"This is it. It's been ten years but I've finally met the condition," thoughts of joy rushed in Fred's mind.
"Welcome, Fredrick," a voice woke Fred up after he was knocked out by the energy burst from the Omnitrix.
"I'll feel that tomorrow," he mumbled, rubbing his head. As he looked up, he saw two recognizable giant faces in front of him.
"I'm surprised by your past. What an intriguing world it is," one of the faces spoke, their tone filled with curiosity.
"Did I transform into Alien X on the go?" Fred questioned, bewildered and slightly anxious.
"Relax, kid. We simply summoned you here. Since you don't have an Omnitrix, there's nothing keeping us from doing this whenever we want. I'm Matimba, by the way," the masculine face said, his voice calm yet authoritative.
"And I'm Rhandzu," the feminine face followed, her tone gentle and soothing.
"So your name is Might and yours is Love," Fred responded, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I get that these are common names back in my original world, but you guys are just uncreative," he said, shaking his head.
"You know you're technically insulting yourself, right? We're extensions of you, not separate beings. Just because we disagree on some things doesn't mean we're different beings," Matimba said, a touch of amusement in his voice.
"Whatever. Why'd you summon me here? Don't tell me you already want to deliberate from the get-go," Fred asked, exasperated.
"Well, as you know, we can't deliberate with just the two of us," Rhandzu said, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration as Fred let out a heavy sigh.
"Listen, I can't be here for millions of years arguing whether we can bring back the dinosaurs or not..." Fred said, pausing a little, his voice filled with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
"You want to see it too, don't you?" Matimba said, reading Fred's face with a knowing smile.
"I do wonder what it would be like if I changed some things... damn it, no," Fred mumbled, starting to ponder the things he could do now. "Wait, can we bring back my parents?" he suddenly asked, his voice filled with hope and longing.
"Losing your family at such a young age after getting so attached to them," Rhandzu lamented, her voice soft and empathetic.
"It's a part of life, kid. You'll get over it," Matimba said bluntly, though there was a hint of sympathy in his tone.
"Then no dinosaurs for you either," Fred responded, a touch of defiance in his voice as Matimba clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Then I propose you let me go, and you can summon me to deliberate once every month," Fred suggested, trying to find a compromise.
"I like that idea," Rhandzu said, her voice brightening.
"Make it five times," Matimba countered, his tone firm.
"Twice," Fred replied firmly, not backing down.
"Hmmm. Fine, but you have to agree to deliberate through all our topics until that point," Matimba responded, a hint of resignation in his voice.
"How about I deliberate for the entire day with you? Two days that we agree on beforehand in a month where we deliberate," Fred proposed, trying to strike a balance.
"I second that," Rhandzu followed, her voice supportive.
"Very well, but I will not give up on dinosaurs," Matimba said, a note of determination in his voice as Fred regained his consciousness.
"You're awake," Max said, relief evident in his voice as Fred lay on the bed.
"How long was I out?" he asked, groggy and disoriented.
"It's already morning," Gwen said from just outside, her voice filled with concern. "We were worried, but Grandpa said you'll be fine and just need some rest," she added, her tone softening.
Before Fred could respond, Ben sped right back into the room. "Here you are! Where have you been?" Max asked, his tone a mix of relief and curiosity.
"Who's that?" Gwen asked, seeing XLR8 for the first time.
"Pretty cool, right? Check this out," Ben said, instantly packing up the camping equipment right before he timed out. "I'm so looking forward to this vacation," he added after timing out, a big grin on his face.
"You're awake," Ben said as he entered, seeing Fred sitting by the couch.
"Yeah, I never thought my powers would awaken and respond to your watch there," Fred said nonchalantly, trying to downplay the situation. "It'll be easier to explain why I can transform this way. Sorry, Max, for not entirely keeping our promise," Fred thought to himself.
Ben and Gwen sat slightly shocked at what they heard. "I'm sorry, what?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I'm technically part alien, and I inherited my dad's powers, but they hadn't awakened until I came in close proximity with that watch there," Fred explained, as if it were common news.
"Oh. So that's what happened. Is that how you expect us to react to such big news?" Gwen responded, her voice rising in shock.
"Talk about dropping a bombshell," Ben commented, shaking his head.
"I mean, I'm a little bit shocked too, you know," Fred replied, trying to lighten the mood. Silence filled the Rust Bucket for a minute.
"Say, I heard a Mega Mart is opening here. How about we go shopping?" Max suggested, trying to break the silence.
"Woah, really?" Ben's attention was now grabbed, his focus on Fred lessened as they set off.
"Say, what are your powers anyway?" Ben asked after they had driven for a while.
"Right, that reminds me," Fred said, taking a look in his backpack. "I still need a few things," he added.
"What's with that?" Ben asked, watching Fredrick scan his tech to see if he had the necessary equipment to make a nanotech bracelet so his transformations wouldn't become naked or rip his clothes.
"Maybe a Galvanic Mechamorph," Fred muttered to himself.
"You wanted to know about my powers, right?" Fred replied, looking at Ben. "Here, let me show you," he said, turning into a Galvanic Mechamorph.
"Woah, awesome!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.
Fred assimilated the tech he'd placed on the table, turning it into the bracelet he wanted, and then turned back to normal. "I can more or less transform into all the aliens you can change into, kinda like copying your watch," he said with a smile. He's been waiting for quite the while for these powers and now he got them.
Gwen, on the other hand, was still processing everything. "Wait, so you're telling us that you can transform into all the aliens Ben can, just like that?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
Ben grinned, clearly impressed. "Man, that's so cool! We could totally come up with some sick combo moves with our aliens!"
Max, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "Well, it looks like our little team just got a lot more interesting."