A frigid moonlit night.
After the rain, the mountain forest felt crisp and clean, and everything grew with reckless vigor.
The plants were no exception.
Large numbers of mutated plants surrounded the camp.
The death of the treant hadn't frightened them off. If anything, it only made them more savage and bloodthirsty.
Wildmutt's fur bristled, his heightened senses fully engaged.
Thermal images surfaced in his mind, one heat signature after another.
To the left, more than twenty Chompers barreled toward them at incredible speed. Their jagged fangs gleamed, each one capable of swallowing two people whole.
To the right, a swarm of Wall-nuts charged like they'd mastered iron-head training, slamming into anything in their path—hard as stone and reeking...
Wildmutt let out a roar and threw himself into battle. The clash was fierce and relentless.
Gwen focused on the ranged attackers.
Against plants like Peashooters and Fume-shrooms, her Water Dragon Soul was the perfect counter.
Gilbert, slightly chubby, stood with bow in hand, firing sharp arrows in rapid succession at the vicious Mushroom Zombies.
Andy and Mandy weren't idle either. They grabbed whatever they could— toys, rocks, anything within reach— and hurled it at the enemy...
At that moment, standing opposite Blitzwolfer was a Blover.
True to its name, it had three leaves.
From a distance, it looked just like a fan.
And its ability was indeed much the same.
Its tiny, sesame-sized eyes stared at Blitzwolfer with an almost innocent, slightly dazed expression.
But the harmless look was deceptive.
The Blover suddenly began to spin, faster and faster.
Whoosh!
A violent gale surged toward Blitzwolfer.
Leaves and debris were ripped from the ground, sand and gravel whipped through the air, and dust billowed everywhere. The wind was no weaker than a typhoon.
Several Mushroom Zombies behind it were swept straight into the sky, letting out shrill, miserable screams.
Blitzwolfer swayed, nearly losing his footing.
He crouched low, claws digging deep into the grass.
Dropping onto all fours, he became a true alien giant wolf. The next second, he shot forward like a cannonball, flashing directly in front of the Blover.
The Blover's dark eyes widened in shock as it turned to flee.
Blitzwolfer extended a sharp claw and made a casual swipe.
Snap!
The Blover's stem broke instantly, and it fell onto the muddy ground.
One exchange was all it took to finish the powerful mutated plant.
After the Blover fell, Blitzwolfer moved on to harvest the rest.
Slash, slash, slash!
He flickered across the battlefield, darting through the chaos and slicing plants apart at blinding speed, like he was playing Fruit Ninja.
Whether Chomper or Wall-nut, none could withstand a single strike.
Those beast claws were truly terrifying.
Before long, every plant surrounding the camp had been wiped out.
Beep, beep, beep!
Right on cue, Ben's transformation time ran out.
Blitzwolfer tapped the Omnitrix and reverted to Lucian.
When he learned that Grandpa had been taken, Lucian's expression darkened, and he clenched his fists.
After defeating the Chomper earlier, he shouldn't have rushed into the forest to chase the Peashooter.
But at the time, he hadn't had a choice.
If he'd allowed the Peashooter to keep attacking, the entire restaurant would have collapsed before long. That would've been even more dangerous.
After tidying up briefly, Lucian sent everyone back to their bedrooms.
"Ben, protect the others. I'm going to save Grandpa."
Lucian stood at the doorway, looking at Ben seriously.
"I want to go with Cuz too!" Ben blurted out immediately.
"No. The others need your protection." Lucian shook his head. "Stay here tonight and try not to go outside. We don't want to attract the mutated plants."
"Ugh, I wanna be a hero too!" Ben muttered, clearly annoyed.
"You already are a hero." Lucian smiled and ruffled Ben's hair.
Earlier outside, if Wildmutt hadn't been there, Gwen and the other kids would've already been carried off by the mutated plants.
"Then… then be careful, Cuz," Ben said, unable to hide his worry.
"Cuz, we'll wait for you to come back," Gwen said softly, pressing her lips together.
She knew this wasn't the time to act on impulse. As much as she wanted to help, she was afraid she'd only hold her cousin back.
"Big brother, you can do it!"
"Big Gray Wolf is so cool! He'll definitely come back safe!" Mandy's eyes sparkled with pure excitement.
"Don't worry. I have the Omnitrix."
Lucian gave them a small smile and stepped out the door.
Thud!
A yellow beast burst out from the eerie green glow.
Relying on his sharp sense of smell, Wildmutt caught Grandpa's scent and followed it into the dark jungle, disappearing into the shadows...
...
Three in the morning.
A hazy moonlight spread across the dense mountain forest. A cold wind howled through the trees, leaves rustling in waves.
The thick canopy blocked most of the moonlight overhead.
Yet deep within the forest, it was no longer dark.
Numerous bright streetlamp flowers pushed up from underground, releasing pale white light that illuminated the once-shadowed world.
White specks drifted through the air, like spores from some kind of fungus.
More and more plants mutated, their eerie green eyes snapping open as they lurked in the shadows, restless and ready to strike.
Wildmutt tracked Grandpa's scent, mixed with the odor of Mushroom Zombies, to the entrance of an underground cavern.
"Grr…"
Wildmutt crouched at the edge of the hole and let out a low growl.
The thermal vision in his mind couldn't detect the bottom.
That meant the cavern's depth was terrifying, far beyond a few dozen meters.
It was likely hundreds—maybe even thousands—of meters deep.
Not far from the cavern sat a massive digging machine.
Its once-yellow paint was now covered in blotches of purplish-red mold, corroded beyond recognition.
Perhaps while workers had been digging, they had awakened some ancient, slumbering creature...
And that ancient being had caused the other plants to mutate, manipulating them into attacking living humans.
Lucian had a faint impression of it.
As long as this "master mind" was eliminated, all the mutated plants would die, and the forest would return to normal.
Just as Wildmutt was thinking, a sharp whistling sound suddenly cut through the air above him.
He looked up, his fur instantly bristling.
A green, squat squash loomed overhead, short and plump, its round, heavy body dropping straight down toward him.
Like Mount Tai collapsing from above.
Boom!
The silent forest trembled violently, startling birds into flight and sending beasts fleeing in panic...