Ben 10 Ultimate Hero EP 20: Hunted
I don't own anything except my OCs.
Intro:
A green glowing, steel pod was flying through space, hurtling towards earth as it crashed, making a huge green flash.
The camera zooms out from the glowing symbol on the Ultimatrix as Ben looks up close at it.
He then activates it while smirking at the camera, raising his hand high and slapping it down on the core.
The background turns all green as Ben morphs into Four Arms, who pumps his upper fists while cracking his lower ones with a smirk.
A white number appears on the left side, starting at 1.
"Ben 10!"
2: Heatblast ignites 2 fireballs in his hands.
"Ben 10!"
3: XLR8 zooms into the right.
4: Diamondhead swaps his right arm across as it turns into a blade.
"Ben 10!"
5: Cannonbolt uncurls and poses.
"Ben 10!"
"Ben 10!"
6: Upgrade stretches out of his puddle form.
7: Grey Matter hops off the 7 and lands into a crouch, giving a thumbs up and a smile.
"Ben 10!"
8: Water Hazard slides in on his water blasts and raises his fists.
"Ben 10!"
9: Wildvine extends his legs and stretches out his right fingers while holding seeds in his left one, chucking them offscreen.
10: Big Chill phases through the number and floats briefly before zooming near the camera.
"Ben 10!"
Big Chill's head turns back into Ben's as it rotates.
The camera zooms out to reveal Max and Gwen by his side.
Ben gave a low-five to his grandfather as Gwen crossed her arms and shook her head playfully with a smile.
The 2 then ran off-screen, making Ben run towards the camera with a determined look.
He then froze as his aliens appeared in heroic poses on each of the kids' sides, 5 on each side, just as the title appeared on a black background with green rays emerging from the title.
The Rust Bucket drives down a desert road in New Mexico as Gwen and Ben are just playing on their computer and tablet, respectively. "Any idea on when's our next stop, Grandpa?" Gwen asks as the elder responds. "In about an hour. I want Ben to do more training with the watch since it has been a while since he's practiced." "What's the big deal, Grandpa? I pretty much got every alien and this thing down to a square!" Ben smirks as he is positive, he already knows how the watch works already, but Gwen is not sure. "I'm not sure, Ben. There may be someone out there that could be too strong for you?" "Aw, come on! There's no one in this desert but us!" Ben smirks as he points out the window.
But unknown to the family, 3 beams of light came down from the sky and landed in a part of the desert, far from the family. The light dies down to reveal 3 different aliens. The 1st is a big, humanoid warthog-like alien that has red eyes with golden-brown fur and a darker color for his sideburns and mane and has a small noise ring with 4 yellow tusks. He has 3 fingers and 2 toes and is wearing a purple and black leotard with a belt with a mark that looks like a silhouette of warthog. He also has purple and black boots and gloves, which are both fingerless and toeless.
The 2nd is a hulking, humanoid rhino-like alien with 2 human-like hands with 3 fingers and three toes on his stump-like feet. He is wearing a red and silver mech suit that covers most of his body, except for his hands, toes, his face, and his ears. He has golden-orange eyes and has 2 hi-tech horn cannons and a set of rocket boosters on his back.
The last being is a slim, humanoid alien that is female and smaller than the other 2. She is wearing full body armor that has hooved feet and a ring on the back of her helmet. It is colored different shades of purple and black as she has some hi-tech pouches on his shoulders, arms hips, and legs.
"So, this is Earth, huh? Not very impressive." The rhino scoffs out as the hog nods out. "Yeah... But at least this desert isn't as unforgiving as Khoros. Anyway, you sure the target is here?" The female checks something on a hologram that came from her left arm and nods out. "Then let the hunt begin!" The rhino narrows his eyes as the 3 beings are about to hunt something, but what or who?
The Tennysons made a stop at a wide-open space that would be perfect for training. Max was just putting the finishing touches on the obstacle course that he had constructed out of wooden sticks, empty soda cans, extra tires, and lots and lots of rope. When the elderly man finally is done, he glances at his grandson as he just stands there and waits. "You ready?" Ben's response was a small smirk raising his hand dramatically in the air and slamming it down on the raised core in response. FLASH
Ben felt the diamond spreading from the device and engulfing his arms, changing them as his back sprouted out shards as he spun and posed as his head finished transforming.
"Oh yeah!" Diamondhead grins out as he is ready to rock, pun intended. "Remember to use your head this time instead of your fists, Ben!" Max explains as he mans the controls. "Try not to muscle it, sport! Might doesn't always make right." "I know, I know, grandpa..." Groaned Diamondhead, transforming his hands into a cluster of shards. "But punching is way more fun."
Nonetheless, the older man nodded in response and pulled one of the makeshift levers, activating a handmade catapult that threw a bunch of empty soda cans at Diamondhead.
The alien pivoted, firing a dozen shards from his hands, and accurately stabbing each can in the middle. Grandpa Max pulled another lever and tugged at a rope, dropping down a pair of bullseye targets behind Diamondhead. He spun around a fired off another dozen shards, successfully hitting the center of the targets. Diamondhead grinned cockily. Grandpa Max activated more of the targets and the alien was hitting each one with remarkable accuracy that it was almost understandable why Ben was acting so confidently. But as he kept shooting more of the targets, it was starting to look less like training and more like showing off. He yelled and pulled unnecessary flips and dives to look cool only proved the point. Even blowing on one finger like a gun.
Meanwhile, Gwen was lounging by the Rust Bucket starting to apply sunscreen as she sighed irritably. "There goes my cousin, being a showoff." Gwen voiced her thoughts. "Focus, Ben!" Shouted Max. "More brain and less brawn! Remember?" "Don't worry, grandpa! I got this!" Said Diamondhead arrogantly.
Max pulled another lever and threw another barrage of soda cans at Diamondhead's head, which he dodged and fired over his shoulder unnecessarily. But while attention was directed elsewhere, a tire came swinging down from above and smacked him across the face.
The alien was sent flying while his hand was still firing off silicon shards. Max ducked behind the wooden boards of the obstacle course and Gwen dived out of the way where the shards flew at the Rust Bucket. The redhead paused for a minute until the situation was over before she crawled out…right underneath the dripping sunscreen bottle that Diamondhead had skewered. Gwen let out an irritated growl and Max climbed up from their hiding places, glaring at the alien that was laughing humorously. "Oops, my bad!" Said Diamondhead, not sounding at all apologetic.
Deciding to end training early before Ben could cause another disaster, the Tennysons climbed back onto the Rust Bucket and hit the open road again. "You rock head!" Gwen chided her cousin across the table. "You almost turned me into Swiss cheese!" "I said I was sorry! What else do you want?"
"What we want is for you to take the watch more seriously, Ben." Said Max from the Driver's seat. "That thing is not a toy. You need to put more thought into how you use it. Instead of just trying to power things through." But Ben is not worried as he kicks his feet up in the passenger seat with a smirk. "Come on, you guys have seen me in action. I'm the baddest kid in town. I've kicked so much alien butt, my feet hurt." "Yeah, well, one of these days, you're gonna screw around and get your butt kicked. And I hope to see it." Gwen points out.
"Dream on, Gwenny!" Said Ben confidently. But just then, the Rust Bucket started to sputter. "Uh oh, that doesn't sound good." Said Max as he stopped the Rust Bucket.
Back at the obstacle course, the Tennysons had abandoned, the hunters arrived at the sight. Thunderpig was waving a scanner-like device around while his college was investigating the course from up close, and the female hunter was examining the ground a short distance away.
"This is where the Ultimatrix was last activated..." Thunderpig informed out as Exo-Skull comments. "On this dumb planet? Really?" "Tell me about it. A rock pile like this is better off space dust, but that's not the point!" The hog alien spoke out as they kept investigating.
EightEight noticed one of the soda cans that Diamondhead had punctured in training and reached for it when a hand grabbed the clue, revealing it to be Exo-Skull. As the rhino examines it, EightEight snatches it away as she speaks something in an alien language Exo-Skull narrows his eyes. 'You're going to teach me how to say dismantled? Don't make me laugh, EightEight!" "Yeah!" Thunderpig snorts out behind her. "Especially since your brothers aren't here to back you up!" But one glance behind from EightEight and Thunderpig backs off, feeling the intense glare.
"No matter! That reward is as good as mine!" Exo-Skull grins as he activates his boosters and flies away as Thunderpig takes out a remote and pushes it, summoning a hover-cycle that flies in from some rocks. "Hey! Not before me!" He also took off as EightEight shook her head at the 2.
With both meatheads gone, Eighteight took a moment to think as she held up the skewered soda can that she had swiped. The female Sotoraggian looked over the can and the silicon shard embedded in the aluminum… Then crushed both in her fist, reducing the shard to green dust before the desert winds carried it away.
As she walks away, her foot hits a rope that activates the course, only for it to get blown up by a rocket launcher in her wrist as she flies away on her jetpack as there is nothing left of the obstacle course.
Grandpa Max only managed to get the Rust Bucket to a nearby town before the old RV stopped running altogether. Unfortunately, the town they arrived in looked like it had been abandoned for a century and a half. It was a perfect depiction of those old western towns you would see in the movies with cowboys and robbers shooting up the place, only now everything was either boarded or busted.
"This place looks like it hasn't been used for a long time!" Ben said. "Not for a while. My intelli-map program says this is Slatterville, incorporated in 1857 after the discovery of silver. Went bust in the late sixties when the mine ran out." Gwen explains. "No offense, but why does everything about info that comes out of your mouth sound like a book report?" Ben wonders.
"Ah-ha!" Said Max, having poked his head under the RV's hood. "I think I found the problem." He pulled out a hose dripping with gasoline and a familiar green shard puncturing the tube. "Leaky fuel line." "Uh… Lucky shot?" Said Ben sheepishly. "I should be able to patch this up..." Max reassured, though it sounded like it was a real pain for him to do. "Sorry, Grandpa." Ben apologized, but then immediately went for the watch. "Here, let me help! Maybe Four Arms? No, wait, Grey Matter!" "You've done enough, Ben," Max interjected. "I'll handle this." "…Okay." Said Ben, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Guess I'll just check this place out."
The young Tennyson boy walked around with a goofy grin on his face, looking for a new exciting adventure to entertain himself and that did not sit well with the rest of his party. Gwen and Max shared concerned looks at the notion of leaving Ben alone in an abandoned town with a small army of aliens on his wrist. That was a combination that just spelled disaster. "Maybe you should uh…?" Max said to Gwen. "Make sure he doesn't somehow blow everything up? I'm on it."
And speaking of the alien boy, Ben had stopped just down the street and walked into one of the most desolate and abandoned buildings in town. Judging from the collection of mine carts, pickaxes, and shovels, this must have been an old equipment shed that the miners used to store their tools. Having been abandoned for a hundred and fifty years, all the metal tools were covered in multiple layers of rust and the wheels had broken off the mine carts, tipping them over and spilling mounds of dirt of gravel all over the floor. "Ugh, talk about old school. Look at all this junk." Ben picks up a rusty tool. "Ben! Ben!"
That was Gwen and it sounded like she was looking for him. Ben hid himself against the shed doors and watched the girl passing his hiding spot without sparing a glance at the old shed. A wicked grin stretched across his face as an even more wicked plan brewed in his mind. He creepily slid back inside the equipment storage activated the device and slammed it down on his desired alien. The bright green light flashed out of the corner of Gwen's eyes, making her turn toward the equipment shed. She turned back around and walked to the threshold of the building with Gwen taking point. "Calling all dweebs!" Gwen yelled into the shed, her voice echoing against the walls. But when she was met with no response, Gwen started to look worried.
The redheaded girl hesitantly walked deeper inside the building, her eyes roaming around the storage shed suspiciously. Gwen stepped lightly inside the building casting worried glances left and right as she passed the row of mining carts and treaded toward the back where they hung their rusty tools. While she wasn't paying attention, a blob crept across the floor and slid through the gaps in the mine carts, edging closer to the unsuspecting girl. The blob slowly creeps up to the girl and taps her shoulder, looking back as Upgrade springs up and cries out. 'BOO!" "AH!" "Got ya!" Upgrade laughs out as he points at Gwen and the girl glares out and frowns. "You doofus! You scared me!"
But just then, they heard some sort of sound as they looked around, only for Thunderpig to blast a hole in the roof and hop off his hover-cycle, approaching the 2 with a glare. "And he does as well." Gwen piped in a small voice. "Don't worry, Gwen! I got this guy!" Upgrade confronts the hunter as he studies him. "What are you, another one of Animo's experiments?" "I don't know who this Animo is, but hand over the Ultimatrix and I promise you won't suffer…much!" Thunderpig demands as he takes out an alien energy flail.
"Dream on, bacon bits!" Upgrade responds as he glances back at Gwen. "What is he talking about?" "He must be after the watch." "Good point." Upgrade looks back as she answers. "Sorry, porky. The watch and I are attached." "Not for long!" Said Thunderpig menacingly. "You have no idea who you're messing with!" Said Upgrade. "I was just about to say the same thing." Thunderpig countered. "Oh yeah, do you know this one? Now you see me, now you don't." Upgrade shrinks into a blob and hides under something as Gwen laughs nervously and goes out of the way.
Thunderpig took a couple of cautious steps back and flinched when his foot accidentally knocked over one of the rusty pickaxes. But he took out some purple visors with red lenses and placed them on his eyes, pushing a button as they glow. Upgrade rises from behind and stretches his arms towards him, only for Thunderpig to turn back and shoot at him with a laser blaster that shocks the alien as he cries in pain. "You are as arrogant as you are dimwitted!" Thunderpig mocked him. The alien warthog then slams his flail into Upgrade, knocking him back.
The alien hero looked up weakly when he heard thuds and spotted Thunderpig before he brought his foot down on top of Upgrade's head. At the last second, Upgrade managed to bend his body out of the way and slip past the hunter, but Thunderpig swung his weapon to generate more energy and slammed it down on the ground, sending out electric energy that zaps Upgrade as Thunderpig ran up and punched him and sends Upgrade crashing into a wall of mine carts, knocking them over, right next to the place where Gwen was hiding. The redhead dashed over to help the alien hero, pulling on his arms to help him back up. "Oh man, who is this guy?" Groaned Upgrade.
"Remember when I said I wanted to be there when you finally got your butt kicked?" Said Gwen with a tinge of regret in her voice. "I take it way back!" Thunderpig marched across the equipment shed, knocking away everything that came between him and Upgrade. "You're the alien hero, do something!"
Upgrade looks around and merges with a lift, upgrading it and sending out tendrils that grab Thunderpig and slam him on top of him. "Need a lift?" He said as he raised and slammed Thunderpig into the ceiling and dissolved from the machinery as then timed out. Both kids then book it out, unaware that they are being observed from the rafters by the elusive EightEight.
Grandpa Max closed the hood of the Rust Bucket and wiped the grease off his hands when Ben and Gwen started running back earlier than he had expected. The first thing he noticed was their sweaty and panicked looks, which he had become more accustomed to seeing since the start of the summer.
"What happened?" Max asked. "Oh, you know, the usual: Some oversized warthog with weapons fell out of the sky and tried to kill us. It said it wanted the watch. Only it kept calling it the Ultimatrix." Gwen explains as Ben looks at the Ultimatrix and smirks. "Just let me go Four Arms and I'll turn him into a BLT!" "No time. Repairs are done, let's go!" Max orders. "But grandpa..." Ben complained.
Max ignored his grandson's whining and loaded up the Rust Bucket with Gwen, waiting impatiently for Ben to hop aboard too. The young boy slouched in disappointment and dragged his feet trying to get back on the Rust Bucket, slamming the door behind him. Max ignited the engine and moved on to the main road. Gwen was sitting at the table looking out the window for the hunter while Ben huffed across from her.
"No sign of the angry pig." Said Gwen worriedly. "Well, he better not show up if he knows what's good for him!" Ben responds. The Rust Bucket suddenly rattled as it swerved and shook, but Max managed to get it back under control the family glanced to the side and saw Exo-Skull keeping up the side as he cried out. "The Ultimatrix! Give it, now!" "Who's that?!" "I don't know! Friend of Porky Pig?!" Ben cries out to his cousin as Max cries out. "Hang on, kids!"
He then slides the RV and rams it into Exo-Skull, sending the armored bounty hunter crashing into some rocks, but the RV spins out of control as it comes to a stop Max tries to get it started, but can't as they all go out and saw one of the tires is blown out. "Great..." The elder moans as he notices Exo-Skull recovered and glares at the family as he snorts his nostrils. Max quickly glances around and spots something! "Quick, in there!"
The elderly man was pointing to an entrance tunnel of an old abandoned mine shaft; not the safest course of action but it was bound to be better than out here! Exo-Skull started to follow the humans as they fled towards the abandoned mines when a roar of an engine turned his attention towards the skies just in time to see Thunderpig flying towards him as he leaps off with weapon spinning. "Remember me?!".
Ben, Gwen, and Max dashed into the entrance and turned the corner, pressing their backs against the wall as they took a moment to catch their breath. Being the closest to the corner, Ben poked his head out and surveyed the area. The mine entrance was clear and it didn't look like either of the bounty hunters was heading their way. "Phew, the coast is clear..." Ben said in relief.
Not even a second after the words left his lips, the wall down the tunnel tracks collapsed and Exo-Skull walked into the mine casually like in a scene out of The Terminator. "Don't you get tired of being wrong?" Gwen asks out. "The Ultimatrix!" Exo-Skull demanded as he advanced on them, narrowing his eyes as he socks his fist into his palm. "Hand it over or I'll break every bone in your puny bodies!"
Grandpa Max stepped between them and spotted a sheet of bent metal leaning against the mine wall. Max grabbed the metal and tossed it at the alien cyber-rhino with all his might, but Exo-Skull grabbed it and crushed it, never pausing for a moment. Seeing this, the Tennysons immediately spun around and started running down the tracks in the opposite direction.
They raced around the curving tunnels with Exo-Skull in hot pursuit, seemingly taking his time to enjoy the thrill of the chase, knowing he could easily catch them if he wanted to. Ben looked down at the Ultimatrix pleadingly. "Come on, come on!" Ben begged for the watch, fruitlessly tapping the activation button. "Do something. Anything!"
Ben and the others turned right down another tunnel and Exo-Skull rammed into a wall and was unharmed, but it did give the Tennysons a few desperately needed seconds to run. Unfortunately, it turned out they didn't have anywhere left to run! They ended up in the center of the mine where there was a massive hole in the ground that must have gone down for miles.
"Now what?" Gwen asks with worry. Max started looking around the chasm for something that would take them to safety when his old eyes fell on an abandoned lift that was hanging on a wire leading to the opposite end of the canyon. Max answers as he points at the old lift. "We take a ride."
Exo-Skull ran out of the tunnel just in time to see Max pulling the lever activating the machine while the children climbed into the lift. It took a lot more muscle than expected, but Grandpa Max managed to pull the lever and get the machine going and took off and made a daring leap off the edge of the platform, barely grabbing the lift by the edge and dangling over what was likely a ten-mile drop. The children helped Max into the lift.
Exo-Skull scoffs out. "Wow... And they say I'm the dumb one!" But as Exo-Skull charges his laser horns and aims at the Tennysons, Thunderpig shows up out of nowhere and blasts him away as he chases after the family on his hover-cycle. "They are mine, Exo-Skull! Get it?!" The alien hog fired on the Tennysons, hitting the side of the lift and jerking them around. Max held the children close to him protectively. When the lift stopped swinging Max spoke out. "We need a plan!"
Meanwhile, Ben continued to tap the Ultimatrix relentlessly until the device finally turned green and the core rose. "Yes!" Ben cheered. "Who needs a plan when you have the watch?" He stood up and distanced himself from his family to make room for his transformation. "I'll take care of this!" "NO! Ben, that's just what they want!" Max warned.
But naturally, Ben was too arrogant and thick-skulled to heed his grandfather's warning and slammed down on the Ultimatrix's core. When the green flash faded, Diamondhead stood above them as he morphed his right hand into its bladed form. The alien hero threw all caution to the wind as he jumped off the edge of the lift and tackled Thunderpig.
The two aliens plummeted into the depths below as Max and Gwen shouted Ben's name with worry. Until the hovercycle pulled up and they started flying in an upward arc above the Tennyson's heads. They slammed into the canyon wall and dropped to the ground; Diamondhead landed on top of Thunderpig, crushing him with his massive weight. Diamondhead stood up slowly, shaking his pointed head, as his family's cart rolled by and disappeared into the mines again.
"Ben, come on!" Yelled Gwen. "I'll catch up!" Said Diamondhead, raising his pointed hand threateningly at Thunderpig. "But first, I'm gonna turn this walking deli platter into a ham sandwich!" Diamondhead pulled his arm back as Thunderpig scrambled to his feet when he suddenly felt a hand grab it and looked back.
Exo-Skull had recovered, spinning around with the alien hero, and flinging him into the canyon wall. Diamondhead felt his whole body rattling from the impact and shuddered again when he belly-flopped back on the ground. He rubbed his aching head as he pulled himself together while the hunters finally put aside their differences and advanced on him together.
Diamondhead turned on them and jumped with both of his hands in their bladed forms, but both aliens effortlessly sidestepped his charge and Thunderpig returned the attack with his flail. He blocked the mace with his forearm and managed to punch the hog across the face, but then Exo-Skull came up from behind and grabbed his back spikes, slamming him down on the ground and then punched him in the face, knocking him back. Diamondhead staggered backward, his whole body shaking from the strike, and Thunderpig slammed his flail into his abdomen while Exo-Skull rammed him into a wall. When it looked like the alien hero could barely stand, Thunderpig wrapped his weapon around his waist, lifted him over their heads, and slammed him back down on the floor, making an imprint of Diamondhead in the ground.
Diamondhead was limp and unconscious as he was helpless against the bounty hunters. The two aliens loomed over their prey when Thunderpig suddenly threw out his arm and shoved his partner aside.
"Back off!" Snapped Thunderpig. "That reward belongs to me." Exo-Skull snarled out. "Oh, yeah?! Well, if wasn't for me, you would end up like your dad: Sliced into cold cuts and served up on a piece of bread!" "Don't you dare talk about my father like that!" Thunderpig snarls out.
The 2 once again descended into petty squabbling until a smooth, silver orb flew out of the tunnel and landed at their feet. The hunters stared at the sphere in curiosity until it released a surge of electrical energy. Both screamed and flailed in pain until the electrical device finally deactivated and the 2 fell unconscious on the floor. EightEight casually walked in on the scene, grabbed Diamondhead by one of the spikes on his back, and began to drag him out. "Sorry, but the victors go the spoils." She spoke out, thanks to a translator on her suit.
Diamondhead groaned, his head pounding like someone had taken a jackhammer at it. The Petrosapien mumbled incoherently as his luminescent eyes slowly flapped open and he began to take in his surroundings. It looked like someone had taken him out of the mines and brought him back to Slattersville. When he looked around, Diamondhead couldn't see a trace of Exo-Skull or Thunderpig, which was an immense relief, but when he tried to stand up, he realized that his wrists and ankles were bound together. "Wh – what? What happened?" Diamondhead mumbled. "What's going on?"
"It's about time you woke up." Diamondhead snapped his head around, spotting EightEight causally sitting on an upturned mine cart, leaning her head on one arm and the other draped across her lap with her laser pistol in hand. "Billions of lifeforms on this planet, and the most powerful weapon in the universe ends up on the wrist of a foolhardy boy. Unbelievable."
Glaring at the alien woman, Diamondhead expanded his arms into swords, cutting the bindings on his wrists and then cutting up the ones on his ankles before standing. "Well, like I told your buddies, this thing doesn't come off. Believe me, I've tried." "Of course, it doesn't!" Said EightEight, like it was the most obvious thing in the universe as she stood up. "Its power utilizes alien DNA, which binds to the host's genetic structure on a sub-atomic level. It cannot simply be removed like taking off a shirt."
While the female hunter wasn't looking, Diamondhead charged at her and took a quick swing at EightEight. The woman hunter effortlessly flipped over the mine cart, watching Diamondhead puncture the rusted metal with his hand. When she landed, she buried her foot underneath the cart and then flipped it into the Petorsapien's face with minimal effort. The Minecart smacked Diamondhead squarely in the jaw, sending him and the cart flying across the street into the dirt.
"And to make it worse, your choice of warriors is based solely on brute strength, and pure power!" EightEight chastised him. "You don't even have any plan! You just go into a fight, fists swinging, and hope you can land a hit. You never stop to consider your actions at all. If this were Sotoragg, my home planet, you would be dead meat by now!" "Hey, I kicked my fair share of alien butt!" Diamondhead argued. "Such as your recent success in the mineshaft with the 2 meatheads? Yeah, right!" EightEight taunted him. "It was two against one!" Diamondhead complained, rushing at the woman and taking a swing.
"Oh please, you wouldn't last a minute on Sotoragg!" Said EightEight mockingly, easily blocking the Petrosapien's repeated attacks with one hand. "On my home world, there is a rite of passage where you have to fight twenty of the most powerful assassin drones armed with only what you can scrape together in the unforgiving jungles while avoiding the deadly flora and fauna. You were moments away from both losing your life and the Ultimatrix! In the hands of someone skilled, victory would have been swift and effortless. But instead, you just bumble around like an Earth Baboon!"
After blocking another couple of blows, EightEight uppercut his jaw as if to prove her point. Diamondhead fell on his back again, suffering an even worse beating than when the other hunters had teamed up against him. It was painfully obvious now which of the hunters were superior! EightEight was handing him his butt without even trying. Diamondhead tried to get back up, but EightEight pressed her foot into his chest to keep him pinned down.
"The Ultimatrix is not some toy for your amusement, it is the ultimate weapon! The perfect weapon. It is the single most important object that could determine the fate of the entire universe in an unspoken war between good and evil." "And whose side are you on?" Questioned Diamondhead. EightEight shrugs out. "I'm on my side. I don't care what happens to the rest of the galaxy, but I do care about protecting my hide. That's the only reason I haven't dragged you to the guy who hired me while you were unconscious." "You're a good guy? Umm... Girl?" Diamondhead blinks out.
"Me? Good? That's rich!" EightEight laughed amusingly. "I just said I'm looking out for myself. I was paid a lot of money by some freak wanting the Ultimatrix, and normally I'd have no trouble carrying out my job. But I'm not as dimwitted or shortsighted as the other 2. I know what will happen if the Ultimatrix gets into the slimy hands of that creep. He'll raze the entire galaxy, which will make my life a lot more difficult. That's why I've altered my mission slightly to retrieve the Ultimatrix and make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands. Since it is attached to you, I'll bring you along until we can get it removed."
"Oh no, I'm not going anywhere!" Diamondhead pushed himself off and pointed at EightEight with a frown. "It's not your choice to make." Said EightEight firmly. "It is now!" growled Diamondhead. He suddenly pounced on her, which EightEight did not seem to expect since she did nothing to protect herself. Both fighters hit the ground and EightEight accidentally threw her laser pistol away.
Though it wasn't visible underneath her helmet, EightEight was irritated now. She punched the alien hero in the face, not only throwing him off but also forming some deep cracks in his silicon body. The female Sotoraggian stood up, brushing the dirt off her armor. "It's disturbing how little you know about that alien's strengths or weaknesses. You barely scratched the surface of its potential." "Yeah… So what makes you such an expert?" Diamondhead questioned. "Because I've met a Petrosapien before. But unlike you, he's not an impulsive annoyance!"
And on that note, the Ultimatrix decided to time out and changed Ben back to a human. EightEight picked him up by the back of his shirt. "Hey, put me down!" Ben demanded aggravated, taking a few fruitless swings at the Sotoraggian female. "We've wasted enough time talking! Now… Where's my pistol?" EightEight said before searching the ground.
"Looking for something?" Thunderpig walked out from behind the nearest building, holding EightEight's pistol in his hand. "You're not leaving this planet with the Ultimatrix. And just to be sure..." He looks over his shoulder. Exo-Skull presented himself, holding Grandpa Max in one arm and carrying Gwen in his other hand. "Hey, hands off!" "Let me go!" EightEight observed the obvious threat and laughed. "You think I care what happens to those humans?" Said Eighteight mockingly as Ben was shocked at his family being held hostage.
"You don't." Said Thunderpig knowingly and then turned his blaster on Ben. "But he does. So, here's what's going to happen: Exo-Skull and I are going to take the Ultimatrix and split the billion Tayden reward among ourselves, and then we are going to break you in half. The only question is will we do this the easy way or the fun way?"
Thunderpig charged his weapon and unleashed a hailstorm of red laser fire, but EightEight pressed Ben close to her chest and jumped away out of the volley. Thunderpig followed his rival with his laser storm as she landed back on the ground and tackled her way through the door into an old rundown saloon. The female Sotoraggian dashed across the room and leaped over the bar counter as Thunderpig's lasers started flying through the walls and smashing up everything from the termite-eaten furniture to the dusty old bottles on the shelves. EightEight dropped Ben unceremoniously on the ground and pressed her back against the counter, which was barely holding up underneath the alien warthog's barrage.
"What are we waiting for?" Ben complained to the mercenary. "We gotta save them!" "I don't give a slag what happens to them. My priority is keeping the Ultimatrix out of those 2 knuckleheads' hands." "Well, it ain't my priority!" Ben returned, glaring at the woman. "That's my family out there!" "You can't save them." Stated EightEight. "You would soon be overpowered and captured. The only real course of action is for me to retrieve my pistol and we can shoot our way out of here." "But-" Ben started. "Stay here!" EightEight commanded, pointing to the spot where 'here' meant before leaping over the counter.
As Thunderpig all but obliterated the front door of the saloon, EightEight leaped out of the smoke and landed in a crouch with her hands reaching for the handles sticking out of her jetpack. She whipped out a pair of buzzing-red laser daggers, tossing the first one at Thunderpig, spinning around, and then throwing the second blade at Exo-Skull.
The alien pig dodged the blade with a short sidestep, but the rhino didn't think to dodge in time and fell to the ground with an energy knife in his shoulder. His armor prevents it from perching, but it manages to set Max and Gwen free as they go to safety.
Thunderpig shorts out some air, just in time to see her charging at him. The taller mercenary tries to punch her, but EightEight jumps up, using his arm to support herself, and then kicks him across the head. Thunderpig landed on his back again while EightEight plunked her favorite weapon out of the air when the alien hog tossed it. The alien woman cocked her laser pistol and was checking its charge when Exo-Skull bounced up and tackled her to the ground.
Exo-Skull raised both fists, aiming to smash her into the ground. But the female bounty hunter fires some point-blank lasers that manage to make Exo-Skull flinch. She then slides between his legs and unleashes a rocket barrage that blows Exo-Skull away and sends him sliding across the ground but is very stubborn as EightEight knew quite well.
Thunderpig then starts spinning his flail above his head as he generates massive energy. "Thunder... Thunder... Thunder! THUNDERPIG!" He bellows as he swings but EightEight whips out a laser sword from her jetpack and slices the chain of the weapon as Thunderpig stares in disbelief. "That was my favorite weapon!" In his anger, he charges and engages EightEight in hand-to-hand combat as they both throw punches and blocks as well.
As the hunters were wailing at each other, Ben watched the entire scene from the safety of the saloon. Even though EightEight made it clear that she wasn't a good guy, Ben couldn't deny how awesome she was. He watched the alien woman kick Thunderpig in the face and slam him toward the ground when he heard a familiar ding coming from his wrist. The Ultimatrix was active again. "All right, hero time!" Ben whispers in a hushed voice.
Unfortunately, while EightEight and Thunderpig were wrestling with each other, Exo-Skull turned and spotted Ben through the hole in the wall. Ben noticed and ducked back behind the bar counter.
Deciding to take advantage of their momentary distraction, Exo-Skull walked inside the saloon looking for the boy. Ben could hear his giant armored footsteps from his hiding place and quickly activated the Ultimatrix core. Immediately, his first choice was Four Arms. For a moment, Ben seriously considered using him and beating Exo-Skull to a pulp… But he hesitated and remembered Max and Eighteight's words:
"Remember to use your head this time instead of your fists, Ben! Try not to muscle it, sport! Might doesn't always make right." "And to make it worse, your choice of warriors is based solely on brute strength, and pure power! You don't even have any plan! You just go into a fight, fists swinging, and hope you can land a hit. You never stop to consider your actions at all."
That's when Ben decided to stop thinking with his muscles and start thinking with his head.
He turned the dial on the Ultimatrix, searching for one alien, as Exo-Skull approached the counter. Just as the rhino was about to reach over, a flash of green light made him jump back in surprise. He recognized the flash and started blasting the bar into splinters. Exo-Skull kicked up a few of the wooden fragments that littered the floor but was surprised to find that there were no smoking remains. "Where did he go?!"
Meanwhile, Gray Matter hopped around the rafters, padding his way across the beams without the muscle-bound hunter being any the wiser. Exo-Skull started to scan the building for any potential hiding places when Gray Matters landed on top of his head. Yelping in surprise, Exo-Skull scurried back and forth, swiping his hands around his head to knock the small alien away. Exo-Skull demanded. "Get off me, you tiny little–" "Hmm, there should be a control cluster in here somewhere." Gray Matter hummed as he started digging through the crevice in his cyborg armor.
The rhino cyborg continued flailing and swinging without any results until Gray Matter finally found what he was looking for and ripped a select number of wires out of the armor. Exo-Skull's armor began shooting sparks from the most random places and his limbs twitched out of his control. He smashed through the saloon wall and staggered around the street until Gray Matter pulled another set of wires. This activates the rocket boosters of the armor as Exo-Skull screams as he flies wildly out of control.
Just as EightEight judo flips Thunderpig, the hog stood back up and squeals like a wild pig and charged at the female hunter, only to hear Exo-Skull as they glanced and saw the cyborg rhino alien, crashing into his partner as they flew around and slammed into the support beams of a water tower as they slide to a stop on the ground. Gray Matter looked over his shoulder for a moment to observe the water tower before it started tilting in their direction. The Galvan hopped out of the way, but not before he heard Thunderpig's little commentary. "I hate this planet." CRASH!
EightEight straightened herself as Gray Matter climbed up on her shoulder and Max and Gwen came out of hiding as they watched their fallen foes be doused in the water supply. "Only one way to beat the desert heat, don't you think?" Grey Matter smirks as EightEight complimented. "Pretty smart for a foolhardy boy."
The small alien smiled in appreciation before jumping off. The female Sotoraggian pulled out an orange, egg-like device and tossed it between the other hunters. The device flashed bright orange and Exo-Skull and Thunderpig were nowhere to be seen until EightEight picked up the egg device, displaying their squashed forms through the transparent glass. The Ultimatrix timed out once everything was settled and Ben transformed back into a human as Eighteight slipped the containment device into her belt.
EightEight told the Tennysons. "Well, I guess I should get going now before my employer figures out I double-crossed him. I'm off to find some new jobs, hopefully with rewards in the billions section." "What about this?" Asked Ben, holding up the Ultimatrix.
"You're not worth the trouble of hauling around. Too mouthy. Nah, I think I'll just leave it here. Besides, maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought. Here, I picked this up in one of my earliest endeavors. But it didn't fit my style. Maybe you can find some use." She took out a collapsed device that looked like a board that was black, green, and white and gave it to Ben as the boy was in awe.
"Wow, thanks!" Said Ben appreciatively. EightEight started walking away, retrieving a device from her belt, when Ben called out. "Wait, you never told me how you knew so much about Diamondhead." "And if you don't want me to pop your head like a wumpa fruit, you won't ask again!" EightEight replied harshly. Ben wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. The Sotoraggian woman activated the device, and her body was consumed in a vibrating red light until it flashed outwards, momentarily blinding the humans. When they looked back, EightEight had vanished.
"How is it that you always manage to attract the strangest of people?" Gwen said to Ben. "Guess it must be my charming personality!" Ben jokingly states. Ben then examines the device and pushes a button, only for the family to be surprised to see it turn on as small jets show up under the board as it hovers above the ground. "Whoa! A hoverboard?! So cool!" Just then, Ben noticed a button that looked like it could be pushed by his foot as he did that, only for the front of his board to extend a bit as the back did the same as it unfolded and deployed a rocket engine on it as a strap for his front foot appeared near the front as the board then unfolds a large sail that is white with yellow glowing lines all over in a stretched hexagon pattern that leads to the base and has a handlebar that goes around it.
"Well, I'll be!" Max breaths out in awe as Ben looks at him. "What is it, Grandpa?" "Do you know what this is?" Gwen asks as Max nods. "Yep! That right there, is a Solar Surfer Board. It's much like a Windsurfer, except it's solar-powered. The sail of the board is made of a special fabric that allows it to capture solar rays from any sun and convert them into fuel for the engine on the back, allowing the rider to fly above the ground or through the air at high speeds. But looks like this board has been modified with a hoverboard mode for slower speeds, or just hovering in place in mid-air." "How do you know about this?" Gwen ponders with a raised eyebrow. Max sweats a bit as his eyes dart around. "Uhh... Got it from my travels?"
But the boy just shrugs at his grandfather's answer as he taps the button and switches the board to hover mode. Ben got on it and struggled for a bit until he managed to balance himself. He then made it fly forward as he cries out, only to fall off and fall on his butt, groaning as he moans out. "Maybe I do need some practice?" Gwen and Max laugh in response.
Just to let you know, The moment I saw Treasure Planet's Solar Surfer, I can't deny how cool it was! And after re-watching it lately, I thought it would be pretty cool to let Ben have one with a 'Hoverboard function' as well! And So, Ben's Solar/Hoverboard is created!a