Chapter 4: First Transformations

The night air buzzed with tension as the mechanical droids circled above the small town. Their red eyes glowed menacingly as they hovered, scanning for their targets.

Alex stood beside Ben, still trying to process everything that had happened in the past hour. He barely remembered anything about himself, but somehow, he had a strange device latched onto his wrist.

Just like Ben.

The drones descended, their weapons charging up.

"Uh, Grandpa Max?" Ben said, backing up. "Got any alien-proof guns in the Rustbucket?"

Max frowned. "I wish. These things look like they mean business. You two need to run!"

Before they could move, the droids fired.

ZAP!

A bolt of red energy streaked toward them. Ben and Alex dove in opposite directions, barely avoiding the blast as it scorched the ground.

Ben groaned as he rolled onto his feet. "Okay, that's it!" He looked down at his watch—the weird alien thing that latched onto him at the crash site. He had no idea how it worked, but if there was ever a time to find out…

He turned the dial. The faceplate shifted, revealing a silhouette of some kind of alien creature. "Alright… here goes nothing!"

Ben slammed the watch down.

FLASH!

Green light exploded from the device, engulfing his entire body. When the glow faded, he wasn't Ben anymore.

His skin had turned into solid rock, jagged and black with green streaks of energy pulsing through it. His fingers ended in sharp claws, and his entire body felt heavy—yet powerful.

He clenched a fist and grinned. "Whoa. Now this? This is awesome!"

Max's eyes widened. "Ben? Is that you?"

Ben flexed his arms. "Oh yeah, check it out! I'm totally a—"

BOOM!

A laser struck him square in the chest. The force sent him flying into the Rustbucket, denting the metal.

Alex's eyes widened. "Ben!"

Ben groaned, sitting up. "Okay, ow. Not as fun as it looks." Then he blinked. "Wait. I don't feel hurt at all." He looked down at his stone body. The blast hadn't even left a scratch.

Alex took a deep breath, glancing at his own watch. It was eerily similar to Ben's, but the symbol was slightly different—more angular, with sharp edges.

Could he transform too?

Another drone dived toward them, its plasma cannons glowing.

Alex instinctively twisted the dial. A different silhouette appeared—something fast, sleek, and dangerous.

"Alright. Let's see what this thing can do."

He slammed his hand down.

FLASH!

Unlike Ben's transformation, Alex's was much quicker. His body shifted, his skin hardening into sleek white armor with glowing blue lines. His fingers sharpened into claws, his feet morphing into digitigrade legs built for speed. A long tail formed behind him, its tip ending in a bladed edge.

Alex staggered. His senses exploded—everything around him felt sharper. The hum of the drones, the faint vibrations of the ground, even the air itself moving around him—it was all crystal clear.

"Whoa," he whispered.

Ben whistled. "Dude, you look like some kind of alien ninja!"

The drone above them fired.

But this time, Alex moved.

In a blink, he was gone.

He reappeared behind the drone, crouched low, his claws glowing with blue energy. He had dodged the attack so fast that it felt instinctual.

He didn't even think—he just acted.

SLASH!

A single swipe of his claws tore through the drone like paper. Sparks exploded as it crashed to the ground in pieces.

Alex looked down at his hands. He didn't just feel fast—he felt predatory. Like he was built for this.

Ben grinned. "Okay, that was cool."

"Guys!" Gwen called from the Rustbucket. "Less showing off, more fighting!"

Right. More drones were coming. A lot more.

Ben cracked his stone knuckles. "Alright, let's smash some bots!"

Alex grinned. "You read my mind."

They charged.

Ben went first, tanking a volley of lasers like they were nothing. He punched a drone out of the air, then ripped off another one's wing with his bare hands.

Alex weaved through the battlefield like lightning, zigzagging through enemy fire. His claws sliced through two more drones before he leaped into the air, twisting midair to kick another one's head clean off.

They were winning.

But then…

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted behind them.

Alex turned—and his eyes widened.

A giant warship hovered above the city.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup soared through the sky, locked in battle with a fresh wave of advanced droids.

Alex had no idea who they were, but from the way they were beating the hell out of those robots, he figured they were on the same side.

Buttercup flew down toward them, punching a drone so hard it imploded. "Hey! You two the ones wrecking these tin cans?"

Ben, still in his rock form, grinned. "Yep! Name's Ben. This is Alex."

Alex gave a nod, still adjusting to his new alien instincts.

Blossom landed beside them. "Well, we could use some backup. That ship up there? It's the source of these things."

Bubbles zoomed overhead, dodging blaster fire. "And it's got, like, a billion more of them inside!"

Alex clenched his claws. "Then we take it down."

Ben smirked. "Now you're talking."

The warship's cannons aimed downward.

The battle was just getting started.