convention

"That's my sword, boy!" Enoch snarled, hurling his shield at Ben. The impact knocked both Ben and Gwen off the pyramid, sending them tumbling to the midsection.

"Ben!" Max cried, his concern causing him to lose focus. Enoch seized the opportunity, delivering a sharp kick that sent Max sprawling before rushing up the stairs toward the sword.

"Aw man! I wasn't expecting that," Ben groaned, flipping the dial on his watch to search for an alien transformation.

Max, seeing Enoch reach for the sword, activated his jet boots and flew up to tackle him. Enoch had already grabbed the weapon, but as they collided and crashed into the wall, the sword came loose. When Enoch stood up, he realized he was only holding the hilt—no blade in sight.

Max's attention shifted as he heard Gwen calling out. She was on Ben's back, who had transformed into XLR8 and darted to her rescue. Meanwhile, the sword's blade had crumbled to dust. Enoch's disbelief was palpable, and Max couldn't help but laugh at the irony. What he had nearly sacrificed everything for was now nothing more than a pile of dust.

"I guess that's what happens when your ultimate weapon is five thousand years old," Max chuckled, a mixture of relief and irony in his voice.

"Impossible! I refuse to—" Enoch roared, but his tirade was cut short when Fred appeared, punching him so hard that Enoch nearly went through the rock wall before collapsing unconscious.

The building started to shake violently, the telltale sign of another ancient trap being triggered. "We need to get out of here. Fred, bring that Forever Knight along," Max commanded.

Ben grabbed Gwen and the two other knights as they all scrambled to escape the crumbling temple. Once outside, Ben dropped the knights safely onto the ground as they stood amidst the ruins.

"Phew! It's finally over," Ben said, catching his breath.

Max, visibly humbled, turned to the group. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice sincere. "I let this get the best of me and acted poorly. I promise to make it up to you." With that, he offered to treat them to some ordinary food, and they all piled into the rust bucket, flying off to put the ordeal behind them.

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Although the day was still young, the gang decided to visit a waffle house for Fred's choice of meal. The warm scent of syrup and freshly made waffles filled the air as they settled in.

"So," Fred said between bites. "Nom, nom... What do you think?"

"It's awesome! I can't believe you let me test run it," Ben said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Fred had secured a contract for making a Sumo Slammers game and had allowed Ben to test it out.

"Huh!" Gwen suddenly gasped, her expression lighting up as she scrolled through her laptop. "No way. Grandpa, look!" She turned the screen toward Max. It showed an ad for a magic convention happening in Las Vegas.

"Can we head there, please?" she asked, her tone filled with anticipation.

"Alright, Gwen, we'll head there once we finish eating," Max said with a warm smile at her request, his agreement lighting up Gwen's face in delight.

"I bet you'd love to meet more people with experience in the magical arts," Fred remarked with a playful grin, clearly enjoying her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I'd like to learn more about the world of magic," Gwen replied earnestly, though Fred chuckled to himself, knowing the event might not meet all her expectations.

After finishing their meal, the gang hit the road again. The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow across the horizon. "Today's sunset looks beautiful," Fred remarked from the front seat, his gaze fixed on the colorful canvas of the sky.

"Come to think about..." Fred began, lost in thought. He recalled moments from comics and fiction where superheroes soared through the skies just for the sheer joy of it. Despite his abilities, he realized he hadn't truly experienced that yet. "I think I'll take my shower now," he added, breaking from his musings and heading off to freshen up.

As night fell, Max abruptly halted the rust bucket, snapping everyone out of their calm. The group spotted an out-of-control bus skidding along the road. "Not it!" Ben cried instantly, raising his hands as if to dodge responsibility.

"What! Aren't you the hero here?" Fred grumbled, stepping out with a sigh. Turning into Upgrade, he leaped toward the runaway bus. Merging with it, he quickly took control as it teetered on the guardrails of a steep edge. With a swift upgrade, Fred not only stopped the bus but morphed it into a sleek flying vehicle, landing it safely back on the road.

Fred demerged from the bus and addressed the drivers. "There. I also fixed all the components, so it should be good," he said matter-of-factly. The passengers inside waved enthusiastically, expressing their gratitude with cheers and smiles.

The gang watched from the rust bucket, Ben crossing his arms in mock jealousy. "He always gets the cool moments," Ben muttered before grinning.

Fred climbed back into the rust bucket, shaking his head at Ben with a playful grin. "I can't help it if people see me that way," he teased as they resumed their journey toward the magic convention.

The next morning, excitement filled the air as everyone got ready. The convention was finally here, but getting out the door was proving to be a challenge.

"Come on, hurry up!" Gwen knocked impatiently on the bathroom door, arms crossed. Ben had been in there for what felt like ages. Normally, Gwen would have gone ahead, but as the last in line, she was stuck waiting.

"You do know we have plenty of time, right?" Fred remarked, tying his shoes.

"At this rate, I don't think so," Gwen grumbled.

"Heading out already?" she asked, noticing Fred getting up.

"I'll meet you there. I want to look around," Fred replied, stretching as he made his way to the door.

"What's got him so excited?" Gwen muttered to herself as Fred disappeared.

Moments later, Max returned to the rust bucket just as Fred had left. "Is Ben still not done?" he asked, stepping inside.

"Now I feel clean. It's all yours!" Ben announced with exaggerated satisfaction as he stepped out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of steam.

"Urgh! Look at the mess you made," Gwen complained, stepping in and eyeing the disarray with disdain.

Ben just laughed, brushing off her irritation as if it were nothing. Frustrated, Gwen muttered a chant under her breath, casting a quick spell. Ben's feet suddenly slipped out from under him, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Hey! No fair. Grandpa, Gwen's using magic in the rust bucket!" Ben whined dramatically, sprawled out and pointing accusingly at her.

Max let out a sigh as he adjusted the settings on the dashboard. "Just get cleaned up already, you two. We've got a convention to get to!"

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