They formed a triad—Gwen and Kai hovering on her shimmering mana platform above the rippling dunes, Fred rooted in the sand like an oak, vines of living green coiling around the Loboan's flailing limbs. Max and Ben flanked Mr. Greene, whose keen eyes darted between his rifle and the struggling captive.
Kai's voice trembled in the humid night air. "So…what now? Do we take him to an alien pound?"
Fred shook his head, vines pulsing with effort. "Not exactly. We could send him to the Null Void…or launch him into deep space."
Gwen's eyes widened. "Chuck him into space?"
Fred shrugged. "We've dealt with stranger aliens. But this is…different."
Max stepped forward, thumb flicking a button on his keys. "Good thing the Rustbucket's got a Null Void projector. I figured we'd see more situations like this." He tossed the keys to Ben. "Let's wait here. Keep him contained."
Behind them, Ben—a full loboan still twitching under the Omnitrix's glitch—stomped a hoof into a boulder and howled so loud the stone split down the middle in a jagged crack. CRACK-BOOM! debris sprayed in crystalline shards.
"Ben!" Gwen yelled, shielding her ears. "Could you keep it down?"
Ben tilted his muzzle skyward. "Sorry—still getting the hang of this howl!"
By dawn, the desert wind had cooled. The Rustbucket rolled up to the cave mouth and Max produced the Null Void gun. A single, somber shot rang out—flash of white light—and the Loboan winked out of existence. Even so, an uneasy hush fell over the team as they stepped into the cavern's yawning darkness.
Deep in the cavern's heart, a low hum vibrated through the stone walls. There they found a sleek, dish-shaped transmitter crowned with wiry antennae—clearly the Loboan's strange locational beacon.
Ben crouched beside it, fingertips tracing the etched circuits. "This is how it's calling reinforcements," he muttered, breath puffing in the cold air.
Max examined the device with a hunter's eye. "We need to neutralize it—or every beast in the desert will converge here."
Fred shimmered into Upchuck, his elastic jaw snapping open like a vacuum maw. The others stepped aside as Upchuck flexed his tongue-tendons, then yanked the transmitter free of the floor. Wires and circuits dangled, sparks fizzing in the dim light.
Upchuck snarled in giddy anticipation, lunged forward, and crunched the whole device between his jaws. A burst of acidic crumb—metal hissed and evaporated in an oily spit as Upchuck swallowed. Before anyone could blink, the beacon's hum died, and the carnivorous alien wolf's path lay unguarded.
Ben smiled looking. "Who do you call this guy."
Upchuck morphed back to Fred, wiping grease from his lips. "How about Upchuck," he said with a smirk.
Outside the cave, Mr. Greene and Max waited on the plateau. "All clear?" Max asked.
Greene nodded, river of moonlight on his ridge-lined face. "Let's head back."
Back in the settlement courtyard, dusk painted adobe walls in blood-orange hues. Ben, now human again, lingered near Kai—mustering courage. He offered a small turquoise bead. She shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ben." Fred ambled by, whistling.
Gwen shot Kai a sympathetic look, then pulled Ben aside. "Don't beat yourself up."
With that, the Tennysons and Rodwells climbed aboard the Rustbucket—memories of desert storms and shadow spirits fresh in their minds.
On the long drive, the engine hummed as desert night gave way to misty dawn. Ben and Fred settled into a marathon of Sumo Slammers on Ben's console—each hyper-speed match punctuated by cheers and groans.
Later, the Rustbucket sloshed through rainy streets, headlights reflecting on slick pavement. Fred yawned, dropping a new game cartridge onto the console. "Who's up for something new?"
Ben cracked his knuckles, grin flickering with excitement. "Let's do it."
And so, as the rain tapped a steady rhythm against the windshield, the three friends opened a new game.
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