his head. "You got to love room service," He said as I nodded. Then we went over and put a container over the alien. "Not bad for a fish stick, huh?" Ben said to the man. Just then, the Omnitrix started to time out.
~💚~
Ben was now back to normal. "Got to go," He said in a deep voice. "Ben, Paige, are you two all right?" Max asked us, concerned. "Barely. Some nut job in there nearly roasted Paige and I," Ben said. "Max?" "Phil!" Then Max and the man hugged. Ben and Gwen looked at me, I just shrugged. "You know this guy, grandpa?" Ben asked, confused. "Well, you could say that. We used to be partners," Ben and Gwen looked at me again. I took them aside. "Even with everything Max told me about his past, he never mentioned a partner. I always thought he worked alone," I said.
~💚~
Then, the three of us shrugged, unsure about all of this. "Yeah, she's not much to look at... but it's better than that old rust bucket of an RV you used to drive," Phil said. Letting the comment slide, Max said, "So, how are you?" "Pretty good, considering I just bagged a havoc beast. Seems like old times." "You bagged it? As if! It was Ripj--" Ben began to say but Max cut him off.
~💚~
"Havoc beast, huh? I haven't seen one of those... since the one we caught terrorizing Denver years ago," Max said. "Yeah, well, good thing I was around. You know, once a Plumber, always a Plumber. You ever think about getting back in the game, Max? You know, relive the glory days?" Phil said. "No thanks. I'm retired and so are the Plumbers," Max said, turning down the offer. "Yeah, thanks to you. Once you took Vilgax out of the picture the work just seemed to dry up," Phil said. "Why do I get the feeling that this guy is blaming Max?" I thought.
~💚~
"I'm just doin' my job." "Yeah, anyway. Looks like things are picking back up again. In fact, I'm starting my own freelance Plumber business. Wow! Cool watch, it looks so familiar," Phil said, as he noticed the Omnitrix. "It ought to, it's the Omni--" Ben began to say before Max and I pulled him away. "Look at the time. Well, we need to go. Nice catching up with you, Phil. Happy plumbing," Max said.
~💚~
"I don't get it, how come you didn't tell Phil about the Omnitrix?" Ben asked his grandfather. "That's on a need-to-know basis only, Ben. That's goes for your magic too, Paige. The less people who know, the better," Max said. "Guess that's your answer to everything, isn't it, grandpa?" Gwen asked. "Why don't we start up the Plumbers again? You, me, Paige and Phil. We'd be super alien butt kickers!" Ben said, excitedly.
~💚~
"Ben, I'm flattered you appreciate what I did... but you can't bring back the past." Suddenly, we heard Phil's voice, "Max! If you're out there, I need help. Two Vulpamancers tearing up a meat processing plant on Highway 44." "Vulpamancers?" Max questioned. Then we turned around and went to help. "All right! The Tennysons are back in plumbing business," Ben said, excitedly. Max and I shared a look, we had a gut feeling this wasn't going to turn out well.
~💚~
We arrived at the meat processing plant and could hear growling from inside. "I don't like the sound of that," Gwen said. "Me either, Gwen," I said, worriedly. "Don't worry, princess. I'm right here," Ben said, trying to soothe me. We went inside and saw Phil on the ground. "Phil!" Max called out to his old partner. "Max, thank goodness you showed up. Two aliens. Nasty! We're going to need a little of that old magic," Phil said.
~💚~
"No worries, we're on it," I pulled Ben aside. "Benji, I don't think that you should use the Omnitrix. I'm not just saying that. I believe the less people who know, the better. We don't even know Phil. I'm saying this because I love you and I want you safe," I said, worried. "Princess, please don't worry. Everything will be fine," Ben said as we want back to the others. Then we saw the aliens and they looked just like Wildmutt. "Friends of yours?" Gwen asked.
~💚~
"Wildmutts! Maybe I can talk with them," Ben said, activating the Omnitrix. "Ben!" Max said, trying to warn his grandson. "That's why I recognized that watch. It's the Omnitrix," Phil said, in awe. I crossed my arms, very unhappy with Ben. "What did you say?" Gwen asked. "Vulpamancers never were big on small talk... even with their own kind," Max explained. As the aliens went after Ben. I wanted to use my magic but I held the urge in. I didn't know Phil and I honestly didn't trust him.
~💚~
"Gross!" Gwen and I exclaimed. Ben was hanging on to a chain and one of the aliens grabbed it. Them he was on a conveyer belt, the aliens joining him. Phil stopped the conveyor belt before Ben could get flattened. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful he was ok. Then we all ran for the exit but were stopped by the Vulpamancers. "Don't suppose you've ever considered becoming vegetarians," Gwen said.
~💚~
Suddenly, we heard a high pitch sound and the aliens and Ben went down. "Sorry about that, Ben. Only way to bring down the Vulpamancer," Phil said as he held a device in his hand. "Yeah, lucky for us, you had a sonic pitch whistle with you," Max said. I could tell that there was a hint of suspicion in his voice. The Omnitrix timed out and Ben was back to normal but he still had his hands over his ears. "So, all the stories are true. The Omnitrix really does exist. And Ben, pretty good moves out there. You remind me of your grandfather back in the day," "Really?" Ben asked, a smile on his face and happiness in his voice. "Phil, look out!" Max warned his partner.
~💚~
Phil was hit by a Vulpamancer and his sonic pitch whistle was smashed to bits. "Why don't you pick on someone with more meat on his bones?" Max said as he charged at the aliens. "Just like old times, eh? I think this is going to be the beginning of a new partnership," Phil said, extending his hand to Max. I looked at him and I could see that Max was unsure about this. We were now at a fancy hotel. "It's fate that we all met up." Phil said as Ben was digging into some shrimp.
~💚~
"Ritzy suite. Had to have cost a pretty penny," Max said, looking around the room. "Just a little thank you I negotiated... for helping the manager out with his alien problem. And trust me, this is just the tip of the old alien iceberg. You know, Ben, you and Paige would make great Plumbers," Phil said. "We would?" Ben asked and put his thumb up. I didn't say anything because I had a gut feeling that something was off about Phil.
~💚~
"Sure, real chips off of the old block. We'd all make a great team. With your powers, Paige's magic, Max's experience, and my instincts... we'd be an unstoppable team. What do you think?" He asked us. "I'm thinking what an odd coincidence for a Hyper Weasel... and two Megamutts to turn up on the same day." Max said, trying to figure things out. "Aliens. Go figure," Phil said, shrugging. I knew that he was trying to brush the situation off.
~💚~
"I need some fresh air," Max said as he opened the door and left the room. "Hey, kids. Order whatever you'd like off the room service menu," Phil told us as he left the room as well. "Something's going on here and I don't like it," I thought to myself, suspicion crawling up my skin. "Now we're talkin'!" Ben exclaimed. "Something's going on that grandpa's not telling us about. Come on," Gwen said. "Yeah, I'm worried you guys. I saw a look on Max's face like he was suspicious about something. Great minds think alike because I'm suspicious of Phil. I don't trust him." I said, worry in my voice.
~💚~
"And pass up free room service? No way, I'm stayin' here," Ben said, uninterested. "Yeah, you're right. It's probably just some secret Plumber's mission. Better if we just stay out of it. Besides, if don't go Ben, who's going to protect Paige from danger?" Gwen said. I knew that she hit a nerve when she said that. We left the hotel, Ben holding my hand and nobody was here. "No grandpa." "And no Phil. But where would they go?" Ben asked. "If grandpa thinks that alien weasel and those space mutts are connected... there's only one place to check out around here," Gwen said. "You're right, Gwen. Mount Rushmore." I said, reading Gwen's mind.
~💚~
Ben activated the Omnitrix and was now XLR8. He picked Gwen and I up and put us on his back. "Hang on, pedal to the metal, princess," Ben said as we raced off to find Max and Phil. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Ben and Paige how you're last words to me... were how you wanted them to follow in your footsteps as my partner." I heard Phil say as we got closer. "There is no way I'd ever be your partner! You piece of trash! I already have a partner and that's Ben!" I thought, anger boiling up inside me.
~💚~
Ben grabbed Max and brought him to safety. "What the...?" "You're no Plumber. You're nothing but a big drip." Ben said with anger. "Ben, Paige; listen to me. We don't need your grandpa. We could start back up the Plumbers again... just the three of us," Phil tried to convince us. "Forget it, and there's nothing you can do to change mine or Paige's mind," Ben said as I nodded in agreement. "Sorry to hear that," Phil said.
~💚~
Then we saw this giant green alien with three legs. "Say hello to an old friend, a Wigzelian Org Beast. I'd love to stay but I've got lots of work to do," Phil said as he left. Ben picked Max and I up to get us away from the alien. Ben and I tried everything that we could think of but this alien was really tough. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye that Max was looking for something. "Grandpa, could you pick up the pace?" Ben said in frustration.
~💚~
Then the Omnitrix timed out. "Cause I sure can't." "Ben, are you OK?" I asked as I rushed to his side. He nodded and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Got it!" Max said as he had a device that he threw at the alien. Green smoke came out of it and knocked the alien out. When Ben and Max weren't looking, I slipped out and went to find Phil's car. I slipped into the back seat slipped a blanket over me so I wouldn't be seen.
~💚~
Then Phil came into the car and I saw the Null-Void Projector. That was another thing Max told me about. It houses the worst aliens ever. "And who says crime doesn't pay?" I heard him say as he laughed. "Oh, you're going to pay, buddy. Hard time." I thought. I looked at the Null-Void Projector and I knew that I had to get it. I didn't even want to think what could happen if I didn't. As I reached for it, Phil stopped me.
~💚~
"No, you don't," Phil said as we struggled. I had it and rolled down the window. "Better start thinking about a new long of work... because this thing is going bye-bye," I said as I held it out the window. Phil hit the brakes and the Null-Void Projector fell out of my hands. Then we struggled with it again. Then it went off as I saw Max, Ben and Gwen coming. "Good idea, we could use a distraction," Phil said as a giant alien appeared.
~💚~
Phil and I were still fighting over the Null-Void Projector and I could feel my magic surging inside me but I pushed it down. Finally we crashed into a guard rail and I saw Ben, he was now Grey Matter. "Back off, small fry, or I'll release every alien in this thing," Phil threatened. "Then you'll be out of a job," Ben said. "It doesn't have to be this way. We could all work together." "No way. Paige and I are two heros who aren't for sale," Ben said as he looked at me.
~💚~
I looked over and saw a mirror beside me. Then an idea came to mind. "Well, then you're all going to be very busy," Phil said. "Sorry, we're on summer vacation." "Ben!" I shouted as I threw him the mirror. The beam from the Null-Void Projector bounced off it and went to Phil. "No!" He screamed as he went in it. "See ya!" "And I definitely wouldn't want to be ya," Ben said. "Who's next?" I asked. When he was back to normal, Ben embraced me.
~💚~
"Princess, I'm so sorry. Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Ben asked, worry in his voice. "Benji, I'm OK. I'm not hurt," I said, trying to reassure him. Then Ben brought me in for a kiss. I could feel that something was different about this kiss. There was so much love in it, it made me weak in the knees. Ben held me tight as we embraced. We back to Mount Rushmore and took care of the alien there. "And that's the last of 'em. I'm sorry I had to keep my past a secret for so long. I should've known I could trust you guys." "It's OK," Gwen said, reassuring her grandfather. "And for what it's worth, Ben... you would've made a great Plumber, all three of you," Max said. "Hey, we're your grandkids and Paige is going to be a Tennyson in the future. What do you expect?" Gwen said. Max smiled at us and put the Null-Void Projector back. "What about Phil?" I asked, curious. "I think there are some things about this job... we're better off not knowing." Max said as we left Mount Rushmore.
Hello Everyone! I just wanted to apologize that I took so long with this chapter. I would also like to apologize to fleimkepa14 for taking so long writing this chapter. Happy Reading! :)