"Making money?" Asher frowned as he studied the tall, thin boy standing before him. Something about his appearance felt familiar, the ragged clothes, the defiant posture, the weathered look of someone who'd learned to survive on the streets. Yet Asher was certain they'd never actually met.
'Must be someone I saw when watching the show in my past life,' Asher mused. 'Someone who made an impression. Otherwise, why would I remember him so clearly?'
But who?
"That's right. Time to share the wealth," the boy said casually, standing up and moving toward the coin pusher machine. His hands hovered over the coin slot with practiced ease.
Asher stood beside the machine while Ben positioned himself behind the tall boy, inadvertently forming a natural semicircle around him.
The arcade owner was completely absorbed in managing the lunch rush crowd, too busy to notice what was happening in the gaming section.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Blue electric sparks suddenly flickered across the boy's palms, reminiscent of Electro from the Marvel movies. The current spread across the coin pusher's metal surface like a spiderweb of crackling energy.
The machine's pusher plate lurched forward, shoving a cascade of game tokens toward the collection tray!
The blue glow illuminated the boy's face, highlighting his excited expression.
"What, what is that?" Ben's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the display.
"Electrical powers!"
Asher immediately recognized the boy's ability. At the same time, a memory crystallized in his mind.
'This person... he looks exactly like Kevin!'
How could he have forgotten such an important character from his past life? Kevin had been a crucial figure in the first Ben 10 series, and in the sequel set years later, he'd become one of the main protagonists alongside Ben.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
A flood of game tokens poured from the machine's payout slot. Kevin's hands stopped glowing as he calmly retracted them, adopting an expression of perfect innocence, as though nothing unusual had occurred.
"Awesome! We won!"
Ben's face lit up with delight. After a quiet cheer, he began scooping tokens from the pile. His natural kindness showed through, he only took a portion, leaving most of the windfall untouched.
Kevin had no such reservations. He casually gathered the remaining tokens and stuffed them into his pockets.
"So, my friend, what's your name?" Asher asked, ignoring the tokens entirely. His bright eyes fixed on Kevin with keen interest.
Kevin looked surprised for a moment before his face broke into a bold grin. He extended his palm. "Name's Kevin. Nice to meet you, friend."
'It really is Kevin!'
After receiving confirmation, Asher's mind raced with implications, though he kept his expression calm as he shook Kevin's hand.
"So, how about it? Want to play some games together?" Kevin asked enthusiastically, jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward the other arcade machines behind him.
Ben immediately opened his mouth to agree.
Asher quickly interjected, shaking his head slightly. "Thanks, but we can't, Kevin. We need to head back soon. Maybe another time."
"Oh. Sure."
Kevin's expression suggested he didn't particularly care either way. He simply nodded, thrust his hands into his pockets, and sauntered off toward the other gaming areas.
After Kevin disappeared into the crowd, Ben turned to Asher with a puzzled look. "Asher, why didn't we play games with him? He seemed really cool! And he has superpowers just like you, maybe he could become a superhero like us!"
Superhero?
Asher's eyes flickered with unreadable thoughts.
With so many people around and both Ben and Gwen present, now wasn't the right time to address Kevin's situation. He needed to handle Kevin's case carefully when there were fewer witnesses.
If this wasn't dealt with properly, Kevin could become a serious problem down the line.
Before Asher could formulate a response, Gwen answered for him. "Ben, didn't you notice? His clothes were torn and dirty, and he looked kind of scary. He's nothing like us."
"That's too bad. We could've had another superpowered friend," Ben sighed wistfully, then shook the tokens in his hand with renewed enthusiasm. "Anyway, can I use up the rest of these game tokens?"
"Of course there's no problem with that, Ben. We've still got time before lunch," Asher agreed with a light smile, readily granting Ben's request.
"Awesome!"
Ben immediately forgot his disappointment and rushed over to a nearby game console with Asher, diving into the virtual world with renewed energy.
This time, Ben didn't get angry with Kevin or cause any major scenes, a significant deviation from how events had unfolded in the original timeline. With Asher's calming presence and guidance, Ben simply couldn't act as impulsively as he had in the original series.
This was a real world, not a rigid animated narrative. Anything was possible here.
Asher gradually lost himself in the game, enjoying the simple pleasure of competing with Ben. Gwen sat at a nearby table, sipping orange juice through a straw while resting her chin in her hand, quietly observing them both with an affectionate smile.
However, their peaceful moment didn't last long.
THUD!
A loud, violent sound cut through the arcade's ambient noise, jerking Asher and the others out of their immersive gaming experience and back into harsh reality.
CRASH! BANG!
The thumping sounds grew more insistent, impossible to ignore even amid the arcade's general cacophony.
Asher pulled his hands from the gamepad, stood up, and turned toward the source of the commotion. Many other patrons did the same, drawn by the unmistakable sounds of conflict.
In one of the gaming sections across the arcade floor, Kevin was surrounded by a group of thugs.
The most aggressive-looking punk, a boy with an arrogant sneer plastered across his face, grabbed Kevin roughly and slammed him against the wall with brutal force.
Kevin's already lean frame crumpled from the impact. He slumped to the floor, his face showing a mixture of fear and... hatred.
"Well, well, well. Look who it is," the lead thug drawled mockingly, crossing his arms as he loomed over Kevin. "Long time no see, freak. Hand over those game tokens, and I won't have to make this difficult for you."
"Yeah, freak! Did you eat a battery and come here to steal tokens? How'd you get so many?" another punk jeered.
"Doesn't matter how he got them, they're ours now!" a third one added with a nasty laugh.
The other thugs chimed in with their own cruel taunts, their expressions filled with disgust and rejection.
They bullied Kevin simply because he had superpowers, simply because he was different from them.
"And if I refuse?" Kevin's expression turned fierce. His sharp features took on a dangerous edge, like a wounded wolf backed into a corner.
"Refuse?"
"Then you'll learn the hard way!"
The thugs exchanged knowing glances before moving as one. They grabbed Kevin, hauling him upright, and began beating him with fists and kicks. They held back just enough not to cause permanent damage, but made sure every blow delivered maximum pain.
Other arcade patrons watched with varying degrees of discomfort, but none stepped forward to intervene. No one wanted to reason with these unreasonable bullies.
After all, Kevin was just a freak. An outsider. Not worth the trouble.
"This... this is too much," even Gwen whispered, her face showing genuine distress at the scene.
"He helped us win those tokens. We should help him too, right?" Ben's voice carried impulsive determination.
Asher's mind raced as he assessed the situation. Kevin's introduction had come much earlier than expected, and the circumstances were different from the original timeline. This encounter required careful handling, Kevin's future path could be influenced right here, right now.
The question was: what was the right move?