At a quiet lakeside, under a bright moon, Gwen exited the Rust Bucket before taking in the peaceful scene.
"CANNONBALL!" Ben cried out, rushing past her clad in green swim trunks before launching himself off a small pier and into the water.
"So much for a relaxing evening" Gwen sighed, grabbing a torch before going to check on her doofus of a cousin.
Reaching the lakeside she quickly spotted Ben with the torch light, he grinned up at her as he kicked away from the dock.
"Hey Gwen, jump in!" he called out, earning a disgusted shiver from her as she scanned the lake with the torch.
"Ugh please. Who knows what slimy. Gross things are swimming around in there?" she asked before returning the light to his face "Case in point" she adds cheekily.
Smirking back Ben smacks the water, catching Gwen with the splash "Oh come on. What's the point in camping near a lake if you're afraid to get wet?" he teased.
"Bleh! Knock it off shrimp!" Gwen snapped, storming off back towards the R.V.
As Gwen made to leave she heard Ben begin to thrash around in panic. "Hey! (cough) What's…happen-" before going silent.
Rolling her eyes Gwen turned back to the lake "Very funny dweeb, I'm not falling for it" a worrying silence greeted her "...Ben?"
Shining the torch back at where she last saw him, she found only bubbles. Edging closer she was about to call out again, when the water began to churn as a large figure burst from the water roaring at her.
Letting out a shriek, Gwen tripped backwards dropping her torch, it rolled along to reveal…
"Armizon?" she whispered, the light revealing the four armed 'hero' snickering while covered in seaweed and river mud. "...BEN!"
Laughing hysterically, Ben reappeared on her right "You should have seen your face dweeb, ahahaha!"
Scrambling to her feet, Gwen glared at the pair of pranksters "You're SO busted when I tell grandpa!" she threatened, marching away.
As Ben let out a few more chuckles Armizon ducked back under the water before resurfacing, wiping away a few lingering traces of muck she smiled as Ben swam over.
"Oh man that was great! Thanks for playing along with me" he thanked, earning a small blush as she stared at his bare chest.
"Hey no problem short king, this was…quite the show" she replied, as she leant against the dock she watched as happily floated nearby. "Hey, I think I might have missed a spot of lake muck. Think you could~"
Her (likely inappropriate) request was lost however as the lake erupted in a shower of water. The pair looked up as a monstrous figure loomed over them, its full form obscured as the moon vanished behind some clouds.
From what they could see it possessed a pair of thick arms, a long neck topped with a finned head featuring a pair of tentacle-like appendages near its mouth. With a snarl it lunged towards them, with Armizon barely having time to push Ben to safety before she was snatched up and dragged away under the surface.
Stunned at the sudden turn of events, Ben shook his head clear before scrambling out of the water before sprinting towards the R.V "MONSTER!"
Inside the Rust Bucket, Max and Gwen were attempting to sleep only to groan at the sound of yelling coming from outside.
"Ugh, What's that boy doing out there?" Max asked, trying to roll over.
"Probably still goofing around with 'miss boob tube' at the lake" Gwen muttered sleepily.
A second of silence passed before the implications of Gwen's statement hit them. Jumping from their beds they raced for the door just in time for Ben to throw it open.
"GUYS! (gasp) lake (huff) monster…" he wheezed out leaning on the door, earning a pair of unamused stares.
"Seriously? You've already pulled that one today doofus it it's not going to work again" Gwen said, already turning to go back to bed.
Entering the R.V Ben tried to convince them "No wait I'm serious this time! Armizon got grabbed, we need to go hel-MMPH!" as Ben tried to lead them out he ran face first into said 'hero' as she knelt down in front of the door.
"Ben! Oh thank the maker you're ok" she said,breathing hard as Ben bounced backwards.
Regaining his balance Ben approached her again "I'm ok? You're the one who got grabbed. Are YOU ok?" he asked, scanning her for any injuries.
As Max and Gwen blinked at the sudden arrival they quickly realised something. Due to her size, even when kneeling down, she was not face to face with her 'partner'. Gwen's face slowly went as red as Armizon as she noticed Ben's face was inches away from the alien's chest.
Her heaving, wet, practically visible through her soaked top chest. With an embarrassed yelp Gwen yanked Ben back, covering his eyes while averting her own.
"W-w-what are you doing?! Put a towel over yourself or something!" Gwen stammered as Ben tried to pull himself free.
"Gwen what the heck?!"
As the pair fell into bickering, Armizon tried to explain what happened outside only to vanish in a flash of red as the watch timed out. Shaken out of his stupor by the flash, Max attempted to diffuse the situation.
"Ok, I think we've had enough excitement for one night. We should get to bed, we've got an early start tomorrow and we need some breast-REST! Some rest" he mentally cursed at the Freudian slip as Gwen gave him an annoyed side-eye.
After an awkward nights sleep, the trio set off bright and early the next morning. Passing by a small collection of bait/boat shacks, they soon made their way to the main docks. As they made their way, Ben continued to try and convince his family of what happened last night.
"No. really! It was humongous, and it had these big red…" he attempted before Gwen slapped a hand over his mouth.
"I think we've had enough of 'big red' things for one lifetime" she said, eye twitching in annoyance (she really ought to have that check out, Ben thought).
"I'm uh…I'm sure you just saw some kind of big fish,that's all" Max suggested, doing his best not to think about certain…details from last night.
Huffing in annoyance, Ben wandered ahead towards the waiting ship. As he approached he spotted a bucket of live bait, a sly grin spreading over his face as he grabbed a handful.
As Gwen got closer he suddenly lifted his, now full, hand towards her face earning a terrified scream.
"Breakfast?" he asked mockingly, snickering as her face twisted in disgust.
"Ugh, gross! Why do you even have that?"
"Bait" Max answered, resting his fishing pole across his shoulder.
"Well, I think I'll just stay here. Try and catch some sun instead" Gwen said, still looking queasy as Ben returned the bait to the bucket.
"Are you sure? You don't know what you're missing" Max tried to convince her with no success.
Shrugging it off Max and Ben approached the ship, quickly spotting an older, plainly dressed man in a red cap. "Captain Shaw?" Max called out.
"Who wants to know?" the man gruffly replied, turning to reveal a grizzled face.
"I'm Max Tennyson, and this is my grandson Ben. We've chartered your boat today for a fishing trip" he explained cheerfully.
Shaw simply turned away to continue preparing to cast off "Well what're you waiting for an engraved invitation? Get aboard, I ain't got all day"
With that less than friendly start the trio set sail, setting off at a leisurely pace further out into the lake. As they continued on, Max attempted to strike up a conversation with the gruff captain.
"So… anything interesting to catch out there today?" he asked.
"More than you can imagine" Shaw replied cryptically, before glancing past Max's shoulder "looks like yer boy's using his breakfast as chum" he noted as Ben leant over the side.
Placing a comforting hand on Ben's back he asked "You doing ok there Ben?"
Popping his head back up Ben nodded "Yeah I'm just keeping an eye out for that lake monster. It's not gonna get the jump on me this time" he said determinedly.
As Max looked on in concern Ben returned to scanning the lake, a sudden shape appearing out of the corner of his eye. Initially excited, Ben soon realised it was simply driftwood stuck around an old barrel.
"(chuckle) Now Ben this is a fishing trip, not a monster hunt" he playfully teased.
"It's called the Krakken" Shaw cut in suddenly.
"Wait, you know about it?" Ben asked in surprise.
"It's my business to know about it" Shaw replied, handing Ben a blurry photo of the creature "Been on its trail for years. Folks say my rudder's not right"
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Max said under his breath.
As Shaw explained how sightings of the creature had existed for centuries while showing off his array of aquatic tracking devices, Ben got steadily more and more excited. "In fact I could show you where I first laid eyes on the beast, if you're up for some REAL adventure" he offered.
Despite Max's scepticism, Ben's eager smile forced him to hold his tongue "I guess so" he reluctantly agreed.
The trip was brief and uneventful, but upon arrival they encountered an unwelcome surprise. A line of buoys, stunk together with warning tape, blocked their way.
"Do not enter?" Shaw sputtered, "What's going on?"
"Looks official, maybe we should turn back" Max suggested, much to Shaw's anger.
"This is MY lake! I'll go wherever I-" he began to yell only for a ship's horn to interrupt.
As they turned to face the new ship, they easily spotted a woman on the deck with short brown hair and wearing a blue jumpsuit. Giving the trio a polite smile she called out to them.
"Good morning! My name is Joanne Melvile, I'm the founder of 'Friends of Fish'. I'm afraid we've closed this are off for an environmental study, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to turn around please"
"Suppose you make me, fish hugger?" Shaw asked threateningly.
"Well actually, since I chartered the boat for the day, I believe I'm in charge. Right Captain?" Max replied, causing Shaw to reluctantly back down. "I'm sorry about the disturbance ma'am"
"Thank you sir" she replied with a small chuckle "I'm glad you're so understanding. Enjoy the rest of your day" she added with a friendly wave.
Ben's face twisted at the display, before he tried to get Max's attention. "Wait Grandpa, what about the Krakken?"
"The Krakken?" Joanne asked amused "Sorry kid but I'm a marine biologist, and there's just no evidence to suggest it exists. I'm afraid it's just and old fish story"
As Shaw followed Joanne's ship back towards the docks the sonar let out a loud 'ping'. "The sonar. we've found something!"
Checking behind them, Ben spotted a large fin gliding through the water towards them "Or something found us"
As it sank back below the surface, they noticed a vast shadow pass under the ship causing it to rock violently. As Shaw fought to regain control he spotted where the creature was heading "It's heading for the docks!" he yelled.
"Gwen!" Max and Ben cried, as the Krakken surfaced in all its terrible glory. Splintering the docks and tossing Gwen and 3 other campers into the lake as it did so.
"I told you, it's real! The Krakken lives!" Shaw crowed triumphantly.
"Sail now and gloat later" Max yelled, ushering Ben out of sight so he can activate the watch.
As Ben cycled through he had a certain 'hero' in mind. Having summoned her for an earlier prank on Gwen before they arrived.
"Ripjaws to the rescue" slamming the dial down he waited for the light to fade. What greeted him was not Ripjaws.
"XLR8? Stupid watch we need a swimmer not a runner" he complained.
Initially saddened, XLR8 quickly realised she had a great opportunity to show off in front of Ben. Lifting his face to meet her gaze, she gave him a confident smirk. "Don't worry coach" she said as her visor slid into place "I'll get the job done"
Taking off a superspeed she literally hit the water running, gliding across the surface as if it were solid. As Gwen and the others attempted to swim away, the Krakken lunged down, looking as if it was about to swallow her whole. Seconds before it could, XLR8 snatched her away and carried her to safety on the shore.
"(cough, cough) Thanks" Gwen said, taking a second to catch her breath. As she looked back at her rescuer she felt her eye twitch again. The sprint across the water had soaked the 'hero's' bodysuit, leaving the already form fitting clothing even more revealing.
"You're welcome red" she replied, not failing to notice Gwen's disapproval of her current state "You stay safe, while I show coach why he can count on me" with that she sped back off onto the lake, kicking up a spray of mud that caught Gwen.
"You did that on purpose!" Gwen snapped, as XLR8 successfully brought the other 3 campers over to her side.
As XLR8 turned back to see where the Krakken had swam off to, Gwen noticed the two adults she had rescued staring very obviously at her rear "Ugh what did I do to deserve being stuck in this situation" she mentally wailed.
Noticing the creature had begun chasing a ship, XLR8 took off once more, easily outpacing the monster and racing onto the ship's deck. Ignoring the crew's surprised yells she stood ready as the Krakken finally caught up to them, looming over the ship with a feral growl.
As she prepared to fight she was surprised when the beast instead used its tendrils to grab a crate from the deck. As it tried to pull it away Joanne suddenly rushed forward and grabbed ahold as if to try and stop it.
Baffled by the human's seeming lack of sense, XLR8 dashed forward, siding under the Krakken's chin and delivering a flurry of kicks at superspeed. The rapid assault succeded in forcing it to abandon its attempt to grab the crate, slinking back under the water.
"Thanks for the hand…well feet" Joanne joked as XLR8 turned to her in disbelief.
"What's so important about that crate that you were willing to be monster chow?" she asked,
"Um..our food rations?" Joanne answered, rather unsurely.
Feeling quite done with this, and growing irritated at the lustful stares from Joanne's crewmates (she was spoken for thank you very much!) XLR8 sped off again, heading back to Ben to tell him all about how great she did. As she leapt up to hang off the side of the ship (accidentally ruining Shaw's shot with a harpoon gun at the feeling Krakken) she eagerly began to recount her exploits to an ecstatic Ben.
"Oh man, you kicked it in the face? I wish I could have seen that" he cheered "I'm sorry I doubted you, you were awesome out there"
As the speedster preened under the praise, Max ran through what she told them.
"Risking your life for food? I understand appreciating a good meal but that seems a bit much" he mused to himself.
As XLR8 squirmed happily at Ben's praise, he mistook the action for shivering "Oh, we should probably get you dried off right? The lake is pretty cold" he innocently offered.
"Oh~ That's quite the offer co-" a series of sharp beeps cut her off "Oh come on!" she groaned before vanishing in a red flash, much to Max's relief.
That evening, while the other campers packed up and fled, our heroes sat around a campfire as they reviewed the day's events. Or in Ben's case, gloat over being right.
"See I told you it was real! That's what attacked Armizon last night. Me and Captain Shaw were right"
Max stared disapprovingly at his tone "Just because he was right about the monster, it doesn't mean I was wrong about him. I want you to stay away from him, he's trouble"
"We have enough 'troublesome' people with us anyway" Gwen snarked, pointedly looking at the watch.
"You're just being stubborn" Ben complained
"Oh yeah, stubborn people are the worst!" Gwen sarcastically agreed.
"Let's just leave things to the experts, like those 'friends of fish' people" Max suggested, earning a scoff from Ben as he started at his grandpa questioningly.
"You're just saying that because she was flirting with you"
"I…what?" Max asked, unsure if he heard him correctly.
"Duh, she kept giggling and was all" switching to an imitation of Joanne's voice he continued "'Thank you sir. Oh you're so understanding, enjoy your day" he finished copying her little wave. "It was really obvious"
Normally Max would call Ben out on his behaviour, or Gwen would make a snarky joke. But the sheer irony of the situation had left them momentarily stunned.
The awkward silence was broken by the sound of someone angrily talking to themselves nearby. Thankful for the distraction from that mess, the group spotted Captain Shaw stomping passed their camp.
"Captain Shaw? What's wrong?" Ben asked, catching the man's attention.
"Those enviro-punks have shut down the entire lake! Well nobody tells me where I can sail, and nobody can keep me from the catch of the century. Nobody" he ranted, making his way to the docks.
As the night wore on and Shaw set sail, Gwen impatiently knocked of the R.V's bathroom door.
"Come on Ben hurry up! What, did you fall in or something?" she shouts, growing suspicious at the lack of reply.
Following a gut instinct, Max forced the door open only to discover the room was empty and the window open. "That boy…" He groaned.
Meanwhile on Shaw's ship, the gruff captain was dealing with a familiar stowaway. Glaring down at the young boy who had been hiding under a tarp he reluctantly allowed him to stay, refusing to abandon the hunt for the beast a second time that day.
Now wearing a green diving suit, Shawn prepared to lure the Krakken back out of hiding using himself as bait.
"Maybe I should go with you? Uh just in case, you know?" Ben suggested, subconsciously letting his hand fall to the watch.
"No need boy, I've got my dive buddy right here" Shaw replied, hefting a harpoon gun before dropping over the side into the depths below.
Annoyed at being left behind, Ben soon noticed a spare red diving suit left on deck. Quickly throwing it on he followed after the captain, finding him floating over a shipwreck. His sudden movement must have startled Shaw, as he turned and fired the harpoon on instinct. Luckily the shot missed as Ben swam to the side, causing Shaw to let out a breath in relief.
Gesturing towards the wreck, Ben approached and spotted what Shaw had discovered. An egg. A large faintly orange/red glowing ball sat in the centre of what Ben guessed was a nest. Now with the beast's nest located, Shaw swam up to prepare to wait for the beast aboard his ship.
As he reached the surface he noticed another ship alongside his. A ship with a mounted gun on the front.
Tensing at the sight, Shaw gestured for Ben to stay back as he cautiously began to climb back onto his ship. As he neared the top he was grabbed by a trio of masked individuals in military style diving suits. As Ben watched from the water, the two male figures held Shaw in place as the female one stood before him.
"Dangerous to go diving alone at night, isn't it?" she asked
"I work alone. Don't got any friends" Shaw gruffly responded, hoping Ben would stay hidden.
"Really? And with such a sparkling personality too.." she replied mockingly before approaching him threateningly "What did you find down there?"
"Nothing. Same as always" Shaw lied, face giving nothing away.
The woman humm'd in thought, turning as if to leave before spinning back around and delivering a swift kick to Shaw's head. Sending him to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Ben gasped and ducked lower, watching as the two men dragged Shaw onto their ship.
"Let's get him back to the cannery. See what he really knows" she ordered before removing her mask, revealing herself to be Joanne Melvile.
"I knew there was a reason I didn't like her" Ben thought,staring at the watch and wincing as it remained red and unresponsive.
Joanne paused briefly to drop a marker in the water before returning to her ship. "Just to make sure" she said sadistically, as she also tossed a timed explosive onto Shaw's ship before sailing off.
As the vessel was blown apart in a shower of burning debris, Ben divided down to avoid being hit. Surfacing a short distance away, as he watched the villain's ship get further away the watch let out a chime as it returned to its active mode.
Smirking Ben twisted the dial before slamming it back down, in a flash of purple Stingwing appeared hovering overhead.
"Oh are we going for a midnight swim? I'm afraid I'm not too good at swimming, I might need your help. Maybe we can practise the 'breast stroke' first~" she chittered suggestively.
Motioning for a hand up, Ben took a seat on her back "Sorry but we'll have to practise later" he apologised distractedly, keeping his eyes on the retreating ship "Right now we need to stop those guys and rescue Captain Shaw"
"Oh, another rescue? That'll be a piece of cake" she happily replied "Hold on tight~" she warned before taking off like a shot after their target.
Onboard Joanne's ship one of her crewmen noticed something approaching "Something's coming…what is that a bird?" he announced before raising a pair of binoculars for a better look "No wait it's a…sexy bug lady?"
"What was that?" Joanne asked, blinking in confusion as she turned back to see for herself.
There was indeed a sexy bug lady bearing down on them, with a young boy on its back? Snapping out of it, Joanne snapped at the two crewmen to open fire as she ran back to the ship's controls.
As one fired the mounted gun, the other raised an assault rifle to add to the hail of bullets. Swiftly weaving out of their line of fire, Stingwing spat two globs of her adhesive slime, striking both thugs and pinning them to the deck.
Scowling at the unexpected interference, Joanne pressed a button on the controls to release the explosive barrels stored on the back of the ship. As they went off one after the other, Singwing managed to dodge the first four without trouble. Unfortunately the fifth exploded close to shore, toppling a tree into the lake and catching her in the resulting splash.
The hit sent Stingwing and Ben tumbling into the water, with Ben having to help the floundering alien stay afloat.
"Stingwing, are you okay?" he asked as he struggled to keep the larger being steady.
"I'm-I'm okay but my wings are soaked. I can't take off" she replied, wings buzzing uselessly as if to confirm her assessment.
To make matters worse, they soon noticed that Joanne had turned the ship around, now heading straight towards them. As the pair attempted to swim away, they managed to reach the downed tree now floating in the lake. Attempting to take off, Stingwing grimaced as her wings were still too wet, looking for another way out she spotted an overhanging branch from another tree just to their right.
Holding Ben close, and using her adhesive slime like a rope, she reeled them both up into the tree just in time to avoid the ship ramming through the fallen trunk. As she passed under them, Joanne could have sworn that the insect was…smiling(?) as she held tight onto the boy. Keeping a tight hold on her young 'partner' she quietly clambered around the branch, avoiding the light being aimed by the armed woman.
As the tension mounted a sudden shout from one of her crewmen alerted everyone to a familiar fin poking out of the water not too far away.
"It's getting a little crowded around here. Dump the trash and let's go" Joanne ordered, gesturing to the unconscious Shaw.
As they sped off after dropping the captain overboard, Ben declared that they needed to help him. A quick check showed her wings had dried enough and she quickly carried Ben down so he could fish the slowly sinking man.
After a bit of repositioning, Ben now back on her back guided her towards where the Rust Bucket was parked up. As the R.V appeared in the distance a dread sound rang out.
"Are you serious?!" Ben screamed, as the watch began flashing red.
Pushing herself, Stingwing managed to get close enough to drop the two humans over the R.V's open sunshade before vanishing.
After helping untie a now awake Captain Shaw, our heroes gathered in the vehicle to share what they'd discovered. With Gwen adding her own research to the discussion.
"I've found out who our friend Joanne really is. When I tried to search for information on her 'Friends of Fish' operation, I couldn't find anything on any environmentalist websites. But I did find this" turning the screen around, the others saw a collection of images of Joanne with captured animals.
"She travels around the world, poaching rare species and crating them up to sell to private collectors" she explained, as something clicked in Ben's head.
"Crating up? That's it! XLR8 said that when the Krakken attacked her ship it tried to steal a crate. They must have had an egg in there, like the one we say in her nest" he realised.
"When they tried to take Shaw prisoner, they mentioned a cannery. That must be where they're keeping it hidden" he continued.
At this, Shaw rose from his seat and headed for the door "Mother or not it doesn't change anything. I've got a spare boat down at the docks, come on" he said, with the trio sharing a look before following.
At the docks, as they took their places in a small motorised rowboat Shaw untied the boat from its post. Before he could get aboard they sped off, Ben apologising as they did so.
Leaving the furious hunter behind they soon reached the cannery, the building standing high above the water on a raised deck.
As they got closer Max cut the engine so they could drift stealthily beneath the deck. As Max and Gwen started to climb a nearby access ladder, Ben made his choice on the watch.
"This time, for sure" he thought, slamming the dial down.
As that familiar purple light died down, Ben looked on as Ripjaws took in her surroundings. She was covered in greenish scales, with a soft flowing fin covering one of her eyes like a fringe of hair. Around her neck she had a special breathing apparatus to avoid suffocating while out of water and she wore a black bikini top and a matching loincloth that stopped just above her knees, both doing little to cover her dignity. Not that Ben noticed as he watched her razor sharp mouth shift into a content smile.
"A boat huh? Are we planning a 'pleasure' cruise~" she asked, bending down to look him in the eye. Excitement gleaming in hers.
As Max missed a rung as he let out an undignified whine, Gwen (gently) banged her head off the side of the ladder "Everytime…and he never notices. They're not even subtle!" she muttered as they resumed their climb.
Ignoring his cousin's weird rant, Ben gave a quick rundown to Ripjaws about what was going on. "So you ready to kick some poacher butt?"
"Stealing a woman's kids, talk about low." Ripjaws growled "Alright let me at 'em"
Glancing up at his family to see if they were ready, Ben caught his Grandpa's worried gaze. Unfortunately for him, Ben mistook his look at this distance for one of disappointment. Think Max was upset with him for getting Ripjaws' hopes up, Ben racked his brain for something to say in apology.
"Hey, sorry for uh…getting your hopes up earlier. If you want we can take a boat ride after this is over y'know? Ben offered.
As Ripjaws reached 200% determination, Max and Gwen both let out a quietly horrified "no…"
"I'll hold you to tha-"
Mercifully Max and Gwen were spared any more of the awkward display. Less welcome was the reason for the interruption, as the Krakken burst forth from the depths and launched herself through the deck above.
As Gwen and Max hurriedly finished their climb, emerging just inside the cannery from a trapdoor, Ripjaws held onto Ben and the Krakken's arrival sent their boat flying.
Surfacing and making sure Ben was okay, Ripjaws had him hold onto her back as she used the clawed hands to scale one of the posts holding up the platform. Reaching the top, the duo were confronted with a scene of absolute chaos. The Krakken roared from one end of the deck as Joanne, piloting a semi humanoid minisub being suspended from a crane, raked her with energy blasts from one of the subs four arms.
"Ok I know this is serious, but it's also awesome" Ben admitted, as Ripjaws swung them both onto the deck. Spotting a large glass canister in the sub's left claw Ben tapped Ripjaws to get her attention.
"That canister has the eggs in it! We get that out of here and the Krakken will stop attacking" he instructed, hopping down to allow Ripjaws to fight freely.
With a savage snarl Ripjaws kicked off the deck, her impressive legs easily carrying her onto the hanging sub.
Inside the cockpit, Joanne grimaced as her view was blocked by…some kind of sexy fish woman?
"First the bug and now this? What is wrong with this lake?" she asked, attempting to aim her blaster at the new threat.
She never got the chance to fire as Ripjaws opened her mouth to surprising size before biting down on the weapon, taking a good chunk of the arm off with it. As Joanne gapped at the damage, Ripjaws turned her attention to the left claw, forcing it open and allowing the canister to drop.
As she dove for it, Joanne recovered and managed to land a sucker punch, knocking her away and leaving the container to shatter on the wooden deck below. As Ben watched one of the eggs rolled towards the Krakken, who eagerly scooped it up while the other rolled dangerously close to the fight. As Ripjaws leapt back up to grapple with Joanne, Ben noticed part of the cannery wall was going to collapse, right on top of the egg!
Sprinting over Ben managed to grab it and roll away before it could be crushed. Panting in a mix of fear and adrenaline, he noticed a shadow looming over him. Looking up he found the Krakken staring at him, more curious than threatening, as Ben held out the egg for her to take.
As the Krakken reached for its egg it suddenly reeled back in pain causing Ben to turn around for the cause of her distress. He soon spotted Joanne's sub, her mangled arm pinning Ripjaws against the cannery wall, while her clawed arm was pointed at the Krakken, a strange pulsing sound coming from it. As the Krakken toppled backwards into the lake, its tail taking out part of the cannery in the process, Ripjaws managed to force the arm holding her away.
Clambering over the sub's frame she reached its back where the crane was connected and bit down, severing the cables holding it up. As the sub hit the deck, mercifully not breaking straight through, it still found itself embedded in the thick wooden boards.
Frantically looking for an escape Joanne finally noticed Ben holding the egg "YOU?! First you're on the boat that speeding lizard ran off towards, then you're riding on the back of that blasted bug and now this!" she ranted.
"You know what, forget the egg! I'm gonna use you as bait and capture every one of your freakish tarts! I'm sure I'll find some rich weirdo willing to pay for them" she continued attempting to crawl her way towards the unarmed boy.
Unfortunately her rage at being foiled by a child had distracted her to the real threat. Seeing Joanne threaten Ben, Ripjaws dropped from the crane and landed on the subs back. Tearing at the frame with the teeth and claws, she soon pulled a terrified Joanne from the cockpit.
"What was that about using my 'partner' as bait" she snarled, making sure the poacher got a good view of her fanged mouth.
As Joanne stammered in fear, the Krakken clambered back onto the deck, having recovered from the sonic attack. Glaring hatefully down at the poacher in the alien 'hero's' grip she prepared to lunge, stopping shot as Ben leapt in front holding out her egg.
With surprising tenderness, she scooped her egg out of his hands and (with one last glare at Joanne) she dived back into the lake, vanishing into the dark depths. With one last glare of her own Ripjaws delivered a swift punch, knocking the poacher unconscious.
"Ben!" He heard his grandpa call out. Turning to face them he happily returned Max's hug as Gwen hung up her cell phone.
"We've taken care of her thugs and I've alerted the police. They should be here soon to pick up the trash" Gwen said, taking in the devastation outside.
As they took a moment to relax, Ben began to retell the battle to Max and Gwen as Ripjaws blushed in the background.
"Man I didn't know you could open your mouth that wide" he commented "You could probably fit my whole head in there"
"I could fit more than that-ACK!"
Ben watched in shock as Gwen suddenly kicked the alien off the platform and into the water below.
"Gwen!" he yelled, as she shot him an annoyed look.
"I just thought she could use a soak. Stay hydrated you know" she replied flatly.
"That's what her collar is for dweeb. Geeze you need to pay closer attention" he mocked.
As Max had to hold Gwen back from strangling her cousin, he once again let out a weary sigh.
How long was summer vacation again?
-Canon as you want it to be Omake-
"Oh Ben this is wonderful" Ripjaws sighed, as they sat together in the boat. Ben offering her a sandwich as he tucked into his own.
"Yeah, this turned out pretty good" he agreed as they sat with blankets wrapped around their shoulders, the night having a slight chill.
Keeping his promise to the 'hero', Ben resummoned her before they left the lakeside. The pair now were enjoying a small picnic out on the lake. Turning to his grandpa (who insited on being the one to row them out), he noticed he was looking quite uncomfortable.
"You okay grandpa? Are you cold?"
"I'm fine, Ben" he lied, putting on a fake smile. "Besides we only have two blankets"
"Oh that's ok, I can just share with Ben" Ripjaws quickly offered.
"No that's not ne-" Max was cut off as said blanket was tossed over him. Pulling it away he stared despairingly as Ripjaws now had Ben sitting on her lap.
"This is actually kinda comfy" Ben admitted, much to Ripjaws' delight.
"Thanks for the great idea Max" she said cheerfuly and entirely too sincerely.
As he watched the increasingly awkward display, Max wondered if he should jump ship and take his chances with the Krakken. It would be more merciful than what Gwen will do to him when she finds out.