Somewhere along a lonely desert road, the Rust Bucket pulled up outside a roadside ice cream parlour. It was a modestly sized building, a sugary oasis in the scorching heat, and a very welcome sight for our young heroes.
As Ben and Gwen rushed inside, Max made a quick stop at the nearby ATM. While he started his transaction, a beat-up red pickup truck pulled up behind him. Max, shaking his head at their slipshod parking, went to grab his card when a shadow fell over him.
Turning around he was confronted by a large, burly man scowling down at him.
"Outta the way grandpa!" the man snapped, roughly throwing him aside "I've got a MAJOR withdrawal to make"
As Max hit the dirt he attempted to stand only to find a second thug. This one thinner and with a buck toothed grin, standing menacingly over him. At this Max hung his head, not in fear as the thug believed, but in exasperation.
"Can't we go ONE day without needing one of 'them' to show up"
Inside the store, Ben and Gwen were currently unaware of their grandpa's plight as they stared hungrily at the collection of ice cream. Looking up at the, rather old and grump, server Gwen asked.
"Do you have anything non fat with less than 3% sugar?"
Ben gave her a disappointed look "How are we even related?"
"We got napkins" the server replied gruffly before turning to Ben "Now what about you kid?"
Before Ben could answer the sound of clanking metal from outside drew his attention. Through the window he saw the burly man dragging a thick metal chain, tipped with a large hook, towards the ATM. Smirking at the chance for some 'superhero' action, Ben made a dash for the door, watch primed and ready.
Outside the larger thug stabbed the hook into the ATM's frame, turning to give his partner a thumbs up. As he did he failed to notice a swift moving, black shape slither across the floor before attaching itself to the undercarriage of the truck.
Returning the thumbs up, the buck toothed thug attempted to start the engine, only to recoil as the wheel melted away under his hands. As he continued to look, frozen in fear, as the dashboard was overtaken by what seemed to be a fluid black metal covered in purple circuitry.
As a rounded blob rose from the console, a large circle acting as a 'face', the circuits lit up as it spoke in a synthetic yet unmistakably female voice.
"I'm sorry, but your transaction has been denied" it spoke with faux cheerfulness.
The car seemed to warp and shift as the black metal spread around it, the driver's door flinging itself open before the thug found himself ejected from the vehicle. As he crashed heavily to the ground a good distance away, the burly thug wrenched the hook free and took a threatening stance.
As the living metal detached from the truck, it began to take on a more humanoid shape, and the thug felt his jaw go slack as he got a good look at his attacker. Its body was mostly the same black metal with purple circuitry except for a white underbelly. It's arms were long, ending with large three fingered hands, while its legs were rather short in comparison. That wasn't what had his attention though.
No his attention was focused on the very prominent mounds on its chest and wide hips. As he let the arm holding the chain go limp, he failed to notice the being's 'face' begin to glow angrily.
"Don't you know it's rude to STARE" it said, a purple beam shooting out from her 'eye'.
The startled thug had no time to react as he was blasted back against the wall. Sliding to the floor, he attempted to weakly push himself up, only to be pinned back down as Max planted a boot on his chest.
"Where do you think you're going?" he taunted as the man gave up and slumped back unconscious.
Spotting Ben and Gwen making their way over, Max gave his grandson a small nod "Good work Ben and uh..Upgrade was it?" he asked, watching as the alien slithered over the reform beside her 'partner'.
"Actually we settled on Ultra-T" Ben replied, grinning up at the 'hero' as her 'eye' creased in her version of a smile.
Ben gave Gwen a smug look "And you said using our travel time to practise with the aliens was a dumb idea"
"Learning their powers was smart." She replied "I said teaching them to make bad puns was a dumb idea"
"Hey, quips and banter are major parts of being a superhero" Ben defended, as Ultra-T shifted her head down beside Ben's.
"Indeed. I believe I made great use of his lessons today" she agreed, circuits glowing happily as Ben thanked her.
"I must admit though, possessing that vehicle was rather enjoyable, perhaps I could do so again at a later time? I'm sure we'd both find the 'ride' quite invigorating" she suggested, circuitry flashing like a racing heartbeat.
"Hey that sounds pretty cool" Ben agreed, much to Max and Gwen's dismay.
"Oh god it'll be Ripjaws all over again" Max thought, before clearing his throat "W-well let's put that aside for now. We need to get going to make it to out next stop"
"Alright, where are we going?" Ben asked excitedly.
"We're spending the weekend with Aunt Vera" Max explained cheerfully, as Ben's face dropped.
"Boring old Aunt Vera? Nooooo!" he moaned, letting head fall back against Ultra-T. His head coincidentally just below her chest.
As Ultra-T's 'face' shifted into a heart and her circuity flashed brightly, Gwen felt her eye twitch once more "I call shotgun" she yelled "I'm not sitting back there with the doofus and his living body pillow" she thought.
After a long, long drive, The Rust Bucket made it through the desert and finally reached Vera's retirement village. As they drove down the streets, Ben stared out the window in boredom.
"Ugh this is gonna be so lame. What do these old folks even do besides nap and watch the grass grow?" he muttered bitterly.
As they passed by a certain home, Ben spotted an old man attempting to adjust the satellite dish on his roof. To his horror the man suddenly slipped, falling from the ladder.
Before Ben could call out for Max to stop, the old man twisted in mid air, pulling off a perfect backflip before landing safely.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" he asked, Gwen looking up from her laptop too late to notice anything unusual.
"Notice what? That the heat is starting to fry that pea sized brain of yours?" she joked as Ben looked away in frustration.
After a few more minutes' travel, the Rust Bucket finally pulled up outside Vera's home. As Ben stepped out he winced as he shielded his eyes from the sun.
"Why do old people have to live where it's so hot" he complained, unaware of Gwen sneaking up behind him.
A startled squeak escaped him as he felt a splash of cold water against his neck. Turning to face a snickering Gwen holding a water pistol, she flashed him a teasing grin before running off. Before Ben could follow however he noticed Vera's neighbour watching him from his window.
The man actually 'hissed' at him before cracking his neck, closing the blinds with a final glare. A little freaked out Ben hurried to catch up with Max.
"Just a heads up you two, watch your cheeks. Vera's pincher" Max warned playfully.
As the approached the home they were met by an older woman who, with her larger build and grey hair, definitely shared a resemblance to their grandfather.
"Max! It's so good to see you" she cheered, giving him a quick hug before turning her attention to the kids "And look at you two! Oh you've grown so much." she cooed, giving their cheeks a pinch.
As Ben and Gwen rubbed their faces, Vera ushered them inside "Come on, I can't wait to chew the fat with you"
Soon the four were seated around the dinner table, the kids looking warily at the jello mould in front of them. It seemed strange cooking ran in the family. As Ben tried to find a way out of eating the offending 'treat', Vera happily began asking them about their vacation.
"So Ben, how's your vacation been so far? Anything exciting?"
"Fighting aliens/meeting girls" Ben and Gwen said at the same time. Ben gave Gwen an embarrassed look "Maybe the sun's frying YOUR brain, don't go saying weird stuff" he said defensively.
"Oh 'this' sounds weird to you" Gwen quipped much to his confusion, while Aunt Vera let out an amused chuckle.
"Oh my, sounds like you're a little heartbreaker. Taking after your grandpa?" she asked playfully, Max despairing mentally.
"Please don't joke about that" he muttered to himself, Ben using everyone's distraction to tip his serving onto Gwen's plate.
"Oh boy, that was great. Totally stuffed" he announced, patting his stomach.
"Oh so you won't be wanting any candy?" Vera asked, offering Ben a bowl.
"Oh now we're talking!" Ben cheered, tossing one into his mouth, before immediately gagging "Urk! Coffee, as candy?" he groaned, making a dash for the bathroom.
Slamming the door behind him, spitting it out into the sink "Ugh great. Not only is this place snooze-ville, they've even managed to ruin candy" he complained "I gotta get out of here"
Glancing at the watch, Ben smiled slyly as he spun the dial along to a ghostly looking silhouette. Slamming the dial down, Ben blinked away the spots from the flash as he looked for his chosen 'hero'.
Feeling a chill down his spine, he turned and jumped back in surprise. Hovering just above him was a womanly apparition, a wispy tail flowing from her shapely hips. Her body was almost entirely covered in a hooded white, skin tight material, with her only visible features being a single purple eye and a lock of silver/white hair peeking from the darkness of the hood.
"Whoa! H-hey Scream Queen, you uh…you snuck up on me pretty good there" he chuckled nervously.
"Hello Ben" she greeted fondly, her voice quiet with a faint raspiness to it "It's been too long since we've last had some time together"
As Ben offered a quick apology, he had to fight off a chill running down his back. Don't get him wrong, Scream Queen was just as friendly as the rest of the 'heroes', but there was just something about her that put him on edge. Shrugging that off as just being a ghost thing he quickly explained his situation.
Her eye crinkled in delight, she coiled herself around Ben so she could carry him and have him share in her powers (no other reason surely). Turning invisible the pair phased through the door, spotting Aunt Vera showing Gwen her collection of sea shells.
As she told Gwen to put the shell to her ear to hear the ocean, Ben whispered his own plan to Scream Queen. Eye glinting with mischief, she carried them over to his cousin just as she lifted the shell to her ear.
"Gwendolyn…Gwendolyn" she whispered, making Gwen jerk back in shock. Ben's snickers soon caught her attention.
"Ben?" she whispered back, checking to make sure Vera was distracted before trying to locate the source of his voice.
As Scream Queen allowed them to become partially visible, she took satisfaction in watching Gwen's face twist up as she noticed how she had draped herself over Ben's shoulders. Ben however remained oblivious to their silent stare down as he gave his cousin a mocking wave.
"Farewell Gwendolyn" Scream Queen chuckled, the sound sending chills down the girl's spine "Ben and I will be taking our leave in search of more, 'lively', activities"
Gwen had no time to reply as the spectral 'hero' led her cousin through the wall and onto the lawn.
"I never thought I'd say this. But I think I prefer 'miss boob tube' over her" Gwen thought, trying to subtly catch her grandpa's attention.
Outside, Ben and Scream Queen searched for something to do. Well, Ben searched anyway, Scream Queen seemed content to remain wrapped around him. Spotting a golf cart, with a full golf bag, parked across the street Ben got another mischievous idea.
As the resident of the retirement village went about their day, many found themselves staring in disbelief as a golf cart seemingly drove itself down the street. Inside an invisible Ben, reflected on his earlier conversation with Ultra-T.
"Maybe tomorrow I should bring her out. She did want to ride with me" he mused, not noticing how Scream Queen's eye shrank in jealousy.
"Really Ben, am I such poor company you must make plans with the others during our time together? She asked with faux hurt.
Ben, falling for her act, quickly apologised when a delicious smell caught his attention. Parking up, the two made their way to a nearby home, a fresh apple pie cooling on the window ledge.
As Ben licked his lips at the appetising treat, Scream Queen began to reach out for it.
"Hey wait, what are you…?"
"It's fine Ben" she assured him, staring deep into his eyes "She's old, and will probably forget, letting it go to waste. Why not simply 'enjoy' the moment and seize what you want?" she tempted. Her tail gripping just a little tighter as her eye flashed possessively.
Missing the double meaning, Ben was hesitant but sorely tempted by the thought of good food. Ben made to reach out…only to flinch back as a sharp 'crack' echoed from inside the house. Looking up the pair spotted an old woman attempting to swat a fly, which soon landed on the ceiling out of reach.
Ina flash the woman leapt up, sticking to the roof and ate the fly in one quick motion before dropping back to the floor. Cracking her neck much like Vera's neighbour (Marty didn't she say?) had done earlier.
As Ben recoiled and Scream Queen tensed in case of a fight, the sound of a golf cart speeding by drew their attention back to the street. Speaking of Marty, he was driving along with a rolled up rug beside him, making his way quickly down the lane. As he passed one of the houses however the sprinklers activated, crying out in panic he desperately steered away, almost losing control.
"Ok, something really weird is going on here" Ben muttered as they made their way back to the golf cart, keeping a careful distance as they followed the suspicious man.
It didn't take too long for them to reach their destination, a fenced off dumpster site, where Marty's legs grew to inhuman lengths before stepping over the gate, the rug carried over his shoulder.
"This isn't a normal human thing is it?" Scream Queen felt compelled to ask as they drifted closer to see him effortlessly push aside one of the dumpsters, revealing a metal trapdoor.
As Ben shook his head, the dreaded sound of the watch timing out filled the area. As Scream Queen's eye widened in panic, Ben let out a gulp as she vanished leaving him exposed outside the chain link gate.
As Marty's face 'morphed' through the back of his head, he let out a terrifying screech revealing shard green fangs.
Crying out in shock, Ben raced back to the cart speeding away as Marty(?) clambered back over the fence and began sprinting after him. The elderly man's arms stretched out, snaking after the fleeing cart before grabbing a hold of the frame. As the cart was slowly reeled in, Ben grabbed one of the golf clubs from the bag beside him, yelling "Fore!" as he brought it down on Marty's(?) left wrist. The club cut through the limb like it was more liquid than flesh, causing the man to let go, allowing the cart to continue its escape.
Ben's relief was short-lived as a loud thump on the roof told him that Marty(?) had caught up to him again. As the man's extended arms tried to grab at him, Ben jerked the wheel attempting to shake him off, the distraction however led to him driving into a set of speed bumps. The cart sailed into the air before crashing back down on its side, ending up on someone's lawn.
As Ben staggered to his feet, he spotted Marty(?) snap his neck and arms back into shape before reaching out for him again. Attempting to activate the watch to no success, Ben kicked frantically as he was dragged closer to the snarling man. Just as all hope seemed lost, the sprinklers on the lawn activated showering them both with refreshing cold water.
Marty(?) screeched in what sounded like agony before letting him go, running away as fast as his legs could carry him.
As Ben lay there, breathing hard he had only one thing to say
"What. The. Fu-!"
Thankfully no one was around to hear him curse (especially not that tattletale Gwen), after taking a moment to catch his breath he set off back towards Vera's home.
It was late in the afternoon by the time he got back, throwing open the door and rushing to find his grandpa and cousin in the kitchen.
" ! You won't believe what…"
"Ben keep it down, your Aunt's trying to sleep" Max admonished, holding a finger to his lips.
"I can believe you ran off with that creepy stalker! Aunt Vera was really upset" Gwen added, frowning when Ben waved her off.
"First, Scream Queen isn't a stalker. She's just a bit clingy" Ben said, ignoring Gwen's look of disbelief "Second, Aunt Vera's old. She'll forget about this by tomorrow anyway" he finished, unknowingly repeated Scream Queen's words from earlier.
Before either of them could call him out for his attitude, Ben quickly began to explain what he'd seen. From the 'ninja' old lady to the super stretching Marty(?), by the end the two were listening with mixed levels of scepticism.
"So my plan is to call out Armizon, or maybe Crystal Knight, and we bust into Marty's apartment to find out what he's hiding" Ben finished, holding up the watch eagerly.
"Or maybe we can check it out out ourselves, quietly" Max suggested "I don't think the residents here could, uh….handle seeing your friends" he suggested, imaging how the residents would react to the 'risque' nature of some of the 'hero's' clothes.
"Oh yeah, I guess they can look a bit intimidating" Ben reluctantly agreed, missing the true point.
"We'll check it out after dark to avoid being seen. Us 'old folks' don't forget quite as much as you'd think" Max replied, with a playful wink.
As he went to get ready, Gwen gave Ben a long-suffering look "Ever since you got that watch, you've been a magnet for weirdness" she commented "..and thirsty aliens" she thought to herself.
As Ben pretended to be dragged in her direction like a magnet she rolled her eyes and went to follow Max.
As night fell, the trio quietly made their way to Marty's home. Finding the door unlocked they slipped in, cautiously checking each room as they went. Despite a brief scare involving a coat moving in the breeze, the search was rather uneventful, and despite the clear signs of the missing rug that Ben had seen Marty(?) carrying nothing else seemed out of place.
Returning to Vera's, Max decided that they'd pick up the search in the morning, much to Ben's disappointment.
"Sorry Ben, but right now we should get some rest. I'm going to go for an early walk tomorrow, and when I get back we'll pick up where we left off ok?" he offered, bidding them goodnight before turning in himself.
Unbeknownst to our heroes, a shapeless mass slipped into Aunt Vera's room. Quickly expanding to cover her and muffling her startled cries!
The next day, as they waited for Max to return, Ben searched the fridge for anything to drink while Gwen prepared a coffee and glass of water for her aunt.
"Nothing but prune juice" Ben sighed "Is it a rule that you need to stop buying GOOD stuff when you get old?" he asked a mildly amused Gwen.
They soon noticed their Aunt enter the kitchen, though something seemed…off about her. Gwen offered her a cheerful greeting.
"Good morning Aunt Vera, how are you today?" she asked politely.
"Just…fine. How 'bout you?" Vera replied, her voice stilted and awkward.
Sharing a concerned look with Ben, Gwen attempted to offer her the coffee only to stumble and spill it and the water onto the floor. As Gwen went to apologise, Vera suddenly jumped and performed a perfect split, holding herself up in the archway leading to the kitchen.
"Clean it up! Clean it up right now!" she demanded, face twisted in fear.
Severely weirded out, Gwen quickly wiped it up before Vera would return to the floor. Sparing a glance at Max's empty room she asked where he'd gone.
As Gwen explained he'd left for a walk, Vera awkwardly excused herself, leaving the two alone.
"Okay so she's totally one of them right?" Ben asked flatly.
"One of your ninja, stretching old people?" Gwen asked, reflecting on the strangeness of the situation "Probably" she admitted with some reluctance.
"We need to go check out that trapdoor by the dump site. Come on" Ben said, Gwen quickly snatching up her backpack before following him out.
As Ben and Gwen attempted to make their way stealthily through the streets, they were forced to walk past a pair of old women playing street curling. As they got closer the old women suddenly snarled, revealing yellow fangs before launching the pucks at the two at high speeds.
Ducking he first volley, the pair raced down the street as more pucks flew past them. Sprinting around a street corner, hugging the wall as they tried to catch their breaths, they noticed Max approaching from the other direction.
"Kids, what's going on?" he asked, as the two flinched away as several pucks struck the wall beside them.
"They're everywhere!" Ben cried out, looking back to Max in time to see his face shift, revealing yellow fangs of his own!
"I know, c'mere I'll protect ya!" with an animalistic roar, he stretched his arms towards them.
Dodging the clumsy attack the pair were chased back into the street, skidding to a halt as the spotted Vera(?) and Marty(?) hoisting a car over their heads with the help of another resident. As the three launched the car at the kids Gwen tackled Ben to the side, the car landing on Max(?) and crushing him under its bulk.
"NOOOO!" Gwen screamed, as Ben stared horrified at the crumpled vehicle.
A mass of green 'ooze' slithered out from underneath the wreckage, quickly reforming into the shape of grandpa Max except for his left eye, now bright orange and ringe with green 'skin'.
"Oh thank god" Gwen let out in relief at the obvious fake, as Ben helped her to her feet.
The dumpster site was just down the street, but the four fakes were steadily advancing on the pair, seeing the situation Ben activated the watch and slammed it down, the light blinding the fakes and giving them time to open the gate.
As the fake residents recovered they found themselves facing Wild-Gal. The feral 'hero' snarling protectively, advanced senses easily realising the creatures in front of her were not human, as Ben and Gwen attempted to move the dumpster. Sensing their struggle, Wild-Gal dodged Fake Max's arm before leaping back beside the duo, and hefted the dumpster over her head. Wincing at the stench, she let out a fierce roar before throwing it at their attackers, catching all four and splattering them across the road.
As Gwen stuck her tongue out at the grossness of the scene, Ben managed to get the trapdoor open, stepping back as he realised the sheer drop it covered.
"Wild-Gal, we're gonna need some help here" he called, prompting her to scoop him and Gwen up under one arm before leaping down.
Using her free arm to dig her claws into the wall, slowing their descent, Gwen gagged as she and Ben were accidentally (on Gwen's part) squished against her chest. As they reached the bottom, the kids noticed the fakes begging to scale their way down the walls after them.
At Ben's urging, the 'hero' shifted them onto her back before sprinting away into the tunnels, the dim lighting doing little to slow her down.
After what felt like forever she skidded to a halt upon entering a chamber, dozens of tunnels leading off in all directions. As Ben and Gwen dismounted, Gwen peered down one of the tunnels.
"These must go under the entire village" she realised, looking back only to frown as Ben ruffled Wild-Gal's fur as she panted happily "You know she's not actually a dog right?"
"If she didn't like it she'd say so" Ben countered, Wild-Gal leaning into his hand.
"No stop." she ground out in her broken speech "Hands…feel good" letting out a happy whine as Gwen mimed throwing up.
Sensing something approaching, Wild-Gal suddenly spun around, jaws snapping shut on a pair of arms that had been about to grab Ben. As the kids jumped back in shock they noticed Fake Max emerging from the tunnel they'd come from.
With a sharp tug Wild-Gal pulled Fake Max off his feet, catching him with her right hand before smashing him into the ground. As she attempted to bite down, she took a flurry of punches to the face, reeling back as Fake Max shifted and reformed on his feet, grinning savagely.
His grin faded as Wild-Gal turned back to him with a savage grin of her own, before delivering a brutal uppercut and sending him across the room. As she stalked towards her downed foe, the fake tried to plead with the kids, his face fully reformed.
"Kids please, It's me. You wouldn't let this shameless beast hurt me wou-"
He was cut off as Wild-Gal grabbed his head in her jaws, shaking him like a dog would a chew toy before tossing him into the wall, burying him under a pile of rocks.
"No…Max" she snarled, as Ben approached to make sure she was ok and assured her she wasn't a 'shameless beast''. ("Why do people keep saying that?" He wondered)
"Okay, I know that was a fake, but that was still pretty messed up to see" Gwen stated, with Ben having to agree.
As they wondered what to do now, Wild-Gal suddenly began to sniff the air, making her way to one tunnel in particular. With a happy bark, she gestured for Ben and Gwen to climb on "Max…here"
As they raced down the tunnel they soon spotted a barricade of wooden boards and green slime blocking their path. To make matters worse the watch began to chime and flash red. With a frustrated grow, the beast woman picked up the pace, Ben and Gwen holding tight as she broke through the barrier just before vanishing.
Tumbling to the floor, the duo groaned as they picked themselves up "You know, for watch that thing has a lousy sense of timing" Gwen said, wincing as she rubbed her back.
Carefully following the tunnel the two soon found themselves in a large subterranean cave. The room seemingly filled with green pods with a large saucer like ship in the centre.
As they made their way past the rows of pods they spotted a few familiar residents, including Marty.
"They must have the entire village down here" Gwen said, taking in the sheer scope of the situation.
Nearby Ben spotted a very familiar face in one of the pods "Grandpa!" With Gwen's help the two managed to pull it open.
As a groggy Max tried to recall how he ended up here, Ben went to free another pod, only to jump back as the Fake Vera, Marty and the man Ben had seen flip off his roof stalked out of the shadows.
"Now, now. Don't you know it's rude to play with other people's food?" Fake Vera asked mockingly
"Get the old man back into the pod and kill the brats" Fake Marty ordered "They're too young to be worth having"
"Oh look, they're the opposite of Ben's aliens" Gwen couldn't help but snark to Max, who was torn between scolding her and acknowledging the awkward truth of her statement.
As the fakes let out a blood curdling screech they shifted back into their true forms. Now resembling vaguely humanoid masses of green slime, with multiple orange eyes and pink organs visible through their 'skin'.
As they attempted to back up, Gwen's hand pressed against the side of the ship, causing the wall to slide open and reveal more pods inside.
"They've found the ship!" one of the aliens cried "They must not be allowed to escape!"
Seeing the watch still needed time to recharge, Ben tried to stall for time. "Well we wouldn't have escaped the first time if you guys didn't suck at being shapeshifters."
At his words the three aliens halted in their tracks, caught off guard by his audacity "Come again?" one growled.
"Yeah, if you guys could act normal for like, two seconds, you could have grabbed us before we realised you were there" Gwen added, catching on to his plan.
"You dare mock us, you primitive whelps!" one roared, their face shifting to confusion as it noticed Ben smirking back now holding his watch.
"Yup, bet that just 'burns' you up huh?" he taunted, slamming the dial on the watch down. In a flash the aliens stepped back as Heart's Fire now stood protectively in front of him.
"Oh gross" she screamed, charging up a large ball of flame "Kill it with fire!"
As she unleashed the attack, Ben and his family shielded their eyes as the three aliens were swallowed up by the flames. As the firestorm died down however, they saw that not only has the attack failed to harm them, it had in fact allowed them to merge together as one giant monstrosity.
"You've made a big mistake, us Limaxes live for the heat. Why do you think we came to the desert in the summer?" it said, laughing "Your blunder has ensured your own demise you foolish boy!"
Literally simmering with rage, Heart's Fire blasted herself into the air towards the giant Limax, delivering a rush of attacks to its face "DON'T. YOU. TALK ABOUT. HIM. LIKE. THAT!"
Shrugging off her blows, the Limax caught her with one of its tentacle-like arms and began slamming her against the cave walls. As Heart's Fire struggled to break free, the Tennysons were busy rescuing the pods on board the ship.
Spotting them, the giant Limax roared and split off two smaller copies of itself to deal with them. As Gwen attempted to roll out another pod, she was attacked by one of the copies and knocked aside, her backpack spilling open.
As Ben and Max attempted to protect her the two Limaxes suddenly recoiled, Gwen following their gaze noticed they were moving away from…her water pistol?
With a sudden flash of clarity she called out "That's it! These things are afraid of water! Like Aunt Vera in the kitchen"
"Or Marty with the sprinklers" Ben realised, watching as Gwen snatched up the toy and fired twice. The two aliens melting away as the water cut through them.
A pained cry caught their attention, as the trio exited the ship to see Heart's Fire being crushed in the giant alien's grasp. Desperate to help his friend, Ben scanned around the cave for anything when a drop of water landed on his head.
Looking up curiously he spotted a series of pipes sticking out of the cave roof. A plan forming in his head he called out to the 'hero'.
"Heart's Fire, aim high!"
As the fiery bombshell followed his gaze to the pipes overhead, charging up a shot in her hand she let it loose. As the Limax split its head to allow the shot to pass through it smirked viciously at her.
"You missed" it taunted as it prepared to crush her.
"Wasn't aiming for you" she grunted out, internally cheering she got to use one of the 'classic' lines Ben had taught her.
As the giant registered her words it was too late to stop the fireball from punching clean through the pipes, letting loose a flood of water down on them both. The Limax wailing as it was quickly reduced to nothing, cursing at the flaming 'hero' and the humans in a final act of spite.
As Ben approached he smiled as he spotted his 'partner' stepping out of a cloud of steam, her flames returning to full force.
"Well Ben, I always knew things could get 'steamy' between us~" she quipped, delighting as his face lit up at the pun (even if he didn't get the real joke)
"Oh can you not for once, please" Gwen groaned as she helped Max remove the final pods from the ship.
"You're just mad that-"
Heart's Fire's reply was cut short as the Limax ship began to shake. Dashing between the humans and the vessel she held her arms out protectively as the ship rose into the air, engine flaring brightly as it burst through the roof of the cave and vanished into the night sky.
"...That probably won't come back to bite us right?" she asked as Max shrugged uncertainty.
"It's going to take forever to get these pods out of here" Gwen noted, as Ben looked contemplate at the watch.
"Give the watch time to recharge and I'm sure XLR8 can help" he said, suddenly panicking as he recalled Scream Queen's reaction, he turned to Heart's Fire "But, uh we should celebrate properly later" he suggested.
As the fiery 'hero' gasped holding her hands to her cheeks, imagination running wild as she stuttered about "How bold" he was, Max and Gwen shared a look.
"Is it too late to get back in the pod?" Max asked her, resigned to chaperoning another 'date' as Gwen patted his back in sympathy.
-Non Canon Omake-
As the Limax advanced on the Tennysons, with Heart's Fire standing protectively in front of them, the one that had been disguised as Aunt Vera cackled mockingly.
"Come here boy, let your dear old Aunt pinch those cheeks of yours"
"Hey!" Heart's Fire yelled, pulling Ben to her side "Only we get to pinch his cheeks" she said gesturing to the watch.
"Why are you so defensive of his face" the Limax asked in confusion. Her silence caused them stare back in concern.
"You-You meant his 'face' right?" they asked, a hint of desperation in their tone. Her sly smile in reply was most unsettling.