Harry didn't leave until after dinner.
Ben had been about to help Aunt May with the dishes, but Peter pulled him into his room.
"What is it?"
"I can't believe we got to see Harry today. It's been forever since I last saw him," Peter said happily, stretching. He'd had an absolute blast gaming all afternoon.
"I've almost finished my suit. I just wanted to ask if you want one too?" Peter asked. "Maybe you don't want to be a superhero like me, but I bet you'd love swinging between New York's skyscrapers! It must feel amazing!"
Ben was about to refuse, but hearing Peter describe it, it did sound pretty fun.
Who could resist swinging through the city like Spider-Man?
"Alright, fine. Make me one." Ben picked up the sketchbook and pulled out a specific design. "This one. Remember to change the colors; I need to add some personal flair."
Ben had chosen the Advanced Suit. Besides the classic red and blue scheme, it looked like it was covered in an exoskeleton.
"Okay, give me your watch," Peter nodded, reaching for the Omnitrix on Ben's wrist.
Ben flinched, yanking his arm back. "What are you doing?"
"To modify it into a web-shooter! I don't have any spare watches left to use," Peter said, as if it were obvious.
The web-shooters he'd made were modified from old, cheap-looking watches.
"No need. I'll handle my own web-shooters," Ben said, shaking his head and heading back to his room. "By the way—"
"What?"
"I don't think Liz is right for you," Ben pointed at the picture of the blonde girl on Peter's computer screen.
He didn't even know where to start with his little cousin's taste in women.
Liz was good-looking, sure, but she was too materialistic and arrogant. She would never look twice at "plain old Peter Parker."
On the other hand, at least this Peter's taste was normal, unlike some versions who fell for someone completely... unconventional.
Peter scowled, shut down his computer, and pushed Ben out of the room.
"Whatever. I'm planning to go out for a spin tonight. I was going to invite you, but sadly, your suit isn't even started. So, don't blame me."
Click.
Peter closed the door.
Ben was surprised. Peter hadn't even fully suited up yet, but he was already getting slick with the comebacks. It seemed the Spider-Man powers had given him a real confidence boost.
That wasn't a bad thing. Peter was usually too insecure. Ben was happy to see this change in him.
Later that night, Ben, lying in bed pretending to sleep, heard a faint noise from the room next door.
A moment later, a dark figure crawled past his window, clinging to the wall.
Peter, brimming with excitement, peeked into Ben's room. Seeing Ben seemingly fast asleep, he let out a slightly disappointed sigh.
He'd wanted to show off his new suit to Ben!
"Oh well, next time."
"First night as the superhero Spider-Man! I guarantee tonight is going to be interesting!" Peter pumped his fist, then leaped into the air, pressing the trigger on his web-shooters and shooting off into the night!
Shortly after he left, Ben opened his eyes, got out of bed, and walked to the window. He watched Peter swing away, then looked down at his watch.
He decided to follow Peter secretly.
Partly out of concern for Peter's safety, and partly to test a few things.
"After transforming into XLR8 last time, my physical strength seemed to get a slight boost, but I didn't inherit the Spider-Sense."
He recalled the details of his fight with Tony. When Tony had ambushed him, the Spider-Sense hadn't triggered, though his spider-abilities had enhanced his strength enough to pierce the Arc Reactor casing.
"The Spider-Sense is notoriously inconsistent. That one coincidence doesn't prove anything."
The real test would be to transform and then walk near Peter, to see if they'd sense each other.
He already had a plan.
"For tracking, XLR8 or Jetray would be best."
He pressed the button on the Omnitrix. The dial popped up. The crossed triangles formed a square, revealing a twisted, elongated silhouette within.
"Ghostfreak?"
Ben froze, his hand hovering over the dial, unsure whether to press down.
Ghostfreak's species, the Ectonurite, were ghost-like entities. Although classified as biological and possessing DNA, Ghostfreak lacked the Bio-Energy typical of living beings and was essentially a deceased life form.
More terrifyingly, the DNA for Ghostfreak in the Omnitrix came from Zs'Skayr, who had volunteered his DNA to Azmuth but secretly hid his consciousness within it.
In the original series, it later escaped the Omnitrix's control and became a fierce villain.
Because of this, Ben was hesitant to transform into Ghostfreak.
"But even if I leave it alone, Ghostfreak could potentially disrupt the Omnitrix and break out to cause trouble." Ben remembered how, in the cartoon, Ghostfreak had even gained some control over the watch itself. "Might as well use this chance to see what its current status is."
With that thought, Ben pressed the dial.
In the next instant, his hands morphed into sharp sickle-like claws, and his body completely changed.
He became a floating, shroud-wrapped specter with no feet, his body covered in seams—a single, terrifying eye roamed within the torn fabric.
"So this is Ghostfreak—"
His voice became deep and sinister.
"The feeling is... not bad. I'm still me." Ben looked down at his claws. He could feel he had 100% control over this body, which meant he at least didn't have to worry about Zs'Skayr's consciousness breaking free for now.
Not only that, he felt connected to an endless core of energy, able to draw limitless power from the darkness itself, never feeling fatigue.
The darker it was, the more powerful an Ectonurite became!
"I could probably lift a truck weighing tens of tons!"
The immense power coursing through him felt incredible!
So much so that he felt a sudden, primal urge to tear away the annoying outer skin and reveal Ghostfreak's true, terrifying form!
But he knew that was unwise.
And he wasn't completely at ease. Ghostfreak's form wasn't bound by any visible chains. There was no guarantee things would stay peaceful.
"First, let's find Peter."
He turned intangible, phasing directly through the wall, then drifted off in the direction Peter had gone, quickly catching up to him.
At one point, he floated within three meters of Peter.
And neither of them sensed the other.
"So, transforming into an alien clearly dilutes the spider DNA connection."
Having figured that out, Ben lost interest in sticking close to Peter.
Peter spent the whole night looking for small-time thugs to hassle, spouting cringe-worthy one-liners the entire time. Following him was giving Ben a headache; he'd never heard anyone who could talk so much nonsense.
"I had no idea the kid was this chatty."
Ben clutched his head and fled into the darkness.
Let Peter have his fun. He was going to enjoy his own night.
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