Meanwhile, Kevin had also entered the abandoned factory, following the faint trail of Ben. The building was dark and silent, the air stale with dust and decay.
"Ben! Ben, are you here?" Kevin called out, moving cautiously. Nothing but echoes answered him.
Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the floor echoed ahead. Kevin froze, catching only a fleeting glimpse of a white flash. His metal limbs shifted instinctively, transforming into two massive hammers.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and a strange, unnerving sensation prickled his skin. He had the feeling of eyes watching him from all directions. Kevin tightened his grip, alert to every shadow.
A faint breeze brushed past him. He spun around, hammers raised—but no one was there. Only the shattered windowpanes of the factory allowed pale moonlight and a chilling wind to drift inside.
Kevin exhaled, a shaky laugh escaping him. "Phew… just old windows. I scared myself for nothing."
Relieved, he turned back to continue the search. And then—
He froze. Right in front of him floated a pale, ghostly figure. Albedo, transformed into a Ghostly Ectonurite.
"Ahhh!" Kevin yelled, stumbling backward. The figure drifted closer, unnervingly calm, its translucent hands reaching toward him.
Kevin swung his hammer-arms, but the ghost passed through effortlessly. Its hands solidified only at will, plunging through Kevin's torso. Pain shot through him, and he cried out, eyes rolling back as he collapsed.
The ghost hovered above him, circling twice. It tapped its phantom chin thoughtfully. "Youth is so amusing… just asleep, no harm done."
The explanation for two Albedos appearing simultaneously was simple: one Albedo transformed into a Looma Red, then created a clone. Each distributed their Ultimatrix DNA samples evenly, maintaining full strength and intelligence. Luck had simply not been on Kevin's side.
The ghost lifted Kevin effortlessly onto its shoulder and began drifting toward its clone to rendezvous.
Elsewhere, Gwen slowly regained consciousness. Her arms were restrained in a metal device that suppressed her Celestial Energy. Beside her, Kevin lay unconscious, bound in a similar fashion.
Gwen nudged him lightly. "Kevin… wake up!"
No response. She bit her lip, then leaned close and whispered, "Kevin… Ben ruined your beloved car again."
The effect was immediate. Kevin's eyes snapped open. "No! Ben! If you dare ruin my car, I swear—" He scanned the room, relieved that neither Ben nor the wreckage was nearby, before realizing the gravity of the situation.
Both were restrained. Gwen had her powers suppressed. Kevin strained against his bonds, but the strength in his transformed arms couldn't break through. Exhaustion set in quickly.
A familiar, chilling voice echoed through the factory:
"Ha-ha-ha… save your breath, Kevin. Don't waste your energy. With your current strength, it's impossible to escape. These restraints? Specially made by me."
Both froze, looking toward the voice. Seated on a decrepit sofa, sipping slowly from a giant slushie, was a young man in a green jacket, black T-shirt, and dark blue pants. Brown hair, green eyes… unmistakably Ben.
Yet something was off. Gwen's brow furrowed, sensing the wrongness in his posture, in the energy around him. Kevin, however, saw only the figure of Ben and assumed he was playing with them.
"Hey! Ben, what are you doing? Let us go, or else!" Kevin growled.
Ben—or rather, the figure—laughed, a low, mirthless sound. "Kevin… you still haven't figured it out, have you? The problem isn't what you think."
Kevin narrowed his eyes. Something about this "Ben" didn't feel right. His aura, his presence… all subtly wrong.
The truth: this was Albedo in his Ghostly Figure form, using an Ectonurite from the Anur Phaetos DNA sample.
(Ghostly Figure: Ectonurite from the Anur Phaetos System. Appears ghostly white with long, striped limbs and movable purple eyes between black stripes. Its outer skin is a protective membrane against sunlight; if stripped, it reveals a terrifying true form—an inverted skull, bone spikes along the back, sharp teeth, and claws. Powers include intangibility, possession, telekinesis, and enhanced strength in darkness. The Ultimatrix symbol is on its chest.)
Kevin and Gwen's grim situation had just taken a far more dangerous turn.