We Are Monsters

by Creaturemaster

Ben somehow arrives in a strange new world where people and actual monsters co-exist (sort of). When he tries to blend himself in with Monster High's skeleton crew, things go horribly wrong! With a darkness lurking just of reach and an absurd amount of ghouls all wanting a piece of him, just how much can Ben take before he'll really "feel like a monster"? Rated T for harems & yuri.

46. The Howlidays with Hades

And here we are again!

Now, I have been getting a few negative comments about ch. 44, and to be honest, I am not bothered in it by the least. Okay, that's a lie; it does sting a little, but keep in mind that this is the first thing like that in my entire life, so I had to get pretty creative. A rather hurtful comment was posted by an anonymous reader who will no longer be reading my story; the review has since been removed, but it still stings a tad. I know I probably should have seen this coming from a few people, but I gave incredibly clear warnings for this kind of thing. Plus, I have a hard time writing a chapter if it doesn't have at least one alien transformation in it. So because o the negative reviews I have been getting, I will be having a poll up on my profile: should I get rid of ch. 44 or leave it up for future readers to read and/or be scarred by?

Anyways, as of now there are two chapters left of Ben's time in the Monster world before he is sent back home; this however, is not the end of the story, as the ghouls will be going with him, too.

And for the last time, there will be a sequel!

As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!

Onwards!

Avea clopped up to her coffin-shaped locker, spinning the combo and then pushing up on the handle to open the door to her private sanctuary during the school hours. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out her Biteology and Dragonomic textbooks, setting them on the top shelf as her eyes traced over the small treasures she had gathered over her time at Monster High; a photo of Bonita, Sirena, Neighthan, and herself on the front steps of the school; a picture of her easily winning a race in track meet against Granite City High; yet another photo of her attempting and utterly failing to ice skate (having four legs was not ideal when it came to skating on ice).

Her eyes lingered over one memory that was hidden under two of those photos; the letter her future self had written for her to read. Avea found it hard to believe that she had been so immersed in her work that she had started to neglect her own health, but the photo that had been taped to the back of the paper was more than enough to convince her that things needed to change. But, and she couldn't believe she was saying this, Ben moved too fast for her to keep up with; literally every time she summoned enough courage to try and get it over with, to ask him out on a simple date, he would always be summoned by the police and run, fly, or teleport away before she could get a word in edgewise.

Her point was proven further when the sound of heavy hooves pounding the floor caught her attention and glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Phobos come galloping past, giving her a quick two-fingered salute before he scrambled around the corner and out of sight. Avea decided enough was enough as she slammed her locker such and reared back onto her hind legs before giving chase after the Varjoain, folding her wings in tight against her body so she would not receive any drag. She narrowed her eyes as she started to catch up to Phobos, actually starting to wonder how she could possible subdue or at least get his attention; it wasn't like it was easy to tackle someone when the lower half of your body belonged to a horse. Her options then suddenly got all the more limited when she saw Phobos dive into a shadow created by an open classroom door and reappear out of another shadow farther down the hall.

"Of course." Avea cursed under her breath as she pushed herself even harder to try and catch up, skidding around a corner and nearly crashing into the wall as her hooves feverishly struggled to try and dig into the short carpeting as she managed to regain her footing and pick up speed once more. Sweat dripped down her face as she pushed herself to the limit, racing down the hallway with her sights only set on the backside of Phobos so much that she was oblivious to all outside distractions.

This unfortunately included the door she crashed into when Phobos suddenly took a sharp left and came a screech halt.

One second she was on her hooves and chasing down the hall after the elusive Varjoain, the next she was down on the floor, delirious and with a small amount of blood dripping from her nose as she struggled to see straight through her pounding skull.

"Are you okay?"

She blinked and rolled her head skyward to see Phobos standing over her, his bright green eyes quirked up into a concerned look; nothing else was visible underneath the helmet that sat on his head.

"Not really." she groaned as she rolled onto her belly and shifted her legs back and forth to work her way up to a standing position as she flexed her wings to make sure they weren't broken and held her bloody nose.

"Why were you running so fast?" Phobos asked, his tail flicking back and forth as if to shoo away invisible flies and mosquitoes.

"Try to catch you." Avea replied, sniffing slightly.

"Why?" Phobos as an ever familiar beeping sound met his ears and the Omnitrix timed out, engulfing the Varjoain in a bright light and reverting him back to Ben.

"I wanted to ask you something." Avea groaned, wincing at her throbbing head; running head first into a door at high speeds hurt a lot more than she thought it would.

"What?" Ben asked, leaning against a roar of lockers.

"I wanted to know if . . . ghoul this hurts," she hissed, holding her aching head. Ben cautiously reached out to her with a hand and looping under her arm and around her back, supporting part of her weight as she stumbled; Avea had no idea hitting a door hurt this much. She relaxed slightly as Ben started to walk her down the hall, staying silent and unwavering as he led her towards the Nurse's Office, firmly supporting her weight on his shoulders.

"Thanks." Avea hissed, rubbing her aching her skull. "Ghoul, that hurt."

"It probably did." Ben agreed. "Why were chasing me anyways? You never told me." he asked as they rounded a corner and walked into the Nurse's Office.

"What sssssseems to be the trouble?" the Naga hissed, her tongue flickering out past her lips as she slithered off of her office chair and over to the pair.

"She ran head first into a door." Ben explained, shifting Avea's weight a little.

"Hmm. A bloody nossssssse, huh? Sssssssimple enough." the nurse shrugged, slithering away from Avea and Ben to grab a tissue and some bandages; Avea held still, pressing the tissue to her nose as the nurse reared up on her coils and bandaged a nasty bruise on her head, finishing within seconds and sending the two of them on their way.

"Why were you racing after me again?" Ben repeated once they were out of earshot of the Nurse's Office.

"I wanted to ask you something." Avea told him.

"What?"

"Would you go out with me?" Avea asked, her pulse racing slightly as her wings shifted a bit.

"Sure," Ben smiled. "Any particular place in mind?" he asked.

"Well, I was thinking-" Avea started before a bright, lavender light suddenly filled the hallway, blinding the two of them before the flare slowly died down to reveal a large figure standing in the hallway over them, a pleasant smile on her face. She stood perhaps twelve to fifteen feet tall and had flawless, ivory pale skin with bright purple eyes that flickered like candles. Her long, indigo locks wavered and crackled like a campfire, thin trails of smoke curling up from her scalp as she crossed her pale, arms over her well developed chest and curled her thin fingers over her wrists; she wore a simplistic purple robe with lavender trimmings, her feet invisible underneath and her black lips curled upwards into a kind smile.

"So nice to see you again, Ben." the tall woman smiled.

"The feeling's mutual, Lady Persephone." Ben grinned back, bowing slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait. Lady Persephone?" Avea's eyes widened. "As in, the wife of Lord Hades?"

"Unfortunately," Persephone sighed. "Between you and me, the guy's annoying as . . . well, you know."

"I-it's an honor to meet you!" Avea exclaimed quickly, bending her forelegs and bowing down to the ground.

"Oh, please, none of that," Persephone sighed, waving a hand. "I get enough of that with the gazillions of souls in the Underworld; and don't even get me started on Hades's ego."

"Lady Persephone, not that I'm not glad to see you but, how do you remember me?" Ben asked. "I only ever met you when I traveled fifty years into an apocalyptic future ruled by Zs'Skayr."

"True," Persephone nodded, leaning against and dwarfing a row of lockers as she slid down the wall a little, as if tired. "But a strange man that went by the name of Paradox arrived in my husband's domain and informed me that I had lost something and 'that it was dire I get it back'." the goddess quoted. "Strangest thing is that no matter how many times Hades's tried to claim his soul for trespassing into his domain, he couldn't."

"That's Paradox for ya," Ben shook his head with a smile. "Immortal and cryptic at the same time."

"This Paradox is a god?" Persephone's eyes widened.

"No," Ben shook his head again. "He's just a guy who messed with time and ended up living forever with near control over the very thing that made him deathless." Ben explained.

"You come from a very strange dimension, Benjamin," Persephone smiled before returning to the subject at hand. "Anyways, I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, so he told me to search through the memories of Ben Tennyson. Of course, I had a little help from little help from Aunt Hera." she mused.

"And did you find what you were looking for?" Ben asked, Avea feeling very awkward at the moment.

"Yes," Persephone sighed unhappily. "Hailey Hydra. Oh, how I loved her so."

"Who?" Avea wondered.

"Little Hydra girl with three heads, each with a different personality." Ben summed up.

"According to your memories, she and I shared some wonderful mother/daughter times. Unfortunately, I couldn't go very deep into them, considering you only ever saw us twice." Persephone sighed before she suddenly seemed to remember something. "On a side note, thank you for bringing Hades's ego down a few notches; for once in his immortal life, he's been quiet after I showed him his champions being defeated over and over by you. He was especially irked about when you attacked him." she added with a smile.

"You attacked a god!? AND LIVED!?" Avea exclaimed loudly.

"I've done a lot of things," Ben shrugged. "Beating up a god is only number three on the list of my accomplishments."

"What are you talking about?" Avea asked with disbelief.

"I believe he is talking about the time he recreated his universe as Alien X, and both times he helped create a universe; his own and this one." Persephone exclaimed.

Avea was at a complete loss for words as Ben and Persephone returned to their conversation. "So, what exactly are you here for? Because you're asking for my help to kidnap Hailey, I'm not doing it." Ben declared firmly.

"Relax," Persephone laughed. "Kidnapping may be a habit of some gods, but that is not my style. I actually came here for you."

"Why me?" Ben wondered. "Do you want me to take Hades's ego down a few more notches. Because I'd be more than happy to."

"The offer is tempting, but I must decline for the moment," Persephone shrugged, her expression becoming flustered as she talked. "I-I actually came to ask if I could . . . adopt you?" she winced slightly; asking someone as powerful as a god themselves, even if they were mortal, was a risky situation, especially since mortals seemed to have worse tempers than most immortals.

"Why me?" Ben repeated, remaining unusually calm despite the situation.

"Why not you?" Persephone asked. "You're a wonderful child, and I know your mother is very lucky to have child as brave and as courageous as you. Arguably, your intelligence and sense of hygiene is laughable at best, but your good qualities far out way your negative ones."

"I . . . I'm honored. I really am," Ben began. "But, I already have a mom back home."

"It will only be until you are able to return to your own dimension," Persephone explained, though it sounded a little like pleading. "You would be able to live your normal life as you would as long as you came to visit me in the Underworld. And as an added bonus, you would be able to enter my husband's domain with consequence, should I ever require your services."

Ben cocked an eyebrow, but thought it over; he loved his mom dearly, and she had pretty much let him have free rein over his life as long as what he did was both legal and reasonable. Even when she had first discovered his secret life and banned him saving the world for a short time, she had only been doing it because she loved him and didn't want to see him get hurt. And Persephone did have a point: it wasn't like his mom would know where he was or what was happening. And exactly how many mortals were offered the chance to become the adopted child of an immortal deity?

"Alright. I accept." Ben surrendered; he was immediately scooped up into a bone crushing hug by Persephone as she nuzzled him roughly, his face turning a light shade of lavender until Persephone noticed that Avea was trying to alert her of the problem by kicking her in the shins with her hooves.

"Sorry," the goddess apologized as she set Ben back down on the floor and shrank down to the height of an average woman. "I'm just so excited! My mother would love to meet you!"

"If she's as happy as you are, I might have to run away," Ben joked as the color returned to his face. "Mom." he added with a smile; Persephone squealed happily and hugged him again, though less forceful than before until it seemed she remembered something. "I guess this makes that Vondergeist girl your sister in a sense." she realized.

"Lalalalalalalalalala! I can't hear you!" Ben cried, jamming his fingers into his ears as he started to sing his theme song as loud and as off key as possible to try and wipe the horrifying piece of information from his memory while Persephone laughed and Avea couldn't help but smile. The moment however, was ruined when the lights overhead suddenly flickered on and then off, as if struggling with some invisible force before they surrendered and died, darkness enveloping the hallway and the surrouding ones as well.

"What's going on?" Avea asked nervously.

"I was afraid of this," Persephone sighed. "He's coming."

"Who's coming?" Avea asked before the floor in front of them suddenly burst into flame, the fire expanding in size before dying down to reveal a tall figure about a foot taller than Persephone. His face was pale and angular, his dark eyes flickering like hot coals as he set them upon Persephone and Ben. His dark blue hair wavered and shimmered like fire, thick, black smoke curling away from his head as he glowered at the small group within his black and gray robes.

"Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi, how ya doin'?" he introduced himself to the trio. "And what's this, an intimate get-together with my most hated enemy and my wife? How's that for an awkward twist?"

"Relax, dear husband," Persephone rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you for some scuzzy mortal."

"Oh, really? Because, word of warning, five bucks says ya might." the Lord of the Underworld grumbled.

"Who are you with your tight lips and flaming hair to judge Lady Persephone and Ben?" Avea snapped angrily.

"What have ya got, cotton in your ears, kid? Uh, hello? Hades, Lord of the Dead here!" the god snarked. "And word of warning, ya might want to dial back on the attitude, kid." Hades snarled, his flaming hair growing bigger and hotter as he glared at Avea.

"Hades, back away from my son's ghoulfriend." Persephone narrowed her eyes.

The Lord of the Dead suddenly went slack jaw. "You mean to tell me you adopted this little scuzz ball!?" he cried, jabbing a bony finger at Ben. "Because I think you forgot one teensy, weensy, little, tiny detail: I OWN YOU!" Hades roared, growing to an enormous height to glare down his wife as his cool, blue hair turned into a raging inferno.

"Easy Death Breath. Back away from my mom." Ben warned him, activating the Omnitrix and cycling through the roster.

"Oh, it's this kid again." Hades griped, pinching his brow. "Look, I don't care what kind of sick freaks ya got in that watch of yours, but-" Hades interrupted by a flash of bright light as Ben slammed his hand down on the activation button and felt the changes begin. Ben's arms swelled as his veins popped out, alien blood coursing through them as muscles piled themselves on top of each other. His legs became muscled as he stretched upward, growing taller and taller until he was a good six feet taller than Ghoulia. Fur began to sprout all over his body, turning white on his chest, gut, hands, and feet, turning orange everywhere else. A few black stripes stretched across his broad back and shoulder, a handful of whiskers sprouting on his face. His eyebrows turned black and became longer as they grew up and off his head. His jaw jutted out as his teeth became sharper. His hands became larger and muscled as a single, black claw grew out of his wrist. The final piece of the transformation was the appearance of a green and black luchador outfit and belt with the Omnitrix on it.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Hades, Lord of the Underworld and Dead and Husband of Lady Persephone, who also happens to technically be my Dad! Rath will not sit back and let you insult his mom, even though Rath is not sitting down!" the Appoplexian roared angrily.

"Oh, great. It's this knucklehead again." Hades grumbled, smacking his face with exasperation.

"HEY! Rath is the one that comes up with the nicknames, Hades, Lord of the Underworld and Dead and Husband of Lady Persephone who also happens to technically be my Dad!" Rath bellowed.

"Look, why don't the two of you go off somewhere and do whatever it is little kids like you do. Go swing on a swing set, chase fireflies through the fields, or play with your dolls or whatever. This is grown up stuff." Hades shooed Rath and Avea off, only to earn a knuckle sandwich to the face from Rath.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Hades! Rath will not go swinging on a swing set, chase fireflies through the fields, or play with dolls! What Rath wants to do is kick your butt, just like he did last time!" the Appoplexian roared.

"Alright, alright! Fine!" Hades grumbled, massaging his aching face. "I'll make a deal with you, fuzz ball. You win against any of my three champions and I never bother you and my wife about this little thing. You lose, you never enter my domain and never speak to my wife again! So, do we have a deal?" the Lord of the Dead asked with a wicked grin.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Hades! The last time Rath made a deal with you Rath lost, which is something that does not happen very often! But despite past events, Rath excepts your deal!"

"You can't be serious." Avea said with a deadpanned expression.

"It's Rath you're talking to," Persephone sighed. "There's no reasoning with him. And besides, Ben will probably kick Hades's' butt again. Or for the first time? Sphinx, Paradox wasn't kidding when he said time travel was confusing." Persephone mumbled to herself as the four of them were engulfed in bright flashes of light and transported away.

---

They were now in what Hades's had dubbed 'The Soul Reaper'. To put it simply, it was a large arena about the size of a small football stadium with a patch of solid rock for the playing field. Stands and bleachers rose up round the tight square, each seat packed with weary shades, impatient Furies and harpies, or other questionable creatures that looked nothing like the monsters that lived on the surface. Sitting smack in the middle of the stands, directly over where the 50 yard line might have been, was a special box where Lord Hades, Lady Persephone, and Avea all sat, watching the spectacle below them interest, indifference, or disgust.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, monsters and shades of all ages!" Hades shouted over a microphone that hung down from a disclosed location that nobody could even start to guess where it came from. "Have we got a battle for you tonight! For the first and third time this lovely evening, the reining and latest rookie Ben Tennyson!" Hades howled into the microphone; the audience, consisting of thousands of souls and various Underworld monsters, booed and hissed, stomping their hooves and claws as some of them threw bones over the side of the arena in an attempt to hit Ben.

"And in this corner, weighing in at roughly half a ton! The Son of Typhon! The Son of Echidna! It's the Chimeraaaaaaaa!" Hades roared into the microphone as the stadium cheered and the doors opposite of the arena and facing Ben burst open in a wave of fire as a large beast the size of an elephant burst out into the arena with a loud, guttural roar. The creature had the body of a large lion with a goat's head jammed on its right side next to its lion head. Drool dripped from the massive teeth as the tail, which was a long, scaly cobra, hissed and slithered through the air, curiously starring at Ben without blinking.

"Fire, huh? Time to fight with Water Hazard!" Ben quipped cockily as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting the Orishan icon and slapping the activation button. His skin turned a bright yellow and became hard and plated. His fingers and thumb melted together into sharp points, his arms and legs becoming jointed as he was forced to use his arms as extra legs. His lips protruded out from his face and turned sideways as they became cupped pincers. His eyes turned black with green slits as a bony protrusion grew from his brow, splitting in two and becoming forked as Ben shrunk down to the floor, to the size of a small dog. A green and white neck brace formed around his chest, the Omnitrix appearing on his chest.

"What the- Ball Weevil? Sure, because little bugs with sticky balls can totally beat gigantic monsters that breath fire." the little bug grumbled sarcastically.

"Don't just stand there, Ben! Run!" Avea cried.

"Don't warn him! Where's the fun in seeing him live!?" Hades whined.

Ball Weevil glanced back at the Chimera and dove out of the way just in time to avoid a swipe of the beast's reptilian tail, dodging the venom tipped fangs and spitting out a small plasma ball to roll away on, gathering up material as he went.

"Ahh! Nice Chimera! Good Chimera! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" Ball Weevil wailed as he avoided several swipes of the monster's paws and horns, the goat head bleating madly as the lion head snarled and roared with anger. The two of them went around and around the arena in several circles, Hades's patience wearing away with every lap until Ball Weevil suddenly turned around and rushed at the Chimera, rolling his plasma ball underneath the Chimera's body and dodging the snake tail before rounding around on the beast again and sending his now massive sticky ball at the Chimera; the ball of goo detonated on contact, blasting the Chimera clear across the arena in a fiery, green blast.

"And that is how it's done." Ball Weevil sighed before rethinking the idea. "Why do I get the feeling I've said that before and instantly regretted it?" he wondered.

"Ben! Look out!" Avea cried.

"Seriously kid, stop ruining my fun! You are seriously starting to bore me!" Hades cried, his cool, blue hair turning a fiery red as Persephone narrowed her eyes at her husband, wondering if any of the gods would notice his disappearance if he went away for a few days. The idea was quickly scrapped as her attention was drawn upon Ball Weevil skittering away on his jointed legs like mad, racing up the wall of the pit as the Chimera charged after him, fire pouring out of its jaws in waves.

"Hope this doesn't bore ya!" Ball Weevil cried as he launched himself off the wall at the Chimera's face, jamming a leg onto the Omnitrix as the beast's jaws snapped shut around him; Ball Weevil could faintly hear Avea and Persephone's frightened screams and Hades's howls of victory from outside as an excessive amount of drool slathered over him while the Omnitrix activated and engulfed him a bright light. His frame stretched up about half of his original height as his face pushed forward and became a separate disk, the ends curving outwards and then up to firm a pair of horns tipped with small orbs as the rest of his head formed into a round trapezoid figure. Muscles piled themselves onto his arms as his skin hardened into a metallic-like surface with black rings around his arms and thighs with his wrists and ankles black against a dull, lavender shade. Ben's toes all fused together into a single digit as his fingers melted together into three digits that morphed into cubed claws. A triangular dorsal fin of sorts rose up from his back, tipped with a single orb as a green and white belt materialized around Ben's waist with the Omnitrix in the center, completing the transformation.

"I am not on the menu!" PorcuPain cried as he pushed his hands up on the roof of eh Chimera's mouth and slowly pried the beast's jaws open, much to the delight of of the girls and the absolute fury of Hades.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" the Lord of Underworld howled, his body becoming a mini firestorm as the Espigilagisapien jumped out from the Chimera's jaws before they snapped shut on him, scurrying a good distance away before hissing loudly and arching his back, firing off a couple quills at the Chimera; the majority of them harmlessly bounced off of the beast's tough hide, but a a few managed to hit their mark inside of the Chimera's mouth, sinking into its vulnerable gums and tongue when he bellowed in defiance. However, just because PorcuPain had hit his mark, didn't mean he was safe; it would take a while for poison tipped quills to fully take affect, and the more the Chimera moved about, the faster the toxins flowed through its body. All PorcuPain had to do was keep it moving.

"Try to keep up, bub!" PorcuPain hissed as he slapped the Omnitrix on his chest and was engulfed in a flash of bright light. His skin turned black and blue, forming racing stripes and sharp arrows as sharp spikes popped out of his slightly more muscled arms. Two large horns that formed a sort of mask sprouted from his face, curving backwards to finish off the transformation as a belt formed around his waist with the Omnitrix on it.

"Can't catch me!" Fasttrack teased as he quickly zipped under the Chimera's legs and leaped into the air, bouncing off of the snake's head before coming back down and racing away with the angry Chimera after him, blasting fire as it ran.

"I can't believe it! I order a simple, brutal mauling and all I get is a circus act!" Hades griped as Fasttrack raced around and around the arena, easily outrunning the Chimera and even overlapping it a few times before the Citrakayah reversed direction and began the chase all over again, shouting teasing comments and throwing taunting gestures at the Chimera as it started to slow down; the venom was finally starting to take effect. "And now to finish the job!" Fasttrack quipped as the blades on his arms grew larger and sharper. He then assumed a pitcher's stance before taking off in a black and blue blur, racing across the stone covered ground of the arena at the Chimera, his arms pumping furiously as he ran right past it and then hung a sharp right, running around and around in a tight circle as he swiped his arms across the Chimera's body on all sides, driving his blades deeper into previous cuts to worsen the wounds against the beast's tough hide as he howled and bellowed with pain. The Chimera suddenly stumbled on one of its legs, falling forward so that the right side of its face was smashed into the rock floor of the arena; the adjacent left hind leg felt the next before the other hind leg came down, the serpent tail angrily swiping repeatedly at Fasttrack in the hopes if biting him.

It was all for naught as PorcuPain's quills finally started to take affect as the last leg dropped the beast to the ground, sending it into a deep sleep right then and there in the arena.

"Tennyson: 1, Hades: 0!" Fasttrack cheered as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben back to his human form.

"Something tells me this will be the start if many failures for you, husband." Persephone grinned happily as she watched Ben appeal to his growing fan base, the shades and monsters impressed with Ben's skill. Hades however, was anything but impressed. So what if the kid had a fancy watch that could turn him into super powered creatures that could rival the gods themselves? No mortal should ever have that kind of power, and yet this scrawny, eighteen year old boy had perhaps the most powerful weapon in all of creation strapped to his wrist like it was a toy! If he lost to a mortal of beings, the rest of the gods would never let him hear the end of it! He would be the laughing stock of the Underworld and Olympus for all eternity!

"Time to turn the tables," Hades growled under his breath as he rose up from his throne and summoned the mysterious microphone into his bony fingers. "Now for round two, Ladies and Gentleman! What you are about to witness is something never seen before in The Soul Reaper!" he announced as several hidden holes in the arena wall that Ben had never noticed before opened up, water cascading down the walls and to the ground, pooling together in the shallow pits before molding together into larger puddles that became small ponds, large lakes, and then one big ocean as the entire arena filled up to the near brim, leaving a good three feet of dry wall before the water would have spilled over into the stands. "Up next we have the Daughter of Phorcys and Keto! Ally of the massive whirlpool Charybdis! Give it up for Scyllaaaaaaa!" Hades howled into the microphone as the audience cheered.

Ben gulped as a large section of the water in front of him started to bubble and broil before it suddenly exploded, sending water high into the air before it came crashing back down in a rainstorm as something started to rise from the depths. At first, the creature look like nothing more than a young maiden with raven black hair, sea green eyes, pale skin, and a tight bikini top to cover herself with. But then thing got stranger and much more frightening as the girl rose higher and higher from the water, everything from the waist down completely beyond strange; a dozen wolves heads sprouted from her waist, their many jaws snapping as drool dripped from their fangs, their eyes filled with raw fury and savagery; the girl's legs were nonexistent, replaced with scaly tentacles that writhed and thrashed to keep Scylla afloat.

"So this is my opponent?" Scylla hissed, revealing a pair of sharp fangs and a snake-like tongue. "Handsome little fellow. Too bad I will have to eat you."

"Yeah. Not gonna happen." Ben frowned as he turned to the Omnitrix and cycled through the holographic ring before selecting the alien he desired and pressing down on the activation button, not wanting to end up in a body that didn't work well in water, such as NRG or Humungousaur. Scales raced up his arms and legs as they swelled, muscles building and bones strengthening. His fingers became clawed and webbed as the scales raced to cover the rest of him. Three slits appeared on either side of his neck and puffed open and shut as they sucked in air. A thin sheen of slime covered the scales as his hair disappeared into his scalp. Veins throbbed and pulsed as alien blood pumped through them and into his ever changing organs. His forehead to pulse and swell, like there was giant zit that was about to explode. And explode it did; a thin, green wire popped out of his forehead and hung in front of his face as the end began to glow and eerie color. His jaw swelled bulged and bucked until several rows of razor sharp teeth popped out and curved themselves over his lips. His eyes became that of a deep sea creature as two sharp fins rose from his back, completing the transformation.

"It seems I am having sushi tonight." Scylla licked her lips hungrily.

"Yeah, but seafood's off the menu!" Ripjaws snarled as he quickly dove underneath the water and out of sight. Scylla narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the water below, to pinpoint her opponent before he struck; the wolves that surrounded her halted in their yipping and snarls in an attempt to sniff the Piscciss Volann out,but the water perfectly hid his scent. Scylla felt a sudden spike of pain in one of her tentacles as the water started to turn crimson with blood. Her blood. Her eyes widened with shock when Ripjaws crested high out of the water with a piece of one of her tentacles between his steel-bending jaws and a deep smirk on his face as he came back into the water.

"AGH! Die!" Scylla hissed, whipping her tentacles through the water. Ripjaws grimaced at the tangled nest of tentacles as he twisted and turned his body through the water, pumping his tail to out maneuver one of them and ending up biting through another tentacle and spitting it out to avoid the first. A stray tendril came out of nowhere and caught him in the gut, pushing him out of the water and up to Scylla's eye level as he hung on, water cascading down into the pool below.

"Is that the best you can do?" the sea monster asked, the rest of her tentacles rising out of the water. There then came a frightening cracking sound as the tips suddenly swelled, as if stung by bees, before lengthening out into long, reptilian snouts that split open into separate jaws while four, blood red eyes formed on each head; three rows of gleaming, white teeth grew out from the jaws, an excessive amount of blood stained saliva dripping from them hungrily.

"Probably not." Ripjaws shrugged before pulling back his head and opening his jaws as wide as possible, sinking his teeth into the scaly flesh of Scylla's tendril and severing the limb completely, falling back into the water with a splash!

"As much as I don't like the kid, he's got skill." Hades admitted grimly as he watched Ripjaws bite clean through two more tentacles, cutting their numbers in half he lunged at one of the wolf heads around Scylla's waist and messily tore it free in a spout of blood, Scylla screaming bloody murder as the water turned bright red. The Piscciss Volann leaped out of the water again, aiming right at Scylla's face with his jaws wide open and tackling her back into the water as she screamed with fury; the sea monster's fanged tentacles thrashed about and dove into the churning mess to swipe bites at Ripjaws as he and Scylla battled it out.

"AAAAHHH!" Scylla screamed at the top of her lungs as Ripjaws ripped another tentacle free from her body , his claws driving into her arm and leaving thick, red lines on her pale skin. "Get off of me, sea scum!" she hissed, one of her fanged tentacles managing to sink its teeth into his tail fin and tear him away from her, dangling him above the water and bringing her up to Scylla's eye level. "You," she hissed. "I will enjoy feasting on your flesh with butter, lemon, and tartar sauce!"

"Once again, not on the menu." Ripjaws glared as he slapped the Omnitrix on his belt and was engulfed in a bright, green light.

His bones became lighter, hollow actually, his arms stretched out a little bit. He was forced to hunch over slightly as his skin turned blood red in color and six slits formed in his flesh where his ribs would be. His fingers fused together into three long claws. His toes morphed together into two talons as his heel ground against his foot and formed a third toe jutting out behind him, his mouth widening across his face. His eyebrows hardened into yellow crests that looked like a pair of devil's horns as they grew upwards above his green eyes. A tail sprouted from the base of his spine as a thin, yellow membrane formed from his wrists to his waist. A pair of black briefs and a green strap vest materialized on his body, the Omnitrix appearing on the vest's hooker.

"Eat hot neuroshock!" Jetray cried as he shot twin beams of sharp, green energy out of his eyes and struck Scylla in the face; the sea monster screamed again as her head lolled to her side and her grip on the Aerophibian slipped. Jetray dove down into the water before smoothly coming back out with his wings spread eagle and allowing him to soar high above the arena, firing more neuroshock beams from his eyes and tail as Scylla thrashed about.

"C'mon, Ben! Jetray's not gonna cut it! Finish her!" Avea cheered from the stands.

"Do not make me gag you!" Hades snarled before Persephone slapped him upside the head and pretended to look innocent and interested in the battle below when he whirled back around on her.

With several of her tentacles lying limp in the water and only a few of her wolf heads at her beck and call, Scylla was desperate as she raised the last three mobile tentacles into their air as Jetray flew over her, the first two heads snapping shut mere inches behind him when the Aerophibian flew by; the third one however, managed to hit its mark and snagged the end of Jetray's tail dragging him down into the depths of the water where it quickly curled around him and began to constrict, slowly crushing the Aerophibian's skeleton and organs. "Gah! Can't . . . breath!" he gasped.

"That's the idea!" Scylla snarled before she cried out in pain as Jetray savagely sank his teeth into the scaly tendril and fired off another beam of neuroshock before swooping up high into the air and out of her reach.

"Time to end this!" he muttered to himself as he slapped the Omnitrix on his vest hooker and was engulfed in a bright, green light. His skin hardened into a thick exoskeleton, becoming jointed and plated as it turned green. His wrists bloated to the size of basketballs, his fingers reduced to black claws as the blubber from his hands traveled up the length of his arms, expanding and growing and swelling to massive proportions on his shoulders. His belly suddenly exploded outwards, and it would have been funny had he not had bullets shooting straight at him. His legs became short and stubby, his toes becoming bony and sharp, reduced to claws like his fingers had been. Hard plating began to pile itself up on his shoulders and his expanding hips, his entire back becoming covered in the durable armor that could withstand almost anything. His head became round like a beach ball before muscles and skin melted his face into his chest, his neck disappearing altogether. Black stripes and coloring formed over his pure white body, the armor turning yellowing as it formed on the back of his hands and shoulders. The final transformations were the sudden flexibility of his spine and the addition of the Omnitrix on his chest, a little ways below his wide mouth.

"Cannonball!" Cannonbolt bellowed as he curled himself up into a gigantic sphere and plunged down towards the multi-limbed monster below him, falling like a gigantic wrecking ball of death.

"AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!" Scylla screamed as Cannonbolt smashed into her vulnerable head, the both of them sinking beneath the waves in a tremendous splash that crashed over the edges of the stadium and into the stands; Avea and the two gods were fine however as the water rippled and waved for what seemed forever, down a dark, almost brown color that shimmered with a gold dust. Avea bit her lip and squinted her eyes to try and see through the murky water, worried about whether Cannonbolt was alright or not; after all, he wasn't exactly built to swim.

"Ah!" Cannonbolt gasped as he finally resurfaced after what seemed an eternity. "Blah! Does anybody have a mint? I can't get the taste of Scylla off of my tongue!" the Arburian Pelarota complained as the bloody water started to drain away, quickly emptying the arena and leaving a noxious smell in the air as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"Two champions down, Hades." Persephone grinned. "One more, and I win."

"I KNOW! I know, I know, I get the concept." Hades roared, his body exploding into flames before he quickly calmed himself down to his cool blue color. He angrily drummed his bony fingers on the arm of his seat, studying the annoying teenager before him as he waved and appealed to the crowd; his popularity had soared after his triumph over Scylla, a task very few had managed to accomplish. But Hades was not in the slightest bit happy with him. He wanted, no, needed to crush this annoying scuzzball before his reputation came crashing down and his immortal life was ruined. If he lost, he couldn't dare show his face on Olympus ever again and, worse yet, his brothers and wife would never let him hear the end of it. With one last trick up his sleeve, he rose from his seat and beckoned for the magic microphone, drawing it near his lips as he sucked in a breath to speak.

"Well wasn't that amazing folks?" he asked with a false voice. "But never fear, Hades is here to make things interesting! For our last fight we have someone so powerful, so frightful, so diabolically evil, that I am literally shaking in my boots right now! Seriously folks, I am absolutely terrified of this guy, and that is really saying something. For tonight's final fight, I give you the Lord of Time, the King Cannibal, and My Own Father! Give it up for Lord Cronuuuuuuuuuus!" Hades howled. The entire arena trembled and shook as the audience roared with applause; the doors on the opposite side of the arena banged open before a lone figure calmly walked out into the pit, a large scythe in his hand. Ben however, instantly recognized the person.

"Seth?" Ben's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he recognized the dark hazel eyes, light brown hair with orange streaks, and the ever familiar scar over his left eye.

"He may look like that monster kid you knew kid, but he ain't Mormel no more," Hades grinned. "He has become the willing host of my dear ol' dad! And in the most likely event that you lose, he will then wage war on the Normie mortals and reclaim the world for the monsters which, if you ask me, is an idea I can get behind. I wish I thought of it!" he laughed with glee before Persephone slapped him upside the head again.

"Son, you insult me with this pathetic mortal." Seth spoke in a deep, timeless voice that sounded like the cosmos's themselves were speaking.

"Don't underestimate him, Pops." Hades grumbled. "He is seriously starting to get on my nerves."

"Big mistake, Hades," Ben frowned as he turned on the Omnitrix and slapped the activation button without looking. "Way Big!" His skin became hard as rock, but it seemed tougher than that, more stable. It became cold to the touch the metal plating raced to cover his arms and transform his fingers into metallic fingers. He felt all of his organs simply vanish, as if they had never been there before. For a split second, Ben thought he was going to die, until he felt something else take their place. Things that were rounded and notched around the ends as they began to steadily turn against each other, making a steady ticking sound. The metal plating soon covered his whole body as he felt his face become more square like. A thick protrusion sprouted from his head as the Omnitrix symbol appeared on a glass window that showed his insides turning against each other.

"Or Clockwork." the Chronosapien sighed. "Clockwork is good too."

"As impressive as it is for a mortal to be able to transform at will, you are still no match for me." Cronus boomed as his eyes flashed a brilliant gold in color; several of the monsters in the stands started to howl in misery as they began to age before Clockwork's eyes, their hair and feathers growing gray and old, wilting like dying plants as their eyes before soft and faint, their skin becoming wrinkled and pale, their veins more visible than before as a few suddenly collapsed and died, some of them just barely holding onto life as Cronus continued to speed up their lives. But he was not trying to attack random monsters, no, he was trying to age the living bell standing before him, eager to see his metal hide rust and crack.

"Why do you not wilt like the others?" Cronus wondered, bending down so that he could hear the Chronosapien's answer. "I must know how you are able to defy me when you are nothing but a shape-shifting mortal!"

"It is the alien I currently am," Clockwork replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I have complete control over the time stream and am thusly immune to your fruitless attempts."

"Then I will just have to cut you down to size!" Cronus snarled, lunging forward with his large, curved scythe above his head; as if to add insult to injury, Hades had somehow managed to procure the very scythe that Zs'Skayr used as a weapon. This only made Clockwork all the more angry as he quickly raised a metal arm and blocked the swing of the blade at his head, skidding back a few feet as the sound of a hollow bell rang through his body. The Chronosapien took the chance and drew back his fist, socking Cronus in the gut, wincing slightly when he heard a sickening squishing sound in Seth's body when he fell to the ground.

"Clockwork will not be useful for much longer." the Chronosapien mused. "i just hope I have enough juice left." he mumbled as he slapped the Omnitrix on his chest and was engulfed in the ever familiar green light. His fingers quickly fused together into razor sharp points as his wrists and arms became wider and harder, like semi-flattened blades. A small, pentagon-shaped notch appeared in the inside of his arm just before the joint, a sharp blade popping out at the elbow. His skin turned a tough red, the points and blades turning a bright white as black lines etched themselves across Ben's arms. His arms became thinner the rest of the way up as muscles piled themselves into the shoulders and chest region. His feet morphed into sharp points similar to his hands, sharp blades popping out on his knee caps as more black lines appeared on his body. His face split into three, rounded horns, each of his two now entirely green eyes sitting on a horn as the Omnitrix appeared between them on the third. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a pair of black briefs, green and white belt, a green strap vest and a pair of green shoulder pads.

"Razredge? Eh, why not?" the Parae Cortarix shrugged before he blocked another swing of Cronus's blade before he zipped away in a black and red dash, leaving thin trails in the cold stone where his bladed feet touched down. Before Cronus knew what was happening, he was slammed down on the ground, his nose breaking with an audible snap! before Razredge grabbed him by the arm and threw him clear across the arena, leaving bloody marks around his arms and wrists.

"Enough!" Cronus scowled angrily. He raised his hands above his head and slammed the butt of his scythe into the ground, a golden light pulsing across the arena ground as time began to slow down; the monsters clapping got slower and slower until it seemed to take a week just to make one movement of their hands. Their eyes blinked even slower as their voices got deeper and all the more comically distorted as time slowed down. Razredge was slowing down as well, only moving half as fast as before as his pointed blades slowly dug into the stone before pushing off again. Cronus thought he had it in the bag before he watched as Razredge ever so slowly tapped the Omnitrix on his chest, becoming engulfed in a bright flash of green light. His skin turned a smooth, almost liquid black in color, a white sheen materializing on the border of his body as his frame only grew slightly taller than his original form. His toes all fused together into a single digit as a grinding sound filled the air, three horns growing up from between his deep, green eyes. His jaw jutted outwards as any other minor detail simply seemed to vanish, including his actual mouth. Tiny little, star-like dots suddenly blinked to life on his body, giving him the image of a starry sky. But what Ben felt most of all was the power that came to him. Unlimited, unquestionable, unmatched power poured into him from very available part of the universe into him. He felt like he could anything from merely destroying a planet with a flick of a finger to recreating the entire universe if he wanted to. Ben suddenly felt the addition of two more personalities enter his mind, one that was throbbing and pulse while the other seemed to be calm and placid; the final addition of the transformation, was the addition of the Omnitrix on his chest.

"Is it me, or did it just get hot in here?" Hades gasped, fanning himself.

"Seriously? Your head is on fire and now you feel hot?" Avea cocked an eyebrow.

"I only ever get hot when there's some kind of massive power surge, kid." Hades grumbled before realization crossed his face. "Uh, anyone care to tell ol' Hades what the scuzzball just turned into?" he asked nervously.

"A Celestialsapien," Persephone replied. "According to Ben's memories, this is his most powerful form, with more than enough power to rival the entire Olympian counsel." she added with a smirk.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLLLLLLLLL!" Hades roared, his entire body exploding like a sun got supernova as his cool blue hair turned a fiery red and orange in color, threatening to melt his very seat as Avea wisely took a step back as Persephone's lips curved upwards as her smile broadened. The goddess watched as Alien X raised his hand into the air and gestured for Cronus to come towards him, the titan within the body of the teenager suddenly flying across the arena; the Celestialsapien drew back his other fist and slugged Cronus in the face, sending him flying back across the arena where he slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch!

But Alien X wasn't done just yet. He raised his hands above his head as he soared up into the air and dove back down towards the earth like a guided, driving his hands down into the rock pit of the arena. Boulders the size of houses and cars exploded out from the ground, jettisoned into the air where they suddenly slowed down in time, Cronus's eyes widening as the rocks all slowly crushed together into one giant stone; time seemed to speed up again as the boulder, now the size of a large whale, came crashing back down to the ground. Cronus quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed his scythe, running away as fast as he could and making it out of harm's way just in time. This did not bother the Celestialsapien in the slightest as he raised a foot and slammed it into the new ground beneath him; the arena rumbled and shook as several geysers exploded through the rock, gushing the acidic water of the River Styx as Cronus dodged and weaved through the deadly labyrinth; another movement of Alien X's foot brought forth red hot magma from below the arena and the icy winds of the North.

"You know how I said I was terrified of my own dad before!?" Hades yelled over the roar, his cool blue hair whipping around wildly and at the point where it might be put out. "I withdraw the statement!" the Lord of the Dead cried as the water, lava, wind, and thousands of rocks suddenly curled up into the air into long, thin tendrils that quickly formed rings around Alien X as Cronus's gravity left him and brought him up into the air before the Celestialsapien.

"Have mercy!" Cronus wailed.

"Motion denied!" Alien X cried in three voices, one that belonged to an older male, a young female, and that of Ben's. The rocks suddenly slammed themselves around the Celestialsapien's hand, forming a tough shield as the water and magma curled around his fingers in tight rings as the air formed a ring around the back of gauntlet, becoming a small cyclone as Alien X seemed to smile.

"Defeat Lord Cronus, Master of Time! Motion Carried!" Alien X declared in his powerful voice as Cronus shot off like a rocket at Alien X as he drew back his covered fist, his dark green eyes narrowing as Cronus within Seth's body flew closer and closer.

"Duck and cover!" Persephone cried as she threw herself down on the ground of the announcer's box with Avea following suit; Hades was too stunned and interested to move as Alien X drove his fist into Cronus's face. The very air vibrated from the attack, the earth trembling and shaking as a thunderous boom echoed throughout the entire Underworld and beyond as Cronus was sent flying up into the air, soaring through a wide arch; Alien X disappeared in a flash of green light before reappearing high up in the air as he drove his other fist into Cronus's gut, sending him back down to the arena as he broke the sound barrier and fell like a shooting star, striking the bottom of the arena with a thunderous boom!

"Is . . . is he . . . dead?" Avea asked after a long moment of silence.

"Fortunately for you, toots, he ain't," Hades finally managed to speak. "Unfortunately for me, I just lost! AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared with anger, his body on the way to going supernova and beyond before Persephone gave him a swift upper cut to the jaw and sent him down for the count.

"Meet your new champion, Underworld! Bearer of the Omnitrix and Son of Persephone, Ben Tennyson!" Persephone announced loudly as she stole Hades's microphone and took over the job of announcing as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in a glorious flash of green light; the applause was earth shattering as monsters and shades clapped and cheered out of fear and respect; Avea spread her wings and gave them a good flap, taking to the air and floating down to the arena floor and landing next to Ben.

"Impressive," she smiled. "I like a man with power."

"Then I guess I'm your man." Ben grinned before Avea suddenly rewarded him with a peck on the cheek. "Did you just-"

"Yep," Avea smiled. "And there's more where that came from if you go to the Howliday Dance with me."

"Howliday Dance? When?" Ben asked; this was the first time he had heard of such a thing. Then again, it was probably announced when he was out and about saving New Salem.

"Tomorrow night." Avea replied.

"It's a date then." Ben smiled before he seemed to realize something and let out a low groan of fear.

"What's wrong?" Avea asked.

"I just realized how many ghouls are going to ask me to the dance!" he exclaimed. "Oh, my aching feet!"

"Oh, stop whining," Avea shoved him playfully. "You can't help it if your as sexy as Hades."

Ben gagged. "I did not need that image in my head." he shuddered.

"Horrific images of my husband aside, I believe I have occupied enough of your time," Persephone interrupted with a warm smile. With a wave of her hand and a snap of her fingers, both Avea, Ben, and Seth's unconscious body were engulfed in a bright, white light and transported away from the hellish pits of the Underworld and back to the halls of Monster High, where Ben would most likely be swamped with Howliday Dance invitations the moment the bell rang; Persephone smiled as the thought before bending over and snuffing out Hades's head with a quick breath as he slowly came to.

"Ow, my aching jaw," he moaned. "I haven't hurt this much since ol' Zeus got too trigger happy with his lightning bolts." he grumbled under his breath before he seemed to realize something.

"Whoa, is my hair out?" he wondered as Persephone suddenly doubled over with laughter.

---

"Higher, Jane, higher!" Cleo demanded.

"That's as high as giraffes can reach, luv," Robecca informed the mummy. "And I don't think she knows how to turn into any birds large enough to hold up a banner."

"Then, I dunno, turn into one of those long-necked dinosaurs or something!" the Egyptian queen cried with exasperation, throwing her hands up into the air as she turned her back on the purple stained giraffe and Robecca to examine the booffet table. Robecca sighed and climbed up Jane's long neck, grabbing onto one of her ossicones with her left hand and grabbing the banner from the giraffe's teeth into her hand, moving it up the extra few inches and waiting patiently as a gargoyle came up and hammered the banner into the cold, stone wall; just as they had during the Halloween Dance, the student body was once again using a large chamber within the catacombs for the location of the Howliday Dance. Dozens of students had volunteered to help set up for the grand night, with River Styxx and Holt Hyde taking caring of the music selection while the others handled the food and decorations.

"Hey, toots! Where do I put this ice sculpture?" Brawn asked as he shifted a magnificent and shimmering statue Santa Claws made entirely out of ice in his stubby little hands.

"Do not call Abbey the names of pet!" Abbey frowned. "And sculpture go in middle of room." she directed before she breathed out an icy vapor and created shiny icicles on the stone walls and ceiling; Rochelle and Spectra then strung cold blue and white streamers that stretched from one side of the room to the other while Bonita hung sparkling snowflakes from the rotting, wooden rafters overhead. While the ghouls were all chatting about what they were wearing for the special night and the guys all bragged about who they were taking, only one member of the Decoration Committee didn't seem to enjoy the warm feeling the upcoming howlidays brought.

Lorna sighed unhappily as she ever so slowly folded napkins with sparkling snowflakes and the image of a jolly, old ogre, her eyes listlessly flickering around the room; her frown deepened slightly when she saw Deuce produce a bouquet of Nile lilies from his behind his back for Cleo, the two of them happily embracing as Clawd and Manny gave the lucky gorgon a thumbs up. She glanced away from the happy couple to see Heath summon a heart-shaped flame from his hands for Abbey, only to trip on a puddle of water and land in several bags of ice, grinning sheepishly as Abbey rolled her eyes but tried to hide her faint blush. Lorna sighed again and looked up to see Robecca hugging Jane tightly as Lagoona pecked Gil on the cheek, glad to share a dance with her boyfriend.

"Uh, earth to Lorna? Hello?"

Lorna startled slightly as she turned around to see Ben emerging in a flash of bright, green light, a concerned look etched on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"F-fine, Ben," Lorna bit her lip. "J-j-just f-folding . . ."

That was as far as she got before the freshwater monster suddenly burst into tears and ran out of the chamber, sobbing.

"Was it something I said?" Ben wondered, scratching his head as Frankie came up to him with a clipboard in hand, checking an item off. "Hey, Lorna, how are the napkins . . . coming?" he wondered when she saw that Lorna was nowhere to be found. "Where did Lorna go?"

"She ran out of here crying her eyes out." Ben told her.

"Oh, no. Not again." Frankie sighed, pinching her brow.

"What? What do you mean again?" Ben wondered.

"Last year, Lorna's boyfriend broke up with her," Frankie explained. "Despite Gil taking her to the dance as friends, she's still pretty sensitive on the subject; I guess she had a bad flashback." the young cadaver mused.

"I'll go talk to her. Call me if you need anything." Ben said before rushing out of the chamber after Lorna before Frankie could say anything else.

"Oh, okay," Frankie blinked. "I'll, uh, just wait here." she mumbled before a startled yell and the cry of a frightened peacock caught her attention. "Voltage."

---

Lorna sniffed as she held herself tightly, her head buried into her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs with her tail curled around her body like a security blanket. The cool water of the pool brushed against her cool blue skin, providing her with comfort as if rushed past her gills and played with her dress. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks, morphing into the pool without trouble as horrible memories came back to her; as much as she appreciated Gil for what he did for her for the Gloom and Bloom dance, she had always resented him and any other happy couple within the halls of Monster High. She held no grudge against them, but it always brought her day down when she saw a couple acting all lovey-dovey with each other in public, where any ghoul could see them. It made her heart clench to see them so happy and in love, bringing back the pained memories of her time with Finn before he broke up with her.

"Hello? Lorna? You in here?"

Lorna sniffed and glanced up to see a strange creature floating at the mouth of the underwater cave she had taken refuge in; he was similar to a large, monster-sized jellyfish made of three bells stacked on top of each other. Lightning blue streaks crossed his body as he stared at Lorna with beady eyes and a familiar looking symbol where his mouth might have been.

"Ben? That you?" Lorna croaked.

"Yeah, it's me. But what about you? Are you okay?" AmpFibian asked.

"I'm f-fine." Lorna reassured the Amperi as he pulsed his body and swam inside the cave.

"You can't lie to me, Lorna. I can read the electrical signals in your brain. Meaning I can read your mind." AmpFibian told her. "And I am getting a lot of negative thoughts from you right now."

Lorna mentally cursed and winced when she saw AmpFibian was giving her; of all the people that could have searched and found her, it had to be the one person in the world that could change into an alien that could read her mind. Although, now that she thought about it, anybody really could have figured out that she was upset about something; rushing out of a gathering in tears for no apparent reason was a good enough reason for most people to raise eyebrows and try to figure out what was wrong in most cases.

"S-sorry." Lorna sniffed. "I guess I'm a little sensitive about relationships."

"How so?"

"Can't you read minds?" Lorna wiped her eyes.

"True, but I think you'd feel better if you talked about it." AmpFibian shrugged.

Lorna sighed and leaned back against the limestone wall behind her, ignoring the feel of squishy algae and seaweed against her scaly skin. "I'm just still . . . delicate about boyfriends, ghoulfriends, and big dances ever since my boyfriend dumped me." Lorna sighed. "He's probably in Rotland with some other freshwater ghoul having the time of his life and not even reminiscing or missing me one bit." Lorna leaned her head back against the cave wall. "Maybe I'd be better off becoming shark bait."

"Hey, don't get all suicidal on me." AmpFibian chastised her with a serious tone. "I'm not saying you deserved what happened to you, but maybe all of this happened for a reason."

"What would that be?" Lorna asked the Amperi.

"No idea," he shrugged. "But if it makes you any better, I'd be willing to take you to the dance again. Ya know, as friends."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden," Lorna sniffed. "I mean, you already have so many ghouls you'll be going to the dance with. You'll probably be too tired to dance with me."

"Nonsense." AmpFibian insisted. "Me and the ghouls will swing by to pick you up at seven, okay?"

"You sure your ghouls won't mind me coming along?"

"Not at all," AmpFibian reassured her. "The only things you'd have to worry about Jane losing control of her powers, Jinafire having an allergic reaction, or cross paths with Venus during a garden spree. Oh, and pray you don't catch Whisp's eye; she'll latch onto you and give you the night of your life if you're not careful."

"What do you mean?" Lorna asked fearfully.

"Lets say I hope you wear a tight bra tonight," the Amperi replied uncomfortably. "Being stuck in a lamp with no one to talk to for a couple thousand years makes a person do strange things, if you catch my drift."

"Oh." Lorna blushed.

"I'll see you around seven." AmpFibian announced, pulsing his body and swimming out of the underwater cave in a cloud of bubbles.

---

It was ten minutes to seven, and the air was chilled as snow started to fall from the night sky. The shining moon hung high in the sky amongst the glimmering stars, hidden by several layers of clouds that hung over the air like a thick blanket.

"Ben, why are we still out here in the cold instead of in the nice, warm catacombs?" Venus shivered as she buried herself deeper into her winter coat; some of the other ghouls shared the same sympathies, though Jane was not among them as she scampered about and tried to keep standing on her two little penguin feet.

"We're picking up Lorna." Ben replied as the large group of fourteen ghouls and one shape-shifting Normie turned a corner and came to a stop in front of a rather large estate with a quaint, Rottish-style house; a large frozen fountain of twin sea serpents sat out front, the two statues watching the group as they made their way up to the front door and knocked on the door. At first, there was no response before the doors creaked open a crack and a large, golden eye could be seen beyond.

"Yes?" a deep, Rottish voice asked.

"Uh, Mr. McNessie? I'm here to pick up Lorna for the dance?" Ben gulped nervously as the door opened to reveal a large, muscled freshwater monster with deep blue scales, a long, powerful, webbed tail, rows of razor sharp teeth, and a red and black kilt.

"And why would my daughter go with a Normie to a monster dance?" Mr. McNessie cocked an eyebrow, leaning against the door frame and blocking the way inside.

"Here it comes." Frankie whispered to Skelita.

"Do I really have to do this?" Ben grumbled under his breath as he pulled down the left sleeve of his black tuxedo with green trimming to reveal the Omnitrix; he quickly turned it on and cycled through the roster before selecting the alien he needed and pressing down on the activation button. Scales raced up his arms and legs as they swelled, muscles building and bones strengthening. His fingers became clawed and webbed as the scales raced to cover the rest of him. Three slits appeared on either side of his neck and puffed open and shut as they sucked in air. A thin sheen of slime covered the scales as his hair disappeared into his scalp. Veins throbbed and pulsed as alien blood pumped through them and into his ever changing organs. His forehead to pulse and swell, like there was giant zit that was about to explode. And explode it did; a thin, green wire popped out of his forehead and hung in front of his face as the end began to glow and eerie color. His jaw swelled bulged and bucked until several rows of razor sharp teeth popped out and curved themselves over his lips. His eyes became that of a deep sea creature as two sharp fins rose from his back, completing the transformation.

"Happy?" Ripjaws grumbled, folding his arms across his chest and showing off his razor sharp teeth for good measure.

"Daddy! What are you doing?" Lorna whined from inside the house and pushing her bothersome father aside; despite the cold, she was dressed in a short, black dance with ocean blue, seashell designs on the bottom and radiating corals up to her hips with a deep blue, fish scale top and black flower hair clips in her curly, red locks. "Ben and I are just going as friends, okay?" she huffed, stepping out of the house and over to Ben as the ghouls immediately all gushed and commented on how pretty Lorna looked; Jane squawked happily and clapped her flippers before slipping on the ice and falling flat on her back, drawing a giggle from the gaggle of ghouls.

"If you try anything with my daughter, boy, I will personally gut you like and fish and fillet your insides." Mr. McNessie threatened, cracking his tail against the door frame for good measure before retreating back inside the house as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ripjaws back into the Omnitrix.

"Why are all the dads threatening me? Do I look like I want trouble!?" Ben cried with exasperation.

"Calm down. Dad's just worried is all." Lorna reassured him.

"You're not the one he threatened to turn into sushi." Ben muttered under his breath as he turned to the Omnitrix and turned it off, slapping the activation button without even glancing at it and relishing in the cool green light that washed over his body. His arms became more furry as hundreds upon thousands of yellow colored hairs sprouted all across his body, racing down his legs and over his chest, up his neck to cover his face as his pinky finger was sucked back into his hand, deemed useless for whatever alien he was becoming. His ears became large and fleshy, similar to that of a rodent's as they rotated up towards the top of his head, his face bulging outwards slightly as his nose became flat and primitive looking. His canines became longer and sharper as his teeth became slightly crooked, his skeleton cracking and groaning as it was compressed and shrunken down to a height of roughly four feet tall. Two, long, furry, prehensile tails snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking and whipping themselves around as if they had minds of their own as his feet became bigger and perfect for gripping, his big toe moving into a 45 degree angle that allowed them to be used like extra hands. Black, gauntlet-like coverings materialized on his wrists, allowing his fingers free movement as a suit that greatly exposed his furry chest appeared on his body with green rings on the knees and elbows; the Omnitrix reappeared on a green and white belt around the alien's waist, completing the transformation.

"And just what are we doing?" Clawdeen raised an eyebrow.

"Arriving with style!" Teleportail grinned as his two tails instinctively began to spin in a tight circle, a loud buzz filling the air as a flash of bright light sparked behind the Vong Linducher; the ghouls quickly gathered around him, pressing together into some rather uncomfortable and awkward positions until they were in a small enough area for Teleportail to whisk them through the portal and off to the dance in a flash of light.

If Vandala had to describe traveling through time and space at the hands of a Vong Linducher, she would have to describe it as nauseating; while some of the ghouls laughed and twirled around as they shot along like rockets through a wavering tube of some kind of invisible, cosmic energy, she felt her insides were going to marching out of her on her tongue and all over everyone around her. The rolling and tumbling she was forced to endure as she phased through crashed into Spectra and phased through Skelita reminded her all too much of the rolling and tumbling waves of the rough sea that she disliked so much.

Thankfully for her, as soon as it seemed to start, it ended with another brilliant explosion of light that nearly blinded her as she, Teleportail, and the rest of the ghouls came tumbling back out into the world, most of them managing to land on their feet; the sound of screeching records met her ears as she blinked her eyes and managed to figure out that they had arrived directly at the dance at the top of the balcony that overlooked the dance floor on either side of the stairs. All eyes were trained on her and the ghouls as Teleportail was engulfed in a flash of green light and returned to his human form as the Omnitrix timed out.

"How come they always manage to show us up in an entrance!?" Cleo exclaimed angrily as Deuce tried to restrain her.

"Guess we're just lucky, sis." Nefera grinned; she wore chromatic high heels that put her feet at a near vertical angle and in a seamless, royal dress that smoothly transitioned from a deep, earth magenta to a bright and showy purple, a slit on either side of the dress that allowed anyone to get a good view of long, tan legs. She wore two golden straps around her torso and had tight, angular shoulder pads that framed her gorgeous face as a golden crown with a large, ruby orb in the center sat on her head, marking her as true, Egyptian royalty.

"Uh, Holt! River! Drop me a beat, and quickly! Before Cleo blows a gasket!" Ben cried frantically upon seeing Cleo's red face as Nefera took several cautious steps back. The Reaper and Fire Elemental were kind enough to figure out what Ben met and quickly riffled through their extensive music collection before picking out a record and setting it on the turn tables for the speakers to blare out into the chamber, the first few lyrics of Party like a Monster echoing off the walls. Cleo momentarily forgot her annoyance as the sea of students forgot their overall shock over Ben's entrance as they found partners and began to dance the night away.

"May I have this dance?" Venus asked Jane with a sweet smile.

"Only if you don't change into anything on or in me." Jane said nervously.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"I couldn't walk for three days!"

"Fair enough," Venus sighed. "Fine. I promise. Monsters honor."

Jane eyed Venus warily; her lavender eyes were shaded by a spooky cyan eyeshadow, and her hair was dyed a deep, blood red with black and magenta highlights with a red, tropical flower pinned into her locks. She wore a tight, black skirt around her waist that looked like long fur or luscious feathers, depending on one's preference and a gorgeous red top with tropical flowers and ferns to boot. On her feet she wore dark purple pumps with blood red flowers wrapped around her ankles, a look that gave both a mysterious and deadly nature that easily resembled the dark shadows of the jungle's undergrowth. "Okay. Can you lead though? The only dances I know are the ones the birds showed me, and they're rather . . . revealing, if you catch my drift."

Venus resisted the urge to drool at the thought and instead took Jane's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It would be my pleasure." she smiled as she wrapped her arm around Jane's waist and lead her in a nice dance, ignoring the odd stares several couples were giving them; Jane's face was flushed a deep red in color, and Venus could already see the start of fur starting to creep up her arms and a naked, rodent tail curling out from the base of her spine.

"Don't go creature on me, Jane." Venus begged quietly. "Just ignore them."

"It's . . . i-it's hard to do when you can feel their eyes boring into the back of your head." Jane said with slight pain as she reversed the transformation and became whole once more.

"You're still nervous about what other people will think about us?" Venus whispered.

"A . . . a little," Jane admitted with shame. "It's just hard to fit in when you have no idea what you're doing is right or wrong."

"Ignore them." Venus repeated. "They have their opinions and life styles, you have yours. You should live your life how you want, not how others want you to."

"I'm . . . trying . . . " Jane hissed as a hint of fur sprouted on her arms and her ears became sharp and pointed while a membrane started to form from her wrists to her hips.

"C'mon, Jane! Stay with me here!" Venus rasped as she spun the jungle girl around to the beat of the music. Jane's nose became more pronounced and leaf-like as her teeth curved into sharp fangs, her fingers starting to elongate to impossibly long longs while warm fur started to cover her body; Jane winced as her body was slowly, ever so slowly changing itself into a bat, her frame shrinking by an inch every minute or so until her head was level with Venus's chest. She tried to reverse the transformation, but she couldn't! Not with all those eyes starring at her! With determination in her eye, Venus tilted Jane's face up to hers and smashed her lips against Jane's, hugging the jungle girl close to her body.

Jane didn't know what quite happened next; it was mostly a blur to her. She the warm fur suck itself back into her body, leaving bare skin as her ears shrank and became rounded once more. Her fingers shrank back down to their original size as they fit back together in Venus's almost perfectly while the membrane that stretched the near length of her body pulled itself back into her as her nose returned itself to the original shape that Venus found oddly endearing. She felt fangs graze past Venus's lips as they shrank back into her normal teeth as her senses dulled, ending the transformation and completing her wholly.

"Wow." Jane managed to say when Venus released her.

"You gonna be okay?" Venus asked, squeezing Jane's hand slightly.

"Y-yeah." Jane nodded. "Especially since Ben just turned into Humungousaur and is threatening anyone who says otherwise."

"If anyone tries anything, you answer to me!" the Vaxasaurian roared, socking his fist into his open hand as he dwarfed Lorna by his side while he wore an oversized version of his black tuxedo with a grim trim and blood red rose in his breast pocket.

"Ahem." Bloodgood frowned as she appeared through the crowd on Nightmare, her body holding her irked head in its hand.

"Uh, after Headmistress Bloodgood does, of course." Humungousaur gulped nervously under Bloodgood's glare.

"Dude, you are so lucky." Dragoon muttered as he and Charmcaster came up to the massive Vaxasaurian and Lorna.

"Dragoon." Humungousaur rumbled. "Enjoying the dance, Charmcaster?"

"Actually, yes," the sorceress smiled. "While Dragoon can't dance to save his life-"

"Hey!" the young dragon protested.

"He's been such a gentlemonster tonight. I think I'm finally enjoying myself for once." her grin broadened as she pecked Dragoon on the cheek, her lips smoking slightly when she pulled away.

"Wa-HOO!" Dragoon howled.

"Easy party animal," Humungousaur grinned. "The night's barely begun, and you're already crazy."

"Is that a shot?" Dragoon frowned.

"No, it's a warning. Easy on the sugar, young grasshopper." the Vaxasaurian mocked him before taking Lorna's hand between two of his fingers and leading her out into the sea of bodies as it parted to make enough room for him.

"Not that I'm not enjoying myself, but how long are you going to stay like that?" Lorna asked as she rested her arm on the Vaxasaurian's hand instead of his shoulder and held one of his fingers instead of his hand.

"Until I time out." Humungousaur replied just an ever familiar beeping sound met his ears and engulfed him in a flash of green light, returning Ben to the world and the Vaxasaurian DNA back inside the wonderful watch. "There we go." Ben smiled as Lorna grasped his hand and moved her arm to shoulder while his arm slipped around her waist. The freshwater monster sighed happily as she spun around to the beat of the music, her eyebrows quirking up when she saw Jane happily resting her head against Venus's chest as she moved about, but shrugged it off when Ben spun her around, eliciting a laugh from her.

Spectra laughed as she flew around the room, racing Vandala around and around the chamber in time to the music as she waited her turn to dance with Ben. She and Vandala were neck and neck as Aye pulsed his tentacles up and down to keep pace with them; it seemed the little cuttlefish never left his owners side, much like the standard parrot that could be found on a classic pirate's shoulder.

"Hey, Spectra!"

Spectra yelped and went right through the wall ahead of her when she should have flown right; Vandala winced, despite knowing the fact that Spectra had simply phased through the wall and not slammed painfully into it, although it did take a few seconds for Spectra to show up once more.

"Porter?" Spectra blinked, not quite sure what she was seeing. It was true, her friend from Haunted High had come to the Howliday dance dressed in a shimmering, slime green tuxedo tripped in black with wild, faint pink splatters all over the suit. Hanging off of his arm was Sirena, a happy smile on her pale face; in addition to the many knickknacks and tidbits that usually adorned her body, everything from gleaming pearls to shimmering chains, she wore a raven feathered black top that was tore and ragged at the edges and she had faint, pink eyeshadow to highlight her eyes.

"Enjoying the dance so far?" Porter asked a smile.

"Just waiting to dance with Ben actually." Spectra replied with a faint blush.

"Both of us, matey!" Vandala chimed in.

"Ooh! That reminds me!" Sirena piped up, quickly breaking away from Porter and pumping her tail madly as she swam through the air and above Ben. Before the watch wearer could even greet her, Sirena had taken his head into her hands and pressed her lips to his; Lorna, Porter, Spectra, and Vandala could do nothing but stare with slack jaws as Sirena broke the kiss with Ben, laughing happily as she twirled back up into the air and came back to Porter, pulling a piece of paper and pen out from Porter's breast pocket.

"Another thing to check off my bucket list!" Sirena smiled happily as she swiped the pen across the paper and then jammed them both back into Porter's pocket.

"So that's what was in here." Porter mused. "Although I question why you had to kiss Ben when I'm your boyfriend."

"My future self made me do it!" Sirena smiled. "You never argue with the future!"

"Are you sure you haven't been eating too much sugar tonight?" Porter asked with slight fear.

"As much as it seems, Porter, she's not crazy." Spectra sighed.

"Aye! Ben told me the whole story, matey!" Vandala agreed.

"Somehow I feel as if I'm missing out on something . . ." Porter mumbled under his breath as Sirena led him away.

"Ghouls nuttier than a seasick cabin boy flopping about on the deck like a fish outta water." Vandala shook her head.

"That's putting it lightly." Spectra nodded.

WOO! I can't stop myself! Somebody rub the lamp! Somebody rub the lamp! WA-HOO!"

"Then again, there are crazier people." Spectra mused as she glanced down to see Genie doing a very weird dance in the middle of the dance floor with everyone giving him a wide berth and odd looks; Gigi was off to the side, looking like she wanted top die of embarrassment as Whisp laughed her head off, hanging onto Nefera for support while her sides heaved in and out with her face a deep red.

"What's he doin' here?" Vandala wondered, trying to stifle a laugh.

"You mean other than acting like a lunatic?" Spectra joked.

If everyone was having a good time at the Howliday Dance, only one person was not having a good time. Toralei hugged the shadows, making sure to steer clear of Twyla, as she watched every other man-ster and ghoul dance the night away with Christmas cheer in the air. Her lips turned into a deep frown when she saw Meowlody and Purrsephone oggling Ben, their fingers clenching the air as if they were imagining hugging Rath's strong muscles. The were-cat rolled her eyes as she stalked along, her frown getting deeper and deeper when she saw Venus and Jane dancing while Cleo and Deuce rocked the Egyptian as Nefera tried to pry Whisp's fingers off of her.

Why was everyone so happy? The Howlidays brought nothing but the cold, freezing winter and snow that forced everyone stay inside and endure the cold and dark. And worst of all, snow was water. She hated water, especially when it got in her fur of all places. But worst of all, it brought happiness. Her annoying pranks didn't seem to bother people as much, and everyone was so darn happy. It made her shudder to think of such things. But worst of all, it made everyone all lovey-dovey, as if they would not live to see anyone tomorrow and that today was their last day on earth. It drove her crazy!

And it was all thanks to Ben. How she loathed him! Being thrown into the swamp water fountain in front of the school was one thing, but ever since the Toepick Incident, he had been cautious around her and spoiled her pranks and tricks whenever he got the chance, ruining her fun and making her look like a fool in front of everyone that she ever tried to prank; just when it seemed she would get away with pinning the blame of putting a tack on Mr. Hack's chair on sweet, innocent Frankie, ChamAlien had seen the whole thing and had gotten her three weeks of detention; when it looked as if she was in the clear of cheating on her latest Dead Languages test, Eye Guy had seen her cheat and had gotten her banned from the Fearleading team; when she was about to nail Cleo and Clawdeen with a water balloon filled with itching powder, Blitzwolfer had chased her up the nearest tree and had hit her with her own trap, subjecting her to nearly a week of endless scratching before she managed to get it all out of her fur.

But that was all about to change.

With a smirk upon her lips she hid behind the booffet table and dug into the purse she had brought with her to the dance; she wore a short, scarlet dress that just barely covered her thighs with a belt around her waist and a dark, red choker around her neck as a spiderweb dress hung lose from the back of her outfit. With a soft chuckle, she pulled out a carton of rotten gargoyle eggs wrapped tightly in plastic bags to keep the stench hidden. She peeked over the edge of the booffet table and eyed Ben sneakily as her grip on the eggs tightened; once she the eggs hit Ben, no ghoul would want to come within twenty feet of him for the rest of the Howlidays.

And then, disaster struck.

"Bad kitty! Bad kitty!" Rivet cried loudly as he launched himself from out of nowhere at Toralei and landed on her face, raking her fur with her claws as something wet and firm wrapped around her legs; through the gaps between thew agitated hybrid on her face, she could see it was Venus's pet plant, Chewlian, growling at her furiously as Whatzit dashed out from under the booffet table and slammed into her knocking her into the floor.

"Attack! Attack! Attack!" Rivet roared; the music screeched to a halt as dozens of creatures suddenly barreled in through the doors of the chamber, all of them howling, barking, hissing, and squawking at the top of their lungs as they all went after Toralei. Count Fabulous flapped his wings and dove at Toralei's head, raking his small claws through her hair as Crescent set upon her and dug her claws into the were-cat's scalp. Hissette hissed angrily and curled her body Toralei's chest and left wrist, flexing her muscles just right so that Toralei was effectively punching herself with her own fist as Sir Hoots A Lot pecked her furiously with his beak. Crossfade glanced at her with his chameleon eyes before slowly climbing up Toralei's side and jamming his sticky tongue in her her, the were-cat yowling with surprise while Rockseena gave a loud howl and launched herself at Toralei, landing on her stomahc and knocking the wind out of her.

"That's something you don't see everyday." Ben noted as the animals continued to furious attack Toralei and protect their respective owners from her trickery.

"Indeed," Lorna agreed. "Jane, do you think you can talk some sense into them?"

"Lets not get crazy here." Cleo said quickly. "Give them a few more minutes."

Ben watched with mild amusement as Cushion quickly scurried under Toralei as she was tripped by Memphis "Daddy O" Longlegs's webbing, injecting several sharp quills into the were-cats behind as Captain Penny blasted her in the face with his jetpack. It was only after Whatzit had bitten her ankle did Ben notice that Rivet was down by his feet, pulling on his pants leg with something in his paws.

"Whatcha got there?" Ben asked, bending over to what his pet had brought him.

"Prank! Prank! Kitty prank Ben!" Rivet cried. "But Rivet fix! Fix! Fix!"

"Prank?" Ben cocked an eyebrow before recoiling in disgust upon seeing the rotting gargoyle eggs. "Yep. That's a prank alright." he gagged.

"Ms. Stripe!" Bloodgood frowned angrily as she rode up on Nightmare; the creatures quickly dispersed and all huddled around Jane's ankles, drawing slightly suspicious looks from the student body as their Headmistress began to chew Toralei out. "This is unacceptable behavior, Ms. Stripe! I can not allow this kind of behavior slide. You are hereby ordered to leave the dance and to come to three weeks detention after the Howliday Break" Bloodgood frowned deeply.

"You can't make me!" Toralei hissed, clawing the air angrily.

"I may not be able to remove you for the moment, but I know someone who can." Bloodgood's deep frown twisted up into a slight smile. "Ben? If you please?"

"Gladly." Ben frowned, handing the eggs back to Rivet as he turned the Omnitrix on and cycled through the roster before selecting the alien he desired and slapping the activation button.

His arms and legs ground and cracked becoming shorter and more rounded as his fingers disappeared and were replaced by five little claws that acted like his fingers and thumbs. Ben's toes melted into three flat ones that resembled small webbed feet, like a frog as a small tail popped out from the base of his spine and curled at the end. His face was squashed inward as his nose disappeared and his mouth grew larger to accommodate his crooked teeth; his tongue suddenly split into three, slimy versions of itself as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, completing the transformation.

"Upchuck? I was going for Water Hazard, but this is even better." the Gourmand grinned mischievously as Toralei gave a disgusted face. Upchuck ignored it and merely opened his jaws wide, the three tongues slithering out of his mouth before suddenly shooting through the air and wrapping tightly around Toralei's wrists, legs, and torso, effectively restraining her as she screamed and was pulled back into Upchuck's stomach, swallowed in one gulp.

"Mind giving me a lift?" he asked Spectra. His ghoulfriend nodded and quickly picked up the small, chubby alien in her grip and phased up through the ceiling above and to the cold outside where Upchuck would no doubt launch her a couple dozen feet.

"Thank you for the timely entrance of your creature friends, Ms. Boolittle." Bloodgood thanked Jane.

"Um, thank you. But I didn't call them here." Jane replied, the nearly two dozen or so creatures around her ankles shooting her nervous looks.

"Have they been watching us this whole time?" Lilith wondered; she was dressed in a black top with three, hot pink slashes across her chest, a black choker around her neck, and a short, black skirt with purple leopard spots to go with her mottled purple and gold heels. "I didn't think they could be so intelligent."

"They're smarter than most people give them credit for," Jane admitted. "But according to Sir Hoots A Lot, they only just arrived."

"So, it's some kind of sixth sense or something?" Venus asked, picking up Chewlian in her hands and cuddling him happily. "Who's a good plant? Who's a good plant?" she cooed, scratching him under the chin and earning a happy, chattering from his toothy maw.

"Maybe," Jane shrugged as Crossfade crawled up her leg and Sir Hoots A Lot landed on her shoulder. "I might have to conduct a study."

"How about you do that

after we're done dancing the night away, eh, toots?" Upchuck chuckled as he and Spectra phased back down through the ceiling just as the Omnitrix timed out.

"Agh! Can someone get me some punch or something? I think I have cat hair on my tongue!" Ben shuddered, managing to spit a small wad of fur out of his mouth and to the floor as everyone laughed.

"Thanks for taking me to the dance, Ben." Lorna smiled once she had managed to stop giggling.

"Anytime," Ben grinned back before he felt several pairs of arms latch onto him. "But I don't think that time will be now." he whimpered before half a dozen of ghouls started to play tug o' war with him, all of them wanting to dance him next while Lorna tried to hide her laughter.

---

Ben splashed his face with water as he tried to smooth down his mussed up hair and correct his wrinkled suit; after much arguing and tugging on his arms, Frankie had managed to score the next dance with Ben due to her "Alpha position", as Jane put it. Then after that, it was Clawdeen and Spectra before Bonita had managed to steal him away on his way to the booffet. After that, Ben was bounced from ghoul to ghoul, barely getting any moment to stop and rest before he had finally had enough and used the old bathroom excuse to make a hasty retreat.

"Geez, who knew having so many ghoulfriends would be so tiring!?" he wondered aloud to no one in particular.

"Try just trying to get the attention of one." Heath sighed unhappily as he walked into the bathroom and cracked his aching back.

"Still sore after Abbey threw you into a wall?" Ben asked with slight amusement.

"I knew she was strong, but not that strong." Heath whimpered.

"Dude, she flipped Manny without even trying. I'm about her size, and I would have to turn into Four Arms to even think about attempting that."

"I know," Heath sighed lovingly. "Which is why I need your help."

"Treat her like an actual person, a

smart person, and not a toy." Ben replied without hesitation.

"How did-"

"Dude, I can tell. You desperate when you ask

me for relationship advice." Ben chuckled.

"Again, dude, you've got fourteen, smoking hot ghouls at your side, leaving the rest of bachelors to scramble for status. Even the guys already in a relationship are jealous." Heath replied in his flaming tuxedo before leaving the bathroom to try and charm the ghoul of his dreams.

Ben shook his head, predicting that Heath would most likely be injured one more time before Abbey even considered dancing with him. Other than that, the night had been pretty smooth for everyone else once Toralei had been forced to leave; Whisp had finally managed to convince Nefera to dance with her at least once, Lorna was enjoying herself again, and the creatures had been allowed to stay at the dance on the grounds that they didn't cause too much mischief. As soon as Bloodgood had established that rule, Rivet had taken over the DJ stand claimed it in the name of the Monster Pets Alliance; he then kindly asked to step down, only surrendering when he was offered some Scream Cheese and some of Frankie's Joltin' Juice.

After a quick, last minute check, Ben made his way out of the bathroom and was about to make his way back to the catacombs when a hand grabbed him by the back of his suit and yanked him around a dark corner, slamming him against the wall. "What's the big idea!?" he cried before a finger pressed against his lips. He peered into the darkness to a ghoul standing in front of him, a playful smile on her lavender lips; she had light green skin, long, wavy, deep blue and purple hair, and eyelashes that resembled small leaves that sheltered lilac eyes with forest green tints. She wore a fancy, stylish dress with leaf and plant patterns as well as a pair of black heels that had poisonous purple flowers and thorns on them.

"Hey, there, big boy." the plant monster purred, seductively sliding her hand underneath his chin and forcing him to look at her.

"Uh, hi." Ben gulped nervously. "Who are you?"

The plant monster tried to not look offended. "I'm, like, Amanita Nightshade, duh!" she said with a pleasant smile. "How could you not know who I am?"

"To be fair, I've been hurled into the future for approximately two months with a psychotic alien ghost trying to kill me." Ben replied.

"Oh, so you are the alien kid!" Amanita purred happily, edging closer and pressing her body against Ben's.

"Um, what are you doing?" Ben asked fearfully.

Amanita ignored the question as she slowly ran her delicate fingers along his arms, massaging the tough tissue underneath the skin, a shiver passing through her spine. "Ooh, such firm arms." she cooed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Okay, Amanita, you're kinda freakin' me out now." Ben winced.

"Oh, you are definitely boyfriend material," Amanita seemed to purr to herself. "Your ghouls won't mind if I borrow you, will they?" she asked with an innocent tone, tracing her angelic hands around his shoulders and chest, starring lovingly at him as she slowly edged her hand towards his nether regions.

"Actually, we would mind!"

Amanita snarled and whipped her head towards the sound of the voice just before she was whacked in the chin by Avea's hoof; she dropped like a sack of potatoes to the floor, groaning slightly as Avea gave her limp form a swift quick for good measure. "What? She had it coming! No one touches my boyfriend!" she argued when she saw Ben's shocked face.

"I'm not arguing with you." Ben reassured her. "I'm just glad you came when you did." he sighed with relief before he realized something. "So I'm your boyfriend now, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"I-I never said that!" Avea tried to reason, her face flushing a deep red as her wings flared nervously.

"Right." Ben rolled his eyes.

"I didn't!" Avea tried to defend herself, only to have Ben grab her wrists and kiss her full on the lips, wrapping his arms around and under her wings, holding her tight; Avea had frozen on the spot right then and there, not quite sure how to respond before she was finally able to respond, her eyes closing peacefully as she kissed Ben back, curling her arms around his neck. She fully relaxed when she felt Ben's fingers brush against her wing feathers, delicate stroking them and smoothing them down where they had been ruffled in her haste to save Ben. She hugged Ben tight, finally glad that she had a form life line to hold onto in this mad world as she took the initiative and jammed her tongue past his lips and into the cavity beyond them, pleasure shivering down her spine as she Ben play with her feathers; after a few more moments, they broke away, Avea now a deep red.

"Thanks," she sighed, hugging him.

"For what?" Ben asked.

"For being there, I guess." Avea shrugged.

"Aw, it's a Kodiak moment." Genie sighed happily as he appeared around the corner. Ben threw him a look, and the djinni backed off down the hall and towards the catacombs before a loud roar shook the halls. "AH! Who put that bear there!?"

---

"So, how'd you enjoy the dance?" Ben asked as he walked alongside Lorna through the chilled the night; it was tolling around a c ouple of hours before midnight, and the air had quickly chilled since then. The moon was bright and snow had started to flutter down from the dark, gray clouds overhead. The ghouls had all gone their separate ways, promising to meet back up at Spectra's house around noon tomorrow during Christmas morning to exchange the gifts they had gotten each other during the last couple of days.

"Very much." Lorna smiled as she buried herself deeper into her plaid coat with black fur rimming the sleeves. "Though I have to say that Humungousaur looks far better from the background."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben asked.

"You know how Spectra has you pose for pictures occasionally after your adventures?" Lorna asked. "Lets just say I'm a master at photo bombing." she giggled.

"Wait . . ." Ben mused as he pulled out his iCoffin and began to flip through all the picutres he had taken; every single one of them, if one were to look hard enough, had Lorna in the shot, hidden somewhere not quite obvious yet almost idiotically clear when you found her hiding behind a row of lockers, a parked car, or even behind Ben himself in his various alien forms.

"That is both cool and kinda scary at the same time." Ben admitted at the same time.

"Either way, you're kinda cute." Lorna acknowledged with a slight tinge to her face.

"Wait, what?"

"Well, I kinda had a . . . crush on ya, but at the time I had a boyfriend." Lorna managed to say.

"And then he dumped you." Ben confirmed.

"Exactly," Lorna nodded, her face turning a deeper red. "So . . . c-can I be your ghoulfriend?"

"That has got to be the most direct approach I have ever heard." Ben laughed. "But I like direct." he added upon seeing Lorna's face start to fall. "We may have just officially known each other for a couple of days, but I'd love to get to know you better. And if that means you become my ghoulfriend, then by all means, just kiss me."

"I just might." Lorna smirked, wiggling her eyebrows as they walked up the path to Lorna's estate.

"So, does this mean I'll see you tomorrow?" Ben asked.

"I-I . . . I don't know! I mean, I didn't . . . I didn't have time to-" Lorna startled before Ben pulled her close and pressed her lips to his; it lasted less than a few seconds before he parted away, a smile on his face.

"Relax. It's okay if you forgot. After all, Christmas is about spending time with friends and family, not about gifts. Although, I have had my eye on a motorcycle for a while . . ."

"Oh, your so sweet!" Lorna sighed happily, hugging Ben tightly before smashing her lips to his in a full blown kiss, slithering her tongue into his mouth and subduing his own with ease as she wrapped one arm around Ben's neck and grabbed Ben's hand with the other before sliding his strong, firm fingers up her side and to her left breast, allowing him a quick squeeze before breaking away.

"Consider that your present." she smiled with a wink as she opened the door and stepped inside her house after giving him one last kiss on the cheek.

"No matter how many ghouls I meet or fall for, I will never understand them." Ben shook his head as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting the alien he desired and slapping the activation button. His skin hardened into a thick exoskeleton, becoming jointed and plated as it turned green. His bones vanished as skull became pointed and even thicker than before. His teeth became sharp and his eyebrows became pointed as his eyes turned green and quick sighted. His legs bent backwards, a slightly painful process as a sort of webbing formed between the joints. His toes disappeared, three sharp claws taking their place, two in front, one in back. His two middle fingers disappeared, the ones left becoming sharp. He felt muscles packing themselves on top of each other in his legs as his body became divided into two sections, his butt expanding out into a slim thorax. A set of black and green overalls formed over his body as spines formed on the back of his arms and legs, completing the transformation.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Crashhopper declared loudly as he soared through the night air. "Man, I have always wanted to say that!"

And there we go!

And yes, the story takes place around the holidays. What, everyone could use some Christmas cheer around this time of year, especially after what I have to go through right now. Ugh, I really hate school right now. Big thanks to Morantis for helping me figure out this chapter! Seriously, check out their work sometime. You will not be disappointed in anyway whatsoever.

Hasta Luego!