(Later, the group groaned outwards as Ben had taken off his jacket and tied it around his waist due to the heat and Jen tugged at her shirt, starting to feel the sweltering heat.)
Ben: "Is this hot enough for you?"
(Ben asked.)
Highbreed: "Yes."
Jen: "No."
(Jen said.)
Jen: "We weren't really asking, see. It's just an Earth expression. It means it's really hot out here."
Highbreed: "It is obviously hot. I do not see the point in reiterating what the three of us already know."
Jen: "Makes me glad I didn't say 'It's not the heat, it's the humidity.'"
Highbreed: "There is no humidity. It is, in fact, the heat!"
(the Highbreed snapped.)
Jen: "We know!"
(Jen said.)
Jen: "Just trying to make conversation."
(That was when they both saw the Highbreed groan outwards, collapsing to his knees, causing the twins to run up in concern.)
Highbreed: "Do not lay your hands on me, vile thing!"
(Ben then handed his jacket to the Highbreed.)
Ben: "Here, you can use it to keep the sun off your head."
Highbreed: "I do not take charity from vermin. I merely... require a moment's rest."
(Jen then looked to see the Highbreed start to shrivel up.)
Jen: "Rest isn't going to cut it. You're already dehydrated."
(she said.)
Highbreed: "The one true species thrives in a much cooler climate than this."
Ben: "Hey, humans prefer it colder than this too, but you're practically wasting away here. I've got something that can help all of us beat the heat."
(Ben then adjusted his Omnitrix before slamming it down and transforming into...)
Big Chill: "Big Chill!"
(He then breathed his super-cold breath onto the Highbreed, who then protested against his efforts.)
Highbreed: "Desist! Stop that this instant!"
Jen: "Why?"
(Jen asked.)
Highbreed: "I did not request your assistance."
Jen: "We know. Chill, dude. He, see what I did there?"
Highbreed: "I do not."
Jen: "Humor's not a big thing on your planet, is it?"
(Jen asked before she looked over and raised her eyebrow.)
Jen: "Hey, what's that?"
(They looked to see a crater in the sand with some water in it.)
Jen: "Water!"
Highbreed: "Your powers of deduction are truly staggering."
Big Chill: "Oh, so you do know humor."
(Big Chill said.)
Jen: "I'm getting a drink. I'll bring some back for you two."
(She then walked over to the water hole and used her telekinesis to bring up some water, sipping it to her lips.)
(Big Chill's eyes widened as he saw that four large black teeth appeared around his sister.)
Big Chill: "Jen, look out!"
(Jen gasped before she pressed her Omnitrix and then slammed the core down to transform into...)
AeroForce: "AeroForce!"
(she shouted before she burst out of the path of the Dravek's maw as fast as she could and then Big Chill flew to her and phased through the Dravek's mouth with his intangibility freezing it from the inside out.)
AeroForce: "It was a trap."
Highbreed: "Gullible prey can often be lured with the right bait. Many predators can use this to their advantage."
(the Highbreed explained.)
(The twins looked over their shoulders to see the Dravek start to break out of the ice.)
Big Chill: "It's getting loose."
(Big Chill observed.)
Big Chill: "Let's get out of here."
Highbreed: "The pair of you cannot issue commands to me!"
(the Highbreed shouted.)
Highbreed: "None will. Lesser beings do my bidding."
(That was when the Dravek broke loose of the ice that was restraining it.)
Highbreed: "And I bid you two to fight!"
AeroForce: "With pleasure! You do the same!"
(AeroForce shouted before blasting herself forwards, kicking up sand and dust everywhere, blinding the Dravek as her brother went intangible and phased through its maw, freezing it again as AeroForce sent a small cyclone forwards that sent the Dravek flying back with a groan.)
Big Chill: "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up."
(Big Chill said.)
Highbreed: "Follow my lead."
(the Highbreed ordered.)
Big Chill: "And do what?"
Highbreed: "Freeze it!"
Big Chill: "Um, already tried that."
Highbreed: "From inside! Keep him frozen until I say otherwise."
Big Chill: "You'd better be right about this."
(Big Chill reared himself up and flew through the predatorial beast, freezing it completely as AeroForce flew upwards with a glare.)
Highbreed: "Now!"
(Big Chill then flew out of the Dravek and then the Highbreed blasted his claws forwards into its frozen head, exploding outwards and destroying the creature, sending debris flying forwards.)
Big Chill: "Oh yeah."
(The Highbreed then groaned out in pain before falling to his knees and trembled.)
AeroForce: "Are you alright?"
(AeroForce asked.)
Highbreed: "Don't you dare! Leave me be. Now that the danger has passed, I can locate water myself."
(His chest cavity then opened upwards, revealing red fleshy insides and he stuck out two tendrils from his chest into the ground, much to the twins' disgust.)
AeroForce: "That is so wrong."
Highbreed: "There is water below the sand if one looks deeply enough."
(He then focused, digging his tendrils deeper before finally finding what he was looking for beneath the surface.)
Highbreed: "There."
Big Chill: "I didn't know Highbreeds were some kind of plant creatures."
(Big Chill said.)
Highbreed: "The Highbreed is not 'some kind' of anything. We are the only kind."
(The Highbreed then retracted his tentacles and then water started flowing from the sand.)
(At sunset, the twins had just finished hydrating themselves up as Ben and Jen followed the Highbreed to the cliff... just when they heard some rustling in the sand and they looked to each other, concerned.)
Jen: "Did you hear something?"
(Jen asked.)
Highbreed: "I heard nothing, humans. Except you... which is the same as nothing."
Ben: "Whatever."
(Ben said as the pair followed him, completely unaware of the insects that were frming underneath the sand.)
(Soon after, an entire swarm of sand insects appeared and started crawling after them.)
Highbreed: "I believe that I am beginning to grasp your concept of humor."
(Soon enough, the three heard and felt a massive rumbling beneath their feet and looked behind them.)
Ben: "More Draveks underground?"
(Ben asked.)
Highbreed: "Worse."
Jen: "What could be worse than-"
(Jen stopped herself as she looked behind her and gasped as she saw the swarm of alien sand bugs approach.)
Highbreed: "Dasypodidae."
Ben: "They're so small. How could these guys possibly be worse than Draveks?"
(Ben asked.)
(His thoughts fell on deaf ears as the Dasypodidae started crawling all over him, his sister and the Highbreed and started biting down, causing them all to yelp out in pain from the bites and fell to the ground as Jen shouted out and let loose a surge of mana from her body that sent the bugs off of her as she slammed her core down and transformed into...)
Firefox: "Firefox!"
(Ben wrestled his hand out of the bugs and transformed into...)
Swampfire: "Swampfire!"
(The two then sent their fireballs at the Dasypodidae, killing a ton of them as Swampfire looked over to the Highbreed.)
Swampfire: "This will only take a second."
(That was when the three looked upwards to the hills and saw the immense size of the swarm.)
Swampfire: "Did I say a second? Make that an hour."
(They then ran out of the attack formation, the Dasypodidae crawling all over the Highbreed as Firefox looked over to him.)
Firefox: "Highbreed! This way!"
(The Highbreed followed them up the cliffside as the twins sent a dual fire blast to the rock by them, sending it loose from its formation and hurtling downwards towards the sand bugs, crushing them all.)
(Unfortunately, the Highbreed was almost swept away by the sand fall as Firefox ran over and looked to him.)
Firefox: "Highbreed! Grab my tail!"
(she shouted, sticking her tail out to him as he grabbed onto it, causing her to wince in slight pain as the Highbreed lifted himself with Swampfire helping him back up onto the rock.)
Swampfire: "You're welcome."
Highbreed: "How dare you-filthy... unhand me!"
(He then shoved Firefox off of him as she glared, waving her tail as Swampfire looked after him.)
Swampfire: "What is wrong with you?"
(Swampfire asked.)
Swampfire: "You don't like the creatures we turn into, we get it. But come on! We just saved your life!"
Firefox: "Yeah, cut us aliens some slack once in awhile, mate!"
(Firefox said.)
(The Highbreed said nothing and they continued back on the trail as they saw the moon high up in the sky.)
Swampfire: "Ten paces behind."
(Swampfire grumbled as they continued moving.)
Firefox: "We'll show him ten paces behind."
(Firefox growled as she lit a flame in her clawed finger as she stopped.)
Firefox: "This is as good a place as any to set up camp for the night."
Highbreed: "No. We shall walk through the night."
Swampfire: "No. We shall camp here for the night!"
(Swampfire snapped.)
Highbreed: "I would not use such an insolent tone with me, lesser creature."
Swampfire: "Oh really?"
(Swampfire asked.)
Highbreed: "You have not yet dealt with me at my full strength. See how the cool night air has come to restore me?"
Firefox: "Yeah..."
(Firefox said.)
Firefox: "We noticed..."
Highbreed: "I shall carry on from here. On my own."
Swampfire: "Alright. Go then. We're setting up camp."
(Swampfire said as the two started gathering some nearby sticks.)
Highbreed: "You two have outlived your usefulness to me."
Firefox: "So have you."
(Firefox scoffed.)
(That was when they heard the familiar growling of the Draveks underneath the surface.)
Highbreed: "We shall camp here for the night."
(the Highbreed caved.)
[To Be Continued...]