Ben10: A Romantic Adventure with a Gender-Swapped Class

"What...it failed?" Her voice was hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone, as if she were talking in her sleep. "This is impossible...absolutely impossible..." She suddenly raised her head, her eyes bursting with intense unwillingness, and her voice suddenly rose, "My repair device...I've tested it countless times! How could...how could it fail?!" Her words were like shattered glass, filled with a desperate roar.

"Repair device?" Ben rubbed her buzzing head and froze when she heard Abedo's voice. "Isn't that... the doomsday bomb?" She pointed at the huge crater, looking completely bewildered.

"Are you brain-dead?!" Abedo whirled around, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Ben, his voice shrill with anger and grievance. "That's the gene-repairing transformation device used to turn me back into a Gavinian!"

She pointed at Ben, her fingers trembling with emotion, "If you hadn't barged in like a madman and caused all this trouble! If your Ultimatrix ultimate transformation hadn't interfered with the device's force field... it wouldn't have failed! It's all your fault!"

As he spoke, Abedo's voice choked with emotion, and his eyes seemed to glisten with tears, but more than that, they were filled with overwhelming resentment.

"Damn, why can't I stop it? Sandstorm got in my eyes!"

However, just then, a heavy and guilty voice came from behind her.

"It's all my fault, Abedo..."

Abedo, Xiaoban, and Mobai all looked in the direction of the sound.

Xiu Ge, accompanied by two other alien actors, walked slowly out of the billowing smoke and dust, heads bowed like children who had done something wrong. They too bore the marks of the explosion.

Xiuge stopped in front of Abedo, his huge head lowered even further, not daring to look directly into her red eyes that burned with anger and sorrow.

"Yes...it was me who brought them."

"Why?" Abedo's voice was as cold as the Siberian wind.

Xiuge's massive body trembled slightly. He raised his head and looked at Abedo, his eyes filled with complex emotions—guilt, unease, and a hint of... indescribable longing.

“Back in my hometown… I was unknown,” he said in a low, slow voice.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the ravaged ruins of Earth, a strange undertone creeping into his voice, "But here... on Earth... I'm quite famous..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he felt a chill run down his back.

He subconsciously turned around and met Mo Bai's scrutinizing gaze and Xiao Ban's hands on his hips.

That look seemed to say: What did you say?

Xiu Ge's massive body stiffened abruptly, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and he instantly sobered up.

He quickly coughed awkwardly, rubbed his huge hands together nervously, and lowered his voice several octaves, adding with a hint of ingratiation.

"Uh...cough...I mean...at least...I look quite a bit like a celebrity..."

Xiu Ge's voice was deep and sincere, echoing in the ruins filled with smoke and the smell of burning, carrying a kind of clumsy honesty unique to aliens.

“The point isn’t fame,” he said, his huge hands clasped together awkwardly, his massive head bowed slightly. “The point is… I have friends here.”

"Especially...you," he paused, as if it took immense strength to utter those words, "so...that's why I asked them to stop you, so...you wouldn't leave." The words were simple, yet like a stone thrown into stagnant water, they clearly conveyed the precious bond that had been unexpectedly gained in the lonely universe.

Abedo looked at Xiuge quietly. The clumsy sincerity in Xiuge's words was like a faint but undeniable light, piercing through the heavy gloom of resentment that had accumulated in her heart due to failure.

The hostility in her eyes gradually faded, leaving only deep weariness and a barely perceptible... touch.

After a few seconds, she sighed softly, her voice no longer sharp, carrying a calm after the dust had settled, and even a hint of barely perceptible softness.

"I don't blame you, Xiu-ge."

However, this brief moment of tenderness was as fleeting as a flash in the pan.

When she turned to the younger class, the anger that had just subsided was instantly reignited and burned even more fiercely.

She suddenly raised her hand, her index finger like a poisoned arrow, pointing straight at Xiao Ban, her voice sharp with extreme anger and grievance.

"I'm going to blame you, Ben Tennyson!"

"You're the one who ruined me! It's all your fault from beginning to end!"

“It’s always like this!” Her chest heaved violently, her teeth clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her nails dug deep into her palms.

She wanted to pounce on him and hit him immediately, but reason told her otherwise.

Can't beat

This realization made her even more frustrated, like a trapped beast burning with useless anger in place.

In the end, all she could do was vent all her resentment with a cold snort that seemed to spew sparks from her nose.

She turned around abruptly, her long white hair drawing a resolute arc in the scorching air.

Before leaving completely, she paused slightly, turned her head, and glared at Xiao Ban with her red eyes, which burned with resentment yet seemed to hide a trace of unwillingness. Every word seemed to be carved out of an ice cellar.

"I'll remember you—your surname is—Tian!"

Having said that, she didn't linger. Like a wounded lone wolf, carrying her disheveled appearance and lingering hatred, she resolutely walked into the shadowy depths of the warehouse ruins.

Xiu Ge and the other two alien actors exchanged glances, feeling guilty and worried, and quickly followed. Their figures soon disappeared into the billowing smoke and darkness of the night.

Xiao Ban, Mo Bai, Xiao Wen, and Kevin were left standing in the chaotic scene of the explosion, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Xiaowen looked at Xiaoban, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something—perhaps an impulse to blame her.

But her gaze fell on Mo Bai, who was standing next to Xiao Ban, and the latter was looking at Xiao Ban with a complicated look that was filled with concern and understanding.

Xiaowen understood instantly.

She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and simply shook her head slightly, a knowing yet somewhat helpless smile curving her lips.

No reason.

However, she knew perfectly well that some words, spoken by a particular person, might be understood and guided in a more appropriate way.

Moreover, the effect is definitely much better than what I could achieve myself.

Why bother?

Soon, the roar of the engine broke the silence of the night once again.

The two cars, one after the other, drove away from the abandoned industrial area that looked like it had been ravaged by a giant beast, merged into the city's sparse traffic, and headed towards their respective homes.

Inside Kevin's car, which had a modified engine and a slightly rougher sound.

He held the steering wheel with one hand, his gaze occasionally glancing at Xiaowen in the passenger seat, who was quietly reviewing her textbooks by the light of the car's interior lamp.

The girl's profile appeared serene and focused in the soft light.

Kevin couldn't help but break the silence, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Sigh, I thought you were going to give Xiaoban a good scolding just now." He was referring to Xiaoban's impulsive behavior without considering the consequences.

Xiaowen didn't stop turning the pages; she just gave a soft "hmm," her gaze remaining fixed on the pages, her voice calm and even.

“Because if I don’t say it…” She paused, her fingertips twirling a page of paper, making a soft rustling sound, “…someone will naturally say it.”

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Mo Bai's car was subtly different.

The city lights outside the car window flickered on Mo Bai's profile as he focused on driving.

He could clearly feel that in the passenger seat next to him, Xiao Ban's gaze was like that of a frightened deer, glancing at him cautiously from time to time, with obvious guilt and unease, before quickly looking away and pretending to look out the window.

Her restless demeanor was completely different from her usual carefree self.

Soothing music played inside the car, but the silence seemed to permeate the air.

Mo Bai didn't turn her head, but just stared at the road ahead illuminated by the car headlights. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly broke the silence.

"Nothing to say?" His tone was calm, without blame, yet it carried a gentleness that was impossible to escape.

This calm question was like a needle gently piercing through Xiao Ban's carefully constructed facade.

She swallowed nervously, as if something was stuck in her throat.

Finally, she lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice weak and barely audible, carrying the awkwardness of a child admitting their mistake.

"Okay... I admit... I did have a little bit of..." She seemed to be trying to find a mild adjective, but ultimately gave up, raising her voice slightly in self-deprecation, "...a little bit of impulse!"

She glanced furtively at Mo Bai's reaction, then quickly lowered her eyes again, her voice even softer, "I'm sorry..."

She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, before finally speaking her mind with a hint of grievance and confusion, "It might be because... when you stood in front of me... when you spoke up for Abedo... it made me... a little overreact." This sounded like an explanation, yet it also seemed like a subtle emotional outpouring that even she herself hadn't fully sorted out.

Hearing Xiao Ban finally admit his mistake and give his somewhat aggrieved "reaction" reason, Mo Bai finally sighed softly.

The sigh was particularly clear in the quiet carriage, carrying a hint of helplessness and a hint of relief.

"It's good that you know," he said, his voice softening as he continued looking ahead, but the topic shifted to a deeper worry, "It's just...I wonder if Abedo...will really turn against you this time?"

He frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

The thought, “I’d better make time to go see her,” came to mind naturally, carrying with it a sense of responsibility.

"What?! You're going to see her?!" Xiao Ban suddenly looked up, her voice rising instantly, filled with disbelief and a hint of nervousness that she herself didn't even realize...

Looking at Mo Bai's sharply defined profile, she almost blurted out, "This won't do."

However, just as the words were about to leave his mouth, the image of the warehouse ruins and his own reckless leap flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

The question that was about to burst out was ultimately swallowed back by her own actions.

She was like a deflated balloon, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of resentment and helpless compromise.

"Okay, then take me home first, then go find Aberdo..."

The car drove silently into the familiar neighborhood and stopped in front of Xiao Ban's house.

They said "goodnight" to each other, their voices sounding somewhat light in the quiet night.

Mo Bai watched as Xiao Ban's figure disappeared behind the door, the warm yellow entryway light flashed by, and the door gently closed.

He didn't leave immediately.

He sat in the car for a few minutes, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel, as if making a decision.

Finally, he started the car, turned around, and drove in another direction of the city.

The car was parked in front of a slightly old but fairly clean apartment building.

Mo Bai turned off the engine and looked up at a window on the second floor that was lit.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable tension in his heart, pushed open the car door, and quickly walked up the slightly narrow stairs.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet stairwell.

He stopped in front of Abed's house. The door looked ordinary, with a faint light shining through the crack. He raised his hand, hovering it in mid-air, his knuckles only centimeters from the door, yet he hesitated, as if behind that door lay an unknown minefield.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the door panel—

Click.

The door lock clicked softly, and the door was pulled open from the inside.

Abeldo was standing behind the door.

She seemed to have just washed her face; her pale face was still damp, and a few strands of wet white hair clung to her forehead. She had changed into a clean set of black loungewear.

She looked at Mo Bai, who was standing at the door with her arm still frozen in mid-air. There was no surprise on her face, only a kind of indifference that seemed to see through everything, and was filled with exhaustion and irritation.

Those red pupils appeared somewhat dim in the light of the dim hallway.

"What's wrong so late at night?" Her voice was dry and hoarse, filled with impatience, as if her precious time had been disturbed. "If you have nothing to say, go home. I'm really annoyed right now." As she spoke, she turned her body slightly to the side, as if she was ready to close the door at any moment.

Mo Bai smiled awkwardly, quickly lowered her dangling arm, and subconsciously leaned forward a little, as if afraid that the door would really close.

"Something's up!" He spoke quickly, trying to dispel the awkwardness of the opening. "I have something... I want to ask you." He paused, as if remembering some important bargaining chip, and quickly raised his left hand, which had been hidden behind his back—a paper bag with a fast food restaurant logo appeared in front of Abedo, and the tempting aroma of fried food mixed with the smell of spicy sauce instantly filled the narrow corridor.

"Look! I even brought hot sauce fries!" Mo Bai's voice carried a hint of flattery, as she tried to make her smile look more genuine.

Aberdo's gaze fell on the paper bag that exuded a familiar and alluring aroma, and his dim red eyes brightened noticeably.

But her expression remained one of deliberate indifference.

She turned her face slightly away and let out a very soft, somewhat deliberate cough, as if to cover something up. Her voice was still indifferent, but it had lost some of the aloofness she had shown earlier.

"Okay...it's because I...just happened to want to get some late-night snacks." The tone was like a handout, or like giving herself an out.

As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly reached out and almost impatiently "snatched" the still-warm bag of fries from Mo Bai's hands, as if afraid he would change his mind.

Then, she turned aside, making way for the doorway. Her voice was still cold, but she no longer mentioned telling people to leave.

"come in"

Mo Bai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped into the room.

Abedo's apartment was similar to the one he remembered visiting last time; it was simple and even somewhat empty.

The living room contained only the most basic furniture: an old sofa, a small coffee table, and a low cabinet with some miscellaneous items on it.

The small coffee table was piled with all sorts of oddly shaped parts, circuit boards, soldering tools, and scattered blueprints, all gleaming with a metallic or crystalline sheen, creating a chaotic scene.

Besides the aroma of hot sauce fries, there was also a faint smell of solder and metal dust in the air.

Aberdo walked straight to the sofa, plopped down, and sank into the soft cushions.

She eagerly opened the paper bag, and the rich, spicy aroma wafted out even more unrestrainedly.

Without caring about her image, she grabbed a golden-brown French fry covered in red sauce with her hand, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed it with satisfaction, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

She pointed to the empty spot on the sofa next to her, her voice muffled, accompanied by the crackling sound of fries.

"Please sit wherever you like. If you prefer to stand... that's fine too."

Mo Bai looked at the empty sofa space piled with parts, then at Abedo's nonchalant "take it or leave it" attitude, and smiled helplessly.

He carefully avoided the few small screws and a circuit board scattered on the sofa and sat down next to Abedo.

There was a distance of about half a person between the two—a subtle gap that was neither too distant nor too close to allow each person to have their own space.

The only sounds in the living room were the faint rustling of Abedo chewing fries and the occasional distant sounds of the city night drifting in from outside the window.