Several days after both Vilgax's attack and Phil's betrayal, Max decided that what everyone needed was a peaceful and relaxing trip. As the trio made their way through Yellowstone national park, Max took a deep breath.
"(sniff) Ah, feel that fresh air? Nothing beats relaxing in the great outdoors" he sighed happily.
"Gah! Stupid thing!" Ben yelled, shattering the peaceful mood.
"..Nevermind" Max turned away from the majestic view, to find Ben fiddling with the Chaquetrix while listening to a radio on his headphones.
"Do you need to play with that thing every day?" Gwen asked tiredly, Max faking a cough to hide a laugh at the unintentional innuendo.
"I was trying to get XLR8 out here to see if she could make a food run. I'd kill for a cheeseburger right now, but I;m stuck in the middle of nowhere" he replied grumpily.
Gwen rolled her eyes as she pulled his headphones off to get his attention, causing him to miss a certain news report about an incoming meteor.
"You are so uncultured, Yellowstone is one of the coolest places around!" she argued, gesturing to their surrounding "Try appreciating it"
"God, you are such a nerd"
"Now Ben, Gwen's right. Besides, you don't need that fast food junk. You can live right off the land!" Max said, moving a log to reveal a cluster of worms "Grub worms! Oh these things taste great with a sun-dried tomato paste"
As Max happily slurped down a worm, his grandkids were less enthusiastic about it. Grabbing hold of the Chaquetrix, Gwen tried to move the dial.
"You know, maybe XLR8 could get me a burger with chilli while she's at it!" she said desperately, pushing buttons at random.
"Now who's playing around?" Ben joked, before flinching back as the watch sparked violently "Whoa! What did you-?!"
A purple flash forced them to shield their eyes, when they opened them again the alien that greeted them was NOT XLR8 "..Who the heck is that?"
Standing before them was a somewhat 'chubby', shortstack looking alien with large yellow plates covering her back. Her clothing was essentially a (struggling) sports bra and matching hot pants, the plates around her head acting like a 'hood' that framed her (admittedly) cute face.
"No way…" Ben said, before rushing over excitedly "A NEW hero!"
Gwen and Max did not share his enthusiasm.
"This is a nightmare" Gwen muttered "Now there's eleven of them…Oh god, does this mean there are even more?!" Max attempted to calm her as she spiralled further.
Ignoring his cousin's breakdown, Ben grinned up at his newest 'partner' as she bashfully smiled down at him "This is so cool, I never expected to unlock a new hero!"
"H-hero? Oh no, I'm not-" she started before cutting off as Ben playfully tapped her arm plate.
"Hey, don't be modest. I bet you have an awesome superpower, right?" the 'hero' flushed under his earnest enthusiasm.
"W-well, I-(gasp) LOOK OUT!" crying out in panic, she dived forward as Max and Gwen looked up to see a meteor blazing towards them.
"Gwen!" Max pulled Gwen down as it passed overhead, shattering treetops and kicking up massive dust clouds before impacting further in the park.
"You ok?" Max asked, dusting himself off as Gwen did the same "Yeah, I-I'm ok. Wait. Where'd Ben go?"
Looking around Max realised she was right, there was no sign of Ben or the new 'hero' anywhere. There was however a very suspicious yellow sphere where they had been standing.
"Ben?" Max asked, a bad feeling forming in his gut "Ben, are you…in there?"
At his question the 'sphere' unfolded, revealing itself to be the 'hero' with Ben…'securely' held against her.
"Seriously?" Gwen groaned upon seeing the 'intimate' position Ben had found himself in.
"I-I'm sorry for being so forward" she apologised, flushing as Ben pushed himself up "I saw the meteor and just…reacted"
"Don't apologise, you were just doing your job as a hero" Ben assured her "Now let's get over there and investigate!"
"Oh please, allow me" the 'hero' offered and, before Max or Gwen could object, curled up around Ben once more and rolled off in the direction of the crash site.
"...I've just met her, and I already know she's going to be a headache" Gwen sighed.
"WOOHOO!" Ben cheered, laughing as they rolled through the forest. The 'hero' couldn't help but grin at his infectious cheer, even throwing in some 'jumps' as she bounced through the trees.
Coming to a halt, she carefully unfolded her shell as she sat up. Ben, dizzy from the ride, stayed slumped against her for a few seconds while he reoriented himself.
"That…was fun!" he laughed "We should do that again" he suggested, much to the 'hero's' delight.
"O-oh! Well, if you insist~"
"BEN!" at his grandpa's yell, the pair looked back to find Max and Gwen sprinting to their side "Are you alright? You were pinballing all over the place!"
"Hey, that could be your codename. Pinball!" Ben grinned down at the alien "What do you think?"
"If you think it's good, then I'll 'roll' with it" she replied, giggling at her own joke alongside Ben.
"I see the bumpy ride didn't knock any sense into you" Gwen snarked.
"Actually it was really soft and comfortable inside her" Ben replied innocently, quirking a brow as Gwen seemed to choke on air while Pinball's breath got shaky ("Oh..oh my~") "What's up with you two?"
"Maybe we should leave this conversation for later (or never) and focus on THAT" Max suggested, pointing behind the pair…at a giant red shell sitting at the end of a trench dug into the earth.
"...How did we not notice that earlier?" Pinball asked her 'partner'.
"I WAS pretty distracted after that awesome ride" Ben admitted carelessly, further flustering Gwen and Max while delighting the 'hero'
"Such a charmer~" she giggled.
"No more of this, please" Gwen begged weakly.
Her pleas were answered when the red 'shell' began to crack, falling apart to reveal a hideous giant purple tick-like creature. As Max and Gwen rushed away to avoid the falling 'shell', Pinball once more rolled herself and Ben to safety.
As the four regrouped a safe distance away, they watched as the 'tick' set out embedding itself into the earth while letting out a putrid cloud.
"Ugh! And I thought Stingwing smelled bad" Gwen griped, crying out as Ben gave her arm a light punch.
"Can you go one day without insulting my partners?" he snapped, Gwen's retort dying on her lips as she caught sight of something overhead.
Following her gaze, Ben tensed as he caught sight of the strange pronged spacecraft hovering overhead. The round central section opened, allowing a circular platform to descend with three alien figures atop it.
All three were female, and wearing white robes or similar uniforms. The figure in the centre was the most humanoid…at least from the waist up. She possessed tentacles instead of legs, with an angular face and eyes that resembled Cerebra's.
Unfolding her long 'arms' from over her noticeable bust, she raised them high into the air "Rejoice! He has arrived, in all his glorious glory!" a smaller platform appeared beneath her as she floated down.
To her left was a smaller, six armed alien with noticeable hips. Holding all her hands together as if in prayer, she too made her descent on a smaller disk.
The final alien was very muscular, with a physique resembling Armizon but with four eye-stalks much like Stingwing. An intimidating double-headed axe rested across her shoulders as her own disk activated.
While our heroes watched, the smaller alien hovered closer to the 'Tick' and rested her head against its shell "I await his proclamation!"
Max kept his eyes focused on the axe wielding figure as she circled the group "Who are you ladies?"
The 'Leader' smiled somewhat patronisingly "Relax. We come in peace"
Gwen scoffed disbelievingly "Yeah, that's what they all say. Right before they try to blast us"
The 'Enforcer' snorted in amusement "A sassy little human, I hear they are quite abundant here…or should I say, 'were' " she stated ominously.
The Leader then took note of the only non-human in the group "An Arburian Pelarota? Surely this is a sign from the Great One!" she gestured towards her, revealing two mechanical hands at the ends of her 'arms'
"You're a long way from home aren't you?" the Enforcer asked, somewhat mockingly.
"No. Not really" the 'hero' replied, her eyes drifting to the Chaquetrix on Ben's wrist.
"It wouldn't matter anyway, there's nothing for you to go back to. The Great One purified your planet last week"
"It did what now?" Pinball asked in concern, while Ben's hand slipped into his pocket to retrieve his Plumber disk.
"Quiet, all of you!" the short alien hissed "He is speaking to me" she whispered as the Great One made some unintelligible noises.
"...I don't hear anything but some heavy breathing" Gwen said bluntly, the 'Interpreter' glared at the interruption "Only I speak his language!"
"Of course you do" Gwen snarked, earning a snicker from Ben.
Ignoring the non-believers, the Interpreter closed her eyes as she 'listened'.
"The Great One…says your planet will be purified, before the next moon" she turned back to the group with a wide smile "You are very lucky!"
At her words a shadow seemed to leak out from the Great One, spreading out rapidly to drain the colour from the earth and trees around them.
"Lucky, isn't the word I'd use" Max replied, the Leader moving between him and the Great One.
"Oh but it is! Let me show you ("Not the hologram thing again" the Enforcer sighed quietly)" as a projection shone from the gem in the centre of her hood.
"The Great One visited each of our worlds, and delivered his glorious purification" she explained as the projection showed the Great One land on a planet and settle in "See his technique? Burrowing deep into the core and rotting it from within..before consuming it"
"That's not purification, it's genocide!" Max snapped, the leader shrugged uncaringly.
"But of course, it is the will of the Great One. Picture it humans" she held her hands aloft "Your cities laid to waste, your oceans dried up and your mountains crumbled. REJOICE IN THE COMING OBLIVION!"
"REJOICE! REJOICE!" the three zealots chanted as Ben slapped the disk on his chest.
As the suit formed over him, he held up the Chaquetrix to call for backup "I don't think so!"
Seeing her 'partner' prepare for battle, Pinball curled up and launched herself towards the Leader. Before she can get close the Enforcer intercepts her, slapping her away with her axe just as she timed out.
"Pinball!" gritting his teeth, Ben slams the dial down aiming for Armizon…and getting Stingwing "..Whatever. You ready to kick some cultist butt?"
Stingwing buzzed eagerly "Sure thing Ben! Need a lift?"
Ben smirked as he pulled the suit's hood up "Nah, I want to try something. But I could use some cover fire"
Sprinting towards the trio, Ben watched as the Leader and Interpreter struggled to dodge the incoming shots. The Enforcer had a much easier time, urging her disk forward to chase down the insectoid 'hero'.
"Gah! Stay still, insect!" the Enforcer snarled, her frustration building as Stingwing laughed while dodging her swings.
"I get standing by your man, but I think you girls need to dial it back" the 'hero' taunted, leading the furious zealot further away from the others.
Meanwhile, Ben closed in on the Leader who condescendingly smiled down at him from her elevated position. She was so sure of her safety that when Ben activated the suit's jet boots, she was too slow to react when he charged directly into her. As she flailed to keep her balance Ben flexed his hand, a trio of small pellets detaching from his glove and falling at her feet..well, tentacles.
"What..?" at her confusion, Ben gave a mock salute before stepping off the platform as it passed over the startled Interpreter.
Landing beside the multi-armed alien, Ben smirked as the 'pellets' went off in three small explosions. The Leader let out an undignified squeal as her platform spun wildly out of control "This suit is awesome!" Ben laughed.
As he faced down the shivering zealot, he felt pretty confident "Ok bug whisperer, why don't you do yourself a favour and give up no-WHOA!"
Ben ducked as she fired a purple blast from the gem on her hood, the shot going wide and striking the Enforcer in the back just as she was about to slice at Stingwing.
"Oh dear!" the Interpreter whimpered as the Warrior turned to face them…and leaving themselves open to getting pinned by a slime shot from the 'hero'.
"Uh..forgiveness sister, I was trying to smite the-EEP!"
During her desperate apology, Ben had slipped around behind her and grabbed her upper four arms in a 'full nelson'. Despite Ben needing to hold back four arms the Interpreter appeared to have no upper body strength, with her lower arms being too stubby to reach back to force Ben away.
"U-unhand me this instant!" she demanded, face flushed at the fact this unbeliever dared manhandle her in such a way.
"Or what? You can't shoot me back here, and your buddies won't risk hitting the only one of you who can talk to that thing" he reasoned, watching as Stingwing easily outmanoeuvred the Leader to stick her to the Enforcer with another slime shot.
"To interfere with the Great One's purification is heresy! You will be crushed under-"
"Under what, your flabby butt?" Ben cut in sarcastically, Stingwing snickering as the zealot's jaw dropped in shock.
"H-how vulgar! The Great One will-"
"Uh huh, right. Shut up" Ben cut in dismissively, pushing her forward for Stingwing to pin to the others.
"...Either those guys were really weak, or WE are just that awesome. What do you think?" Ben asked his 'partner'.
"I think it's pretty obvious" she smirked, buzzing over to his side for a high five.
"Ok, so we've dealt with the 'fan club', now we just need to squash this bug…er no offence" Ben sheepishly added at the 'hero's' side-eye.
"Hmm, I don't know, that was pretty insensitive" she replied, pretending to look offended.
"Yeah, that was pretty lame of me. What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked as the 'hero' leant closer.
"Well..I have some suggestions~"
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS DOING UP THERE?!"
Hearing Gwen's scream the pair looked down, and had to do a double take as they realised the situation. The landscape below had been warped and poisoned by the Great One, the trees reduced to twisted fungus-like stubs.
Oh, and Max and Gwen were about to be eaten by a swarm of beaked tentacles. The pair being slowly pulled down into a mud pit.
"Stingwing, save grandpa! I'll get Gwen!" steering the disk down, Ben activated the wrist blade on the suit ("So freaking cool!" he cheered) while Stingwing brought her stinger up.
Two quick slices and Max and Gwen were freed, the two heroes catching their targets before they could drop into the muck.
Both would probably have rather taken the fall.
Max struggled to put his years of military discipline into use, ignoring the feeling of certain 'assets' against his back as Stingwing hooked her arms under his.
"You alright Mr Tennyson?" she chittered politely, oblivious to Max's inner turmoil "I…um, y-yes. Thank you"
Gwen meanwhile found herself being caught bridal style, much to her embarrassment. Even worse, thanks to the mask hiding his face he (almost) looked cool while doing so.
Not that she'd ever tell him that, his ego's already bad enough.
"Huh, you're lighter than you look-OW! What was that for?" Ben complained, setting Gwen down on the disk before holding his head.
"If that's how you talk to girls, I have no idea why those 'heroes' put up with you" Gwen huffed, her annoyance fading as she took in the full devastation around them.
"Everything's all…gross and twisted" she noted sadly, Ben turning his attention to the 'Great One' in the distance.
"Then let's dig out this tick, or better yet…" lifting the Chaquetrix, he cycled along through the icons "..burn it out!"
Making their way back towards the bloated creature, Ben brought the disk low before jumping off while slamming the faceplate down.
As Heart's Fire joined him in a 'superhero' landing, Stingwing set Max on the disk next to Gwen before joining her 'partners'.
"Hey Ben! Ooh, I'm loving the outfit." she tapped her chin thoughtfully "Maybe I should 'dress up' for you sometime?~" she offered, Ben tilting his head in confusion.
"Why? I think you look awesome already" he replied sincerely, his confusion increasing as the flaming 'hero' covered her face with a delighted squeal.
"How about less flirting and more blasting?" Gwen shouted down, Ben staggering at the accusation while the 'heroes' pouted.
"She is such a mood killer" Heart's Fire grumbled as Stingwing chittered in agreement "Forget her, let's show Ben why he can count on us"
The pair opened up with a volley of flames and acidic slime, the twin attacks struck true and…
Ben awkwardly patted Heart's Fire on the back as she wrapped him in a hug, the 'hero' miserably apologising for letting him down (and begging him not stop summoning her for some reason). Despite Ben's assurance that she hadn't (and that he wouldn't), he did have to admit that their attacks had done NOTHING to the giant parasite.
She moaned pitifully, squeezing Ben tighter as her magma-like 'skin' pressed up against the mask. Ben idly wondered if this is what it would be like to swim in lava, while also being thankful that Stingwing had timed out earlier. He could only take so much 'sappiness' at once after all.
When Heart's Fire finally timed out, Ben stared at the recharging watch as Gwen and Max brought the disk down to his level.
"So THAT went well" Gwen snarked, Ben sticking his tongue out in reply…only to realise she couldn't see it with the mask on.
"They did their best!" he snapped back defensively "This just…wasn't the right job for them. Anyway, we just need to let the watch recharge and try again!"
As they lay in a crater, after having been thrown back by one of the 'Great One's' legs, Ben groaned from his position as he lay trapped between Armizon and Crystal Knight.
"Ugh, well that could have gone better" the muscular 'hero' admitted.
"Maybe...but I would say it was all bad~" Crystal Knight smirked, as the pair took notice of their 'partner' between them.
"You two really have no shame, do you?" Gwen snapped.
As Ripjaws and Wil-Gal held their aching jaws after their failed attempts to bite through the armour, Ben found himself pinned between them as they rested their heads against him.
"The coolness from your suit is great for soothing us…I mean our aching muscles" Ripjaws explained (lied).
"Really? Well, if it helps." Ben shrugged while Gwen sighed "You cannot be this gullible!"
XLR8 let out a pained groan, her legs feeling like jelly after repeated super-speed rushes "Ugh, I can't feel my legs coach. Could you do it for me?~" ("Does she ever stop?" Gwen sighed)
Ben however was busy attempting to hold up Ultra-T who, having poured too much energy into her blast, practically collapsed on top of him.
Scream Queen's eye twitched violently, as she closed her cloak once more "Did THAT do anything?"
Cerebra snorted "Given that you tired it ona creature WITHOUT eyes...no."
Ben yelped as Cerebra was slapped into his face by an irate Scream Queen "I'm sorry Ben...I was aiming for Gwen"
"Why, what did I do?" the young redhead asked exasperatedly.
Ben angrily kicked at a rock as Max and Gwen reclined tiredly atop the hover disk.
"That's it, I give up" Ben said somewhat manically "This thing is indestructible! It's like fighting Vilgax again or that biker…wait"
Recalling his battle with the droneified Rojo, Ben also recalled Max's advice "..can't take it down from the outside, then.." looking back up with renewed determination, Ben pulled up the Chaquetixi once more.
"Let's see, Scream Queen and Heart's Fire? Yeah that should work" as he prepared to dial up his choices a pair of purple energy blasts struck the ground around him, causing his hand to slip before pressing down.
Staggering, Ben fell forward into the nearly summoned 'hero' "Oh my! Did you miss me that much?~" Pinball gasped, as Ben face planted into her chest.
"Fire again, we must protect the Great One!" the Leader ordered, as the Interpreter clinging to her side fired once more.
As Pinball shielded Ben, her plates deflecting the zealot's fire, Ben slammed the dial down aiming for Scream Queen again…and summoning Armizon.
"Really? The one time I'm TRYING to call her" Ben thought in disbelief before a pair of screams from Max and Gwen caught his attention.
As the Enforcer knocked the humans off the hover disk (returning it to her fellow priestess), Ben rushed to put together a plan.
"Armizon, catch them and then help me deal with those psychos" the muscular beauty nodded before effortlessly making the save. Setting them down, she fixed the three zealots with a savage grin before leaping into battle.
With Max and Gwen safely by his side, Ben turned to his latest 'partner' "Pinball, I'm really sorry about this…but you need to take that thing down from the inside. It's gross but I'll make it up to you, whatever you want"
"Whatever I want?" The 'hero's' eyes widened in joy while Max and Gwen's shrunk in horror.
"Anything within reason-!" Max tried to run damage control, only for Pinball to speed off towards the 'Great One' like a woman possessed "Told you she'd be a headache" Gwen sighed heavily.
A pair of feminine screams caught the trio's attention as the Leader and Interpreter were tossed unceremoniously to the ground behind them. Armizon soon joined them…by slamming the Enforcer into the dirt with a piledriver.
With a clear shot at the 'hero's' back, the Leader attempted to activate the head-dress laser…only to find Ben holding the suit's wrist blade against her neck.
The Leader scowled up at him "You dare threaten us, the brides ("Gross" Ben shuddered) of the Great One? He will-"
"I don't think he'll be doing much of anything actually" Ben taunted, the Leader's expression shifting from rage to concern "What do you-?"
A horribly groaning sound filled the air as everyone turned to the 'Great One', its body convulsing rapidly as something appeared to be moving inside of it. As it continued to convulse and swell, its shell began to split as blue ichor started to leak out.
"It's gonna blow!" Max warned, blinking as Armizon grabbed the three zealots and held them over the group like a makeshift shield.
"Oh this is going to be so gross" Gwen gagged, closing her eyes as the Great One burst.
When the dust (and ooze) settled, Armizon carelessly dropped the thoroughly covered zealots to the floor as she checked on her 'partner'.
Oh and Max and Gwen too.
Mostly slime free, the human trio took in the devastation as Pinball skidded to a halt to their right. Unfolding, she shuddered as she shook off as much of the 'Great One' as she could before approaching Ben.
"You did it! See, I told you you'd be an awesome hero" Ben cheered, missing the exasperated look on Gwen's face.
"You did good newbie" Armizon congratulated, giving her a gentle (for her) pat on the back "We'll need to give you a proper welcome after we time out"
"Thank you" Pinball said sincerely, before looking bashfully at Ben "Speaking of celebrating, I've thought of how you could make it up to me"
"Alright" Ben nodded, determined to keep his word despite his family's concerns "What did you have in mind?"
"I'd..like to have another 'roll' with you" she flushed causing Armizon to do a double take.
"A-a roll? What uh, what's that about?" she asked, trying not to appear too jealous.
"Oh, it's this thing where I'm inside her and…" Ben naively began to explain.
"I-inside?!/Phrasing!" Armizon/Gwen blurted out in embarrassment, Ben feeling utterly lost while Max tried not to laugh "I know I shouldn't…but at this point it's either laugh or break down" he thought to himself.
"You-you killed the Great One" the Leader muttered, drawing their attention.
"Oh right, I forgot these guys were still here" Ben deadpanned.
"I'll take care of this" Armizon replied, unusually neutral as she grabbed the trio…and launched them into their waiting ship with (perhaps) excessive force.
As the ship made its shaky retreat, Ben approached the pouting Armizon "You..seem upset about something" he started cautiously.
"I'm fine" she replied, utterly unconvincingly.
"Is..this about me 'rolling' with Pinball?" she tensed and looked away "I guess so" he deadpanned, before wondering how to fix this "...Would you like to go for a roll too?" he asked innocently.
"What" Armizon, Gwen and Max all looked at him stunned.
"I mean, it'll be different than with Pinball…but I think it would still be fun-Wah!"
Gwen rushed to try and shut Ben up, as Armizon let out an excited 'squee' while she covered her face. Max turned to a giggling Pinball who flashed him a cheeky grin.
"Is it always like this?" she asked as he hung his head.
"Sadly, yes"
-Canon Omake-
"So it's weird that everything went back to normal so quickly right?" Gwen asked, as she and Max returned from a nature walk. A small break from the insanity of the day.
"Well it's actually quite simple. It's because of-(sigh), Ben…" Max trailed off, as they approached the Rustbucket. Still covered in alien ooze.
"Why doesn't it surprise me that the doofus slacked off?" Gwen snarked, before the sound of laughter reached them.
A bad feeling forming in their guts, the pair hurried around to the other side the R.V….and immediately froze.
Evidently, Ben had decided that this was taking too long by himself and had called in some 'help'. Gwen's face burned as she watched Crystal Knight pose provocatively as a soaking Ben managed to catch her with a bucket of water. In the background Ripjaws emerged from a nearby river with a fresh bucket, making sure to sway her hips with every step.
Fortunately for them, Ben noticed their return at this point and looked chastised ("For the wrong reasons!" Gwen thought) as he sheepishly rubbed his head.
"Eheh, hey grandpa" he chuckled guiltily "Sorry I got distracted, but it wasn't my fault! See it started when Ripjaws accidentally ("Sure it was" Gwen snarked) splashed Crystal Knight and-Are you ok grandpa? You're nose is bleeding"
Max pinched his nose while pointedly avoiding Gwen's disappointed look "Just…just go get dried off Ben"