Chapter 10: Alien Muk Among Us?
"Where is it?" Ben wondered as he dug through his wardrobe. "Where is it?"
"Do you really have to struggle with hunting for your clothes right now? There's still some time before we need to leave," Lucario asked, frustrated at Ben's behavior.
"Trust me, I do. Mom's almost done with Dad's clothes, and I have to get my suit so she can start with mine afterwards," Ben said.
"For what, though? It's the birthday of the wife of your first cousin once removed. What's so special about that?" Lucario pondered.
"Because their wedding was a major turning point. Think of it like a marriage between two warring kingdoms to form a peace treaty, and you should realize how important that is since you lived in that time," Ben hastily explained as he continued looking.
Realizing the significance of such a marriage, Lucario shot down any idea of further questioning the importance of the party, but still had one question tangentially related. "Do you think they'll expect me to wear anything?"
"Honestly, no idea. You're the only one of your species, and unless somehow you could rapidly get a uniform freshly tailored and pressed in an hour or so, you don't really have fitting clothes for you," Ben truthfully responded. Finally finding it, Ben sighed in relief and pulled it from the closet. It was a set consisting of a white shirt, wine-colored pants and coat, and a red bow tie, similar to what he wore during their wedding. "Finally! Just do what you feel you need to do to get ready. Groom yourself, brush your fur, I don't know much on Pokémon presentation, so do what you think you gotta do."
As Ben stepped out, Lucario went into the bathroom, and decided to do as Ben said. As he began to brush his upper fur, he heard a sound come from the guest bedroom where he'd been sleeping for the past few days, and was shocked to find a nice suit just for him. It was a three-piece suit with a blue jacket, and when he put it on, he found that he didn't need to worry about the spike in the center of his chest. There were no shoes, but the pants that came with the suit also was blue. Fortunately for him, it also looked like it had been pressed as well. Finding a note and a packet inside one of the pockets, Lucario opened the packet and was shocked to see what was inside: berry packets, but with labels that indicated them being not Earth seeds, but seeds from the world he came from, as there were Rawst berries, Pecha berries, and most pleasantly for him, Occa berries. There were even a few fully grown Pecha berries in a small tin. Seeing the "Professor P." signature at the bottom, Lucario knew that the time-travelling professor was still watching over him.
Reading the note, Lucario said, "I know you may have been feeling a little homesick, so I felt this might be of some comfort. Don't worry, the soil of both your world and Ben's world is exactly the same, so don't worry about needing that. Still, while numerous alien crops have started to see some more exposure to the upper world, it may be better to keep these to yourself until you get them checked with Magister Tennyson. As for your uniform, I asked for a few favors, and managed to get this ready for you in time for Camille's birthday party, but just know this. Something's coming, and you and Ben will be tested soon. Be ready for it. Toodles! Professor P."
As soon as Ben, Lucario, Julie arrived at the party, which was taking place in a pleasant looking field and large house, Lucario, while snacking on a Pecha berry he'd taken with him, took a moment to look at Julie and Ship. Ship had the lucky end of the stick: while Lucario was wearing a suit, all Ship wore was a blue bowtie, the cute alien almost seeming to smile at him seeing how uncomfortable Lucario was. Julie, on the other hand, was stunning: her dress, reaching down to her knees, was a simple pink dress, but it fit her well, and she had applied a little bit of blush to her cheeks. She had also let her hair down, giving her a more royal look like Lucario had seen in numerous formal parties he had attended along with Sir Aaron.
Alongside those he knew, there were also several other people he didn't recognize. The first to arrive after Max and Ben was a rather large old woman with long gray hair wearing a purple dress and pearl jewelry consisting of a bracelet, necklace, and earrings. Alongside her was a woman about Sandra's age clad in farmer's attire: her hair was blonde like Sandra's, but it was done in a segmented ponytail style. It also had been bleached by sun exposure, and her skin was similarly affected, being a light tan. Her attire consisted of a green pantsuit that matched her eyes with a white shirt underneath, but she wore brown boots instead of heels. Finally, there was a boy about Ben's age, but with blonde hair. From the looks of it, he was quite similar to a rookie soldier, as there were the makings of toned muscle, but his lanky physique and tall height made said muscle difficult to see. He wore glasses with gold lenses, an orange and white buttoned formal suit, an orange watch with the 5 symbol on his left wrist, beige pants, and black shoes. His smile also had a gap in it.
"Aunt Vera! Nice to see you again!" Ben greeted. If one bothered to check, they would have noticed the sweat coming down his face and the small twitches in his smile.
"Is something wrong?" Lucario quickly asked Julie.
"Nah. From what I hear, Aunt Vera just happens to be very affectionate and coddling," Julie whispered.
"Oh Ben! How have you been doing?" Vera cooed as she pinched Ben's cheeks. Lucario could only tilt his head in confusion, while Julie giggled at the sight of a man capable of turning into a reality warper being coddled relentlessly like he was a five year old.
"I've been fine. When's the rest of the family coming?" Ben replied, his voice slightly smushed from his cheeks being squished.
"They're on their way soon. I imagine it'll be quite the event! A celebration of peace between Human and Lenopan!" Vera commented.
"Land's sakes, ma. I'm happy to see good ol' Ben, but can ya turn it down a notch?" The younger woman asked.
"Oh, calm down Azalea! Surely I'm allowed to give a little love to my dear grand-nephew, aren't I?" Vera playfully replied.
"Well, you seem to have made his head redder than a tomato, y'know. Why not let him go?" The boy among them said. Indeed, Ben's face was red like a cooked lobster, and while Julie was giggling like he'd been hit with a custard pie in the face, Lucario, stoic as ever, was simply smiling in amusement.
"Alright, Clyde. Just for you," Vera relented as she stopped squishing his cheeks, much to Ben's obvious relief.
"I guess we're the last ones here. I see the rest of us have arrived," Ben noted as he saw the other vehicles, the likes of which included the Rustbucket, his parents' car, and Kevin's car. 'This'll be pretty interesting. It's been some time since we've all seen each other together,' Ben thought to himself. Coming to the doors after Vera and her family entered, he held it open before giving an exaggerated bow as Julie arrived. "Ladies first, my dear," Ben jokingly replied with an affected British accent.
"My, what a gentleman you are!" Julie chuckled as walked to the doors. As Ship chirped in amusement, Lucario was about to enter before he felt something strange.
"Huh?" Lucario said as he noted unfamiliar auras. "What was-?" Sputtering, he saw Ben quickly become concerned.
"Hey. You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ben seriously asked as he dropped the accent.
"It is nothing, Ben. Perhaps it's simply the lingering auras of your family, but it doesn't matter," Lucario brusquely replied as he entered the house.
When the doors shut, though, four piles of putrid, purple sludge emerged from a nearby sewer grate. As they let out grotesque roars and assumed humanoid shapes, all they wanted was payback.
As the group approached the main dining room where the party would take place, Lucario looked for familiar faces. Thankfully, several were people who he knew. He saw Max in a formal black suit, Kevin and Rook were wearing similar clothes to Max, Gwen was wearing a light blue dress, and Ben's parents were in a similar attire to Ben and his girlfriend, albeit Sandra's dress was green, matching her eyes. Meanwhile, the rest of the family was coming in: stepping out first was the woman of the day, Camille Mann-Tennyson. She was a beautiful woman, with blue eyes and auburn hair tied in a bun. Her attire for the party simply consisted of a brown dress.
"Aunt Camille! It's nice to see you again!" Ben politely greeted.
Giggling at the formality, Camille quickly answered, "I'm not your aunt, Ben! I'm your first cousin once removed-in-law."
"Yeah, but that's a mouthful to say. Besides, you and Uncle Joel are older than I am, so it kinda feels weird calling you a cousin," Ben smiled. Seeing Lucario approach, he moved aside to let the Aura Pokémon introduce himself.
"Greetings, Mrs. Tennyson. My name is Lucario, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lucario politely introduced himself as he genuflected. Suffice to say, no one expected Lucario to go full medieval.
"Where'd you get him, Ben? A posh school in London?" Joel Tennyson joked. He was a man about Carl's age, having black hair that matched his tuxedo and brown eyes.
"It's something of a long story, Uncle Joel," Ben said in an attempt to deflect attention from him.
"That blue dog is funny!" A new voice rang out. This came from a six-year-old boy that quickly ran up to tackle hug Lucario, sending the Aura Pokémon to the ground, a flabbergasted look on his face. His hair was auburn like his mother but brown like his father, and he wore a blue tuxedo.
"Derrick! It's not polite to tackle stranger no matter how strange they look!" Camille admonished. At this, Derrick quickly got off, a regretful look on his face. "Sorry about my son. We raised him to be tolerant of other species, but he's a bit of a cuddlebug."
"Do not be too hard. I understand how...exuberant children can be," Lucario reassured.
"So stiff and stuffy, aren't ya, Lucario," Ben giggled behind him.
"I was taught to be respectful, Ben," Lucario retorted.
"Um, Lucario? That's not me," 'Ben?' replied to Lucario's side.
"What!?" Looking between the two Tennysons, Lucario found himself looking at two humans that looked completely identical to one another, right down to the last seam in their suit. Quickly activating Detect, he soon saw that one of them had a completely different aura than Ben did. The fake Ben's laughter soon gave way to snorting, and Lucario suddenly got a face full of what felt like mud. "ARGH! What the-!"
"PSYCH!" The fake Ben said in a definitively female voice. With the mud receding from his eyes, Lucario got a look at the one who gave him a Mud Shot. Freckles doted the young woman's face as she wore a wine-red dress, her blonde hair was done in a ponytail, and her eyes were a very distinctive pink.
"Lucy, please! I enjoy a good prank now and again, but maybe don't reveal what you are that way? This is Lucario's first time encountering a Lenopan," Ben chided, though his giggling at her prank didn't abate.
"Lenopan? What do you-?" Lucario asked in confusion as he rubbed the remaining mud off his eyes, and his jaw dropped. Where Lucy stood was instead a dullish-purple and had two whisker-like appendages forming out of her forehead, and some mud had gathered around her head similar to her hairstyle. Her eyes also became almost entirely pink apart from white pupils.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Lucario, meet Lucy Mann. The first Lenopan plumber and my cousin-in-law," Ben introduced.
"Nice to meetcha, Lucario! Can I just call ya Luke?" Lucy excitedly asked.
"Uhhhhh..." Lucario could only utter in his flabbergasted mindset.
"You know what? Why don't we just get to the party? Perhaps he'll be in a more talkative mood once he gets some food in his system," Ben said to defuse the situation. Acknowledging his companion's attempts at diplomacy, Lucario sighed before continuing along.
'It's unnerving just how similar they are to a fusion of Muk and Ditto. I mean, the Pokémon Ditto, not that child splitting...thing Ben turns into. Arceus almighty, why do things have to be so confusing?' Lucario thought to himself.
At the very least, the feast seemed to be quite a nice one. Lucario noticed that the fruits served seemed analogous to those back in his old world. Apples instead of Leppa berries, oranges instead of Oran berries, peaches instead of Pecha berries, and so on. It was remarkable to see how similar things seemed to be to his old home. Having also arrived was also the rest of Gwen's family.
"Ah! Carl! Been a while since we last spoke hasn't it?" Carl's brother and Gwen's father Frank greeted. He had thin brown hair and glasses, and his attire consisted of a black tuxedo, much like the rest of the Tennysons.
"Indeed it has, Frank!" Carl greeted warmly.
"I see you've been doing well! Those recipes doing you any good?" Gwen's mother Natalie inquired. It was easy to see where Gwen got her hair from since she had the same red color, albeit a bit shorter. She also had dark blue eyes, black eyebrows, thick eyelashes, and bags under her eyes, and was clad in a white dress.
"Oh yes, they have! Thank you for them!" Sandra graciously replied.
Clanking a glass, Max gathered the attention of the rest of the participants. "I'm happy to see all of getting along, but I think it's time we let the lady of honor speak up, don't you think?"
"Thank you, Max," Camille said gratefully. "So now, we're all gathered here to celebrate more than my birthday, but the continuation of peace between the Lenopans and the Plumbers. I'm so happy to have been a part of this wonderful family, and I hope to continue being someone you will remain proud of till the end of my days."
"Amen to that!" Max answered happily. At this, everyone began to eat their meal. Lucario did have some slight difficulty, but as old memories of feasts in the court of Queen Rin began to emerge, so too did the etiquette and handiwork his old master taught him. In time, he managed to readjust to using the utensils.
While the celebrations continued, the creatures continued to work on their plan. Looking through the outside, they looked for a way to get in. Just as a precaution, the Tennysons had indeed set up defenses: flamethrowers were at the ready to solidify the Lenopans into nothing but dry dirt should they be detected, and so too were electrical tripwires. With great dexterity, the Lenopans worked their powers, slithering through the various traps. While they were somewhat singed by the flames, their anger at their Tennysons burned far hotter. A little flesh was but a trifling cost to get their revenge.
"There they are! The humans who think we'll blindly accept peace simply because our daughter betrayed us!" The male leading the group said.
"Yes. We'll show them that we won't forgive this! Human blood will smear the floor before this is over!" His wife agreed.
"Hey Alexander, Felicia? When we're done with the humans, do you think you can help me reconnect with Camille?" Her ex-boyfriend asked gleefully.
"Of course. But we'd still prefer some time to make sure she doesn't get too unruly. You know how grief makes a person go a little crazy," Alexander Mann sadistically answered. Unbeknownst to them, they'd been detected.
'What the?' Lucario thought as he felt foreign Auras entering the vicinity. At this, he dropped the spoon in shock.
"Lucario? Is something wrong?" Ben asked in concern. Seeing Lucario's alarmed expression, Joel quickly told Derrick to run along to hide, feeling that Ben's look of concern meant that something had Lucario rattled. Joel, unfortunately, had a good idea what was to come.
"Um...? May I be excused for a few minutes?" Lucario claimed, quickly getting out of his seat. The family looked confused, but they accepted his query with a nod. Walking out after thanking the rest of the family for the meal, Lucario decided to try to discern what was going on. Looking through the house, he tried to see where that Aura could come from. It was then he heard it. Oozing sounds, not unlike when a Grimer would began making the rounds. "Come out! I know you're there!"
"How did you-? It doesn't matter. We're shutting the power and no matter what, the Tennysons will be defeated," Huffed a female voice. "You know what to do!"
"Gotcha, Mrs. Mann! And with pleasure!" Out of the vents emerged a monstrous being. It couldn't even be described as human, as it had no legs, and its body looked more like some kind of sludge shaped into something resembling a human. "So you think you can get in our way, eh? You strange unknown freak?"
Lucario growled at the blob's arrogant demeanor. "Such arrogance will do you no good." After his retort, Lucario leapt forward, charging Aura into his fists and slammed them into the Lenopan. Bits of sludge erupted outwards, but the blob simply backed up to reabsorb it.
"You really think that'll stop me?" The Lenopan guffawed. Roaring this time, Lucario dashed forward, before jumping and lifting his leg to kick the blob right in the head. The blob grunted in pain in response, but it didn't mean much, as he simply reformed his head. However, Lucario couldn't prepare himself for what came next, as he was suddenly slammed in the head. As Lucario fell dizzy, he quickly found himself smothered by the Lenopan, and while he screamed, they were muffled, and he soon fell unconscious due to a lack of oxygen.
"Took long enough. Tie this...creature up and make sure he doesn't get out!" Mrs. Mann ordered, holding a baseball bat. Nodding, her bodyguard obeyed. Feeling vibrations in her chest, she ejected her cell phone from her body and picked up.
"I suppose you've found the power box, honey?" Felicia asked her husband.
"Yep! And I just need your permission to shut it down!" Alexander answered.
"Go for it! We'll be there soon!" Felicia said.
It had been some time since Lucario left, and Ben was getting worried for his friend. That worry only worsened when the lights went out.
"What the-?!" Carl asked in confusion and shock.
"Must be a power outage," Camille answered, though no one missed the tenseness in her voice. Clearly, she knew that old friends were arriving, and was not looking forward to it.
"Um...Aunt Camille? Do we know what happened to your family after we took them out?" Gwen asked worriedly.
"Wait. Oh no..." Lucy realized. "They're here."
"Who?" Natalie asked.
"My folks. They didn't really approve of me marrying Joel," Camille answered.
"Pfft. That's putting it mildly," Ben agreed, remembering how he had to deal with not only the Lenopans but the xenophobia of Joel's parents. He still so fondly remembered Gordon and Betty Jean trying to turn him into swiss Cannonbolt cheese.
"And they're also Lenopans like we are," Lucy added. "Guess they felt like now was the time to reignite things."
"Indeed! This has been a long time coming you sniveling traitorous brat!" A deep voice bellowed.
"Why can't we ever enjoy a normal family reunion?" Ben complained as he switched on the Omnitrix. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't what he wanted. In his place stood, a blue iguana-like alien. He wore white pants and a black open-front shirt with white cuffs, and his chest was completely covered up with a white underbelly shell. He had four pointed fins instead of three and black stripes on his face going around his mouth, and there were also spikes on his chin. There were three claws on the front of each of his forepaws and two claws on each of his back feet. He wore the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.
"Arctiguana? Not what I was aiming for, but it's cool enough to freeze you three into nice ice sculptures!" Ben said with a Jamaican accent, accompanied by a howl of wind.
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Codon Stream Entry: Arctigauana
Species: Polar Manzardill
Home World: X'Nelli
Polar Mazardills are actually a specialized subspecies of the Manzardill race. X'Nelli is a planet similar to Earth, being in a "Goldilocks zone" of orbit: like the porridge in the story, it's neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, much like Earth. Unlike Earth, though, X'Nelli has no tilt, meaning that as a result, the temperatures are far more stable and unchanging, being warm enough for most the reptilian Manzardills to become the dominant species. The exception to this, however, are the Polar Manzardills, who live on the poles of the planet. As a side effect of the lack of axis, the poles are incredibly chilly, reaching low temperatures that give even Necrofriggians some pause. To adapt to these frigid temperatures, the cold-blooded (as in ectothermic, not heartless) Polar Manzardills have blood that is extremely cold, with some Galvans and Cerebrocrustaceans even suggesting that their blood could be used as a substitute for liquid nitrogen in cryogenic preservation. However, they struggle in higher temperatures like on the rest of the planet, but their powers make it easy to deal with, as they can breathe out blasts of cold air that have been recorded to reach lows of 75 Kelvins, enough to cool molten magma almost instantly, and hence serves as their primary ability.
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"How nice. All the human ducks in a row, ripe for the hunting!" Mr. Mann sadistically declared.
"Nnngh...my head. I feel like I decided to get in a sparring match with a Machamp abusing Bulk Up," Lucario groggily noted. However, that was secondary to what had happened to his body. After looking for that strange duplicate of Joel, he'd somehow found himself knocked unconscious and fainted. It was then he noticed the rope tying him up, binding his legs and arms together.
"Sorry about leaving tied up, but I can't let you get out and expose my clients willy-nilly now, can I?" A smug voice said.
"Who...are you?" Lucario asked as he began to regain his bearings.
"Name's not really important, so just call me Humphrey. I'm the Manns' bodyguard, and I'm meant to take out anyone who could pose a threat to my plans. That would include any odd mutt who has the ability to sniff us out," the bodyguard explained.
"Why? Why are you doing this? Peace is difficult to build and easy to shatter. You're fools for trying to decide that this ridiculous feud should end in more blood shed!" Lucario retorted.
"Shut up! You don't know anything you stupid mutt! Us Lenopans have fought against the Plumbers for decades. My father fought against them, his father fought them..." Humphrey angrily stated.
"And his father, I can see where this goes. But this is stupid. Why continue to dredge the past and instead work to the future?" Lucario struggled to understand the logic of the Lenopans.
"Why do you care? Just know that the Tennysons are going to pay for what they've done to us! We'll wipe that family clean away, and make sure the traitors don't leave us ever again!" Humphrey huffed before slithering out.
"Simple. Because Ben is my ally, and my acquaintance. I have no plans of letting you harm him or his family," Lucario answered, mostly to himself. Seeing that his arms were tied next to one another, he quickly turned onto his side and began using his wrist claws to cut the ropes holding his legs together. "Uggh. I'm still feeling a little out of it after that, but it does not matter. I need to get to Ben and the others before they get in further trouble."
Going around the house in the dark, Lucario looked for the others. Thankfully, it seemed discretion wasn't Humphrey's strongest ability. A small trail of sludge could still be seen on the ground, and Lucario could also detect his aura. Going at it like a Houndoom on the prowl for hapless Mareep to feast upon, Lucario began to track the aura to stop the mad Lenopans. However, he was still left with a nasty headache, needing to stop every now and then to regain his wits. Still, his work as a soldier's Pokémon give him the ability to endure through it. He knew he had a way to heal himself thanks to Life Dew but it wasn't a good idea since it was better as an after-action patch up. It took too long, and time was of the essence. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Lucario marched forth, but upon noticing a knight's armor, he smiled as he looked at the sword it wielded.
In the meanwhile, the team had been able to retaliate. While the Lenopans had the advantage of surprise and the Plumbers seemed to have no weapons, they weren't that good in terms of power. Gwen cast a spell that summoned a spout of water that splashed into Johnson, leaving Camille's ex-boyfriend gurgling and sputtering as the water melded into his body. Kevin decided to make do with the stone floor and absorbed it, forming his right arm into a mace and his left arm into a stone sword. Ship quickly went into armor mode to protect his master. Camille and Lucy shifted into their humanoid Lenopan forms. Clyde activated his "Cincotrix" or more properly known as the Mark 5 Nanoshift Enabled Exo-Armor, whereupon he was clad in golden samurai armor with a 5 motif across various parts of his body. Finally, Rook armed himself with the Proto-Tool. As Arctiguana readied his ice breath with cold air emerging from his mouth, the normal humans wondered how they were going to protect themselves.
"Well, if there's one thing I am, it's prepared!" Max declared as he threw small boxes to all the normal humans. Each quickly unfolded into a standard Plumber issue rifle.
"Ah! Nice. Hey! Blobby!" Carl taunted.
"What?! I'm a Lenopan, so don't call me blobby!" Alexander replied angrily.
"Ever stared down the barrel like a Highbreed?" Carl stated. Alexander barely had enough to process the statement before blasting in the head by a powerful laser. It was enough to stun him, but it wouldn't be a permanent thing. Seeing his lead, the other humans began piling lasers into Alexander, quickly turning him into a purple blob with more holes than Swiss cheese.
"You'll pay for that, miserable humans! No one hurts my future father-in-law and gets away with it!" Camille's ex-boyfriend replied after expelling the water from his system like an exploding water balloon in slow motion. Screaming, he charged at them, but Rook had none of it. Jumping ahead, he converted the Proto-Tool into a taser that shocked the Lenopan assailant.
"Future father-in-law? Are you out of your mind? I broke up with you, and I am not divorcing Joel to get back at you!" Camille retorted.
"I know you liked her, but get with times and let her. Oh, and we definitely don't need to keep reawakening old grudges just 'cause you're butthurt she dumped you!" Lucy agreed.
"Shut up! You don't get it! I will never forgive you as long as you live Tennysons! The war was devastating to us all! I lost my brother to Joel's parents, when they incinerated him and- GACK!" Johnson retorted before suddenly finding himself burnt by Clyde, who had created a wrist-mounted flamethrower, solidifying him.
"What do ya say Ben? Double team freeze?" Clyde offered.
"Eyy, that's an "ice" idea you got!" Arctiguana complimented. At that, the Polar Manzardill launched a powerful blast of cold air while Clyde launched a blue energy beam. The two struck Johnson, and as he cried in shock, he was soon coated in ice, except for his head.
"Do you really think you're that innocent? You killed my sister right in front of me, and you know what one of the first things Camille did when we first started dating? She apologized for you killing her! She still feels guilty to this day for all the blood shed by our stupid duel!" Joel retorted.
"Oh please. She should be proud of the fact we were doing well!" Johnson argued. "Had it not been for-GAH!"
"Happy 'bout the bloodshed on both sides? You musta lost your marbles at some point, 'cause yer talkin' nonsense, ya idjit!" Azalea said in reponse, her blaster smoking after she blasted him in the face.
"Agreed! Besides, do you really think you can stop us all?" Kevin argued as he headed for Mr. Mann alongside Rook, Max, and Joel, while Camille, Gwen, Julie, and Lucy went for Mrs. Mann. The rest of the humans along with Ben decided to work against Camille's ex-boyfriend.
"We can, we must, and we will!" Mr. Mann stated as he turned one arm into a giant claw hammer. Trying to squash Kevin, he was distracted by a blast of pressurized wind from the Proto-Tool, which had reconverted into a pneumatic pump. Growling, Alexander aimed for the Revonnahgander, but found himself distracted by a blast from Joel, and Kevin seized the opportunity to smash his head, splattering them like watermelon chunks.
"Alexander! You'll pay for that!" Mrs. Mann declared. As she ran towards them, though, she slammed into a wall of mana, trapping her with the girls. And given Julie's armor now sported a gatling gun and a circular blade for hands, it wasn't going to end particularly pretty. Julie let out a battle cry as she charged forward, and while Mrs. Mann attempted to dodge, she still had a part of her arm sliced off. While such would be debilitating for a human, her body would regenerate in time, or she chose another option, simply swallowing the severed piece back into herself. Roaring, she charged, but quickly found herself under attack by her Lenopan brethren, as Lucy quickly charged forward like a bull as she hardened her head and Camille spun her hardened arms like drills. Gasping, Felicia twisted and turned herself like water, though given how ruthless the attack was, it hadn't been easy. However, she'd get help soon enough.
"Don't worry Mrs. Mann! Help is on the way!" Humphrey declared as he burst through the door.
"Don't worry about me! Help Johnson!" Mrs. Mann ordered. Noting this, he quickly slapped the other humans away, knocking them out as they slammed into the wall, leaving Ben and Clyde to check on them. Quickly slithering into the icy shell, he expanded in it like a soda can, and the ice shattered, freeing Johnson.
"Well, now it seems that we've got several rats taken care of! No way you can stand up to all of us at once, right?" Johnson taunted as he quickly enveloped Arctiguana in himself.
"Perhaps not like this. Time to bring out something cooler! Ultimately cooler!" Arctiguana responded within Johnson as he twisted the Omnitrix dial and changed form. Johnson thought nothing of it until he felt like someone had stabbed his insides with knives held under liquid nitrogen. Indeed, a bevy of icy spikes emerged from his body, and after quickly seperating and reforming himself, he saw the spikes quickly fall of what looked like a triceratops surrounded in ice, but as the ice cracked away, Ben's new form was revealed.
Much unlike Albedo's take on Ultimate Arctiguana, the body shape was far more balanced, and in general, resembled that of a triceratops, though the horns and frill were made of ice instead. The legs were still rather long, and they seemed to lose the finger-like claws they had previously. However, it was obvious that in general, there was a lot more bulk on Ultimate Arctigauana's body, and far more balanced than Albedo's variation, and his tail was also much longer. The Evolved Omnitrix symbol remained on his chest like regular Arctiguana.
"ULTIMATE ARCTIGUANA!" The new form declared, the accent unchanged from before.
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Codon Stream Entry: Ultimate Arctigauana
Species: Evolved Polar Manzardill
Home World: X'Nelli
As time went on in X'Nelli, the temperatures only grew even more frigid, to the point that even parts of the Polar Manzardills had to become ice in order for them to survive. That being said, though, they struggle in warmer temperatures as a result, similar to the Kraaho. However, they offset this by being able to constant exude cold air around them, giving them the ability to form shields of ice around them and others. Due to them having pores across their skin and structures similar to sweat glands filled with liquid nitrogen, they can quickly encase themselves in ice armor, and use this to form icy spikes across their body. Their cold air breath has also been massively improved, allowing them to breathe gales of wind and fill them with shards of ice to lacerate opponents and chill them to the bone to induce frostbite.
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"Another form? No matter, we're still enough to take you down!" Humphrey arrogantly exclaimed. Roaring, he charged at the evolved Arctiguana, but soon found his progress impeded when Ultimate Arctiguana released a frigid blast of cold air with a lot more "oomph" to it. Rather than just freeze him, this breathe was roaring, pushing parts of him off and then freezing them, leading them to shatter when they hit the ground. Even still, that wasn't all there was to it, as he saw shards of ice within the wind, poking holes that froze inside him, and alongside trying to stay in place, Humphrey had to break parts of him that froze up.
"Sorry, but you're going down like the temperature in a blizzard!" Ultimate Arctiguana declared as he continued the icy onslaught. He lowered his head, and all of a sudden, his horns fired out of his head like missiles, quickly regrowing. Frozen air surrounding them, they spiraled to increase their speed, quickly tearing through the Lenopan's body like a hole puncher. Humphrey looked in shock as the holes froze, and ice spread across his body. Roaring, he tried to break out of the ice, sending a flurry of sharp implements at the evolved Polar Manzardill, who quickly encased himself in icy armor to shield himself. Scissors, hammers, halberds, swords, and axes all tried to break through, but thanks to the constant release of cold air, any chinks formed in the armor were quickly fixed up.
"Come on! You can't be this strong! There's no way some stupid ice triceratops can best me!" Humphrey frustratedly screamed, and he continued to try and break the armor. At this, Ultimate Arctiguana released a blast of cold air that froze the limbs in place, and with a jump up, they all shattered into bits. Realizing the inevitable, all Humphrey could whimper was, "Oh no." That was followed by a mighty gale of cold air, freezing Humphrey completely solid.
Huffing, Ultimate Arctiguana quickly returned to normal Arctiguana, and then back to Ben, who continued gasping as he caught his breath.
"Glad I'm not fighting that guy. All I've got to deal with is a human with a toy too advanced for him!" Johnson figured as he looked at Clyde, who had just gotten his bearings after nearly seeing Ben get swallowed.
"Come at me, then!" Clyde declared, forming gatling guns on his arms. While he tried to fire, the fact that he had little actual experience thus far worked against him, as he kept firing at where Johnson was, not where he'd slither to. By the time he realized his mistake, Humphrey had already given him a punch to the jaw and sent him flying, leaving him prime on the ground. At this, he began working to smother the farmhand-turned-Plumber.
"Too slow, and too untrained! Killing you will be a piece of ca-AAAGH!" Johnson mused before suddenly feeling searing pain in his back. Looking behind him, he suddenly saw the jackal thing they sent Humphrey to take care of, a medieval sword in its paws. The sword, however, seemed to be filled with some kind of energy, as it was glowing blue with some flame-like wisps, noted as the sword was wrenched out of his side. At this, he backed off of Clyde to try and recover.
"Hope I'm not too late," Lucario mused as he planted the sword.
"Nah. You're just on time, Mr... uh," Clyde gratefully replied.
"Lucario. I think Ben has the bodyguard under control. What say we take care of this jilted lover?" Lucario offered.
"Does a cow moo when you pull its udders?" Clyde answered. Remembering that "cows" were the creatures most similar to Tauros and Miltank, Lucario chuckled as he hefted the sword, the natural Pokémon call to fight and his sense of justice beckoning him to act.
"I don't know where that power comes from, but I know two things. One, it won't help you. Two, we're giving Humphrey a write up for failing to do a task properly!" Johnson angrily answered as he charged forward. Lucario was undetered, rushing as well before attempting to slash the Lenopan. Remembering what happened, the Lenopan halted and quickly fell to the ground like liquid whose container just vanished suddenly. That proved to be a mistake, as he instead became a target for a laser barrage from Clyde, leaving him with holes in his body. At this, Lucario halted and smirked, looking at Johnson as a plan formed. Giving a "come here" gesture, he waited for Johnson to bite the lure. Indeed, Johnson didn't take kindly to being taunted, and rushed forward, and that was when Lucario initiated Double Team. The Lenopan screamed in frustration as he continued to only strike afterimage after afterimage, all the while Clyde would continue getting cheap shots in. Lucario then slashed again, severing Johnson's left arm from the forearm, and while Johnson futilely attempted to reconnect it, he found himself double-teamed by an Aura Sphere and a missile from Clyde, and soon enough, he was too scattered and fell unconscious.
"How was that?" Clyde asked earnestly.
"Impressive. For a trainee, that is. Take that as a compliment, as I have seen more experienced fighters do worse," Lucario answered honestly.
"Well I'll take that!" Clyde replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he turned back to normal.
Alexander Mann continued to struggle against the triple threat of Rook, Kevin, and Joel. "Stand still, all of you!"
"Are you asking us to let you hit us? I am sorry, but I cannot oblige such an absurd request," Rook factually stated as he turned the Proto-Tool into a bow, firing arrows that seared Mr. Mann's flesh.
"Yeah. What he said!" Kevin agreed, as he absorbed the metal on Joel's blaster. Jumping forward, he turned his arms into swords and sliced the bottom half of the Lenopan patriach, leaving him prime for Rook to turn the Proto-Tool into a sword of his own, continuing to slice him into smaller bits. While he screamed in pain, it didn't take long for Alexander to reform his body, and he was furious.
"Stupid humans and Revvonahgander! You won't defeat me! I am Alexander Mann, and I have defeated - ARGH!" Alexander began to boast before Rook quickly shocked him with a taser.
"Please be silent, Mr. Mann. Your speciephobic talk is getting very irritating at this point," Rook calmly asked.
"Thank you, Rook. Time to finish this!" Joel declared before activating the self-destruct on his blaster and implanting it into the Lenopan.
"No. No no no no no!" Mr. Mann panicked as he tried to remove the blaster. It was too late, though, and he soon found himself spread thin by the resulting explosion.
"Well, that's one dad who's definitely not getting any presents for Father's Day," Joel noted with a weak chuckle.
"Berdi Mordo Nata!" Gwen delcared, forming a powerful blast of fire that shot towards Felicia Mann. The Lenopan matriach worked to dodge, but still had a bit of flesh turned solid from the heat.
"How? Everything was planned out! We would have taken you two with us and your son and taken your husband and the rest of his accursed family out as well! But how did everything go so wrong?" Felicia ranted.
"Seems to be mostly due to not doing enough homework. Did you really think we wouldn't have changed in 7 years?" Gwen asked with a deadpan expression.
"Yeah. You also didn't seem to bother trying to know the new folks could do either, didn't you?" Julie agreed.
"Ship! Ship!" Ship chirped. At this, Julie rocketed forward and punched Felicia in the jaw, splattering her head. However, Felicia recovered and quickly swallowed Julie, but that was when Camille and Lucy began pulling in turn, leading to Julie getting stuck in a tug-of-war between the Lenopans. However, thinking quickly, Julie fired thrusters from her feet, incinerating the insides of Felicia and solidifying them, as well as the tendrils that attempted to keep her locked in.
"Now!" Camille instructed. She and Lucy immediately barreled forth, and the two shattered the solid chunks of sludge.
"This can't be happening! It wasn't supposed to be a simple thing! You weren't supposed to be so powerful!" Mrs. Mann ranted.
"Yeah? Well why don't you soak your head. Better yet, let me do that for you! Tempestus!" At this, Gwen sent a torrent of water that crashed into Mrs. Mann, and afterwards, Julie sent missiles that sent Mrs. Mann flying everywhere. As she tried to rebuild herself, Mrs. Mann gave one last gasp of exhaustion and pain before she fell to the ground as a limp pile of sludge.
"Sorry, Aunt Felicia. But I think I prefer the Tennysons over you," Lucy noted with a small smile.
"Sorry 'bout the trouble these Lenopan's caused ya'll. We'll make sure they stay locked up this time," Magister Patelliday apologized as Plumbers brought the Lenopans back into custody. Thankfully, Lucario had used the time to use Life Dew, recovering his health back to tip-top shape, though still a bit woozy.
"Well. Certainly don't think we'll be forgettin' that any time soon," Azalea mused. "But Clyde? I'm right proud a' you boy! Yah stood up for yah family and showed them blobs what's what! No one messes with a Tennyson!"
"Indeed. It seems heroism and combat strength is a trait very common in your family, Ben," Lucario mused.
"Oh yeah, for sure! Don't think there aren't that many of us who don't kick butt in some way," Ben said with pride.
"Sorry about what my family did. I thought we'd never have to deal with them again," Camille apologized again.
"Don't be too hard on yourself," Natalie reassured, surprising everyone. "Parents can definitely be a problem when they don't approve, and regardless, no one got too badly hurt. We just have a couple of bruises, but it's not like any of us will need to go to the doctor. The dry cleaners perhaps, but it could've been worse."
"Yeah. Look on the bright side, honey. Our kid is safe, thanks to Lucario. I don't know how you knew they were coming, Lucario but I don't want to think about what would've happened if you didn't notice them," Joel sincerely thanked, genuflecting in turn as Lucario had done.
"Really, Mr. Tennyson. There's no need for that. I simply did as anyone would do," Lucario hastily answered.
"But we do owe you, Lucario," Camille answered. "So Derrick, what do you say to people who helped you?"
"Thank you, Mr. Lucario!" Derrick said with a toothy grin. At this, Lucario couldn't help but smile. Truly, there wasn't anything less gratifying than a sincere "thank you" from a child you protected.
Voice Cast:
Ben Tennyson- Yuri Lowenthal
Lucario - Sean Schemmel
Julie Yamamoto - Vyvan Phan
Vera Tennyson - Miriam Flynn
Azalea Fife - Ashleigh Ball
Clyde Fife - Jon Heder
Camille Mann-Tennyson - Grey DeLisle
Joel Tennyson - Dee Bradley Baker
Derrick Tennyson - Natalie Lander
Lucy Mann - Tara Strong
Frank Tennyson - George Newbern
Natalie Tennyson - Juliet Landau
Ken Tennyson - Will Friedle
Alexander Mann - Steve Blum
Felicia Mann - Grey DeLisle
Johnson - Dee Bradley Baker
Humphrey - Patrick Warburton
Arctiguana - Eric Bauza
Ultimate Arctiguana - Eric Bauza
Ship - Vyvan Phan
Magister Patelliday - Rob Paulsen
Author's Note
Thanks for sticking around. I hope you like this next chapter, as I feel that there could be done with other members of the Tennyson family apart from just the immediate relatives of Ben. The good news is that the next chapter is going to be a good one: just plain old Alien vs. Pokémon fisticuffs!
Also yes: since Clyde mentioned that he and his mother are agricultural, I was at least partially inspired by Applejack's EG design for Azalea, but aged it up and altered it so she'd still fit in as Clyde's mother. Additionally, yes; I did name Joel and Camille's son after the late Derrick J. Wyatt. Plus, I decided to do a different take on Ultimate Arctiguana. If you're curious how he compares to Ultimate Big Chill, I'm of the camp that Ultimate Big Chill is better offensively, but Ultimate Arctiguana is better as a defensive form.
In response to the review about the possibility of Latios becoming part of the story... just wait and see. Even so, it won't be in quite a while. It is a suggestion that I will keep in mind, though, you can be sure of that.
Next Time: Dialga's Trials Part 1: Grass Grandeur
Come the end of the attempt on Joel's life, a few days of relative peace have struck the Tennyson Team. That all gets interrupted when a student of Professor Paradox, the legendary Temporal Pokémon Dialga, reveals that he has been sent by Arceus to test Ben Tennyson. Sweeping him to a lush jungle, Ben is forced to fight in an 8 vs. 8 Pokémon battle against the final evolutions of 8 special Grass Pokémon. With his transformations as the Pokémon, and Lucario as the trainer, will Ben be able to push through and defeat all 8 of them and prove himself to Dialga?
