Meatball Madness

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a Vaxasaurian. Let's get lunch," Ben suggested as he and Rook walked through Bellwood. "I feel like a burger and chili fries."

"You look human to me," Rook joked.

Ben gave him a bored look. "Dude, lame."

Rook shrugged. "I am not much for Earth comedy. Anyway, I have a taste for a meatball sub," said Rook. He licked his lips while envisioning the delicious, savory food. He loved the spicy-sweet taste of the marinara.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you have three of those this week? Remember how I said they're a sometime food, not an all the time food?"

"I have only had two. Besides, I have been working out daily," Rook said until he blushed lightly. "One more could not hurt."

"Don't get addicted," Ben said before he smirked.

"I could say the same about you and smoothies," Rook countered.

"Hey, I don't curl up in a fetal position and whine when I go an entire month without a smoothie. I just get really thirsty," Ben remarked.

"I was not in a fetal position," Rook muttered.

Ben and Rook got into the line for Mr. Smoothy's until Ben's Omnitrix communicator beeped. He pressed the button. Grandpa Max's voice came out of the speaker.

"Ben, Rook. Psyphon and his gang have been spotted in Undertown. You need to go and shut down whatever they're up to," Grandpa Max said.

"Aw, man. It's always something," Ben muttered. His stomach growled. "Okay, Grandpa. We're on it." He ended the message. "There goes lunch! Stupid villains, always ruining the hero's leisure plans with their stupid villainous schemes. I'm starving." Ben clutched his empty stomach.

"The sooner we take care of the thugs, the sooner we can eat," said Rook before he removed his Proto-Tool and held it.

"Lucky for us, it should be easy," Ben said. "Psyphon and his gang are so inept. They can't do anything right."

Meanwhile, in Undertown, Psyphon was attempting to sell illegal weapons on the black market. He stood by many crates. He watched his thugs loading the crates onto waiting trucks. The work was tedious and heavy. It made him glad to be the boss instead of a lackey. He cringed as one of his henchmen stumbled while carrying a crate. The second henchman almost dropped one end of the crate.

"Be careful with those, you dolts. Any damage means I'm losing money," Psyphon warned. "And if I'm losing money, then YOU'RE losing money."

"Does it matter? You barely pay us anyway," Liam complained before he clucked like a chicken. He continued loading crates on a truck with Sweet-Eels Sparklefunk.

"Blame it on your incompetence. Since I barely make anything from so many blown deals, I don't have anything else to pay your salaries," Psyphon said. "Now work faster!"

"We wouldn't blow so many deals if Ben Tennyson and his friends weren't around," Liam muttered to Sweet-Eels who nodded in agreement.

"Sucks for you guys," announced Ben Tennyson as Heatblast. "Looks like you won't be getting paid again this week. Oh, and you're all going to jail for illegal weapons dealing."

He formed balls of fire on his palms. He threw them until the thugs dropped what they were carrying and screamed while fleeing in all directions.

"Ben Tennyson, again? No! Get him! Before he ruins everything!" Psyphon ordered.

The thugs pulled out various weapons and tried to shoot Heatblast until he battled them. Psyphon flew into the air and held out his arms. The tops of his wrists opened up to reveal laser weapons. He aimed at Heatblast who was distracted by other enemies. He gasped when Rook shot at him and destroyed one of the laser devices. He growled until he flew away. Rook chased him.

"You won't jail me this time, Plumber," Psyphon vowed.

"We will see," Rook said as he pursued the enemy. He easily kept up with Psyphon as he flew until his stomach growled. He felt sluggish from a lack of energy. "This is bad. I must defeat the enemy, but it feels as if I am running on fumes."

Rook slowed down as he found himself chasing Psyphon through the many food vendors of Undertown. The various enticing smells hit his nose all at once The multiple scents made his mouth water.

"Did he have to come this way?" Rook grumbled.

To make matters worse, Psyphon attempted to slow Rook from following him by blasting a food cart with his remaining weapon. The cart broke and spilled out various edibles as Rook jumped over it. Sandwiches, packaged meals, noodle cups, cookies, ice creams, so on, littered the ground.

"It is not nice to waste food," he scolded until he fired his Proto-Tool numerous times.

He switched to the grappling hook and caught Psyphon's leg as the villain flew. The weight caused Psyphon to slow until he paused. He observed Rook tethering him to one spot by bracing his feet against a pole until he wrapped the grapple around it. Psyphon growled. He refused to be caught and jailed again. He briefly thought about all the money he'd lost once again. It made him all the more enraged. He fired at the grappling line to no avail. It would not break. He gaped in shock.

"I think you'll find this line is made from a very strong material," Rook said until he blasted Psyphon who was now a sitting duck.

Psyphon cried out as he fell to the ground. He landed on top of an ice cream cart below. Rook walked up to the fallen enemy as he groaned. Psyphon's body remained covered in various ice cream flavors. A waffle cone was stuck on his horn.

"How I loathe ice cream!" Psyphon whined as he repeatedly wiped it from his face. He grabbed the cone from his head and threw it. "You'll pay for this, Revonnagander," Psyphon declared. "Somehow, someday. You and Tennyson!"

Rook shrugged before he handcuffed Psyphon. "I cannot quite bring myself to envision such a thing. But perhaps if you brush up on your fighting skills."

He smirked. He looked up. He observed Ben approaching in human form. His mouth dropped opened.

"Ben?"

Ben was covered in marinara sauce and a few dozen smashed meatballs. He frowned. "I beat Psyphon's thugs. But not before they decided to throw me into the meatball sub vendor's booth!"

Rook shook his head. "What a waste of good food." His stomach growled loudly. He stared at Ben. He licked his lips.

"Don't. Even. Think about it," Ben warned.

"Much too late for that," Rook said before he blushed.

Psyphon rolled his eyes. "Just take me to jail so I can get this garbage washed off me," he grumbled.

After the criminals had been placed back into their respective jail cells, Ben and Rook happily consumed their food. Ben cleaned himself off and changed clothes, leaving Rook to mourn the loss of meatballs and sauce. He enjoyed his meatball sub with a cream soda. He was growing more fond of earth beverages. They came in many flavors. Ben consumed a burger and chili fries with a chocolate-mango-artichoke smoothie. As punishment, Ben decided to request the prisoners receive ice cream as a treat. He and Rook listened to Psyphon ranting about it wile they laughed.

"I have heard of the expression to scream for ice cream, but never to scream about ice cream," said Rook to Ben.

"Maybe he's lactose intolerant. Who knows? One villain's special treat is another punishment," Ben noted as he shrugged.

The End