Chapter 19 - A Howl in the Desert and the Wolf Among Us

[BENWOLF]

GWEN'S POV

Saying that New Mexico's air was dry must be one of the greatest understatements of all time. It smelled like dust and churros and… old stuff. Like, really old. 

But to be honest, it was actually a nice change for me.

For the last few days, things had been surprisingly normal. Which, for us, meant no alien invasions before breakfast and no world-ending crises before bedtime. Just the endless desert highway and the familiar rumble of the Rust Bucket.

Even Ben, my easy way out of a boring day, wasn't around much to distract me other than the occasional magic training. He seemed a bit too focused on his "video game project," whatever that meant, since I definitely hadn't seen him goofing off or playing anything.

Meanwhile, I could tell Kate was starting to get tired of Lucy falling back into her old self by making her the target of Lucy's infamous pranks just to relieve her own boredom.

Fortunately, even Grandpa Max seemed more relaxed once we arrived. He was laughing it up with his old friend Wes Green, who at least made Grandpa feel more at ease than he ever did with that old billionaire, Mr. Grandsmith, who clearly just wanted to show off the underwater resort he built to impress his old pal.

Speaking of Donavan Grandsmith, it's actually so weird to think that his grandkid would end up becoming a superhero like us in that future dimension my older variant took us to. He was sporting a technological suit that reminded me so much of my friend's father's fictional superhero persona, and hanging around with an older version of Zak Saturday, no less.

Heh… I mean, what were the chances? We literally met them both at the same time back at that underwater resort.

Regardless, right about now both Grandpa and Wes were standing by a stall covered in cool Navajo crafts, with Mr. Green holding up a dreamcatcher. And I could tell by the look on Grandpa's face that he found it all genuinely fascinating.

"Navajo legend says that the web of the dreamcatcher protects the dreamer while holding the nightmares in the center." Mr. Green explained, his voice low and kind of rumbly, like the way old stories sound. "While the good dreams travel down the feathers and bless the person sleeping."

I saw Ben standing beside me, watching quietly. He had that faraway look in his eyes again, the one where he seems a million miles away before snapping back to normal. It was rare, and I always congratulated myself whenever I managed to notice it.

"Speaking of nightmares…" Kate mumbled through a mouthful of churro Lucy had handed her. "I dreamt Max made us eat mealworms for breakfast again."

Lucy giggled, poking Kate's arm. "I'd totally eat them if Ben cooked them! I bet he could make even bugs taste amazing!"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop a little smile. This was a good example of the dynamic we'd grown comfortable with. Grandpa's unwavering paternal care, Ben's quiet and responsible presence, Kate's punk-rock older sister vibes, Lucy's infectious kid-sister energy… and me, being my usual normal self.

It was all part of our strange little family. Don't ask me why or how, but it just worked. I knew where I fit, and that made me feel secure…for some reason.

"I know Mr. Green is Grandpa's old buddy…" Lucy started, turning to Ben while I was still finishing my reflection, "…but could this place get any…."

Her words just… stopped. The steady, powerful beat of a lone drum began, and it felt like it was thrumming right through our shoes. Then, a girl, maybe my age, stepped forward and began to dance.

But she wasn't just dancing. She was telling a story with every step, every turn. It was… actually pretty amazing.

"…boring?" Ben finished Lucy's sentence just as she looked relieved that something interesting had finally happened.

I shot him a look, and he gave me this little wink before turning back to the dancer. His expression wasn't goofy or starstruck, he just looked… impressed. Like he was watching a truly skilled artist.

And that's when I really looked at her, when it hit me like a bucket of ice water.

A memory, sharp and unexpected, from that recent trip to the freaky future city. An older woman with those same intelligent eyes, the same dark complexion, the same quiet, near-smug confidence. Standing next to an improving, but still grumpy, Ben 10,000, like she belonged there. Like all the work we did to get him to open up had finally paid off.

"That's my granddaughter, Kai." Wes said, his voice full of pride.

"Wes, last time I saw her she was barely walking." Max chuckled. "Now look at her."

'Kai Green?' My heart did a weird thud-thud-thud against my ribs. 'It couldn't be. But that was a different dimension, a different timeline… right? Just because that Kai and that Ben had something going on doesn't mean ours will. Right?'

I glanced back at Ben. He was still watching her, his expression calm and focused. No stupid, googly-eyed grin. No drooling. Just being his usual mature self. 

Which, somehow, made it both more reassuring and even more annoying at the same time. He was totally oblivious to the giant, flashing, future-sized warning sign that had just appeared in my brain.

"You know, I was hoping to see one of those before the summer ended." Ben remarked quietly. His voice was so normal and composed, but that did absolutely nothing to calm the tangled-up feeling in my stomach.

"Since when are you interested in Native American spiritual dance?" I asked, and it came out a little snappier than I meant it to.

"Since always, Gwen." He replied, finally looking at me, his green eyes clear and steady. "There's a deep history in movements like that. It's powerful and sharpened through wiser generations." He gave a small smile. "You'd probably find it interesting too, especially if you want to expand your understanding of magic. A lot of old rituals are connected to stuff like this."

'Of course you'd turn it into a lesson. A good one, too. Which made all of this even worse.' My breath caught while I lost myself in my own thoughts. 'This wasn't just a dumb crush, it felt important. Inevitable, even. Ugh!'

Lucy, totally missing my internal meltdown, leaned toward Ben. "She's amazing, isn't she, Ben? So graceful!"

"Her footwork is badass!" Kate added, sizing the dancer up like a sparring opponent. "Good balance. She'd be tough to pin down in a regular street fight."

Of course, they didn't get it, they couldn't possibly get it. Other than Ben, only I was there long enough to understand what that future could mean. A future where this new girl stood beside Ben, getting compliments from Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra like she was already part of the family.

But what's so wrong with that? It's not like I should be concerned about Ben liking someone. It's a natural thing, right? Lucy should be the one getting flustered, not me! I mean, Ben and I are blood-related cousins. So it's a bit weird of me to be feeling this hung up over the fact that he might actually like… her?

Suddenly, just as I was spiraling in my own thoughts, the sky went from clear to furious in about five seconds flat. The clouds darkened into a nasty, bruised purple, and a bolt of eerie lightning split the sky.

"Are you sure you're not doing a rain dance?" Kate half-joked as Kai finished her dance and walked over to us.

"Positive…" Kai said, brows furrowed as she reached us after her performance. "Why?" And then the sky opened up and just dumped on us.

"That's why!" Kate yelled, as we all scrambled from the sudden downpour.

"Take cover in the Rust Bucket!" Max shouted, pulling a startled Kai and Wes toward the RV.

Ben was already in hero-mode, calm and focused, helping a group of tourists get to safety. Kate and Lucy followed right after, doing their part. Me? I was still frozen, my brain buzzing with all the weird thoughts I was having.

Then a gust of wind kicked up a cloud of fog, and for a split second, I saw it. A hulking, beast-like figure with glowing purple eyes, moving through the dust.

"Anyone want to ask that thing for an umbrella?" Lucy's voice cut through my panic.

The creature snarled and shoved its way through the panicked crowd, people too worried about the rain to get out of the way. Before I could rush in to help, a wall of muddy water came roaring down the main road.

"Flash flood!" Wes gasped as we all turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Max and Wes made it to the Rust Bucket, picking up a couple of small kids who had gotten separated from their parents. Lucy and Kate climbed to a nearby roof to help a group of people the monster had trampled, several of them bruised and shaken.

Even though I usually tried to keep my powers hidden from regular people, I raised my hands, bluish mana crackling to life.

'I can do this. Piece of cake. I can make a platform, a shield, anything Ben taught me on the road here.' I told myself while trying to focus, but my head was still foggy. My thoughts split between the monster, the flood…and her.

Then I saw her slip. Kai, reaching for her grandfather's hand, but the current snatched her away.

"Help!" She screamed, vanishing under the churning water.

'I can do this. I HAVE to do this.' I forced the conflicting feelings down and focused again, weaving the mana into a glowing rope of light to pull her in.

But just as I was about to yell that I had her, I realized Ben was already moving. He didn't even transform. He just… ran. Leapt onto a stray oil barrel with impossible grace, balancing like a pro surfer. He was so fast, so sure.

"I've got you!" He yelled, his voice slicing through the roar of the flood. "Take my hand!"

My spell fizzled just as Grandpa Max pulled me onto the RV's rooftop and I watched, feeling totally useless, as Kai's hand gripped his and he hauled her onto the barrel.

I saw the look on her face, terror and relief, no dreamy crush. Not yet, anyway.

They were heading straight for a rock wall, and my heart leapt at the chance to finally do something, but Ben was already on it. He jumped, one arm tight around Kai, the other grabbing a ledge. He pulled them up to a nearby rooftop, safe and sound.

He hadn't needed an alien. Hadn't even needed me or the other girls. He had just been Ben. And it had been more than enough.

As I watched him help a shivering Kai into proper shelter from the rain, my stomach did that awful, lurching thing again.

I really hope I'm imagining things. Because if this is the beginning of something… I have no idea how to stop it.

————————————————————————

MC'S POV

Well, well, well… so I've finally met you… Kai.

The bane of a considerable chunk of the Ben 10 fandom. Kai Green was the Amber Bennett of this franchise, if Amber had actually been the endgame girl destined by fate to be Mark's romantic partner.

And yet, seeing her now, a ten-year-old kid, soaked to the bone and shivering, it was hard to connect this version to that version. She was good looking, I guess… for a ten-year-old. And her look of appreciation was genuine, at least. No smugness, much less flirting, just honest relief.

But the potential was there. You could see it simmering behind her dark, intelligent eyes. She wasn't just another kid caught in a disaster, there was some sharpness to her. Awareness and quickness with how she took in the chaos around her, then flicked her gaze to me, subconsciously evaluating.

The roar of the flood was still a chaotic symphony below us, a relentless percussion of water crashing and gurgling as it dragged debris across the streets. But up here, on this rooftop, we'd found a strange, temporary stillness. 

The heavy rain had already passed over, leaving the sky bruised but beginning to clear. A breeze rolled past, carrying that earthy petrichor scent. 

And thanks to the Keystone doing its magic even while I was in human form. Another perk of leveling beyond the show's sandbox, I didn't need to go alien to be superhuman anymore. My body had already fully recovered. Not even giving the chance for the ache from the short sprint and leap to be properly felt.

From afar, I could spot Kate and Lucy moving with purpose and subtlety, helping a stranded family onto a rooftop, checking on the bruised civilians the werewolf had bowled through like bowling pins. 

Even Gwen was handling things. I saw the glow of mana around her hands as she helped stabilize the Rust Bucket and keep Grandpa and Wes safe from the flood's remnants.

They were doing good. Real good. Good job, team.

As for the werewolf itself? Long gone. It had carved a straight path across the village, grabbed the satellite dish Mr. Wes had recently installed, and disappeared in a flash of purple lightning, the same way it came.

'Urgh.' A bitter taste rose in my mouth.

None of them would've been hurt if I hadn't tried to play it cool. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in making a good first impression for Kai. I could've gone Ultimate the moment I saw that thing and ended it just as fast. Saved time, avoided injury.

But no, I had to be smooth, calm and measured. The composed hero in the storm.

'Way to go, Ben. Some hero you are.' I mentally facepalmed. But that thought had to be boxed up for now. Guilt wasn't going to help anyone and I had more immediate priorities.

'Weird…' I mused, helping the shivering girl beside me to her feet. 'I don't remember this ever being a real concern in the original episode. The werewolf had been practically tame back then, just mysterious and grumpy. Now it's charging through towns like a black-furred linebacker hopped up on rage and lightning.'

I released Kai's hand once she found her balance.

'Also… how the hell did Dr. Viktor build a teleportation device on Earth that could match Slix Vigma's red-light system? I mean, sure, he's a mad genius and that would've been a no-brainer for my Galvan (Grey Matter) form, but still. Props to the electromagnetic doctor.'

"That thing… it was fast." Kai finally broke the silence between us. Her voice was pitched a little higher than before, touched by adrenaline, edged with awe and gratitude. She winced, sucking in a breath as she put weight on her leg, clutching her arm where a thin, shallow scratch was just beginning to bead with blood.

Without thinking, I knelt and quickly made a makeshift pressure dressing from the cloth inside my belt pouch, damp but clean enough in this situation. I worked in silence, keeping my hands steady as I cleaned and wrapped the wound.

"Thank you." She said, her voice quieter now. "Must've cut myself on something the flood was dragging past."

"Just glad you're okay." I gave her a brief, non-committal nod, eyes scanning the village below. Roofs shimmered with runoff, power lines swayed dangerously, and streets had become rivers. "Any idea how long this flash flood will last?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.

"Usually a couple hours, bare minimum." She replied, joining me at the edge. "But… well, this wasn't usual. Came out of nowhere. So your guess is as good as mine."

I glanced up. "The sky's already clearing."

She didn't respond right away. I could feel her beside me, trying to decide what to say next. The silence stretched between us, filled only by the slowing rush of the floodwater and the distant sounds of shouting and cleanup.

That pause? That awkward silence? It was to be expected. I'd given her nothing to work with. No goofy smiles, no awkward bravado, no puffed-up chest or flustered stammering at how pretty she was. Just… calm action. Like saving people was the most ordinary thing in the world.

As I let her chew on that for a while, eventually, Max's and Wes's voices carried from a nearby rooftop as the water level dipped low enough for people to start moving safely again.

"Ben! Kai! Are you two alright?" Max's familiar, booming voice echoed through the village.

"We're fine, Grandpa!" I called back, waving an arm in the air. Then I turned to Kai and offered her my hand, not in a grand, romantic way. Just practical and helpful, for the rooftops were slippery, and I didn't need her twisting an ankle after all that. "Need help? Let's get you back to your grandfather."

She hesitated, just a second as she looked at my hand, then up at me. Her grip was firm when she took it. Strong and steady. But her eyes… her eyes were still sizing me up. Still trying to figure out what kind of person I really was.

Wonderful. Let her wonder.

This whole detour was going to be full of surprises, for everyone. And if the werewolf's newfound aggressiveness wasn't something I was just imagining… then things were about to get a lot more complicated for me as well.

————————————————————————

GWEN'S POV

The messy disaster of the flood eventually gave way to a damp, eerie quiet. 

We'd regrouped inside a local community building that must've been a museum once, now repurposed into a makeshift shelter. The walls were lined with old artifacts, shadowy under flickering backup lights. 

The air was thick with the smell of wet earth, damp wood, and nervous sweat. The kind of silence that only comes after chaos.

I was helping Lucy hand out dry blankets to shivering villagers, but my eyes kept drifting across the room, to where Ben was crouched beside Kai, carefully checking the improvised dressing on her arm.

Sure, he wasn't just taking care of her. He was also helping anyone who needed it. But something about the way he hovered a little longer near Kai, the way his voice softened just slightly when speaking to her… it made my stomach twist.

And the way he made her chuckle, even now, with one of his signature quips, that knot in my chest pulled a little tighter.

'It's just a silly concern.' I told myself. 'Get a grip, Gwendolyn Tennyson! He's your cousin! Your friend! You're just worried about him getting…distracted, maybe too focused on impressing some new girl who might end up hurting his feelings. That's all this is. You're being protective, that's it.'

I took a deep breath and folded another blanket.

'Sure…' I added bitterly. 'He's more mature than most guys our age, but even he's not ready for everything.'

Eventually, once things settled a bit, Grandpa Max and Mr. Green stood before a large, faded tapestry hanging near the back of the museum-turned-shelter. It was old, worn, and heavy with history. Figures from Navajo legend wove through its fabric like silent sentinels. Their conversation was quiet, but I caught most of it by the time I stepped closer.

"I never thought I'd ever see one with my own eyes." Wes murmured, voice grave as he pointed to the monstrous, wolf-like figure stitched into the tapestry.

"See what?" Kate asked, wiping mud from her cargo pants as she walked over, curiosity cutting through her usual restlessness.

"A Yennaldooshi." Wes said, eyes narrowing. "A Navajo werewolf. I always believed they were just legends. Their presence is a sign of evil. Pure, dangerous evil." He straightened, jaw tight. "I'll find it. I'll tranquilize it and bag it before it harms anyone else."

"I'll go with you, Wes." Grandpa Max said instantly. His Plumber instincts didn't wait for permission. Of course they didn't.

"Count me in." Ben said, rising from Kai's side. He had just finished changing her bandage, making sure it was dry and clean. His voice was calm, steady. That quiet determination we'd all come to rely on. The kind that made you want to follow him.

Kai stood too, though her leg wobbled slightly. "Me too, Grandpa."

Wes turned toward her, his eyes filled with stern affection and something older…tradition. "You know only Braves can be trackers, Kai."

The words hung there, sharp and outdated. My eyebrows snapped together before I could even stop myself.

"Who made up that rule?" I demanded, the indignation bubbling out.

"It's been that way for centuries." Wes said gently, but firmly. "Times change, but traditions do not. You girls will remain here, where it's safe."

"But—!" Kate started, fists clenched.

"Their land, their rules, kids." Grandpa said, his voice gentle but final as he placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. His gaze flicked to us, apologetic, but not enough to stand against his friend.

"What do you mean 'girls stay behind'?" Kate wasn't having any of that. "We're the ones who stopped those museum freaks!"

I bit my tongue, struggling not to explode. 'Safe? We'd been fighting monsters all summer. Aliens. Interdimensional threats. Kate could break half the furniture in this building with her bare hands, and Lucy—'

"With all due respect, Mr. Green…" Ben's voice cut clean through my spiraling frustration. It was calm and measured, but firm. "…that tradition is outdated. You haven't seen what these girls can do."

My breath caught and my head snapped toward him. He wasn't looking at me, his gaze was locked on Wes, steady and unblinking.

"I'm sure Kate here is tougher than any Brave you could find around here." He continued, tilting his head toward her. "Lucy can get into places no Brave could ever dream of. And Gwen…" His eyes met mine for the briefest second, and I felt the air catch in my lungs. "…Gwen is smarter and more resourceful than all of us put together. Leaving them behind isn't just unfair, but it's a tactical mistake."

My heart fluttered, traitorously. Because for a second, it didn't feel like he was defending the team, it felt like he was defending me.

But then I caught it, the way Kai was looking at him. Her eyes wide, her posture shifting slightly forward. That earlier gratitude had bloomed into something else. Admiration? Awe?

And just like that, my moment was gone. Replaced by something cold and sour at the pit of my stomach.

'Was he saying all that to impress her?' The thought was instant, ugly. 'Look at her. She's totally falling for it. And it's working.'

"The boy makes a strong case." Grandpa said, a proud smile twitching at his lips.

Wes looked between Ben, his granddaughter, and the three of us still bristling nearby. He sighed, long and low, but his expression didn't waver.

"My decision stands. It is the way of my people. If you wish to bring yours, I won't stop you. But my granddaughter stays. She'll remain here and recover from her wound." He turned on his heel and started toward the exit, expecting Max and Ben to follow.

I exchanged a quick glance with Ben. It was all I needed to tell him that the girls and I would stay behind. He nodded back, subtle but understanding.

"Be careful." Ben and Kai said to each other in near unison.

It caught me completely off guard.

'I think I'm gonna puke.' I thought, my insides twisting into knots as I watched him walk away with Grandpa and Mr. Green. Kai's eyes never left him, her gaze filled with that annoying, quiet fascination. The look that screamed: he's special.

"Well, that was a load of garbage." Kate muttered, kicking a loose floorboard hard enough that it cracked.

"Tell me about it." Lucy grumbled, folding her arms. "He totally could've used my help! I can track things! I can be a rock! I can be a slightly different-colored rock right next to the first rock!"

They kept ranting, and I let them. It was funny in a way, and kind of comforting. But I couldn't focus. All I could think about was the look on her face. All I could see was Ben…my Ben…being the noble, perfect hero. And her being the one who noticed.

I clenched my fists, my knuckles whitening. 'Fine, if the boys wanted to go on their braves-only hunting trip, that was their business. I'll do my part and help the wounded. I'll do what I always do.'

But the ache in my chest wasn't going anywhere.

————————————————————————

MC'S POV

Well, it's not like I couldn't just use my magical aura to "gently persuade" Mr. Green to let the girls come along.

But honestly? Wes had a good point about Kai still needing time to recover. And more than that, something felt off. The other people injured by the Yennaldooshi weren't healing. Not naturally, not even with subtle boosts from my magic.

That concerned me. But not enough to go all out and spoil the off-chance of getting any surprise on my summer vacation.

So yeah, where was I? Oh, right! It actually made more sense to leave the girls behind. They could keep things stable, and someone had to keep an eye on Kai anyway. She insisted her cut came from debris in the flood, but despite my quiet healing charm, the wound still hadn't closed properly. A clear red flag.

The makeshift infirmary back at the shelter had become a scene of controlled chaos, but I had no doubt the girls could handle it while I investigated the werewolf.

Gwen, ever the organizational powerhouse, was already directing people almost like a seasoned field medic, applying first aid with surprising skill and calm. Lucy was on morale duty, pulling faces, dancing, cracking jokes, anything to distract frightened kids and even a few adults. As for Kate? In moments like these, she was the calm in the storm. Solid, unshakable and stronger than even when she absorbed some of the alien DNA on her belt. I'd trust her with holding the fort if the Yennaldooshi doubled back.

Suffice it to say, my pride in them just kept growing. And so did their capability.

As we left the community center, a few of the older Navajo men fell into step behind us. They didn't speak, but their presence said enough. This was Wes's village, and his reputation carried weight. Even I had to respect that.

Twilight deepened as we reached the canyon trail. The setting sun painted the rock walls in streaks of molten orange and blood-red. The air cooled, dry and sharp, broken only by the crunch of boots on gravel, and the occasional dark hair caught in the wind or snagged on bark.

"You know, this reminds me of that time we tracked a yeti through the Himalayas." Grandpa Max murmured. His tone was nostalgic but edged with tension. I saw Wes allow himself the ghost of a smile as he crouched, inspecting a fresh set of paw prints.

They were deep. Too deep for any natural creature. And that faint, acrid tang in the air…ozone. Residual energy from that purple lightning again, no doubt.

"You were a Plumber?" I asked casually, wanting to probe further, but held back as the other men came closer.

"Was." Wes said. "Left even before the organization disbanded." He stood, nodding toward a narrow gorge. "The tracks lead through here."

We followed and soon the canyon narrowed around us, the walls rising like silent judges. Then the path widened, into a natural amphitheater of rock. And there, amid twisted metal and scorched dirt, crouched the Yennaldooshi.

It was hunched over the remains of the satellite dish Wes had installed. Massive shoulders hunched, claws slicing through steel like paper. Sparks flew with every movement, briefly lighting its ragged bluish-grey fur and the swollen, unnatural muscle beneath it.

Okay. This definitely wasn't just an alien werewolf. It radiated malevolence. A mystical, cursed aura thick enough to feel in my bones. Every instinct screamed: fear and anger.

Wes raised his hand, signaling for silence as he unslung a tranquilizer rifle. Slow and deliberate while the others followed his lead, though I noticed the youngest among them falter, face pale and breath ragged, before bolting from the formation. 

The creature's aura must've overwhelmed him. Not surprising, that aura wasn't just evil, it pressed on one's very soul.

I held back, knowing full well that the dart wouldn't work, but still respected their need to try it their way.

Wes fired and the dart zipped through the air, perfectly aimed, until the creature's head snapped up. Its body blurred with inhuman speed. The dart shattered against the cliff wall, missing by inches.

And then it saw us. Glowing purple eyes locked onto our position, and it howled. Not a mere bestial roar to lower our resolve, but a weapon being used to declare war on us.

The canyon trembled and my ears rang. Even the earth beneath us seemed to shudder in pain. The werewolf soon charged, claws scrambling up the vertical cliff like they were stairs. Faster and stronger than any regular animal of the animal kingdom.

The Navajo men raised their weapons, brave but outmatched. Grandpa Max activated a Plumber device, its familiar hum reassuring me of his safety. But this was my fight.

I stepped forward, shrouded in mist and moonlight. Silently, I commanded Alpha to begin recording.

'Understood, master. Commencing analysis at once!' It replied back in my mind.

As usual, with Master Control unlocked, I didn't need to move to reach the Omnitrix. Just a thought, and a flash of green enveloped me.

The world shifted as I stopped seeing in the human sense. My vision bloomed in a spectrum of heat, motion and smells. A world of energy, vibration and chemicals.

The Yennaldooshi was a roiling mass of purple, malevolent signature. And I, now fully shifted into my Ultimate Vulpimancer form, was a crimson inferno by comparison. Scarlet fur bristling, my three prehensile tails, each ending in an obsidian claw, lashed behind me.

It leapt, a blur of claws and teeth, but I didn't dodge. I met it instead. The impact was cataclysmic, like two semi-trucks colliding at full speed. My tails snapped out like whips, countering every strike, deflecting claws, and intercepting its attempt to howl at point-blank range.

Using tremorsense and my smoke glands, I fought with precision, felt its weight shift and predicted every lunge by how it displaced the air.

It was strong, unbelievably so, but it was all brute force and rage, no finesse or technique.

I baited left, then lunged right. My jaws sank into its shoulder, easily ripping free a sizable chunk of flesh.

It shrieked, slamming me with its hind legs. But my forearms, covered in spiny quills, absorbed the blow. It recoiled, snarling, before landing in a low crouch.

Then I witnessed it…its wound. They all began to heal. Dark energy shimmered over its flesh, stitching muscle and sinew together with visible tendrils of cursed magic. Not just mere regeneration or "healing magic." This was some sort of corruption. Like… Zs'Skayr.

Brute force wouldn't cut it. Fine by me. I wasn't here to finish it off….yet. I was here to understand it, to analyze its threat, and to dissect it on every level.

I lashed out, wrapped its limbs with my tails and burrowed beneath the earth, dragging it with me. Rocks shattered as I repeatedly slammed it into stone and dirt, then launched it skyward after erupting from the ground.

Landing hard on its broken form, I saw its skull cracked, its ribs crushed and vital organs bleed out. But still… it healed.

'I see…' I thought half-impressed. 'That's something…an opportunity, perhaps? No problem, I wasn't here to end it. Not yet anyway. Why should I disturb its plans of building a satellite network for me to take over later on?'

However, before I could start to get creative, it howled again, this one wasn't just a sound that shook the ground and bullied our eardrums like a massive explosion, but a calling. One that managed to make me freeze for a split second as I heard from the reservation's direction…answering howls.

I could hear them, faint but rising.

My ears twitched, filtering sound faster than any beast could. My magical senses caught the scent of curse riding the wind, coming from the people the werewolf injured during the flood.

'Shit. Of course the fucking werewolf would had that ace up on its sleeve. It had infected them during its first appearance before the flash flood.' I thought while turning to the men and gave a sharp gesture, wordlessly ordering them to fire while the beast was still recovering.

They snapped out of their daze just long enough to try, but the darts did even less than before.

'Come on, fanged face.' I growled internally. 'The girls can hold their own…but not forever.'

Thinking quickly before I had to waste more time trying to weaken it again, I flooded the area with more smokescreen, letting the darkness crawl in.

Then, just for a second, I let it surface. That undead hunger. That shadow-tinged corruption I'd only ever let out in moments of seriousness. My Ultimate form twisted, draped in dark energy, a reflection of the part of me that fed on essence.

It was cold, ancient, and hungry. My magic shimmered at the edges of control, not because I couldn't hold it back, but because some part of me didn't want to. The part that wanted to devour the werewolf whole. And it knew, it saw me, and it ran.

'Coward.' I thought after letting it go. 'Until next time.'

Once it vanished, I returned to Grandpa, Wes, and the remaining warriors. Without a word, I shifted to Kineceleran form, blue lightning dancing across my body just as I was gone in a blur.

Wes, sharp as he was, would no doubt connect the dots: Two mysterious aliens arriving seconds after I vanished? Yeah… I wish I could hear how much grandpa Max would be willing to share with him.

————————————————————————

KAI'S POV

I never expected my summer to end up like this.

Not that it started off badly, quite the opposite, actually. For the first time in forever, I was getting away from the city. No signal, no traffic, no blaring music or fake people. Just the wind-swept canyons, the scent of sage in the air, and time with Grandpa Wes.

It was supposed to be simple, quiet and peaceful.

Had spent nearly a week practicing my dance for the tribal festival, throwing myself into it like I had something to prove. Maybe I did, maybe I just wanted Grandpa to finally see me as more than some city girl from Phoenix who barely visited. I wasn't just here to smile politely and "connect with my roots", I wanted to belong.

And when the time came? I nailed it. Every step. Every beat. Tourists clapped, snapped photos. Grandpa looked… proud.

And then, out of nowhere, the sky broke open. Rain came down like it was chasing something. In seconds, the festival ground became a swamp. I barely had time to laugh at how suddenly it all changed before the flood swallowed everything, me included.

One minute I was on solid ground. The next, I was being dragged through the street by a current that shouldn't have even existed. I clawed for anything solid while seeing nothing but water, mud, and panic.

Until he showed up. That boy…uh, Ben? Yeah, Ben. He moved like the flood didn't matter. Like it wasn't real. He reached out, pulled me from the current, and climbed to a rooftop like he'd done it a thousand times before. It should've felt dramatic, something out of a movie. But for him? It looked like just another Tuesday.

At first, I didn't think much of it. I was soaked, freezing, bleeding, and honestly… humiliated. But even then, there was something about the way he was around me. Weirdly at ease, like we knew each other well enough or something like that.

He didn't gawk. Didn't make stupid comments. Just helped and made me feel safe. Which, after nearly drowning, shouldn't have been easy.

Now, lying here in this provisional infirmary, staring at the warped ceiling of what used to be the village museum…I can't believe that I'm saying this but…I honestly just couldn't stop thinking about him.

Or also the fact that I'd become a burden. Because of me, the other girls weren't out there helping track the Yennaldooshi. And if it hadn't been for this stupid scratch…ugh!

I looked down at my bandaged arm, thinking back to when Ben cleaned it and rewrapped it without hesitation, while simultaneously directing his friends like it was no big deal. He'd said something about it healing slowly, or maybe not healing right at all, I didn't press for details.

Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn't, or maybe he was just being thorough. Besides, there were other people who needed care far more than me.

Still… it felt like that wound had taken more than just blood. It had stolen a valuable opportunity, a chance to prove I could track with the Braves. A chance to show Grandpa I belonged. A chance that Ben…someone I'd just met today…actually believed I could do it.

'And still, I missed it!' I told myself, sighing as I pushed the blanket off my legs and sat up.

The girls, Gwen, Kate and Lucy, were nearby, tending to an elder with a deep gash in his leg. The air smelled like old books and wet wool. Outside, night had fully fallen.

Lucy noticed me and offered a crooked grin. "You still look like you got hugged by a hurricane."

Despite everything, I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, at least my hurricane didn't have claws."

"Half the village wasn't so lucky." Kate muttered, not looking up from the makeshift splint she was tying. "Be glad yours was shallow."

Oh, but I was… mostly.

"I don't get it…" Gwen murmured, half to herself. "That thing definitely wasn't just an animal. What guarantee does your grandfather have that the tranquilizer would work on it?"

"No idea." I said, stepping closer. "But my grandfather thinks it might be the Yennaldooshi. In our stories, sometimes it's more than a beast. Sometimes… it's a god."

Gwen looked like she wanted to ask something, but then it happened. A sound, low and distant. A howl, not that of a coyote, or even a wolf. This sound pulled at something deep in my chest, like it was crawling beneath my skin.

All around us, people stiffened, their eyes glassed over. Some groaned and clutched their limbs, while the elder Kate had just finished helping collapsed, convulsing.

Gwen shot up. "Lucy, get the kids behind the old fossil display! Kate, help me clear space near the entrance. If this is what I think it is…we need to contain everyone!"

'Contain?! What's happening?!' I thought, panic rising.

A boy, maybe nineteen, snarled. Actually snarled! His eyes glowed purple as he lunged at another patient.

Kate tackled him mid-air, her appearance shifting…less human, more… feral.

"Move, Kai!" Gwen shouted, raising her hand. A glowing blue energy disk burst from her palm and slammed into another attacker, knocking him out cold.

My breath caught. "Wait… what…?!"

Lucy ducked a clawed hand, swept someone's legs out, her body rippling like water. Her skin turned pink right before she multiplied into many versions of herself.

I stumbled back, my brain stuttering. Gwen wielded magic. Kate was a literal tank. Lucy… was fluid?

They were holding the line…barely, due their actual effort to not hurt anyone…but holding it. It was chaotic, but methodical. Almost like they'd done this before.

A shriek snapped me around. It came from a possessed woman, eyes glowing, who bolted towards me. So fast, her hand raised, claws stretching toward my throat.

I-I…froze in place…until there was light and fire, followed by a crackling roar like a blowtorch.

Something flashed between me and the out of control woman. Not a blur, not a bolt, but a person. And in her hands was a glowing, blazing sword of red-orange fire.

The creature shrieked and reeled back as the blade arced through the air in a dazzling, precise swing. She didn't strike to kill, just cleanly knocked the woman aside before leveling her blade again, this time held low, ready.

"Back off now, sweetheart." She snapped, blade now raised. Silver-blonde hair whipped around her, and her black-and-orange gear pulsed with energy.

The cursed woman growled, hesitating, but the stranger didn't wait. She lunged, her flaming blade sweeping wide, driving the attacker back.

"Gwen! Kate! Lucy!" The newcomer asked while keeping her cool demeanor. "You three good?!"

"Drew?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Gwen shouted, even while restraining two more infected.

"Helping! Obviously!" Drew yelled back. "I was studying local dig sites when I heard the howling and chaos…so I turned around!"

She vaulted a chair, jabbed a stun dart into a snarling boy, and spun like a whirlwind of calculated aggression.

"This isn't biological." She said, half to herself. "Mystical. Aura's reeking with tribal magic and cursed decay. Typical Tennysons, always knee-deep in mythos by accident!"

She spun and caught another attacker with a full-bodied sweep of her leg, then pointed her sword like it was part of her arm.

I stood stunned, before finally asking, my mouth dry. "You know her?" 

"Her name's Drew Saturday." Gwen said with a sigh. "Short version: She is a paranormal expert."

"Cryptozoologist, technically. I study creatures most people think are myths." Drew added, already scanning the room for the next threat.

My head reeled, I knew that name. The cryptid hunters, stories my grandpa used to tell me when I was younger. I thought they were just bedtime stories he told me. Later on when I heard rumors about it on the internet I thought it was just some conspiracy blog fuel. 

But the woman in front of me didn't feel like a rumor or someone pretending to know what she was talking about. She… she was the real deal.

Drew flipped another attacker and slapped a containment disk on his chest. "Not today, buddy. I survived a Chupacabra mating season. This? Child's play."

Eventually, the last of the cursed collapsed or were restrained, Gwen's…light constructs faded, Kate and Lucy panted against a wall.

And me? I sank to the ground, knees shaking.

Drew Saturday turned to me and her expression shifted. Softer now, fierce but…maternal.

"You alright, dear?" She asked, crouching.

"Y-Yeah… thanks to you." I nodded. "All of you."

Her eyes flicked to my arm. "You were hurt?"

"Just a scratch." I said quickly. "Flood debris. I'm fine. Not growling or glowing, so that's gotta count, right?"

Her expression darkened and she scanned my arm with a small device. It beeped softly and her lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line.

"Keep an eye on it, alright?" She said quietly. "If you feel cold, numb, angry for no reason…tell me. Got it?"

"…Why?" I asked.

"Just to be sure." She said gently. "Let's not wait for the next full moon."

Then she stood, spun her sword, and faced Gwen.

"You've got smart girls here, Tennyson. But that howl? It wasn't just a call. It was a trigger. More are coming."

"Ben!" Gwen, Kate, and Lucy said at once, concern clear in their voices.

"Yes?" Said a raspy voice out of nowhere, just as a blur of motion drifted across the floor, followed by a shriek of friction against the floor and wind blowing right behind it.

Sleek and inhuman. A tech-armored reptilian with glowing blue lines and electric green eyes that shimmered beneath a translucent curtain of static.

"Great job everyone." It focused on us, moving with the kind of calm that said he already knew everything important about the room. "And thanks for the assist, Ms. Drew."

"No need to thank me, kid." She said, catching her breath. "Just fill me in."

"Sure." It…Ben?…grinned. "But after I go grab Grandpa. Left him and Wes behind in the canyon, figured this place might need me more."

And then he was gone, in a streak of kinetic lightning, while I just stood there, heart pounding. Head spinning. Watching as every definition of normal I'd ever had… went up in smoke.

In that silence after the storm, all I could hear was the howl… still echoing inside me.

————————————————————————

DREW SATURDAY'S POV

There's something about desert nights, the way the wind picks up just enough to raise goosebumps, how every shadow stretches too long and the silence between howls feels like a drumroll.

I'd been in situations like this before. Small towns with ancient legends. Something stirring under the surface of reality. The only difference this time?

I was alone. Zak was with his father, overseeing a cryptid migration in Patagonia. Fisk and Komodo were holding the fort back home. And me? I came here for a dig.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Truth was, I'd been following a trail for weeks, seismic readings that didn't match the tectonic profile, whispers from nearby reservations, one incident report that sounded a little too much like something out of Navajo myth. I should've stayed with my family, but my gut said otherwise.

And my gut hasn't been wrong in a long, long time.

Now, Max's old Rust Bucket sat parked under a sandstone outcropping. He and his ex-Plumber friend Wes were speaking with villagers who hadn't been infected, while Gwen and the other kids were finishing up restraining the cursed back at the museum.

I sat against a stack of camping crates, still catching my breath, with my fire sword resting across my knees. It kept the cold at bay, but not the gnawing worry.

That's when Max and Wes approached and I glanced past them, watching the tourists they'd been speaking to walking away into the dark.

"Where are all those people going?" I asked.

"Off the reservation." Wes replied, clearly frustrated. "They fear the Yennaldooshi's return. And with the full moon tonight… its power will be stronger than ever."

"Well..." I muttered. "…you've got one hell of a problem."

Max gave me a look. "That obvious, huh?"

"You've got infected villagers and a local legend that's suddenly real. I'd say your weekend's booked."

Wes exhaled through his nose, arms crossed. "It's not the first time that thing's appeared. At least, not according to stories I heard when I was a boy. My father and uncle dealt with something like it during a full moon. It went after livestock and tourists, until my people tried stopping it the old way."

"Didn't work then." Max added. "Hasn't worked now."

Wes nodded grimly. "Even during my Plumber days, it never matched any known species. Spiritually, though? It felt ancient. Divine. Cursed. All at once."

That tracked. Everything I'd seen, the triggered transformation, the howls, the lingering aura, none of it was natural. It wasn't biological. It was magic, of the very old type, the kind Zak still half-dismissed…but I didn't.

"And you think it's back?" I asked.

"We don't think." Max said, serious now. "We know. And if we don't stop it before tonight's full moon, the curse becomes permanent."

I frowned. "You've got a plan?"

Wes gave a tight nod. "There's an old method. No silver bullets. We need a silver pendant, dipped in the juice of the arbol del matrimonio cactus. Pressed against the creature's heart. It's the only way to break the curse."

"And we've got until moonrise." Max added.

"Of course." I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Any idea where it is now?"

"Ben and I tracked it toward the canyon ridge." Wes said. "But we doubled back after the howl. Figured the village needed someone who knew what they were doing."

I smirked. "Lucky for you, I showed up to lend a hand."

Before they could respond, we heard a groan. It was Kai who stood nearby, leaning against the Rust Bucket, clutching her side.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm… fine. Just itchy. Like crazy." She scratched her shoulder, then her arm. "Might be hives."

Ben moved beside her, protective. His eyes scanned her posture, sweat and trembling fingers. "Kai… hold up. You shouldn't be out here yet. You need rest."

Nearby, Gwen stiffened.

She was watching, not Kai's symptoms, but Ben's every move. The way he leaned closer, how softly he spoke. She didn't say anything, but her narrowed eyes said everything.

'Oh…how cute!' I thought. 'She's got a crush.' I noted, but knew it was none of my business.

"It's nothing." Kai insisted. "Probably just stress—"

"Does stress make you scratch like a monkey?" Gwen interjected, mimicking one with a smirk.

Kai bristled and turned away, scratching harder, and we all turned toward her.

"Are you okay, Kai?" Lucy asked, her tone genuine.

"I'm fine!" She snapped, though the itching worsened. "Could someone just scratch my back?!"

"That's… attractive." Gwen said, dry as dust.

Kai flushed. "What?"

"Gwen." Ben said, sharply.

"What?" She replied innocently, wearing a too-sweet smile. "I'm just saying, maybe someone should be resting. Not hanging around trying to impress people."

Then Kai sat down and pulled off a shoe. Her skin turned a sallow shade of blue. She scratched behind her ear with her foot, now tipped with black claws and her fingers followed.

"Uh, Kai?" Lucy asked. "Your face looks…"

"…really hairy," Kate finished.

Wes stepped forward. "Kai? What's happening?"

Kai felt her ears and gasped. "I—I don't know!"

I stepped forward and tapped my scanner to her bandage. Readings immediately spiked, as residual curse energy was present and spreading.

"Flood debris, my foot." I muttered. "You sure you didn't get close to the Yennaldooshi?"

"Noooooooo—" She began to howl. Her eyes widened in fear. "No, it was just a shallow—"

"Doesn't matter." I said, firmly. "The curse doesn't need a deep wound, just a trace. And if that howl reached deep enough…"

"She doesn't have much time." Wes finished. His voice was calm, but his eyes, his grandfather's eyes, weren't.

Kai stumbled back, breath shaky. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone…"

"You won't." Ben said, instantly. Calm, solid and certain. "We're not going to let that happen."

Lucy blinked. "Wait… she's really turning?" Her voice held no fear, just honest surprise. "That's… kinda wild. No offense."

Kai looked like she wanted to laugh and cry all at once.

"Guys…" Kate stepped forward, ready. "If she changes… I can handle it."

"No one's facing Kai." Ben said sharply. "Got it?"

Kate raised her hands. "Just saying. You can count on me, I'm ready."

"Ben's right." Max joined us. "We stop the source, the curse breaks. I've seen this before."

"When?" Lucy asked, but was promptly ignored.

"Since I'm the one who came to explore the nearby digging site, I'll get the silver pendant." I offered, already moving. "And since you are a better tracker than me, the cactus..."

"I'll handle it." Wes said, voice tight. 

Then I crouched by Kai, locking eyes.

"You're in control now. But don't lie to yourself if that changes. Stay near someone who can stop you. Not someone who'll just trust you. If you feel anything…rage, heat, fog…say something. Got it?"

"Yes!" She whispered. "I think I'll stay with Ben. He is the Omni-boy from the news, after all."

Gwen exhaled sharply through her nose. "Oh, not without me!" Noticing how we began to look at her with questioning eyes, she added. "I-I mean, no offense to Mr. Green and grandpa, but Ben will need more support then they can give him."

Ben didn't seem to notice Gwen's weird behavior, or at least pretended not to. He just smiled softly while facing Kai. "Good call. I've saved the world once or twice."

Kai smiled faintly. "I don't want to be a monster."

"You won't." Ben said.

I barely held back a laugh at Gwen's expression after being ignored.

Deciding to move on before my self control failed me, I rose to my feet and called for the other two girls to follow me. My blade reignited with a hiss just in time to help me mask my snicker.

"Hey, is anybody else hungry?" She said before staring longingly at a grazing cow, and my heart dropped a little.

I'd seen worse. I'd stopped worse. But that didn't mean it ever got easier, watching a kid turn into something they never asked for.

Still, the moon was rising fast and the wind had shifted. If this curse thought it could hollow out a girl like Kai? Then it clearly hadn't met the Saturdays…or the Tennysons for that matter.

————————————————————————

MC'S POV

Okay, okay, you guys know me by now.

I'm a control freak by nature. One who's usually lazy enough to stick to canon just to avoid overcomplicating things I could very well handle, if I actually felt like it.

But this stop? One curveball after another.

First, the werewolf throws a tantrum like it's auditioning for a horror reboot, all because it's finally free from the PG-13 leash the cartoon had to dance around.

Then it starts behaving more like Zs'Skayr, all cursed energy and eldritch vibes, actually living up to its real werewolf inspiration. Because why not, right? Also, shoutout to the full moon, always perfectly timed for maximum narrative drama.

And now I get the pleasure of running into Drew, the oh-so-good-looking and definitely not the reason why I currently hate Doc, Saturday again?

Don't get me wrong, easily the most welcome change so far. But I was kinda busy trying to make Kai simp for me, just so I could drop the "you're not my type" card for karmic payback by the end of this episode.

Honestly? I was starting to not care about Kai at all. Not like I'd leave her howling at the moon or anything, but once this episode's over? I'd be just fine not seeing her again until her Excalibur arc.

And don't even get me started on Gwen. Yeah, she's jealous. What, you thought I wouldn't notice? Come on, I read auras and surface thoughts like people scroll TikTok. My cute and freckled ginger cousin is practically steaming.

Anyway, stupid rant over.

Once again, I'm monologuing to you… the imaginary disembodied cosmic therapist entity that I vent to instead of, y'know, actually telling literally anyone I've been reincarnated into a reality I used to binge as a kid. And honestly? That's a problem for another day.

For now, I'm sticking to my plan: KISS. Keep it simple, stupid.

Weaken the werewolf enough to break the curse. Send it running back to its collective satellite project with all the other rejects from Tom Cruise's monsterverse.

No jinxing, but it should be easy enough. Probably.

Later, our ragtag group was still trekking through the desert in search of the honestly elusive arbol del matrimonio cactus. 

The stars were out in full force now, while the air had cooled just enough to make our breath mist. Loose pebbles crunched beneath our boots, and dry wind tugged at our sleeves as we moved through terrain that looked more like concept art from a Western than any real place.

Wes took the lead with a focused stride and a practiced eye. Knowing the topography like the back of his hand, he helped us zero in on the stretch of land most likely to house our botanical savior. 

Of course, I had at least five different ways to solve this cactus scavenger hunt instantly, one of which involved me actually just asking the desert plants themselves, but where would the fun be in that?

Besides, I needed the practice with my subtle aura-based manipulation magic anyway. No sense in always pulling out the cosmic cheat codes unless I had to. And since neither Max nor Gwen, the only two here who knew enough about my powers to question me, said anything about it, I was free to play the role of "good little team player" without complaints.

Kai was still doing her best to stay active, despite the creeping signs of the curse. She walked with purpose and spoke calmly, like she hadn't just been halfway to turning into a desert-themed mythical creature herself twenty minutes ago.

"The Canyon de Chelly is a sacred place." She said, her voice slightly lower than earlier but still grounded. "It's where our spirits go. To reflect. To rest. To return to the beginning."

Wes gave her an approving nod, clearly proud. I, on the other hand, was not as comforted.

'Yeah, no need to tell me.' I thought grimly. 'The godly spark I got from Ah Puch, now fused with Zs'Skayr's essence, was already stirring inside me, twitching like a compass needle in a magnetic storm. This place was heavy with echoes. Almost too heavy for me to resist raising the dead.'

Then Gwen, ever the overachiever trying to make sense of a magical desert, groaned and flopped down on the ground. "Well, maybe the spirits can help us find that cactus." She muttered. "Because since my divination spells have stopped working, I'm about ready to just—AAAAHH!"

She yelped as her butt made contact with the ground, and, unfortunately for her, with a tangled mess of prickles and vines. She shot right back up with a squeal, face first into the dirt, cactus needles stuck in some… sensitive real estate.

I grinned. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it. This scene always managed to make me laugh even back when I watched it on my own TV. But being here personally? Price-less!

"Kinda wish Lucy was here to see that." I said with a smirk.

Kai giggled, not mean-spirited, just genuinely entertained, and even Max chuckled under his breath. Wes blinked once, then stepped forward, squinting at the cactus Gwen had so tragically discovered.

"The arbol del matrimonio!" He exclaimed. "I guess the spirits really do work in mysterious ways."

"And painful ones!" Gwen groaned, cheeks flushed and hair tangled with dirt. She groaned again as I crouched down behind her to very carefully remove the offending vine. It was… not a fast process.

Let's just say that awkward silence? Yeah. It was real. And the only thing more awkward was Gwen's position.

She coughed. "Just—please don't say anything."

"I'm not even thinking about it." I said with a straight face, even though I absolutely was.

With the sample acquired, courtesy of Gwen's brave backside, I stepped away and activated my Omnitrix, shifting smoothly into my Florauna (Wildvine) transformation. In this form, I could coax and accelerate plant growth with barely a thought. 

What was once a humble vine became a twisting, thorn-lined cluster of glowing stems, sap oozing from the freshly grown bulbs.

"Should be enough." I said as I shifted back into human form. "Think of it as holy water for werewolves if combined with the right silver pendant. Just… greener."

We were just finishing the preparations when we heard it. A low growl, not from far off, but from within our group.

We turned just in time to see Kai's muscles ripple under her skin. Her body trembled once, then again, like something was waking up inside her, and it wasn't asking for permission.

Golden light consumed her irises, her pupils vanishing in an unnatural shine. Her ears elongated into pointed tufts, and patches of greyish fur began spreading along her arms, shoulders, and the back of her neck. Interestingly enough, her cursed markings blended with the curse's own coloration, blue and grey swirled in a sick sort of harmony.

"You're looking more and more like a Yennaldooshi." Gwen muttered, her earlier sass now replaced by visible concern.

"Well…" Kai said, voice deeper and more resonant. "I still feel like… me."

She sniffed once, then twice, head turning like she'd just caught wind of something important. In a sudden burst, she gripped the edge of a nearby rock and flipped effortlessly on top of it. Her eyes locked on a jackrabbit down below, poor thing had no clue what was coming.

Before we could attempt to stop her, she pounced, kicking up a cloud of dust. The rabbit screamed, if rabbits could scream, and bolted for its burrow. Kai dug after it like a beast, and we were left standing there as a storm of sand and dirt rained down over us.

Wes sighed and brushed off his jacket.

"You were saying?" Max asked, raising a brow at Gwen with a wry smirk.

Gwen coughed, wiping sand from her mouth. "I guess you can teach a new wolf dumb tricks." Then she smirked. "We better tame this puppy if we're planning to keep her."

"Gwen." I said, giving her a look.

"What?" She shrugged innocently. "You'd expect that from Lucy, sure, but me? I'm just coping."

"Maybe cope a little quieter?" I said, only half-joking, but also slightly annoyed by totally not expecting her to ruin my karmic payback chance. 

Kai poked her head back up from the dirt, ears twitching sheepishly. "Uh… sorry."

"Don't be." Max said, pulling out his cell phone. He stared at it for a beat. "Well, it's not just Gwen's spells that are getting jammed. There's no signal either."

Gwen narrowed her eyes. "Wait—like, at all?"

Max shook his head and tucked the phone away. "Dead zone. Which makes me think…"

Before he could finish that thought, a flare shot up in the distance. A streak of red light cut through the sky, blooming like a flower before fading.

"Over there!" I shouted, already moving. "They must be signaling us!"

The group snapped into motion, all tension and readiness. Wes moved like a trained scout, eyes sweeping the ridges. Kai loped behind us in long, agile strides, her ears twitching with every shift in the wind.

Whatever was waiting beyond that flare… it had better be worth the price of a burned cactus butt, a cursed girl half-turned, and a sarcastic mage with cactus needles still embedded in her dignity.

————————————————————————

DREW SATURDAY'S POV

The canyon wind whispered across the ancient stone like it had secrets to keep.

I adjusted my pack as I led Lucy and Kate down a narrow pass, guided more by instinct than any GPS. The path ahead twisted toward an old dig site I'd once cataloged, one that, according to tribal records, held remnants of Navajo ceremonial artifacts. Most notably, a silver pendant that never quite made it into any official museum inventory.

A crescent moon-shaped relic said to have belonged to a warrior-priest, someone who, legend claimed, stood against the first known Yennaldooshi. I hadn't believed it back then, not fully. Still don't, to be honest.

But tonight, I had no choice.

"Okay." I said, slowing my steps as the moonlight pooled over the slope ahead. "Rule one: don't touch anything shiny unless I say so."

"Copy that!" Lucy chirped, hopping from one sandstone outcrop to the next with inhuman balance. "Unless it's glowing and humming, then I might touch it anyway."

"Please don't." I said flatly.

Kate snorted behind us, adjusting the belt around her waist. "No offense, Lucy, but last time you said that, you exploded into slime and stuck yourself to the ceiling."

"I said might." Lucy grinned and turned her skin a translucent shimmer for a second, cheeks dimly coloring pink. "And it worked out!"

I offered a smile, just barely, before the canyon swallowed the stars above us. Shadows pressed in as we dipped into the stone's throat, our flashlights flicking on.

The dig site opened up ahead, a collapsed chamber half-swallowed by time and monsoon rot. Crude scaffolding lay broken across the floor like the bones of a forgotten beast. But the altar should still be intact beneath it, buried under a ceremonial slab, a trapdoor in disguise, according to my notes.

"Creepy." Kate muttered, her boot crunching through brittle debris.

"Sacred." I corrected. "And very, very old. Walk like the floor might bite back."

Lucy immediately tiptoed like a cartoon thief, arms raised. "Like this?"

Kate groaned. "Why did we bring her again?"

"We split up to cover more ground." I knelt beside a weathered wall of glyphs, brushing away sediment with a gloved hand. The spiral carvings, storm, spirit, fangs, were unmistakable. "This is it."

Lucy sidled up next to Kate, voice dropping to a whisper. "Hey, uh… are we gonna talk about how Gwen's been acting?"

Kate looked up. "Thought I was the only one noticing."

"You mean the way she's been trying to vaporize Kai with her eyes every time she gets too close to Ben?" Lucy mimicked Gwen's face and glare with uncanny accuracy, glowing green eyes and ginger hair, crossed arms, one eyebrow twitching like she was calculating the trajectory of a hex bolt.

Kate chuckled. "Classic. Textbook jealousy."

"No way Ben picks Kai once we move on." Lucy nodded solemnly. "But I'll bet you a week of dish duty that Gwen explodes before sunrise."

"Focus." I sighed, pressing fingers to my temples. "Pendants first. Adolescent drama later."

Kate stepped toward the broken altar. "So where's this magic werewolf necklace, again?"

"Buried. Most likely beneath that slab." I pointed to a stone disc nearly a meter wide. "It's a pressure plate. Dual weight-activated."

Kate cracked her knuckles. "Cool. I got this."

"Wait—" I began.

Too late. She dropped a disc-shaped stone onto the center. The slab clicked sharply, the entire room groaning beneath our feet.

Lucy flared some pink antennas and shifted, her neck extending slightly as if sensing vibrations. "Uhh… Ms. Drew? Why does the floor sound like it's growling?"

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Trap?"

"Trap." I confirmed.

Suddenly, the slab dropped like a coffin lid, releasing a gust of stale air thick with decay. Old ropes snapped overhead, and the ceiling shuddered.

"MOVE!" I warned them.

Kate immediately morphed, her form rippling as a layer of hard blue-greenish crystal grew across her arms. She dove to the side, absorbing a collapsing beam with a defensive roll.

Lucy yanked me backward with more strength than her size should allow, her body stretching elastically as we tumbled into a side alcove.

A massive, spike-studded log crashed through the room, smashing into the far wall and sending rock dust and fossilized beetle shells flying.

"Holy Psyche!" Lucy coughed, morphing her eyes with a shift that shimmered purple for a second before fading. "That was AWESOME."

"We almost became pancakes." I muttered, my heart still racing.

"I'm good!" Kate called out, brushing rock off her armored shoulder. "Floor's cracked though."

Back at the altar, I stepped carefully over the ruined trap. The slab had fully descended, revealing a small, untouched compartment within the stone base. Nestled on a faded cloth was the pendant, silver, crescent-shaped, etched with symbols that practically vibrated with old power.

I picked it up slowly, reverently. "This is it."

Kate whistled. "Looks expensive. Also cursed, right?"

"Probably." I admitted.

As I tucked it into a protective container on my belt, Lucy peeked over my shoulder. "So, uh… this is the thing that's gonna save Kai?"

"It's our best shot." I said. "The rest comes down to timing, guts… and trust."

Lucy beamed. "Cool. We've got all three."

Kate flexed one rocky fist, still partially transformed. "Let's bail before something else falls out of the ceiling."

We retraced our steps, navigating the narrow pass once more. As we reached the open canyon, moonlight spilled across the stone in ghostly silver. The air was still.

I pulled out my phone. Dead screen. No bars.

"No reception." I muttered.

Kate immediately reached for her belt and tapped the dial again. In a shimmer of orange light, her form shifted, heating into a glowing magma-humanoid hybrid, crackling with internal pressure. She raised her arm and launched a blazing fireball into the sky.

The signal burst like a flare on steroids.

Lucy shielded her eyes. "Remind me to stand behind her next time."

Kate reverted to her human form, cracking her neck. "That should get their attention."

Lucy leaned closer, elbowing her. "You think Gwen's snapped yet?"

"She probably snapped at a cactus that looked like Kai." Kate deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes. "Focus, girls."

Lucy grinned. "We are focused. On surviving, and on getting ringside seats."

Kate held out a fist to which Lucy met with a hi-five.

I groaned. 'Kids. With too much power to play with, but still good ones.'

We broke into a jog, hearts steady and pendant secured. The desert wind whistled in time with the rising tension. Just over the ridge, the final act was waiting, ancient magic, half-moon monsters, and one very cursed girl.

————————————————————————

MC'S POV

It took us a little while to regroup with Drew and the others. By then, we'd made it close enough to the edge of the reserve to finally catch a signal. Wes immediately reached for his radio, voice low but urgent as he spoke to someone on the other end. 

When he was done, his expression looked about ten years older.

"The NASA tracking station on the north ridge is gone," he said, his tone grim. "Some kind of beast tore through the place. Nearly ripped the guards apart."

Kate cracked her knuckles. "Gee. I wonder who that could've been."

"What did it take?" Lucy asked, surprisingly serious for once.

"Satellite gear. Antennas, transponders… high-end stuff." Wes answered. "And it also ripped down the receiver tower near the village. Like it wanted to cut off communication."

I raised an eyebrow. "So… it's not just on a violent spree. It's after tech."

"And making sure no one calls for help." Drew added, her jaw tight. "That's tactical. Intelligent."

Wes nodded. "It's angry. Something about our world, our machines, it sees as a violation. It's fighting to reclaim the land in the name of something older. Something sacred to it."

Drew knelt beside him as he drew a diagram in the sand. "NASA station's here, west ridge. Lakes box it in on three sides, so the creature would have funneled southeast… right toward us."

"Let's see if our wolf girl can sniff it out." Ben said, motioning to Kai.

Kai stepped forward, breath steady, eyes glowing faintly gold. She turned toward the moon and let loose a howl that echoed through the cliffs.

A moment later, an answering call replied, deeper, guttural, more primal. The hairs on my arms even stood up.

"He's close." Kai said. Her voice was lower. Thicker. "He's waiting."

We advanced in silence. The canyon narrowed, rocks looming like jagged teeth. Grandpa Max swept his flashlight along the trail until the beam caught something: pawprints. Massive, deformed, almost humanoid, leading to a jagged crevice in the rock.

"The tracks end here." Max said. "But…"

We all heard a rustle followed by growls. Kai's ears twitched. She unsheathed her claws and lunged without warning, straight into the shadows.

Then the desert exploded.

The rest of us sprang into action as five, no—six cursed ones swarmed from behind boulders and broken cacti, flanking us in a coordinated rush. Some crawled on all fours, others ran upright with twisted limbs and gnarled claws. All of them moved like predators who'd been hunting for hours.

"Infected scouts!" Wes shouted, pulling a shock-spear from his pack. He took the first one down with a precise jab to the gut, electricity flaring bright blue across its chest.

Max followed up with a concussive pulse-blast from his plumber mini cannon, knocking a second minion off its feet before it could leap onto Lucy. 

"They're smart enough to circle us!" He barked.

Drew didn't hesitate. She moved like someone who had fought monsters before breakfast. She ducked under a swipe, slammed a stunner disc onto a cursed one's back, and kicked it into a rock with enough force to rattle teeth.

"Focus fire! Keep your backs to the stone!" Drew shouted, covering Gwen as she started her chant. "Don't let them herd us!"

Kai burst from the dust with two of them already down, her body now fully changed. Her fur bristled with deep gray and black streaks, spines jutted from her shoulders and knees, and a bushy tail whipped behind her.

Everyone froze. For a split second, even I almost mistook her for the enemy.

"NO!" Kai howled, raising her claws in surrender once she noticed our reaction. "It's ME! Kaiwooooolf!"

Wes went pale. "The transformation is… complete. We need to end this. Now."

But Kai didn't look like she was out of control. Not exactly.

She turned to face us slowly, fur rippling under moonlight, her claws still flexing, shoulders heaving. Her eyes weren't just glowing now, they gleamed, like polished amber set aflame.

Everyone had gone still. Even Kate and Lucy didn't crack jokes.

Kai stared at me. No, locked onto me. Something primal passed through her gaze, something deeper than recognition, a resonance. Like she was hearing a sound the rest of us couldn't.

Then she took a shaky step toward me.

"Hey, easy…" I said, holding up both hands, ready to restrain her every move if she lunged.

But she didn't. Kai stopped just close enough to reach me. Her claws hovered an inch from my chest. She sniffed the air once… then twice. Her nostrils flared, and a low, resonant growl rumbled from deep in her throat.

'A growl of acknowledgment?' I thought without moving, having a hard time reading her surface thoughts.

Then she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to mine.

It was a small gesture, quiet, strange, but I felt something in her change. Then she stepped back and turned toward the ridge, already tensing again. Not because of me, because something else was coming. Something worse.

Then came the growl. Low, cold and final. We all turned toward the ridge above and saw it.

The Yennaldooshi loomed there in full moonlight, fur matted and rippling with sickly purple veins, eyes like twin eclipses. Then, in one monstrous leap, it came down, straight at Kai.

They collided in midair, claw against claw, fang against fang. Dust exploded outward as they crashed to the ground, snarling and circling. The Yennaldooshi's tail swept Kai into the cliff wall, but she landed on all fours, eyes glowing brighter.

The beast reared back, its muzzle splitting into four, a vile howl erupting in a purple sonic wave that flattened the others against the canyon wall.

"Was that in the legends?!" Gwen yelled, voice strained.

The creature roared again, another shockwave tearing toward us, but I raised my hand just in time. A green shield shimmered into place, absorbing the blast as Lucy and Kate ducked behind me.

"Guess its bark is worse than its bite." Kate growled, already reaching for her belt dial.

Then Kai lunged again, and this time the wolves clashed in a blinding flurry, claws flashing, fangs biting, both figures blurring through the air like dueling shadows. The Yennaldooshi struck hard, knocking her back once more, and that's when Kate transformed.

She charged in with a war cry, her form now coated in orange fur and an extra set of strong arms, tusks curving from her jaw. She leapt onto the Yennaldooshi's back and sank her claws deep.

"Rip and tear, punk!" She muttered, with some difficulty thanks to the oversized tusks now on her mouth.

The beast shrieked and bucked her off violently, hurling her into a stone pillar with a bone-crunching impact. Then it turned… right into Lucy's fist.

She'd grown her hand to the size of a wrecking ball, and the punch sent the creature flying straight into Kate and Kai's waiting grasp. They tackled it, holding on with everything they had.

"HURRY!" Kai shouted. "We can't hold him long!"

I didn't rush in, not yet. I could've, if I wanted. I could've turned into something massive, something destructive that would've made a crater out of this thing.

But that wasn't what I needed.

This wasn't a fight to be won with brute strength. This was a ritual, a curse if you will. An echo of something that shouldn't exist, but thanks to the eldritch knowledge I got from Zs'Skayr, I knew how to work with that kind of magic.

So instead, I pulled the pendant from my pouch and mentally ordered Alpha to be ready for my command.

Drew noticed. "Wait—Ben? You sure you know how to use that?"

Her tone wasn't skeptical, but cautious, even protective. My dream-milf-material-meets-field-commander type of gal. But even under that, I caught a flicker of hesitation, like she wanted to believe I could handle it.

"As weird as it might sound, I've studied spirits before." I said, stepping forward while thinking about the most random yet profound thing I could come up with. "The ones that wear pain like armor. The ones that live in names, legends, old prayers twisted into something monstrous. You don't punch those. You unbind them."

Wes blinked, caught off-guard. "That's… shockingly impressive."

Max grunted, nodding in approval.

Drew's eyes didn't leave me. For half a second, I could feel the weight of her gaze. Not doubt, nor fear. Just… reassessment. Like she was reevaluating me in real time. 

With enough luck, she'd stopped seeing a ten-year-old kid, and started seeing me.

"Alright." She said, stepping aside. "Let Ben work."

And so I did. The pendant shimmered in my hand, slick with the glowing sap of the arbol del matrimonio, but I already knew that wouldn't be enough. 

"Terra elevare!" Gwen shouted behind me, and the earth surged upward, locking the beast's limbs in stone cuffs. Lucy reinforced them with a punch that cracked the ground itself.

Wes hurled a spear that pinned the creature's tail like a barbed anchor. Max kept the cursed ones at bay with another pulse-blast. Drew stood her ground beside me, twin blades ready, protecting the gap I would need.

I nodded at her. She nodded back.

Then I moved and stepped forward in a dash of speed and pressed the pendant to its chest until… nothing happened. Which was expected, since I sort of already knew it wasn't the true Navajo legendary myth.

Or rather, it almost didn't. That's when I stepped in. Subtly and quietly, just as I liked it best.

I didn't chant or glow or wave my hands. I just focused my mind in that split second. Called on that little corner of my soul that wasn't living anymore, the part Zs'Skayr had been sacrificed for, the part Ah Puch had been fed to. 

My nightmare essence reached out and the pendant pulsed once. Then the Yennaldooshi screamed.

Not a roar of pain but a scream of unraveling. It trembled, spasmed and for one horrible moment, we saw its shadow detach, flicker and then vanish, like smoke in a jar.

The infected minions howled and collapsed around us, their bodies reverting mid-morph, some unconscious, others sobbing in confusion.

Kai collapsed to her knees. Kate knelt beside her, panting. Lucy whooped in victory. Drew blinked, uncertain what just happened, but said nothing.

Finally, I let go of the pendant. The silver now glowed with a low, primal light. Not holy… but something balanced and tamed.

"Is it over?" Gwen asked.

"It appears to be." I said, palming the pendant with practiced sleight-of-hand.

The real one had already been spirited away to one of the locked white rooms in my Megacruiser. This one was a fragment, a sliver… powerful, yes, but sanitized.

Because this pendant now holds something actually useful…But not for me.

————————————————————————

The next morning, the village felt like a place waking up from a nightmare.

The scent of smoke and sage still lingered in the air as small groups moved between cracked fences and half-crushed food stands, sweeping, hammering, rebuilding. 

Some of the locals who'd fled had started returning, drawn by news of the monster's defeat and the end of the curse. Even a few cautious tourists had emerged from hiding, blinking in the daylight like newborn fawns.

It wasn't whole again… but it was healing.

We stayed the night, not because we had to, but because it felt right. Some wounds don't just need time, they need witnesses.

Wes stood near the edge of the square, shaking hands with a local couple before they wandered off toward the general store. When he turned to face us, he looked less tired than before. Weathered, but lighter somehow.

"Good news." He said, his voice carrying over the dust. "Looks like people are coming back. That's thanks to all of you."

"It was nothing, old friend." Max replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "Just glad we were able to help."

"Just part of being a hero." Lucy added with a grin, hyping Kate up with her own infectious excitement.

"Yeah." Kate responded by grinning back. "We did kick some serious monster butt. Again."

"We did!" Gwen echoed, more relaxed now.

"Together." Kai added softly. Her voice had changed from her normal self. Not in pitch, but in weight, like something in her had settled.

"Come in the museum." Wes said, already gesturing. "Can't send you back on the road without a few souvenirs."

He and Max headed toward the museum, leaving the rest of us basking in a moment of strange and quiet camaraderie.

That's when I saw Gwen glance sideways at Kai. The hesitation on her face practically screamed unfinished business.

So I gave her a slight nudge and raised a brow. "Go on." I murmured. "Apologize before your face gets stuck like that."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Hey, Kai… can I talk to you for a sec?"

Kai turned, a bit startled. "Uh, sure?"

Gwen rubbed the back of her neck, her pride visibly warring with her conscience. "I just… wanted to say I'm sorry. I was kind of mean to you, and you didn't deserve it. You've been great this whole time."

Kai looked stunned. "I-I… thanks. I honestly thought I'd done something wrong. I was starting to think you hated me."

"No. You just reminded me of someone. Someone I haven't figured out how to deal with yet." Gwen shrugged, the motion brittle. "And I kind of projected. Which was totally unfair, it's not your fault. So… yeah. I'm trying to be better."

Before Kai could reply, Gwen nodded once, muttered a quick "See you around" and turned away like she'd just disarmed a bomb. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing.

Kai turned toward me instead. "She's… intense."

"You have no idea." I said with a smirk.

Kai stepped closer, then hesitated. "Well… it's a long summer. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Maybe." I smiled, turning slightly to leave. "Take care, Kai."

"Wait! Ben!" She caught my wrist, more out of instinct than plan. The moment our eyes met, she pulled her hand back fast. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to grab you like that, I just… I wanted to ask—" Kai looked away for a beat, ears twitching slightly. "Could I get your number?"

I exhaled slowly, having been waiting for this moment for far longer than I was willing to admit. "Kai… I don't know how to say this—"

Her face fell before I even finished.

"You're amazing. Strong. Fierce. You totally rocked those werewolf powers. And I do like you, I swear… just not like that. Not in the way you're probably hoping for."

"But… I thought you—" She said while grasping the silver pendant I gifted to her earlier that day.

"I do like you. As a friend. A real one. But that's all I can offer at the moment."

Kai blinked. Then something in her expression flickered, softened. "Friends is… good. I can handle friends…" She stepped closer and gave me a hug. "For now." Then she slipped a folded note into my hand. "Just in case you ever do need anything." She stepped back, gave me a wink and made a phone shape with her hand. "Call me, okay?"

"Sure." I said, casually pocketing the number with a smile as I walked off.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Gwen watching us. Her hands were buried in her jacket pockets, but her face gave her away.

"I know it's none of my business…" I heard Drew saying beside Gwen, causing her to flinch. "…but the thing about crushes is… sometimes you get crushed."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gwen snapped, flushing as she turned away. "See you around too."

"Sure thing, kid." Drew said with a grin.

Lucy leaned over as we walked toward the Rust Bucket. "So… are we gonna talk about your other jealousy issues or—"

"Shut up." Gwen muttered, trying her best not to blush.

As the others loaded into the Rust Bucket, Drew lingered near the edge of the square, arms crossed, watching the group with that half-smirk of hers. 

I caught her gaze and walked over. We stood in companionable silence for a beat, watching Wes give one last wave to Max. Then Drew turned to me, more serious now.

"You did good back there." She said. "Not just in the fight. You kept people together. Made them believe things would be okay."

"I had help."

She nodded. "Still… you've got instincts. Leadership ones. Don't let anyone treat you like a kid just because of how you look. Not even yourself."

That landed harder than I expected, mostly because it came from her. "Thanks."

She turned to go, then paused.

"Oh…and if we ever run into each other again…" She tilted her head slightly, just enough to know she was about to make a joke. "…maybe warn me next time before you show up looking like a red mountain of muscle. Some of us are married, not blind."

I blinked, recalling the amusing face she made back when I helped to rebuild some of the destruction the werewolf caused. Then laughed, chastising myself for not resisting intentionally using my magical aura of lust back then.

"Noted." I finally replied with a friendly smile.

Drew smirked and walked off, boots crunching softly on gravel, disappearing in the distance while I subtly appreciated the enticing sway of her hips.

As I turned to join the others, I noticed Kai watching from a distance now. The same way Gwen had watched me whenever I got closer to her. That same faint twinge of…jealousy.

'Nope, not going there again.' I thought before rushing into the Rust Bucket. 'I've got work to do. And my "Game Over" project won't finish itself.'

Meanwhile, deep within the winding cave system, in the place where the Yennaldooshi had called its lair, something stirred.

Beneath loose stones and crumpled steel, a crude satellite dish hummed softly, pieced together from stolen NASA tech, receiver fragments and twisted metal. The machine powered on. A pulse of violet energy surged across its coils.

A signal was being sent, despite its original guardian's absence.

————————————————————————

Later, after spending enough time with Grandpa and the girls on our way out of New Mexico and toward Hollywood, California, making sure to smooth over any lingering awkwardness Gwen might've carried from her strange bout of jealousy, I finally snuck out once they were all fast asleep. A well-placed sleep spell ensured they'd stay that way until morning, unless of course they were for some reason under danger.

Project "Game Over" was coming along nicely. With my Ultimate Galvanic Mechamorph (Upgrade) form fused to the energy source of my Ultimate Nosedeenian (Buzzshock) and the processing power of my Ultimate Galvan forms, I had more than enough tech at my disposal. 

Even better, I had a whole damn theme park ready to host the official launch of my globally networked VR system, all funded through the entertainment company I'd been building up long before I ever laid hands on the Omnitrix.

And yes, it's not the most original thing, I was indeed blatantly ripping off Ready Player One. A fully immersive MMO simulation game built around my own version of the OASIS. Titles like Guardian of the Galaxy were just scratching the surface, for I had every intention of shamelessly plagiarizing every good idea I could recall from my past life.

But to be honest, this was just the early stage.

Eventually, Earth would be too small for my ambitions. The next stage was building my own extranet, one that would reach across the stars. The Megacruiser's broadcasting system was already equipped for that. All I needed was a successful beta test right here on Earth.

Speaking of the massive spaceship I got from Slix Vigma, just as I teleported aboard the Megacruiser, Alpha's voice chimed in my head.

'Master, the entity previously designated as 'Yennaldooshi' has been securely transferred into Simulation Room Theta.'

"Good to hear it, Alpha." I replied back, still finding myself at central command of the spacecraft. "By the way, how has our guest been behaving?"

'Vital signs remain stable.' It began reporting.

I nodded to myself. 'Of course. I didn't expect to break a curse that gnawed at the soul just by yanking it out of its playground.'

Then Alpha continued. 'Preliminary scans and calculations confirm its inability to breach containment, despite repeated attempts. No viral emission recorded, however, non-empirical dark energy could still be manifesting at a metaphysical level.'

"I see." I muttered, simultaneously fine-tuning a few of my other long-term contingencies. Sublimino had been intriguing enough to deliver personally to the Forever Knights. Kane North? Not so much. "Alpha?"

'Yes, master?' It replied back immediately.

"Make the Yennaldooshi believe it was sent back to its desert." I began explaining all the while still keeping an eye on my group of female villains. "Once it goes after its satellite project near the dormant volcano, have one of the Bioids take its place down on earth and mimic it. Let's keep fooling Dr. Viktor just a little longer."

'At once, master.' Was Alpha's reply to me. 

"Excellent. Keep it contained for now. No additional simulations unless I'm present to oversee them. And absolutely no external contact, especially not from Gwen, Kate, or Lucy."

'Acknowledge. Shall I encrypt this chamber's presence from auxiliary access logs?'

"Please do. And add a secondary fail-safe too. Something manual. In case of scenarios like possession."

'Implemented.' It once again replied right away.

As I left the central command area, the corridors of the Megacruiser shifted seamlessly to accommodate my route, walls rearranging subtly, lighting adjusting in real time. Alpha had practically turned this whole ship into a living architecture algorithm.

Which reminded me…

"Alpha, run another system integrity scan of the Bioid network. Any sign of malfunction?"

"Scan complete. No malfunctions or performance drops detected."

"Good. And how's their production going?"

"Bioid production remains optimal. Current output: thirty-five units per hour. Genetic sync rates remain above 92%. Adaptability node for Kineceleran-based (XLR8) transformations remains pending final Omnitrix verification."

I allowed myself another one of my rare yet significant smiles. Once that batch came online, all previous units would retroactively include such transformation (XLR8) to their arsenal. That meant better strike options, even the potential for global patrol units, assuming I could keep them untraceable.

Still, I wasn't naïve. I was building something powerful. Something that could rival me if I let myself get complacent.

And that's what scared me, if I'm honest.

Prime Ben Tennyson from the show had been reckless with power. I had the luxury, and the burden, of knowing exactly how catastrophically things could go wrong when god-tier tools were treated like toys.

So instead, I worked. I planned. I built redundancies inside redundancies. And when that wasn't enough, I built decoys.

By the time I reached my personal sanctum, the panoramic holograms flickered to life, displaying real-time and recorded feeds from every quadrant of the Megacruiser. 

My private database came alive: 

Gwen meditating in her very own white room, ambient energy curling around her in soft indigo waves, with flickers of pink occasionally breaking through. 

Another showed Kate, tinkering after absorbing my Galvan (Grey Matter) DNA, who was actually trying to make a proto-design of what suspiciously looked like a car without seeking me out for help. 

And Lucy, deeply immersed in the ship's archived acting lessons, refined her shapeshifting by adding expression and subtlety to her forms.

I let my hand trail along the console's edge, sighing softly as I prepped for my next spar against Alpha and a fresh squad of Bioids. 'They were good girls. Loyal, smart and so much more than their canon versions.'

————————————————————————

(01/07/2025)

*Hey there! Thanks for reading my work! I hope this chapter is of your liking. 

Any ideas for powers, adventure arcs and girls are more than welcomed. I might not use anything, but you will have my gratitude for trying.

If this chapter is a mess of grammatical errors, please wait, I'll promptly try to fix it. But for that I need your feedback.

Thanks as always for your time, hope you have a fantastic day and please stay safe.

Bye.

**Greetings to all my dear readers! 😁

I believe you all know the drill by now…I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting, not only has life been keeping me busy enough to even sit down and consistently write my stories down, but I also feel the lack of proper feedback is making it even harder than it should be for me to get inspired and make the most of those rare times I get the free time.

And no, just commenting "When is the next chapter coming?" right after I posted this chapter is unfortunately not enough for me. 😅

I'm not asking for you guys to write me an entire chapter of everything you would like for the future, as much as I love the effort of those that do exactly that, just a quick paragraph pointing out what you guys liked and disliked (I'm definitely aware my stories aren't perfect, but I still need the proper direction to improve over what I can and feel confident enough to release my next chapter).

I'm really sorry for the annoying "rant", but I just needed to let it out somehow. Besides, I'm putting it at the end of my chapter, so it's not as if I force you to read up to this point. 😉

I just want to thank you all for the patience and for actually taking the time of your day to read one of my stories. Hope you all have a nice day! ☺️👍