The sky was heavy and dim.
What had been a clear blue stretch just moments ago was now swallowed by thunderclouds. Cold wind howled, sending ripples across the once-calm lake. Bolts of lightning split the sky, their glare turning the vast surface of the water a ghostly purple.
On the fishing boat, Ripjaws stood alone, facing the towering mech.
In his gaze, the rapidly spinning spiral blade loomed larger and larger, glinting with a sinister chill. A direct hit from that thing wouldn't just wound—it would flay him alive.
Ripjaws ducked under the strike and lunged forward, locking both arms around the mech. With a violent kick, he shoved it backward, hurling the machine straight into the lake.
"Don't move!" a voice shouted from behind.
Ripjaws turned to see Jonah Melville's men—fully armed, guns aimed directly at him.
As he considered his next move, a massive tentacle suddenly burst from the water. Before anyone could react, it wrapped around the soldiers and dragged them beneath the surface.
Gurgle...
Jonah Melville's men were gone, pulled into the lake's depths by the monster below. Bubbles churned to the surface as they struggled in vain, swallowed by the abyss. Under the overwhelming might of the creature, there was no chance they'd survive.
Ripjaws stood on the edge of the deck, watching silently.
Karma always came around—not every weakling deserved to be saved.
Splash!
A towering mech shot up from the water and hovered over the lake. Inside, Jonah Melville scanned the area until his gaze locked onto Ripjaws.
"You stupid fish! How dare you ruin my plans!"
Fury surged through Jonah Melville. The mech's arm shot out, clamping onto the deck as he hauled himself onto the tanker.
"A bunch of poachers? You think you can challenge me?" Ripjaws scoffed.
"Then die!"
Jonah Melville raised his remaining mechanical arm, crackling with violent electricity, and fired straight at Ripjaws.
Seeing the attack coming, Ripjaws leapt back and grabbed an iron bar from the deck, hurling it at the mech with all his strength.
He wasn't dumb enough to take that current head-on—the same power had nearly killed the lake monster. Ripjaws knew his strength was in the water, not on land.
Sizzle!
The lightning-clad mechanical arm shredded the iron bar into pieces that clattered across the deck.
Just as Jonah Melville prepared to strike again, a thick tentacle suddenly surged from the water, as wide as a barrel. It coiled tightly around the large wooden crate and yanked it toward the lake.
"No! Let go of my eggs!" Jonah Melville roared, his eyes bloodshot. He abandoned Ripjaws and charged toward the tentacle's source.
Splash!
The lake monster moved fast. Before he could reach it, it had already dragged the crate underwater.
"Give them back!"
Consumed by rage, Jonah Melville lost all sense of restraint. He plunged his mech into the water, thrusters tearing through the currents as he chased after the crate.
"Roar!"
In the dark depths, the lake monster easily ripped the crate apart. Two large, round brown eggs rolled out, drifting into its arms.
Its massive eyes softened with almost human warmth as it held the eggs close, cradling them gently against its chest.
Not far away, Ripjaws watched, the light from the lantern on his head illuminating the scene.
"So the crate held monster eggs," he muttered. "No wonder it went berserk. The Friends of Fish must've stolen its children."
The most terrifying creatures in the world are always mothers who've lost their young...
Suddenly, a blinding light tore through the darkness.
A towering mech plunged from above, its floodlights cutting through the murky water as it charged toward the lake monster.
Its speed was tremendous, thrusters roaring as it closed the distance. Before the monster could react, Jonah Melville drove a powerful punch straight into its head.
Startled, the lake monster let out a thunderous roar. A surge of bubbles rose to the surface, and the two eggs slipped from its grasp.
In a flash, Jonah Melville darted past its bulk, snatching both eggs with one arm and shooting toward the surface at full speed.
"Roar!"
The lake monster bellowed in rage, its two massive tentacles whipping forward like giant serpents, closing in on Jonah Melville from both sides.
"Nice try, but these eggs are mine!" Jonah Melville's eyes gleamed with vicious determination.
He hurled the two eggs toward the lake's surface, then spun around and raised his powerful mechanical arm. The lake monster's tentacles were already upon him.
Jonah Melville sneered. Electricity burst from his arm as he swung the claw forward, seizing one of the thick tentacles in a crackling grip.
Sizzle...
The dark depths lit up with violent flashes of light. Electricity surged wildly through the water. The lake monster's eyes widened as its entire body convulsed, wracked by unbearable pain.
Normally, such current would have struck Jonah Melville too—but the mech's special construction insulated him completely.
Bolts of lightning crackled around them without pause. The lake monster struggled, but the crushing voltage locked its muscles in place, paralyzing it completely. Its life force was slipping away...
"Since I can't take you alive," Jonah Melville snarled, "I'll just kill you instead!"
A lake monster's corpse could fetch a fortune—collectors would pay anything for a trophy like that.
Then, a dark shadow darted behind him.
"Who's there?" Jonah Melville barked.
"Your granddaddy!"
Ripjaws, fighting through the lingering paralysis in his body, lunged forward and clamped onto the mech, his steel fangs bared like a predator from the deep. With one savage bite, he sank his teeth into the mech's arm.
Snap!
The jagged rows of fangs, harder than steel, crushed through the mechanical arm in a single bite, instantly cutting off the electric current.
"It's you!" Jonah Melville roared, eyes burning with hatred. If he had the chance, he'd rip that damned fishman apart piece by piece until nothing was left!
But he never got the chance.
Freed from the high-voltage current, the Krakken lunged forward, its jaws snapping wide. In one swift motion, it shredded the mech and swallowed Jonah Melville whole.
The Krakken's massive eyes met Ripjaws'. For a brief moment, its gaze softened. It let out a low rumble, then stretched out a tentacle to pull its eggs close.
Cradling the unharmed eggs, the lake monster's eyes glimmered with relief and joy.
"I should get going," Ripjaws muttered, flicking his tail as he started for the surface.
Once on land, his tail would split into legs—an adaptation that made him truly amphibious.
Suddenly, a dark, snake-like shadow swept past him.
Ripjaws tensed instantly, expecting another enemy attack. He spun around, eyes filled with killing intent.
But then he froze.
The lake monster extended a tentacle, gently brushing his cheek while murmuring softly in an unintelligible tone.
"Oh, hell no!"
Ripjaws waved his hands frantically, shaking his head before darting toward the surface like a startled rocket.
...
When he broke through the water, he saw that the Friends of Fish's oil tanker had already been seized. Security officers crowded the deck, taking photos and collecting evidence.
Grandpa Max was there too, speaking with the officers—likely giving his report.
"Guess Grandpa ratted out the Friends of Fish," Ripjaws muttered smugly.
No matter the world, poaching endangered creatures was a serious crime—punishable by death in the worst cases.
Not far away, Captain Shaw was ferrying Ben and the others.
"Where's that lake monster? I'm bringing it in!" Captain Shaw shouted, still intent on catching the Krakken.
Ben shrugged. "Relax! I'm sure some hero's already dealt with it!"
"I believe that! Ben's right," Gwen said with a smile.
Watching the scene, Ripjaws chuckled quietly, then slipped beneath the surface once more, gliding silently toward the fishing boat...