Ben 10: My Cousin is an OP Slacker — Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Let’s Talk to You

A deafening roar shattered the coastal night. A massive section of the concrete dock crumbled into jagged debris, sending a cluster of Highbreed crashing violently into the churning sea below. High above the chaos, Way Big stood tall. The colossal alien gripped a ruined cruise ship in his massive hands. The vessel groaned under the immense pressure, its hull buckled and leaking a faint, glowing green sludge from its fractured seams.

Unbothered by the mess, Way Big hoisted the battered cruise ship higher and hurled it skyward with terrifying force. The massive vessel became a mere speck against the clouds. Without missing a beat, the towering giant crossed his arms into a rigid X-shape. A blinding, ghostly blue cosmic ray erupted from his forearms.

Boom!

The kinetic shockwave of the blast ripped through the atmosphere, instantly vaporizing the ship. The sheer force of the explosion swept away the heavy storm clouds, leaving behind a perfectly clear, star-studded sky illuminated by a brilliant full moon.

Down below, a lone Highbreed commander broke the surface of the water, coughing up seawater and staring blankly at the cleared sky.

“…”

He floated there for a moment, the absolute absurdity of the situation breaking his spirit.

“I’ve really had enough of this,” the Highbreed muttered, his voice echoing with utter defeat. “Can you please turn off your cheat codes? Our art styles aren’t even in the same genre anymore! Didn’t we agree to the standard tropes? I’m the villain, you’re the hero, and we clash in a passionate, evenly matched battle of ideals! At the very least, I could accept losing if I made a tactical error and you foiled my grand master plan at the last second!”

Grumbling to himself, the Highbreed commander spread his heavy wings, desperately flapping upward in a frantic bid for survival. He just wanted to get away from this monstrous anomaly.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot about you,” a booming, indifferent voice echoed from above.

The Highbreed froze. A shadow eclipsed the moon. Before he could even twitch, an irresistible, colossal hand clamped around his entire body.

“Wait, I— Damn it!”

With a casual flick of his wrist, Way Big hurled the screaming Highbreed straight out of the Earth’s atmosphere. A second later, another brilliant blue cosmic ray pierced the heavens. It was the ultimate overkill—using a nuclear cannon to swat a mosquito. The beam caught the Highbreed in the upper exosphere, obliterating him so thoroughly that not even a single microscopic speck of dust remained.

Back on the ruined dock, the remaining DNAliens had either been crushed under the debris or had sensibly fled into the night, thoroughly routed by Ben, Gwen, and Kevin.

Standing by the battered coastline, Way Big’s colossal form suddenly flashed with a dazzling, ghostly blue light. The towering silhouette shrank rapidly, the blinding illumination fading to reveal Klein standing casually amidst the wreckage, looking entirely unbothered by the apocalyptic destruction he had just caused.

“The Highbreed is dealt with. So, what’s the plan now?” Kevin asked, strolling over to Klein as the metallic armor receded from his skin, returning him to his normal human state. “Go home?”

“Cousin, I’ve already told my parents I’m staying over at your place tonight,” a melodic voice called out. Gwen floated down from the night sky, her pink mana platforms dissipating as she landed. Klein smoothly caught her by the waist, pulling her into a comfortable embrace.

“You guys are so lucky. How do you even have the leisure to discuss sleepovers right now?” A flash of green light illuminated the shadows, revealing a completely miserable Ben. He slouched forward, his face a mask of pure despair, looking so gloomy one might assume the world had actually ended. “I’m completely screwed. I’m definitely getting grounded for a month the second I step through my front door!”

“What else can we do?” Gwen offered a helpless, sympathetic sigh. “You know Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra. Once they make up their minds, that’s it. Even if Grandpa Max were here, he’d have a hard time talking them down.”

“Your parents really are exactly like you, man,” Kevin chuckled, leaning against a broken shipping crate. “Stubborn as hell and totally rebellious. The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree.”

Klein studied Ben’s miserable expression, his eyes glinting with a lazy, calculating light. “Tell you what, Dweeb. Let Kevin drive you home first.”

“Is it really a guaranteed death sentence?” Ben groaned, clutching his hair. He had originally planned to crash at his cousin’s house for a few days to let the heat die down. But since Gwen was already claiming Klein’s attention for the night, he knew he’d just be a third wheel. Realizing his escape route was blocked, Ben shot Klein a deeply resentful, betrayed glare.

‘What’s his problem?’ Klein thought, mildly amused by the dramatic glare. He didn’t dwell on it. His cousin was naturally a bit dramatic, and these exaggerated expressions were a daily occurrence.

“Come on, Tennyson. Let’s go face the music. I’ll do my best to help you talk your parents down,” Kevin said, clapping a heavy hand onto Ben’s shoulder before turning toward where he had parked his car outside the ruined dock.

Hearing Kevin’s rare offer of support, Ben let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as he followed the Osmosian. He looked like a soldier bravely marching toward the executioner’s block.

Watching the two boys disappear into the shadows, Gwen tilted her head, looking up at Klein with genuine curiosity. “So, Cousin, where are we heading?”

Klein shifted his gaze upward, staring into the infinite depths of the starry night. A faint, knowing smirk tugged at his lips. “We’re going to find someone.”

Anodyne.

The atmosphere hummed with raw, vibrant pink mana.

“So? What exactly are you doing here again, kid?” Verdona floated gracefully in the air, her glowing Anodite form radiating immense power. She stared at Klein—who currently had an arm wrapped comfortably around Gwen, and his other arm casually holding Sunny—with a deeply complicated expression.

How could she even describe this feeling? It was like watching her own prize pig root up her own carefully cultivated cabbages. She felt a bizarre mixture of immense pride and utter depression. She was proud because she saw so much of Max’s obvious charm and rogueish shadow in this particular grandson. The depressing part, however, was that he was directing that charm strictly at her own granddaughters.

While Verdona was busy wrestling with her internal family dynamics, Klein smoothly cut to the chase. “Grandma, if you don’t go back to Earth and save Ben from his parents, how are we supposed to go gallivanting—I mean, how are we supposed to save the world in the future?”

“That is entirely none of my business,” Verdona replied, crossing her glowing arms and looking completely indifferent. “I’ve already told you. You little rascals just love to meddle in mortal affairs.”

Verdona absolutely despised dealing with parental discipline. Even her own children—Carl, Frank, and the rest—had been raised with absolute, chaotic freedom when they were young. She wasn’t about to start lecturing them on how to parent their own kids now.

However, it was precisely because of Verdona’s wild, free-spirited nature—treating her own sons more like amusing pets than fragile humans—that Carl and the others were absolutely terrified of her. That deep-seated awe was exactly why Klein had come to Anodyne. If Verdona simply ordered Carl to let Ben continue being a hero, Carl wouldn’t dare refuse. Her word was absolute law in the Tennyson family. After all, she was a cosmic being who rarely took ‘no’ for an answer.

The only hurdle was that Verdona actively refused to intervene.

But for Klein, this wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, her refusal was entirely within his calculations.

Keeping his expression perfectly neutral, Klein casually dropped the bait. “Grandma, do you want to know exactly how many old flames Grandpa Max has scattered across the galaxy?”

Boom.

A terrifying, suffocating wave of dense pink mana instantly exploded outward, filling the entire domain with crushing pressure.

Gwen and Sunny barely flinched; as Anodites themselves, their natural adaptability to mana was incredibly high. As for Klein, his unique soul and sheer power made him entirely immune to the atmospheric pressure. He stood there, completely unbothered by the cosmic wrath flaring around him.

Verdona floated closer, her glowing face twisting into a terrifyingly sweet smile. “My good grandson… Be a dear. Tell Grandma exactly what else your Grandpa has been hiding…”

Hearing the dangerous edge in Verdona’s gritted teeth, Klein didn’t miss a beat. “You help Ben, and I’ll give you the full list.”

Selling out Grandpa Max was Klein’s ultimate trump card. If this hadn’t worked, his only remaining option would have been to forcibly alter Carl and Sandra’s memories. Since they were family, Klein preferred to avoid mind-wiping them unless absolutely necessary. He wasn’t a monster, just incredibly lazy.

But looking at the blazing aura of a jealous Anodite matriarch, the “Sell Out Grandpa” strategy was proving to be flawlessly effective.

Ben’s grounding crisis was officially solved. As for Grandpa Max’s impending doom? Well, Klein had the utmost faith in the old Plumber’s survival skills. Besides, by the time Verdona actually managed to track Max down, she might have cooled off. Probably.

Sometime later, at the Tennyson Residence.

Kevin stood on the front porch, his ear pressed flat against the solid oak door, eagerly eavesdropping on the muffled shouting coming from inside the living room. Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He spun around, startled. “Huh? Boss? How did you guys get here so fast?”

Klein didn’t bother answering. He merely offered a faint smirk and gestured for the Osmosian to step aside.

Shuffling out of the way, Kevin finally noticed the rest of the entourage. Gwen was standing there, and right beside her was an older woman radiating an aura of absolute authority. Seeing the respectful way Gwen stood near her, Kevin’s street-smarts instantly kicked in. He guessed the woman’s terrifying identity in a heartbeat.

Before Kevin could say another word, Klein reached out and pushed the front door open. Kevin hadn’t clicked the latch shut when he stepped outside, wanting to keep his options open in case he needed to rush back in and save his friend.

The hinges creaked slightly. Inside the tense living room, Ben, Carl, and Sandra all snapped their heads toward the entryway, pausing their heated argument.

Feeling their intense gazes lock onto him, Klein didn’t offer a single word of explanation. He simply took a casual step back, sweeping his arm out to clear the path for the ultimate authority figure.

“If you won’t listen to me,” Klein said smoothly, his eyes locking onto his stunned uncle, “then go talk to your mother.”