Rewritten
Gwen sat on a rock, hugging her knees to her chest, thinking about her grandpa, and Aria sat beside her in a pink bikini, manipulating the water. Kevin absorbs a rock and turns to Brainstorm. "Let's settle this, Tennyson." He says, and Brainstorm laughs. "My dear Kevin, your nigh gladiatorial bellicosity has once again outpaced your ratiocinative processes." Brainstorm tells him. "I don't know what you just said but... cannonball!" Kevin says then he jumps into the lake, sending a wave at Brainstorm who evaporates it using his electricity. Kevin resurfaces and spits out water smiling at the alien.
"Oh, attempting to short me out, hmm? Before you ever cause such an involuntary cognitive discharge, my intense electromagnetic stormers would vaporize you. To wit." Brainstorm explains, electrocuting Kevin and sending him flying out of the water and onto the rock behind Aria and Gwen, and he follows. "As a coder and at the risk of gliding the lily, I submit." Brainstorm detransforms. "...That I wasn't even thinking hard." Ben finishes, crossing his arms. "Okay, you got me that time. Live and learn, right, Gwen, Aria?" Kevin asks the two girls who hadn't said anything.
"She misses grandpa." Ben says, referring to his cousin. "She was fine in the car and what's wrong with Aria?" Kevin asks. "No clue." Ben replies. "It's my fault. I thought bringing her here would cheer her up." Ben says looking at his cousin. "This is grandpa Max's secret fishing rock. He used to come here all the time when he wasn't traveling." Gwen explains, turning to face the boys and Aria stays silent. "Away on Plumber business." Kevin corrects. "We didn't know back then. When I was 5, he brought me here, and I caught a teeny tiny fish." Gwen shows how small the fish was with her fingers. "He wanted me to release it, but I put up a big fuss. It was my fish, you know? Grandpa finally convinced me to come back when it was bigger." She throws the rock she was holding into the water, breaking Aria's focus.
"Guess I never had an easy time letting go." She says, standing up. "I sense someone." Aria speaks up. "Huh?" They look at her confused. Aria points to where a cloaked figure was beside a tree. "For a secret place, this gets a lot of traffic." Ben whispers as they watch the person place a flower under the tree. "Did you ever see a flower like that?" Gwen asks. "Nope." Aria replies. "Hey, you in the cloak!" Kevin calls. The group jumped off the rock and ran to the person. The person laughs and goes behind the tree and in a pink flash they're gone. "Anodite." Aria whispers. They look behind the tree but find no one.
"That woman just disappeared." Ben points out. "Teleporter maybe?" Kevin asks. "What was she doing?" Gwen asks. "Max plus Verdona?" Ben reads off the tree. "Who's Verdona?" He asks. Gwen picks up the flower. "Let's find her and ask. I should be able to track her with this." She says, referring to the flower. She tries tracking the woman but fails, and the flower dies. "I really thought I had that move down." Gwen groans. Aria looks at the ground and spots many other flowers. "Not the first one she's left." She says, picking up a flower and Ben kneels beside her. The flowers glow with shimmering energy and look as good as new. "Anything?" Ben asks. "She's somewhere close." Aria tells him. "Also these are made from energy." She adds. "So what now? We can't just wait for her to come back." Kevin says, and Ben smiles, getting an idea.
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The next night, the group sat in Kevin's car, waiting. "This is crazy. She didn't show yesterday, and she's not gonna show tonight." Kevin sighs. "Humor me." Gwen tells him from the backseat. "She might." Aria chimes in leaning over to grab a ticket from the glove compartment. Aria covers the ticket with both hands and closes her eyes, a bright pink light emits from her hands, and once she opens them a chocolate bar is in the place of the ticket. "You have to teach me that." Gwen says, amazed. "Sure, only if you teach me some of your spells." Aria tells her. "Deal." Gwen nods. Aria opens the wrapper and gives Gwen half. Both girls eat quietly not wanting the boys to find out. The sound of the lock clicking causes Kevin to look at Ben, seeing him clicking the lock open and close out of boredom. Ben looks back at Kevin and sees him glaring, so he stops.
It was silent for a second before the clicking started again. "Do I look like I'm kidding, Tennyson?" Kevin asks, causing Gwen to sigh. "You guys!" She says and they both stop. "I have to find a bathroom." She suddenly says. "Lots of trees around." Kevin tells her. "Really, dude." Aria says unimpressed. Gwen and Ben moved around so that the girl could get out of the car. "There's a gas station a couple miles back." She says. "I'll drive you." Kevin offers. "No. Keep watch. I'll be right back. Keep them out of trouble, Ari." Gwen tells them before closing the door and making the journey to the gas station.
The trio falls in a comfortable silence and Ben starts clicking the lock again. Kevin growls and grabs Ben by his collar. "She here." Aria points to the woman who was at the tree again. They get out of the car and approach the woman who is creating flowers again. "How do you know Max Tennyson?" Ben asks as they get closer. The woman just stands there in silence, and Kevin pulls the hood, revealing the woman's face. "Talk." He demands. "What rotten kids. Go away." She tells them, blasting them away. They fly back, and the woman flies past them, making her escape. Ben transforms into Jetray and flies after her, and Kevin gets up, then helps Aria up before he absorbs the metal from his car, and he and Aria chase the woman as well.
Verdona flies over the water, and Jetray chases her. "Ooh, a chase. I haven't had a good chase in ages." She says, amused. Jetray speeds up and flies ahead of her, but she just changes direction. Aria flies in front of her and creates hands using water, she then has the hands grab Verdona's feet and drag her underwater. Aria is about to boast when pressurized water shoots up at her, knocking her out of the air and into the water, and Verdona rises from the water, laughing. "An Elemental Sage, huh?" She asks, flying onto land. Jetray shoots neuroshock blasts at her, and she dodges, flying backwards into Kevin. "Answers, lady. We're done playing." He demands, grabbing hold of her arms. "Not until I put my toys away, sweetie." Verdona replies, wrapping mana around Kevin and throwing him into Jetray, who dodges, leaving the boy to fly into the water and hit a rock. Aria resurfaces and flies over to her. "I'm not done yet!" She shouts, shooting energy blasts at Verdona, who dodges easily although she has a surprised look on her face.
"I see, you're the one that went missing." She says, and Aria's eyes widen. Verdona shoots a big blast at Aria, sending her flying into Jetray, causing them both to fall onto Kevin with a big splash and Jetray detransforms. Once the water cleared, Verdona hovered over them. "This little world would be a lot more tolerable without troublemaking imps like you getting in my way." Verdona says, and her hands glow with mana. "Really now?" Aria asks. "Not you." Verdona wraps mana around Aria and places her on land. "What the?" She asks, looking confused. Verdona throws a powerful blast at Kevin and Ben, Aria puts up a field, and someone else puts up a field, causing their fields to fuse. Aria looks behind her and finds Gwen looking unimpressed. Verdona's eyes widen, seeing the field covering the boys. It was magenta with sparkles, and only one race had magenta energy. "Can't I leave you guys alone for two minutes, and weren't you supposed to keep them out of trouble, Aria?" Gwen asks. "Do that again." Verdona tells her, shocked. "No problem." Gwen shoots mana blasts at Verdona, who easily blocks them with a mana wave. "Incredible." Verdona stares at the girl with wide eyes.
"Just who do you think you are littering my grandpa's cove with your flowers?" Gwen asks, ignoring the woman's shocked expression, and the boys walk over. "Flowers that she makes out of energy." Kevin adds. "No way." Gwen says, realization hitting her, and Verdona smiles, walking over. "Did you say Max was your grandfather?" She asks, and Gwen nods. Verdona's smile grows wider, and she hugs Gwen. "Kiddo!" She shouts. "Um, he was my grandpa, too." Ben tells her. "Really? Oh, can you project energy like your sister?" Verdona asks, turning to Ben. "Cousin." Ben corrects. "And no." He adds. "Shame." Verdona tells him, looking disappointed, before turning back to Gwen. "Gwendolyn... I'm Verdona. We'll talk again soon." She grabs Gwen's hand. "See you soon, Elemental Enerithian." Verdona tells Aria with a smile before her eyes and body glows, and with a flash of light, she disappears. "I think we just met our grandmother." Ben states. Aria sighs, turning away from the group. "I already hate that woman." She mumbles.
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When Aria and Gwen got home, Gwen decided it was best to talk to her father. "Dad, we need to talk." She tells him. "In your room? I'm honored. When was the last time you let me in here?" Frank asks. Gwen goes to her door to close it and Aria takes a sit on the bed. "I-- We've been keeping a big secret from you." Gwen pulls Aria to her. Frank smiles then looks down and Gwen opens her draw. "Magic powers." She says. "Not magic, and I'm not an orphan grandpa Max found. I'm an alien-- an Elemental Sage and an Enerithian meaning I can manipulate the elements and energy. There's one more thing I wanted to--" "You two are joking, right? Aliens and magic? Come on Gwen, Riri. There's no such thing." Frank dismisses them. "But there's more. You ready?" Gwen asks, raising her hand, she looks at her father and then back at her hand, it glows with mana, which she uses to close the drawer. When she was done she turned to Aria, who pursed her lips and raised her hand, manifesting a small water sphere, which she froze and threw in the air before shooting an energy blast at it, creating snow. Frank takes a seat on the bed, "That's a big secret." He says. "We met Grandma Verdona today." Gwen adds. "I was afraid this day might come, but you never showed any signs of having powers. Riri, I knew what you were, dad told us when we took you in." Frank tells the girls, and Aria sighs feeling a weight being lifted off her shoulders.
"Your mother and I thought we were in the clear." Franks addresses Gwen. "Magic runs in the family? I knew it!" Gwen smiles. "Not magic." Aria corrects. "As Riri said, it's not magic, there's no such thing. Your grandma's an alien." He shares and Gwen takes a sit beside her father. "Told you so." Aria laughs. "Okay, I'm overloading with questions, but first... Guys, I know you're out there. Come on in." Gwen addresses the boys who were eavesdropping outside her room window. "Hey, Uncle Frank." Ben greets his uncle once he and Kevin are inside. "Uh, how do you do, sir? Kevin Levin." Kevin introduces himself. "Who's this-- your boyfriend?" Frank asks, and Gwen blushes. "Absolutely not!" Kevin shouts, moving behind Ben. "I mean no, sir." He backtracks. "Daddy, no!" Gwen also denies. "So, here's the thing. My grandma, who I never knew, wants something from me, but I don't know what." Gwen tells her father. "Let's ask her. Your friends weren't the only ones who sneaks around eavesdropping on people. Isn't that right, mom?" Frank asks.
"You always could tell when I was watching, baby." Verdona says, appearing in a flash of light. "I had hope it meant you had the spark... but no such luck." She says, teleporting them to the living room, scaring Natalie, who was cleaning a vase, causing it to fall and break. "Verdona, what a surprise." She says, clearly not surprised. Verdona's eyes glow, and she fixes the vase, placing it back on the table. "Whoa." Gwen says, amazed. "Tea, dear, and something sweet for the kids." Verdona tells Natalie who goes to do that. She comes back with tea and cookies and places them on the coffee table. Frank pours tea for his mother. "Been a while Mom." He says. "I suppose... in human time." She replies and turns to Gwen. "Sweetie, your grandmother is an Anodite, and so are you." Verdona tells her. "What's an Anodite? Aria told me I was one, but she never explained what it was." Gwen asks her grandma. "The Elemental Enerithian?" Verdona asks, looking at Aria, who leaned against Natalie, munching on a cookie. "Anodites are a race of free spirits with powers that humans can barely comprehend. We're sister races with Enerithians since mana's a sub-power of energy. Now we don't often mess in the affairs of just plain folks, but I fell deeply in love with Max Tennyson." She explains.
"And ditched him?" Kevin asks only to get elbowed by Ben. "No. It's just that after the kids were grown and out of the house, I needed to reconnect with my Anodite heritage, and Max was busy saving the universe with the Plumbers." Verdona shares. "Dad thought you didn't know about that." Frank says. "Yes, he didn't want me to worry. Sweet man." Verdona says, drinking some tea. "We had many good years, but we grew apart. Even a fellow loaded with as much mana as Max is still just a physical being." She adds. "What's mana?" Ben asks, and Verdona raises her hand, taping Ben's mouth using mana. "Your grandpa's fate was big news. It even reached my planet, so I came back here to remember the good times. Who knew there was a budding Anodite among you." She says, turning to Gwen. "Gwendolyn, you'll be amazed at what you can do. Let me teach you to master life energy-- that's what mana is." Verdona shares, standing up and removing the tape from Ben's mouth. "Oh." Ben says. "I do want to learn. Where do we start?" Gwen asks her grandmother, standing up.
"On Anodyne. Stop living this humdrum life. Come home with me and join the real party." Verdona tells her, holding her hands. "Leave?" Gwen asks, pulling her hands away. "This is all so-- wow." She backs away. "This is too huge. Mom? Dad? What do I do?" She turns to her parents. "I don't know. It's an opportunity I never had." Frank replies, standing up. "We always hoped that you would take after my side of the family, but we want you to be happy." Natalie says, glaring at Verdona. "We won't stand in your way, Gwen." Frank reassures her. "You won't?" Gwen asks. "Then it's settled. Come on, sweetie." Verdona beckons her over, but Gwen runs upstairs. "If she's upset now, I wonder how she'll react when she learns how long it takes to master mana." Aria sighs, chasing Gwen with Ben and Kevin. "You would go up on the roof. Some of us can't fly, you know." Kevin tells Gwen taking a sit beside her. "You're acting as if I didn't carry you." Aria tells him, sitting on Gwen's other side. "Dude, be supportive." Ben says, taking a sit beside Aria. "This is not how I expected my day to go." Gwen says. "Still, it's pretty cool to find out about your powers, right? Grandma could teach you to do all that stuff she can do." Ben tells her.
"I'd be gone for a long time, I guess." Gwen speaks up. "Yeah, it takes 70 years to master mana." Aria says, and her eyes turn dark blue. The three of them stare at her in shock. "70 years?" Kevin asks. "Mm-hmm." Aria hums in reply. "I've always felt like an outsider like I'm in the wrong place. But then I think, 'Oh, that's high school for you.'" Gwen shares. "We'll miss you if you go." Ben says. "Really?" Gwen asks. "Sure, but we've been recruiting more and more Plumber kids, so we'd still have a pretty powerful team." Ben tells her. "Oh." She says. "We might have more recruits but none of them could ever replace you. We're the Gwen and Aria team." Aria tells Gwen nudging her with her shoulder and Gwen smiles. "You're my alien sister." She adds, resting her head on Gwen's shoulder. "When I was trying to decide whether to use my powers again, you told me it was my choice. That's all I'm saying. Anyway, maybe you owe it to yourself to try turning into a cosmic Manamaster." Ben tells her. "Maybe." Gwen agrees. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Ben adds. "Kevin, Ari, do you feel the same way?" Gwen asks.
"No." "No. Why would you even think about it? I want you around. The whole thing's lame." Kevin and Aria reply simultaneously. "Remember you'll be gone for like 70 years and I can teach you the basics like keeping your constructs from breaking so easily and other stuff since I've been around Anodites." Aria offers. Gwen hugs Aria before hugging Kevin, kissing him on the cheek, and going inside. "Lame! Lame! Lame!" Kevin repeats watching Gwen leave. Inside the house, Natalie, Frank, and Verdona were talking about Gwen's powers while Verdona danced around with a disco ball lighting up the room. "Thanks so much for the offer, but I'll just settle for being a gifted human." Gwen tells her grandma, walking down the stairs. "I want to stay here with my friends." She adds. Verdona snaps her fingers and the disco ball vanishes. "But you don't even know what you really are. Kiddo, we belong on Anodyne among our kind. Let me show you." Verdona's eyes and mouth glow. Aria, Ben and Kevin tush downstairs and over to Gwen when they saw what was happening. "Seriously?" Aria asks. When the light was gone Verdona's skin fell to the floor and above it was a dark purple humanoid form made of pure mana with glowing bright pink light resembling hair. "Anodites." Aria scoffs, shaking her head.
"See? Just a disguise. This is what it means to be an Anodite." Verdona shares. "So that's why she looks so good." Natalie says as she and Frank stand up. "Mature Anodites are pure energy. The same goes for you little Enerithian. We draw life from the mana around us." Verdona explains. "You gotta admit-- that's kind of cool." Ben says amazed. "Not the time." Aria tells him. "You're just too young to make up your own mind. Let me help you. I'll destroy your body and free the Anodyte inside. It'll be fun. And you'll be able to think much more clearly." Verdona offers. "Destroy?" Ben questions. "Her body?" Kevin also questions. "One of the reasons why I hate Anodites." Aria sighs. "Destroy my body?" Gwen asks. "You're not serious." "How do you know whether you like something if you don't try it?" Verdona asks. "Can't you just understand Gwen doesn't wanna leave with you?" Aria asks and the boys stand in front of them. "Another dance, boys? Okay. But just this once." Verdona blasts the boys out of the house leaving a big hole in the side.
"Grandmother of the year right there." Aria says, sarcastically as she and Gwen run towards the boys, and Verdona follows, chuckling. "Now, this is what I call a party." She says, shooting a beam at them, but Aria puts her hands up, absorbing the mana. "Aria?" Gwen calls, confused. Aria sighs, and a bright light surrounds her, when it fades Aria stands there in her energy form. "Go ahead." Aria tells them. Gwen nods and uses stepping stones to get out. She throws a disc at Verdona, who blocks it with her hair. "Gwen, stay back." Kevin advises. "Hit the road, Kevin." Gwen tells him. "Huh?" He looks confused, and Gwen looks down. "Oh." He says, realizing what she means, and touches the road, absorbing the stone. A big cosmic blast flies out of the crater and hits Verdona, knocking her back. Aria floats out of the crater and glares at Verdona, who recovers from the attack. "Oh, the little Enerithian has accessed her energy form." Verdona says, amused. "Seriously, I hate this form." Aria tells her, manifesting water and shooting it at the woman. Verdona shoots a mana blast at her, but she uses her hair to push it back to Verdona and then shoots pressurized water in her face. "Awesome." Kevin says, then he throws a stone at her, knocking her back he continues doing so, and Ben transforms into Spidermonkey.
Verdona flies at Gwen who puts up a shield to block her but the woman uses her hair to break it. Luckily, Spidermonkey wraps his webs around her waist and pulls her back. "Check it out. Hands-free." He boasts. Verdona tries attacking them but Kevin throws another stone at her and Aria hands him another one which he throws, having had enough, Verdona grabs Kevin with her hair and tries to grab Aria, but her hair goes right through her. "I'm not a physical being. I can touch you, but you can't touch me." Aria taunts and laughs. "Why, grandma! What big trouble you have." Spidermonkey says drawing attention to him. His webs are attached to two light posts making a slingshot and a mana ball is in the middle. He lets go of the webs and sends the ball flying at her, causing her to let go of Kevin. Aria grabs Kevin with her hair and pulls him to her as the ball pushes Verdona back. Aria forms a cosmic blast and throws it at Verdona, causing an explosion. Verdona growls and dodges another blast sent her way by Gwen as Spidermonkey holds onto her and swings her over. Once she was close enough, she kicked Verdona twice. "She's weakening." Gwen says, looking back at her friends. Verdona flies in the air absorbing some mana and flies at Gwen but Spidermonkey comes in front of her and punches her sending her tumbling into the ground and webbing her up. "Spidermonkey's got it covered." He says and chatters. Kevin runs over with a giant slab ready to smash Verdona with it, but she gives him sad eyes.
"Dude, I don't know if I could pound your grandma." Kevin says. "That's okay. We're teaching her to mind her mana." Spidermonkey jokes and laughs. "Good one, Ben." Verdona chuckles. "Was not." Kevin denies. Verdona breaks out of the webs and flies in the air, absorbing mana. "She's drawing mana from millions of living things around her." Gwen points out. "The grass." Kevin says. "I'm really enjoying this." Verdona says. She sticks Kevin into the ground with her hair. "I should get out more often." She says, turning to Spidermonkey and wrapping him in his webs. "All right fun time's over." Aria sighs, disappearing in a flash. She appears behind Verdona and shoots an energy beam at her, knocking her out of the sky. "What the?" She turns to look back at the girl surprised. "Verdona, mind if I have some energy?" Aria asks, wrapping her hair around Verdona. "Of course you don't!" She beams in her echoey voice, taking energy from Verdona. "Stop that!" She protests, trying to break free but can't. "I'll let you go if you listen to Gwen." Aria shifts her over to her granddaughter and stops taking energy.
"I am not going. I love having powers, but I like my life better. I like fighting monsters and saving the world." Gwen tells Verdona. "Anodites help tons of people-- scads. You could use your new powers however you want..." "You're not listening." Aria tells her. "Gwen." Aria turns to her friend. "I like swimming in the school and breaking boards with my hands and running and feeling tired afterward... and kissing boys. I mean, all those good times you had with Grandpa..." Gwen continues. "Oh, I was just a kid having my fun. Trust me-- grown-up parties are so much better." Verdona tells her. "Grandma Verdona admit it-- You miss it and you miss Max. That's what brought you here." Gwen tells her. "Max should've been like us. He had a spark all his own. An adventurer, troublemaker-- he was a lot like your little friend, um... Curtis." Verdona butchers Kevin's name. "Kevin." The boy corrects. "Energy beings talking here." Verdona tells him and Aria lets go. "No. You and Aria are the energy beings. I'm a girl." Gwen tells her. "Maybe I've forgotten what that's like." Verdona admits. "Still, what I'm offering you is better. Thank about how many more powers you'll have." Verdona says, making Gwen float in the air with her.
"I like my powers, but I love my friends and family. Aria's offered to teach me a few things. I'm not going with you, grandma." Gwen tells her. "No. I don't believe you are." Verdona accepts defeat and brings her back down. "Well, it's been a wild little shindig." Verdona snaps her fingers and everything goes back to normal. "But Mama's got to go." She says. "How did you do that?" Gwen asks. "You could always come with me and find out." Verdona offers. "Yeah... or not." Gwen declines. "Had to try." Verdona says, using her hair to pull Kevin and Ben upright as Frank and Natalie approach. "Goodbye all. And, Ben, way to stick up for your cousin. You're all right." She cups Ben's cheek. "You, too, grandma." Ben replies. "Little Enerithian make sure to teach Gwen about mana." Verdona tells Aria who nods. "Don't forget to have some fun, kiddo. Grandma's going to drop in now and again to see how you're doing." Verdona tells Gwen. "Oh... joy." Natalie says unenthusiastically. Verdona flies off and disappears behind a cloud. Gwen looks down and sees a flower so she picks it up. "Come on. I know where this goes." She tells them. "I need to stop taking people's energy." Aria sighs and decides to fly beside the car to waste some energy.
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They get to grandpa Max's fishing spot and everyone besides Aria stands under the tree as Gwen places the flower with the others. Behind them was a bright light and a sigh causing them to look back and see Aria now in her normal form. "Thank god." She sighs, looks down at her hands seeing them shimmering slightly, and frowns. "No more stealing energy and no more energy form." She tells herself. Aria looks up and sees everyone staring at her. "What?" She asks, but they just look away so she shrugs and joins them. She stretches her hands out and gives the flowers more energy bringing them back to life. "There."