Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

The heavy night pressed down on the cramped space of the supermarket, the air so stagnant it seemed you could wring water out of it.

Xiaowen was the first to break the silence.

She seemed to have completely erased Aji's departing figure from her sight, and her green eyes, which appeared even more deep and sharp in the dim light, were like daggers sharpened with cold light, firmly fixed on Mr. Bao Man once again.

She threw out the question directly, concise and sharp, with an undeniable penetrating power.

"You said your transport ship will arrive on Thursday?" Her voice was calm and even, yet it was like a stone thrown into stagnant water.

Mr. Bao Man rubbed his rough hands together, his face filled with helpless sorrow.

"On the busiest day of the week, even if I close this door, my regular customers will still come; there's no stopping them."

“The Eternal Warrior will definitely come too,” Mo Bai’s voice rang out from the side. He stood up, his expression unusually solemn.

However, this seriousness only lasted for a moment. Like the tide receding to reveal the beach, the corners of his mouth habitually curved upwards into a relaxed and slightly sly smile. "Since it's Wednesday today," he spread his hands, his tone light as if announcing a holiday, "why don't we go home, wash up, and go to sleep?"

The suggestion was like untying an invisible rope; everyone stood up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a soft sound.

They nodded to Mr. Bao Man again, and their figures disappeared into the deeper night outside the supermarket.

Kevin's spaceship carried them across the city skyline before finally landing at a familiar parking spot.

After the engines were turned off, the night returned to silence. As if it were a habit ingrained in their bones, Mo Bai and Xiao Ban walked towards one car, while Kevin and Xiao Wen walked towards another.

The dull thud of the car door closing signaled the end of their brief journey together, as everyone went home.

Mo Bai drove his car through the sleeping city's network.

The car was unusually quiet, with only the low hum of the engine and the blurry light and shadow rushing past the window.

This cramped space seemed to be under a celestial spell, isolating him from everything outside, leaving only him and the steering wheel.

The silence lasted for a long time, so long that Mo Bai almost forgot there was another person in the passenger seat.

Until a soft, airy voice, as if afraid of disturbing the night, came from beside me.

Why didn't you continue then...?

Mo Bai was slightly taken aback and subconsciously turned her head to the side.

The night was too dark, and Xiao Ban's face was hidden in the shadows, indistinct.

He didn't immediately realize what she meant. Just as he was wondering what she meant, a dim streetlight shone down on her face like a spotlight on a stage.

In the interplay of light and shadow, he caught a glimpse of an expression—a long-lost, slightly awkward shyness that instantly struck him. Fragments of time rushed back, violently pulling him back to a long, long time ago, to that naive teenage year when he would blush and his heart would race for no reason.

The tide of memories surged in, causing Mo Bai's eyes to momentarily lose focus and become dazed.

The steering wheel slipped slightly in my hands, and the car almost scraped against the roadside wall.

He suddenly woke up, quickly steered the car straight, and the car narrowly made it around a bend before coming to a stop.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to look at the dark road ahead, but his thoughts drifted uncontrollably into the depths of the past.

Silence filled the car.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mo Bai noticed that Xiao Ban in the passenger seat was still looking down, like a snail retreating into its shell.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke very softly, with a gentle tone that was almost a sigh.

“Because I feel you’ve grown up,” he paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, “and don’t want people to pat your head or anything like that anymore, making you seem like a little kid, right?”

Xiao Ban finally raised his head and turned to look at him.

The cool moonlight shone through the car window, clearly outlining the calm profile of Mo Bai's face.

However, when the light of the passing streetlamp swept across his face again, in that brief moment of light, Xiao Ban saw clearly—deep in his eyes, there was not complete calm, but rather a distant, warm longing.

In that instant, countless thoughts churned and collided in Xiao Ban's mind.

She quickly turned her head, her gaze fixed on the rapidly passing street scene outside the window, the neon signs stretching and distorting on the car window.

A moment later, her voice rang out again, with a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

"So, do you prefer the old me or the current me?"

This question was like a pebble thrown into a still lake, causing Mo Bai's fingers to tighten slightly as he gripped the steering wheel.

He paused for a moment, and many images involuntarily flashed through his mind.

It was the figure of that energetic girl, like a little sun, who was always causing trouble but also making people laugh and cry.

A warm sense of nostalgia welled up in his heart, and he spoke almost without thinking, his voice carrying a smile he himself was unaware of.

"Before, although I was very mischievous and a real headache," he paused, his smile deepening, "I also found that lively and cheerful side quite cute and interesting."

However, the problems in the small class did not end there.

She seemed to have mustered her courage, and asked slowly, her voice even softer.

"So, do you like touching my head...?"

The air seemed to freeze instantly. Mo Bai felt her ears burning; the question felt like a feather tickling her heart, carrying a touch of indescribable embarrassment.

He coughed a few times, looking somewhat embarrassed, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his voice tense and unnatural.

"The feel... is quite nice."

No sooner had he finished speaking than something completely unexpected happened.

A slightly cool hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his free right hand, which was resting on the seatbelt.

Her hand guided his arm with a cautious yet firm touch, gently placing his palm on the hair above her head.

Mo Bai was completely stunned and subconsciously turned to look at her.

As far as the eye could see, Xiao Ban had his head bowed deeply, his hands resting lightly on his wrists, as if confirming the position, or perhaps as a silent urging.

The streetlight flashed by, clearly illuminating her small earlobes, which were so red they looked as if they were about to bleed.

A subtle "since I'm already here" mentality gripped Mo Bai.

Almost instinctively, he moved his fingertips, gently rubbing the soft hair beneath his palm with a touch that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Sensing his movement, Xiao Ban's tense shoulders seemed to relax a little, and the hand that was covering his wrist slowly and reluctantly slid down.

However, this brief moment of warmth did not last long.

Before Mo Bai could even properly feel the texture of the hair, the familiar street scene told him—he had arrived home.

The car came to a smooth stop outside the gate of Xiaoban's house.

He withdrew his hand somewhat awkwardly, his voice extremely soft, carrying a hint of reassurance.

"Go home and get some sleep."

Xiao Ban nodded slightly, squeezing out a barely audible "Mmm" from his throat.

She turned around, opened the car door, and just as she stepped one foot out of the car, she heard Mo Bai's familiar voice behind her.

"be careful"

These four words seemed to possess some kind of magic, and Xiao Ban suddenly turned around. The lights inside the car were dim, but she clearly caught the familiar, gentle smile on Mo Bai's face, almost etched deep into her memory, and the warm eyes that were looking at her.

Their gazes met briefly in the air, as if a tiny electric current had passed between them.

As if burned, Xiao Ban quickly turned her face away, the blush spreading from her ears again, her voice carrying a hint of reproachful shyness.

"It's only 10 steps away, how could there be any danger!"

"Let's reminisce about the good old days," Mo Bai replied with a smile, her tone relaxed and slightly nostalgic.

Xiao Ban didn't look back, and his figure quickly disappeared behind the courtyard gate.

Mo Bai watched her enter safely before slowly driving the car into his own parking space. He turned off the engine, got out of the car, and walked towards his home.

As the warm water washed over her body, Mo Bai unconsciously lowered her head and looked at her right hand.

There seemed to be a soft touch and a faint, lingering fragrance of her in my palm.

An idea popped into his head without warning, carrying a hint of amusement that he himself was unaware of.

"Looks like he did wash his hair properly after all."

The rushing water masked the subtle upward curve of his lips.

Time flows silently, and a new day arrives in the soft light of dawn.

As agreed, everyone gathered again, this time on the roof of Mr. Bao Man's supermarket.

The morning air was cool and misty.

The four people each occupied a corner of the roof, like sentinels who had laid out a net, effectively guarding the four directions.

They raised their binoculars, their eyes scanning the gradually awakening streets below and the distant sky with the sharpness of hawks.

When the transport ship carrying the longing for home finally appeared on the horizon and slowly descended, the aliens gathered in the open space behind the supermarket erupted in a joyous clamor.

They were so engrossed in the joy of opening packages of hometown delicacies that they were oblivious to the impending danger.

As the roar of engines grew louder, a group of Eternal Warriors riding hoverbikes and clad in uniform armor appeared like a steel torrent. Their crimson laser swords reflected a cold and cruel light in the sunlight as they charged forward menacingly!

The aliens' cheers abruptly ceased, instantly gripped by fear, and they scattered in all directions, trying to escape this sudden misfortune.

But the Eternal Warriors were numerous and well-trained, and soon, like a fishing net being pulled in, they surrounded the panicked aliens in the center, the light from their lightsabers weaving a web of death.

Kevin let out a low growl, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

He suddenly raised his hand, and the special helmet material that had been prepared beforehand spread from his fingertips as if it were alive, quickly covering his entire body and forming a sturdy and ferocious suit of armor.

He grabbed a huge metal trash can that was almost taller than himself and, roaring, slammed it down on the nearest group of Eternal Warriors like a battering ram.

A deafening clang of metal clashing and the sound of armor shattering exploded simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, his armored arm writhed and deformed, instantly transforming into a gleaming sword. Kevin roared and charged into the enemy ranks like a tiger descending a mountain.

Xiaowen followed closely behind, and purple celestial energy rose and condensed between her hands like burning flames.

With sharp eyes and a nimble flick of her wrist, a series of sharp-edged, high-speed spinning purple celestial energy discs whistled out of her hand, precisely slicing through the surrounding enemies and sending sparks flying.

Seeing this, the younger children no longer hesitated.

She took a deep breath, reached out and quickly spun the Ultimatrix watch face on her wrist, her face beaming with eager excitement, "Let's see how much these super magnets love my super magnetic force!"

Before she could finish speaking, she slammed her hand on the watch face and transformed into a vicious frog.

"..."

"Dreadfrog!"

"Oh, annoying," Little Ben's signature complaint, tinged with a comical helplessness, "even you want to reminisce?"

Despite their complaints, they took decisive action.

The Frog leaped off the roof and landed with a thud.

Faced with the blinding laser beams shooting from all directions, it neither dodged nor avoided them. Instead, it suddenly opened its huge mouth, and the deadly laser beams, as if drawn by an invisible vortex, changed their trajectory and were continuously sucked into the mouth of the Explosive Frog.

Its enormous belly bulged visibly like an inflating airbag.

When it reaches a certain point, the Frog suddenly closes its mouth and then opens it again, violently spewing back the accumulated energy like a high-pressure water cannon.

A crimson beam swept across the battlefield, instantly engulfing a group of Eternal Warriors who were firing their guns, along with their weapons, amidst screams and energy explosions.

On the rooftop, Mo Bai saw this but didn't linger.

His eyes narrowed, and he decisively snapped a picture of the Ultimatrix watch face on his wrist.

A dazzling light, like that of diamonds and stars, flashed by, and his figure instantly grew taller and changed, his entire body covered in sharp-edged purple crystal, transforming him into the Crystal Warrior.

He leaped and landed steadily on the roof, like a meteorite falling to earth, his body radiating a crystal-clear, cold light.

Several quick-reacting Eternal Warriors immediately turned their guns around, and several crimson laser beams tore through the air, accurately shooting at Crystal Warrior who had just landed.

However, faced with this deadly attack, Mo Bai remained completely still and did not even make any defensive stance.

He simply stood there quietly, letting the scorching energy beams bombard his crystal chest.

Those laser beams, powerful enough to melt through steel, vanished the moment they touched Crystal Warrior's body, like a stone sinking into the sea. Instead of causing any explosion, they were strangely absorbed by his crystal-clear form.

Fragments of a galaxy seemed to flow within Crystal Warrior's body, instantly devouring and assimilating the raging energy.

The light emanating from his body flickered slightly, becoming even more dazzling.

Immediately afterwards, Crystal Knight slowly raised his arms, his palms pointing at the astonished enemy in front of him.

Inside the crystal body that had absorbed laser energy, a torrent of colorful energy surged and converged.

The next second, two dazzling beams of colored light, containing terrifying energy, shot out from his palms like rainbow spears.

The beam of light struck its target precisely. With a dull thud and a burst of energy, the three Eternal Warriors were sent flying backward with screams, as if struck by a giant hammer. They crashed heavily into a distant wall, their armor shattered, and they instantly lost their fighting ability.