newbienovelistRD requested this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)

Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel, Amanda, Mimi, and Phantasmo.


Another Ectonurite You Can Trust

Rachel and Ghostfreak were getting out the autumn/fall decorations out of the closets. "I can't believe it's nearly the end of the year already," Rachel said.

"Yes, time is definitely flying," he said. "Won't be long before Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas."

"With parties, good food, and family, it'll be a blast," Ben said, coming in.

"Especially where we have new members of the family who will experience it for the first time," Rachel said.

"Really? Who?" Ben asked.

"My father, for one, and Snare-Oh and Kuphulu's mother," Ghostfreak said.

Ben's eyes widened. "Your folks are coming?" He asked.

The alien ghost nodded before seeing the boy looked nervous. "Are you alright, Ben?" He asked.

The boy blinked. "Uh, yeah, I'm good," he said.

But Rachel and Ghostfreak, though they didn't say a word, weren't fooled, and neither was the alien who was watching the exchange and watching Ben closely before making up his mind that he would see about meeting the boy soon. And if the boy tried to escape, well...he wouldn't get far from the determined alien.

Ben shuddered as he entered his room. "Two more aliens from Anur Transyl?" He asked, shuddering again. "This haunted house really attracts the spooks, doesn't it?"

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say," came a voice he didn't recognize and he spun around to find an Ectonurite behind him, but one look at his grayish-white skin, glaring purple eye, and purple cuffs with slightly rusted chains made the boy scream.

"Zs'Skayr!" He screamed out.

Purple-and-black striped tentacles burst from the Ectonurite's chest. "Don't speak that name in my presence!" The ghost-like alien roared at him.

Freaked out, Ben took off running, but the alien was right behind him, flying after him with a speed the boy didn't think an Ectonurite was capable of. A terrified shout escaped him as the ghost dove for him and he dodged, quickly calling up his Omnitrix and slapping it down, but to his shock, he got Grey Matter. "Eek!" He exclaimed. "I really need speed, not brains!"

He continued trying to avoid the Ectonurite, but the alien was right behind him, his tentacles reaching out for the hero, who dodged them and tried to leap to higher ground, but a tentacle caught his ankle and hung him upside down. "Well, well, my first time capturing a Galvan," the ghost said, chuckling, but Ben noticed the chuckle sounded amused. "So this is the famous Ben 10 I've heard so much about."

Ben, as Grey Matter, struggled, but a few tentacles came around him, holding him securely. "Let me go!" He demanded.

"After you called me a spook, spoke that abomination's name in my presence, and then ran from me?" The Ectonurite asked. "Oh, no. I'm not letting you go yet. Not before I teach you a lesson."

Ben was cocooned in the purple-and-black tentacles, unable to escape as the ghost floated to a room and came to a stop at a nearby table. "A new invention of Frankenstrike's," he said. "It supposed to hold anyone, even if the person can change their size."

The hero gulped. That didn't sound good and he struggled as the ghost strapped him down. "Let go! I'm not going to be your experiment!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, but you will be, because you are going to satisfy my curiosity, Ben," his captor said before looking thoughtful. "Hmm, I just had a thought. If you're ticklish in your human form, are you also ticklish in alien form and are your tickle spots the same?"

Ben looked worried now. "No!" He denied.

The Ectonurite smirked at him and his tentacles waved around gently. "Oh?" He said. "How do you know for sure?"

The boy bit his lip, refusing to answer that. "Well, if you're not sure, then let's find out," said the ghostly alien before his tentacles began wiggling like crazy into Grey Matter's underarms and stomach.

To Ben's shock, he was very ticklish in alien form and his tickle spots were the same. Letting out a shout, he burst into laughter, laughing harder as a few more tentacles began tickling his feet and neck. "Well, well, what a ticklish hero," his captor said in amusement. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo! Laugh your little heart out, Ben."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ben laughed out. All of a sudden, the Omnitrix beeped and he reverted back to human form, but to his shock, the table seemed to expand with him, not letting him go as it accommodated its captive's change in size.

"Ah, perfect," the Ectonurite said, a smile on his face. "Frankenstrike will be pleased to learn that his invention 'works like a gem', as I've heard Rachel say."

Ben, who had been given a breather, looked up at the ghostly alien, flinching when a clawed hand gently brushed over his head. "You know, not all monstrous aliens are evil," he said. "Even if ones like that abomination terrorize everyone."

The boy still looked a bit fearful at him, to which he chuckled. "Ben, you trust my son, don't you?" He asked.

Ben's eyes widened. "Wait, you're Ghostfreak's father?" He asked.

His captor nodded. "Yes, I am Phantasmo," he said, a smile coming to his face as he ruffled Ben's hair.

The boy looked ashamed then. "Sorry about...before," he said. "I...I have a hard time with Ectonurites, though Ghostfreak is a good friend of mine."

"I don't hold that against you, Ben," Phantasmo said forgivingly. "I imagine there's been quite a few aliens that you have transformations of that you had a bad first experience with."

"That's putting it mildly," Ben admitted before sighing. "What kind of a hero am I if I still get scared of...alien races that are in my Omnitrix?"

"A hero who is willing to admit fear, which makes him brave," the elder Ectonurite said, freeing Ben from the metal table.

"How does admitting fear make me brave?" The boy asked.

"It shows you're humble and are willing to face danger even when it means you could get hurt," Phantasmo said. "Not many heroes are like that."

"Which is why we're proud of him," came a voice and they saw Rachel and Ghostfreak in the doorway, smiling at them.

The green-chained ghost went up to Ben. "So, what do you think of my father?" He asked.

Ben smiled. "He's another Ectonurite that I can trust," he said honestly.

Mimi then came in. "Grandpa!" She exclaimed, running up to him. He scooped her up with a chuckle, tickling her and making her giggle as Amanda came up behind Ghostfreak and hugged him, to which he returned the hug lovingly.

Ben smiled. "I'm glad there some aliens that are peaceful," he said. "It makes this family amazing."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Rachel said with a smile.


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GoldGuardian2418