At the tunnel's exit, a haunting blood-red light pulsed, followed by a sudden, violent drop in temperature.
The sweltering heat of the underground base vanished. Gwen shivered, pulling her sweater tight as her breath misted in the air. Max instinctively took a step back.
A massive, silver-white iguana-like creature crawled into the light. It was covered in jagged spikes, with a dorsal fin resembling a shark's. Though its profile was low, it radiated an overwhelming pressure. Through its translucent scales, the faint pulsing of its frozen organs was visible—a signature of the Glitch Watch's horrific aesthetic.
"Is that... Arctiguana?" Ben gasped, taking a defensive step back.
"I call it the Arctic Lizard," Cian rasped. "And he's the perfect end for these Mud Dogs."
The smoke from Ben's fires cleared, revealing the hulking, three-meter-tall Limax warriors. They were bulging with heat-densified muscle, looking like sludge demons.
"Another one? You're just lining up to die!" "Kill them all! For the hive!"
The Limax surged forward, their heavy footsteps shaking the cavern floor.
"Haaa—!!"
Cian took a massive breath, his chest and belly inflating like a balloon. He leaned forward and exhaled a torrent of sub-zero energy. A deep-blue freezing beam lanced through the air, striking the front line of the Limax.
The monsters froze mid-stride. Their yellow-brown hides turned a brittle sky-blue. In seconds, they weren't warriors anymore—they were statues, frozen in expressions of mindless rage.
"What?! He's freezing us solid!" "Run! Fall back to the ship!"
The remaining Limax broke ranks, terrified.
"Running won't save you."
Cian shifted his breathing, firing rapid-fire "ice bullets" of condensed cold air. His Plumber-enhanced marksmanship was flawless; every shot found a target. More and more "ice sculptures" filled the base.
The last two Limax scrambled toward a secondary exit. Cian tried to inhale, but his lungs burned. "Out of breath... dammit... hold on..."
Clang!
Ben stepped forward, a fireball flickering in his hand.
"Ben, fire doesn't work on them!" Gwen yelled.
"I know!" Ben roared. He didn't aim at the aliens; he aimed at the tunnel ceiling above them.
BOOM!
The explosion collapsed the exit, burying the path under tons of rock and debris. The two Limax skidded to a halt, trapped.
"They're all yours, Cian!"
Cian, his breath recovered, unleashed a long-range freezing beam. It didn't just freeze the aliens; it turned the collapsed tunnel into a magnificent, jagged fortress of ice.
"Phew... finally done." Cian reverted to human form, a satisfied smirk on his face.
[Ding! Host has defeated a horde of Enhanced Limax. Progress +1!] [Template Progress: 12/100. Unlocked: Buzzshock ("That Light") and Feedback (Electric Lizard)!]
Cian's eyes lit up. Two more heavy hitters, both masters of electricity. He was rapidly filling out the roster of "Mainstream" aliens. He was still a long way from Alien X, but the heavyweights like Way Big didn't feel so far away anymore.
"I'm not a loser," Ben muttered, dropping his hands. "Gwen, that fire attack wasn't meant to hit them. It was tactical."
"You... actually thought ahead?" Gwen looked at Ben with a mix of guilt and surprise. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"Hey, Ben," Cian said, wanting to settle the tension. "Thanks for the assist. That was a good move."
"No problem," Ben shrugged, trying to act cool, though he felt a swell of pride. "Let's get Aunt Vera and the others home."
They used Glitch Snare-oh (Terror Star) to quickly transport the stasis sacs out of the base, with the other kids helping in silence. Max watched Ben as they worked, noticing the boy's uncharacteristic somberness.
Failure isn't always bad, Max thought. Hopefully, this push makes Ben take his watch more seriously.
By morning, the town was restored. The elders woke up with no memory of the invasion, chalking up their lost time to "senior moments." The team spent one more day at Vera's, with Cian and Ben using their forms to fix some of the town's damaged infrastructure—a quiet way of doing some good.
As the Rustbucket pulled away the next morning, Aunt Vera waved goodbye, having pinched Ben's cheeks one last time.
Inside the RV, Cian looked at the new icon for Feedback. If I remember correctly, some bounty hunters are supposed to show up today. I don't remember which ones...
But if they run into Glitch Feedback, they're in for a shock.
"I was pathetic yesterday," Ben said suddenly, staring at his watch. "Never again." He tightened his fist.
Outer Space: Vilgax's Chimaera Sui Generis.
In the briefing room, three figures stood in the shadows.
A golden robot with a massive blade on its back and heavy crab-like claws was adjusting its posture. Kraab.
A silent figure in heavy, high-tech armor leaned against the wall, a hovering sky-board at his feet. Tetrax.
And a warrior in purple samurai-style armor, bristling with blasters and gear, let out a muffled, sinister chuckle from behind his helmet. Sixsix.
The door slid open. A drone drifted in. "The evaluation period is over," the drone stated coldly. "Lord Vilgax has cancelled your individual assessments. You will be deployed as a team, supported by a battalion of military droids, to eliminate the targets and recover the Omnitrix."
"Military droids... just to deal with two Earthlings?" Kraab laughed, his voice a metallic rasp. "This is going to be a walk in the park."
Tetrax, the armored figure, looked up. His expression was unreadable behind his mask. Two Earthlings... let's see if they have what it takes to survive.