Early the next morning.
The Rustbucket was parked deep within a shadowy forest. Not far away stretched a vast lake, its surface rippling gently under the passing breeze. A dim sky loomed overhead as several crows glided past, their hoarse cries echoing through the stillness.
At the lakeshore stood a girl with orange hair and green eyes, gazing worriedly at the dark waters.
"Ben, you'd better come out now! Who knows what kind of creepy things are lurking in that lake?"
Gurgle...
Bubbles rose from beneath the surface before a small head popped up.
"Relax, Gwen! There's nothing down here. Come on in, it's awesome!" Ben laughed, brushing wet hair from his face. "Once my cousin wakes up, we'll get him to join us too!"
Inside the Rustbucket, Lucian and Grandpa Max were still sound asleep.
"Ben, get out of the water! Or I'll tell Grandpa!" Gwen stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him.
"No way I'm—" Ben's words suddenly cut off as his body jerked. He froze, eyes widening in panic as he looked down at the water below him.
"Ben? What's wrong?" Gwen asked, confused.
Before she could get an answer, Ben was yanked violently downward, vanishing beneath the surface as if something had dragged him under.
"Ben!" Gwen cried out in alarm.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Dark bubbles rose as a large, shadowy shape emerged beneath the surface, sending ripples across the water.
"Ha!"
Ben suddenly burst up from the lake, his head wrapped in seaweed, waving his arms and snarling dramatically to scare her.
Gwen flinched, then gave him a flat stare.
"Ben, that wasn't funny!"
Her idiot cousin had made her worry for nothing.
Ben burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Scaring his dweeb cousin was even better than pulling a rare Sumo Slammers card.
Splash!
Without warning, a powerful wave erupted across the lake. The surface swelled upward as dark currents churned beneath. A deep rushing sound echoed from behind.
Ben froze, then turned—and his face went pale.
From the middle of the lake, a massive tentacle was rising, surging toward him like a towering column connecting sky and earth.
"Whoa—!"
Ben thrashed wildly, pushing off with both arms and kicking frantically for the shore. But the current was too strong. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get closer—instead, the undertow dragged him backward, straight toward the monstrous appendage.
"Gwen!" he shouted, coughing as water splashed into his mouth.
"This isn't funny, Ben! I'm not falling for that again!" Gwen snapped without looking back.
"It's real this time! There's a monster in the lake!" Ben gasped, trying desperately to stay afloat.
Gwen rolled her eyes and started walking toward the Rustbucket.
"No, I'm serious! Help me!" Ben's voice cracked in terror.
That stopped her cold.
Ben was stubborn—he never admitted defeat. For him to sound that scared... something was really wrong.
Gwen turned around—and her pupils shrank in horror.
A gigantic, terrifying creature was rising from the lake, towering high above the surface. Two enormous tentacles coiled beside its mouth, and rows of yellowed, jagged teeth spun like a living meat grinder, devouring everything in its path.
The monster was even larger than a Tyrannosaurus—a true behemoth of the deep.
"Gwen! Go get Cuz! Only he can stop this thing!"
Ben fought to stay above the waves, but the raging current dragged him closer and closer to the creature's gaping jaws.
"Hold on, Ben!" Gwen shouted, then turned and sprinted toward the Rustbucket.
It was about fifty meters away, and she ran as fast as she could—tripping, stumbling, but never stopping until she reached it.
"Cousin, wake up! Ben is in danger!" Gwen clutched Lucian's shoulders, shaking him frantically.
Lucian had still been half-asleep, but the moment he heard those words, his eyes snapped open, all traces of drowsiness gone.
"Where is he?" His gaze sharpened instantly.
"He's in the lake! There's a huge lake monster there!" Gwen's face was tight with panic.
If they didn't act fast, Ben would be devoured by that terrifying creature.
At the words lake monster, Lucian's brow furrowed. So, this lake really did have one.
If he'd been awake, he never would've let Ben near the water. The monster from the original story was massive—formidable and dangerous.
Who would've thought Ben would sneak out for a swim while he and Grandpa were asleep? Reckless as ever. Forget monsters—most people wouldn't dare swim in a lake that deep.
But now wasn't the time to complain. Lucian pressed the Omnitrix on his wrist, and a holographic projection of alien silhouettes appeared before him.
Four Arms. Diamondhead. Grey Matter. Wildmutt...
XLR8.
You're up.
For rescue missions, no one was faster. His combat ability might be average, but his speed made him invaluable.
Boom!
A flash of green light burst through the air as Lucian transformed into XLR8. The X-shaped visor slid into place, and in the next instant, he shot out of the Rustbucket like an arrow loosed from its bow.
The lake was barely fifty meters away—a mere blink of an eye for XLR8.
In the water, a massive whirlpool churned violently. It sucked in huge volumes of water, along with seaweed and bits of driftwood, shredding everything caught in its pull.
A small figure thrashed near the vortex, struggling desperately to resist the pull—but it was useless. The current only dragged him closer to the center.
And then, the lake monster noticed him.
Its gaping maw split open, reeking of decay. Jagged fangs, gleaming like steel, lined its mouth as it lunged forward to swallow Ben whole.
"I'm done for!" Ben's face went pale, despair flooding his eyes.
He was a model student—never picked fights, never caused trouble, always friendly, always trying to do good. And now, he was about to die in the jaws of a lake monster.
The enormous shadow swallowed the light, casting everything around him into cold darkness. All warmth vanished, replaced by helpless dread.
"ROAR!"
The water monster's huge, copper-bell eyes gleamed with fury. Its monstrous presence filled the air as it lunged down toward Ben.
Whoosh!
At the last second, a streak of blue lightning slashed across the lake. Water exploded into waves as XLR8 shot through, scooping Ben up and darting toward shore with blinding speed.
"ROAR!!!"
Having missed its prey, the monster bellowed in rage. It slammed its colossal tentacles into the lake, sending wave after wave crashing outward. Sheets of water rained down from above like a torrential storm.
XLR8 skidded to a stop on the shore, gently setting Ben down.
"C-Cuz! You finally came!" Ben gasped, dripping wet as he threw his arms around XLR8. "Thank goodness you showed up! I was almost lunch for that thing!"
XLR8 flicked Ben's forehead and rasped, "You idiot. Swimming this early instead of sleeping—are you trying to die?"
"If Gwen hadn't warned me, you'd be fish food by now."
"I was wrong, Cuz…" Ben hung his head, looking like a scolded child.
"Ben!" Grandpa Max's voice called from behind.
He rushed over, face lined with worry.
"Ben, Lucian—Gwen said there's a giant monster in the lake! Are you both alright?"
Grandpa Max, his gray hair catching the light, looked them over anxiously.
"Grandpa, that thing in the lake—it was huge! It almost—" Ben began, but XLR8 cut him off.
"Enough," XLR8 said sharply, turning toward the lake. "Get back to the Rustbucket. The monster's coming up!"