Chapter 224: Spidermonkey? Prince?
Throughout the entire process of transporting the Oscillator Key and helping Taylor repair his corrupted genetics, neither the DNAliens nor the Highbreed bothered to show up and cause trouble. Perhaps they had simply given up on the key; after all, a Level 6 technological artifact, while incredibly valuable, wasn't exactly one-of-a-kind in the grand scheme of the universe.
As for Taylor, Klein had taken the most direct route. He transformed into Clockwork, winding back the temporal gears to reverse the boy's personal timeline to the exact moment before a Xenocyte had latched onto him. The temporal shift meant Taylor not only reverted to a healthy human state but also lost every single traumatic memory from his time as a mutated DNAlien. It was for the best. Having returned to the blissful ignorance of an ordinary civilian, he was no longer suited to be dragged into this intergalactic mess.
All of that had been neatly wrapped up last week.
Today, the routine remained unchanged. Klein lounged around, waiting for Ben, Gwen, and Kevin to finish their mundane high school classes before they piled into the Rustbucket to hunt down more DNAliens. Xenocyte activity had spiked recently; they didn't even need solid intel anymore. Just chasing down a few local rumors usually led them straight to a nest.
Just like right now. The crew had successfully intercepted a heavy transport truck packed to the brim with dormant Xenocytes. However, the routine bust quickly derailed when an unexpected guest crashed the party.
It wasn't a Highbreed commander. It wasn't a semi-alien hybrid like Helen, who still retained distinct human features. This newcomer was a pure-blooded extraterrestrial—an Arachnachimp. Or, as Ben preferred to call the species: a Spidermonkey.
This wild Spidermonkey had dropped out of nowhere right in the middle of Ben's brawl with the DNAliens and inexplicably started throwing punches to help him. Logically, this made zero sense. The DNAliens held no specific grudge against his kind.
Klein leaned against a nearby tree, a dry smirk playing on his lips. Could it be that he saw how handsome Ben's Spidermonkey form was and wanted to flex his muscles to court him? If that were true, the sheer absurdity of it would be hilarious, considering both of them were males. Then again, out here in the vast American wilderness dealing with alien biology, assuming gender norms was a rookie mistake.
Currently, Klein sat comfortably on a weathered tree stump, resting his chin on his hand as he thoughtfully observed the two Arachnachimps chattering away. One was Ben, still in his alien form, and the other was the random interloper.
According to the newcomer's grandiose self-introduction, his name was Simian. He claimed to be a legitimate prince from Aranhaschimmia, traveling across the galaxy to search for a sacred relic stolen from his homeworld. Whether a single word of this dramatic backstory was true remained highly debatable. To Klein's seasoned ears, the guy was laying the pity card on thick, throwing around phrases like "my father's tragic demise" and "our lost ancestral treasures" with theatrical flair. His words, both direct and heavily implied, were practically begging the team to act as his personal muscle.
"If I cannot retrieve the crystal, I cannot rightfully inherit the throne! And if I am denied the throne, my father's spirit will never find peace in the afterlife..." Simian paced back and forth, waving his four arms dramatically. "I bear too heavy a burden! The unwavering trust of my royal ministers, the desperate expectations of my suffering people... blah, blah, blah."
"Alright, alright, wrap it up." Watching the blue monkey ramble on as if he were addicted to the sound of his own voice, Klein raised a hand, rubbing his temples to ward off a brewing headache.
Simian blinked, halting his pacing. "Oh, my apologies... So, do you brave heroes understand my plight?" He looked at the group, his four eyes sparkling with ill-concealed, greedy anticipation.
"Uh... we heard the words coming out of your mouth, but we didn't really get the point," Kevin deadpanned, crossing his arms.
Ben, having timed out and reverted to human form, scratched his head. "Yeah, it's just... you're a prince, you can't get your throne back, and a bunch of other random stuff."
Seeing Kevin and Ben's utterly bewildered expressions, Simian's face darkened with thick, invisible black lines. He couldn't tell if these humans were intentionally mocking him or just genuinely dense. "..."
"Alright, you've said your piece. Now we can give you a definitive answer." Klein stood up from the stump, dusting off his pants.
Simian watched him intently, leaning forward in anticipation.
"And that answer is... we're not going to help you."
Ben, Gwen, and Kevin didn't even flinch. They just nodded in silent agreement.
Simian's jaw dropped. "Why?! Aren't you...?" He knew exactly who they were. The Omnitrix's reputation echoed across the galaxy. Heroes were supposed to jump at the chance to help a prince in need!
"Please, buddy," Kevin scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We've known you for less than fifteen minutes." Did this monkey seriously think they were naive rookies? Expecting strangers to risk their lives over a five-minute sob story was a complete joke.
Simian's expression twisted into an ugly scowl. "Fine! Be that way. Then stay out of my business!" He spun around, preparing to swing away into the trees.
"Hold on," Klein's calm voice drifted over. "How exactly do you plan to retrieve this sacred crystal of yours?"
Hearing this, Simian paused. Thinking Klein had suddenly changed his mind, the Arachnachimp's face lit up. He immediately launched into the "first half" of his brilliant scheme, which heavily involved "borrowing" a highly restricted device from a specific secure laboratory.
Klein hummed, drawing out the sound thoughtfully, his expression unreadable. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he shattered Simian's hopes. "Kevin, arrest him."
Simian scrambled backward, throwing his four arms up defensively as Kevin cracked his knuckles and pulled out a pair of glowing energy handcuffs. "No! Wait, why?!"
"Are you seriously asking why?" Ben groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You just admitted you're going to rob a lab. You're a thief."
"Though I don't exactly love wearing the badge," Kevin smirked, twirling the cuffs, "we are technically space cops."
Simian bristled with indignation. "Even if I am a thief, I haven't actually stolen anything yet! You have no legal right to arrest me for a crime I haven't committed!"
"Oh? Still want to argue semantics?" Klein chuckled dryly. "Kevin, beat him up first, then arrest him."
This monkey hadn't been honest from the second he dropped out of the trees. Barely a word out of his mouth was true, and he had actively tried to manipulate them into being his disposable enforcers. Anyone with half a brain could see through the hustle.
"Besides," Klein added, his eyes narrowing slightly, "that heavily guarded 'fortress on the moon' you mentioned? The one where your precious crystal was supposedly taken? Funny how that perfectly matches the description of the Universal Communication Center's lunar branch."
Simian froze. He had severely miscalculated. For someone like Klein, who possessed an outsider's detached perspective and had dealt with the universe's underbelly, these basic galactic facts were common knowledge.
The realization finally slammed into Simian: these humans never had any intention of letting him walk away. They had been playing him for a fool from the very beginning!
Panic setting in, Simian turned and bolted. He was a professional thief; direct confrontation against the Omnitrix wielder and his crew was a death sentence.
"Catch him!" Ben yelled.
But Klein was already moving. He tapped the dial of the Another Omnitrix. "Spidermonkey!"
A flash of ghostly blue light illuminated the forest, and a blue-furred Arachnachimp—nearly identical to Simian—crouched in Klein's place.
Simian glanced over his shoulder and sneered. "Ha! Transforming into my own species won't be enough to catch me—"
Before the thief could finish his taunt, Klein casually slapped the Another Omnitrix symbol on his chest. "Ultimate Spidermonkey!"
"No way..." Simian gasped, his four eyes widening in sheer terror.
A massive shadow instantly engulfed him. The Ultimate Spidermonkey form shed its slender agility, bulking up into a towering, gorilla-like behemoth with thick, armored spider legs protruding from its back. Despite its massive size, its speed was terrifying.
The brief second Simian spent staring in shock was all it took.
Thwip!
Thick, ultra-durable webbing shot out, wrapping Simian into a tight, inescapable cocoon. Bound by the Ultimate form's monstrous strength and unyielding silk, all the "prince" could do was scream in muffled despair.
Another flash of ghostly blue light, and the towering gorilla vanished, leaving Klein standing there in his human form. He casually dusted off his hands and looked down at the struggling, webbed-up monkey. "Alright, toss this guy into the Plumbers' holding cells."
The next day, the crew received the official interrogation report from the Plumbers' network.
Unsurprisingly, Simian was an intergalactic habitual criminal—a mercenary thief who worked for whoever offered the highest payout. The "prince" title was complete garbage. Since he lacked the raw combat power to be a true bounty hunter, he stuck to high-stakes burglaries.
However, the final line of the report caught Klein's attention. Simian's employer for this specific heist wasn't some random black-market warlord.
It was the Highbreed.
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