"Oh no!" Grandpa Max saw the tour guide fall into the water and immediately tried to help.
"Let me do it!"
Ripjaws volunteered and leapt down, plunging straight into the water.
"Ah! Glug glug..."
The tour guide could swim, but the currents around the waterfall were extremely rough, with dangerous undercurrents swirling beneath the surface.
Even an experienced sailor would have trouble staying afloat there.
Just as the guide's vision was about to be swallowed by the endless lake water, a pale, massive hand grabbed him.
"The hero's here, so don't be scared!" Ripjaws said with a grin, pulling the stunned guide into his arms.
"Whew... that was close." Gwen let out a sigh of relief as she watched the guide get rescued.
After returning to shore, everyone got off the boat one after another and walked across the rocks near the waterfall, sightseeing and taking pictures.
As for the guide, now soaked from head to toe, he had already gone back to change clothes. He said he would come back for them after they finished viewing the waterfall and then take them to the next stop.
...
The snow-white waterfall roared down with overwhelming force, plunging in an unbroken torrent. Uneven rocks were scattered all around it, and a hazy mist filled the air.
The group wandered through the rocky area, stopping every so often for photos. The place was lively, with laughter and playful shouting echoing from every direction.
During all this, Ben kept goofing around, constantly turning into aliens to steal the spotlight and prank his cousin Gwen.
For example, he turned into the burly Four Arms and lifted Gwen into the air just as she had struck a pose. Then he became Wildmutt, baring his teeth and roaring so loudly that Gwen had to cover her ears.
Grey Matter jumped onto Gwen's head, Ghostfreak scared her pale, and Spidermonkey shot out webbing that formed a giant net, sticking Gwen to a tree branch so she could not move.
In the end, Gwen finally could not take it anymore and protested, "Doofus, you've been turning into aliens for hours. Aren't you done yet?"
"Yeah, Ben," Grandpa said, trying to persuade him. "Even if you unlocked some kind of function in the Omnitrix, we don't know what side effects it might have. You should turn back now."
Above them, Stinkfly hovered in the air with his wings flapping, holding an apple he had picked from who knew where and taking a big bite out of it.
"Relax, Grandpa. A hero like me isn't gonna have any problems!" Stinkfly laughed. "See? I'm totally fine!"
Grandpa Max frowned slightly, just about to say something.
Suddenly, a silver spaceship came hurtling down from above at incredible speed.
Its course was aimed straight at them.
"Ben, turn into XLR8 and get Grandpa and the others out of here." Lucian made the decision without hesitation.
"Got it!"
Stinkfly landed, and a flash of green light turned him into XLR8.
"What about you, Cuz?" XLR8 asked.
A sharp chill flashed through Lucian's eyes. "That ship probably didn't come here with good intentions. You take Grandpa and Gwen somewhere safe first. I'll deal with them."
If he remembered right, this should be when Vilgax and Kevin arrived.
As for having Ben turn into XLR8 to get Gwen and Grandpa out, that was because Ben could now switch between aliens freely and move as he pleased.
"Alright! I'll get Grandpa and the others out first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, XLR8 grabbed Grandpa and Gwen and vanished from the spot like a gust of wind.
Watching XLR8 leave, Lucian lifted his head and focused once more on the descending silver spaceship.
...
Half a minute later, the sleek silver spaceship landed on top of a massive boulder.
Lucian stood there alone opposite it, his white shirt whipping loudly in the wind.
In those deep eyes of his, two large figures gradually came into view as they stepped down from the ship.
The moment he saw Lucian standing there, Vilgax narrowed his eyes, killing intent flickering within them.
"Lucian, is it just you?"
"One of me is enough to deal with the two of you." Lucian smiled, not taking them seriously in the slightest.
Kevin trembled with rage. "Lucian, don't get so cocky. You're dead today! And where's Ben Tennyson? Tell me now!"
"I'm right here!"
A blue blur shot in from the side.
XLR8 came to an abrupt stop beside Lucian, pulled back his visor, and pointed straight at Kevin.
"Hey, buddy. Long time no see."
"Ben Tennyson, it's all your fault I turned into a freak! Today I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
Kevin was beside himself with fury. Flames blazed from his left arm as he charged straight at them.
Seeing this, Lucian pressed the Omnitrix and switched aliens.
"Ben, you handle Kevin. I'll take Vilgax."
Compared to Kevin 11, Vilgax was no weaker, and even more brutal. He was a pure close-combat powerhouse.
"Got it!" XLR8 nodded and rushed forward to meet Kevin head-on.
Vilgax gave a cold snort. "Lucian, this time you're not getting away! Last time, you activated my ship's self-destruct system and left me frozen in space for more than half a month!"
"I'm going to make you pay that back double!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the muscles in Vilgax's arms swelled rapidly. Then he drove his thick legs forward, shattering the rock underfoot as he charged at Lucian.
Lucian showed no fear at all. He pressed the Omnitrix, and a dark green light burst forth.
"Four-Armed Humungousaur!"
A deep, powerful roar rang out as Humungousaur rose upright, now with four thick arms and a body covered in bulging muscle.
His originally thick, stubby legs had become leaner and stronger, packed with explosive power, making up for Humungousaur's weakness in jumping.
Vilgax's eyes showed a flicker of surprise as he looked at the imposing Four-Armed Humungousaur.
"It seems your control of the Omnitrix has gone beyond what I imagined. In that case... I can't let you live."
Four-Armed Humungousaur fixed him with his tiny green bean-like eyes and crooked a finger.
"Then come on, you stinking squid!"
"You're asking to die!"
Vilgax roared and stomped hard enough to shatter the rock beneath his feet, sending out a violent shockwave. For a split second, even the mist around them seemed to freeze.
Boom!
A green blur shot forward like a raging cannonball.
Four-Armed Humungousaur snorted and clenched his massive dinosaur fists, charging in to meet him.
Bang!
The fists of Four-Armed Humungousaur and Vilgax slammed into each other, packed with terrifying force, and the collision exploded with an overwhelming shockwave.
The rocks beneath their feet shattered inch by inch, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.
"Not bad..." Vilgax gritted his teeth, his arm trembling slightly.
"That so? I've got something even better!" Four-Armed Humungousaur grinned and threw another punch.
Vilgax was startled and quickly thrust out a hand to catch the ferocious blow.
Too bad for him, he only had two hands, while Four-Armed Humungousaur had four.
A sly smile tugged at Four-Armed Humungousaur's mouth. He clenched his other two fists and slammed them hard into Vilgax's ribs.
Two punches, right to the side!
Vilgax's eyes bulged as a wave of intense pain surged through him from below.
"You're asking for death!"
Enduring the agony in his ribs, Vilgax gathered all his brute strength, locked both arms around Four-Armed Humungousaur, and charged forward at full speed.
Splash!
Both of them plunged straight into the bottom of the lake...