It's already a week since Ryan defeated the Hydromancer. The McCrimmon had left Nevada and visited some towns along the way. In each visits, Ryan had faced many challenges such as the attack of the body-snatching Limax, defending the Cryptic known as Kraken from poachers, and defeating the warlock who tried to use ancient artifacts to rule the world.
Ryan also had done some alternative challenges such as outwitting a bratty rich girl, naming his aliens and trying to knock some sense on an ancient-relic-saving madman.
All the heroic seems very hard but Ryan pushes through. Now, since there's no threat, the McCrimmon are arriving at Texas and Ryan had finally started unpacking his stuff, since his new heroic activity kept him from doing it beforehand.
"Hey, I forgot I packed this!" Ryan pulled out a small car painted red and with yellow, red, purple and blue seats. "Cool!"
"Aw, my old hat!" chimed Melody as she held up a beanie hat and wore it.
"Really?" Ryan was surprised. "No belittlement?" He showed her his little car.
"Awwwwwwwwwww!! Big cuz's wittle toy!" she cooed.
"I walked into that." Ryan groaned.
"Ha ha ha." she teased.
"Hey Mels, can I ask you something?" Ryan asked, putting his car down and gets serious. Melodly slowly backed away. "What do you think we'd be doing if I didn't get the Omnitrix? I mean, you think it would be the same road trip, just without it?"
"A regular summer road trip." Melody answered, relieved nothing serious he plan to do.
"One other thing." Ryan added. "You think I was a bit overzealous with the shirts?" He had only packed duplicates of his "10" shirt.
"Yeah, no fashion sense." nodded Melody.
"Says the one with a cat on her shirt." Ryan retorted. "I mean, you can have that shirt, but the only cat I'd want on my shirt is Happy." he said.
"Mock Mew Mew and I'll strangle you!" she hissed.
"I'm just saying!" Ryan stated defensively.
"Nyah!!" Mels sticks her tongue out.
"Who's hungry for some burgers?" asked Charles.
"ME!" they beamed.
Charles parked the RV at the parking lot of a burger joint then they all enter inside. Ryan sat down at the seat while Melody joined Charles to make lines. Ryan then checked his Omnitrix and scroll the playlist.
Only 10 aliens are available. Although Ghostfreak seems wrong and difficult to control. Old Frog said it has 1,000,910… Is there a password for more form?* wondered Ryan as he fiddles with the dial. Suddenly his eyes got covered by a pair of hands. "Ah! Mels, cut it out!!" argued Ryan.
"Mels? Who the hell is a Mels?" scoffed the voice.
"…Jack?!" asked Ryan. The hands released the holds on his eyes and he turned to see a 18-year-old girl.
She's rather beautiful but has a rough expression and wears no make-up. She has a wild, rigged raven hair with a blue cap on her head, faced backward. She wears a black-with-white shirt with blue sleeveless vest and black pants that is missing one pant-leg. She wears a pair of hi-top shoes and wore bandages around her left wrist. For body figure, she has DD-cup breasts and basic round buttocks.
"I'm surprised to see you here." smiled Jack as she takes a seat. "So who is this Mels?" smirked Jack.
"Melody, my cousin." Ryan scoffed.
"Oooh, you got forced to travel with a Magical Girl fan." winched Jack, feeling sympathy for Ryan.
"It's hard to tolerate. So how was your first week?" asked Ryan.
"…It's…fine." smiled Jack then noticed the Omnitrix. "Hey, nice watch." she said.
"Oh this? Uh… I bought it from some odd store." said Ryan, not wanting to tell her the truth.
"Get out." smirked Jack as she reached out to touch it but her eye sight suddenly flashes and she can see a massive aura of brown energy emanating from the Omnitrix. "Ah!" she grunted as she part away and clutched her head.
"You okay?" Ryan asked with worry.
"It's okay. Just another episode." she reassured him.
"Jack, you really need to see a doctor. Look at your eyes. It's getting worse." Ryan said as he noticed the black circles around her eyes.
"I'm fine. Stop worrying as if you like me~!" she teased.
"Hey, tha—"
"Look who we have here." Ryan and Jack turned to see Charles and Melody arrived with the burgers and sat down. "Jack Jennifer, it's nice to see you here." smiled Charles.
"Likewise, McCrimmon. Heya, squirt." smirked Jack as she messes Melody's hair, which she shoved her hand aside.
"Easy on the hair!" she complained.
"Ha ha ha ha…" laughed the group. As they chat, Jack noticed a group of men marching across the parking lot and she noticed the bomb insignia on their shirt.
"Thanks for the chat, guys. But I need to go." said Jack as she grabbed the soda and marched her way out.
"Okay, see you later." said Charles.
"Hey, she stole my soda~!" whined Melody. Ryan turned and noticed the group of men noticed Jack leaving and took off after her.
"Guys, I'll be right back." said Ryan as he stood up and left. Melody then snatched Ryan's soda and slurps it.
Jack continue speed-walking away from the burger joint while slurping the soda innocently but she made a wrong turn to the alleyway, which it's a dead end.
"JACK!!" shouted the angry voice. Jack gave an annoyed look and turned to see the gang blocking the entrance.
"What's the rush? Need your battery recharged?" grinned the men.
"You guys can't take a message? Or you can't read 'thrash'?" asked Jack with a cocky grin.
"You're going to pay for that, freak!" scowl the other.
"I told you already. Maybe you're deaf. I. Am. Not. Joining!! Beside, you already got your own freak for a boss." frowned Jack.
"Pot calling kettle black!" shouted a voice, Jack's eyes widens then a small bomb dropped from the sky and exploded, engulfing the alleyway in flames.
Jack found herself on the street and she sluggishly pushed herself up then noticed the henchmen emerged as mechanoid being based on grenades. She scoffed as she gripped on the pavement then its matter began coating her whole body until she's now coated with concrete armor.
"Fine!! Bring it!!" Jack charged in and threw a punch, the mechanoid caught her fist and the second punched her stomach, fracturing the armor then two hammered her down.
"Stop!" commanded a voice. The mechanoids ceased attacking and part a path for their boss. It's a Human adult who was coated in black grenade-theme armors, has a fuse on the back of his head and multiple sashes filled with grenades of various types while the belt has RPG shells. "Hello, Jacky!" he sneered.
"Argh! You just can't leave me alone." she grunted.
"Hey, I need a bomb to level this entire city since it's no longer my turf but I can't make a bomb strong enough without breaking in military's depots so…you're it!" grinned the man.
"You're joking! I can't store all the energy of your bombs and make myself a bomb! They metabolized as food for me!" she spat.
"But can your body hold overflowing energy?" he added, which she was taken aback in horror. "Apprehend her and take her back to base. I have a fusion core she could feast on." he ordered his mechanoids, who grabbed her and forced her up.
"Hey!!!" The group turned their heads and saw an alien.
The alien resembles a semi-armored Velociraptor. He has black wheels on his feet and wears a helmet that leaves the other features of his head unknown. He has blue face, brown eyes, black lips , and stripes above and on the right side of his eyes. He has sharp elbow blades, the third claws are larger and curved as well as not attached on the wheels. He has four blue stripes on his large tail with a sharp barb on the tip, has scissor-like claws. He also have two black stripes on neck and arms and wore a full body-suit with shoulder braces, has brown arrow-streak on the center of the torso and thighs and wears the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.
"Get your hands off her!!" demanded the Kineceleran with a deep, horsed voice. Jack glanced at the alien then her eyes flashed once more, this time she can see the brown energy with DNA-like flakes flowing around the body and saw the symbol.
"Ryan??" she whispered in shock.
"And who are you supposed to be, Lizard Boy?" asked the man.
"The name's XLR8!!" he introduced himself before his face was sealed by a black visor with a glowing neon-brown "X" lens. He dropped on one claws and enter in sprint stance before he vanished as a blur.
"Where he'd go!?" asked the Mechanoids.
Distracted, the fourth Mechanoid did not noticed dark-blue/black/brown blur zoomed by, taking him out in an instant. When the third and fifth Mechanoid turned around, the third gasped in horror before he got hit by the blur, followed up with the fifth then the rest. Then the blur tossed all the mechanoids against the wall, the blur then trapped them in a tornado before it faded, revealing the mechanoids tied by metallic wires then the Kineceleran went up in front of the leader.
"Trick or treat?" grinned XLR8.
"Threat." said the man as he one-punched XLR8 onto the mechanoids. "Self-Destruct!" he commands and the mechanoids glowed bright red before exploded into a huge inferno, destroying the building.
"NO!" cried Jack.
"Someone you knew?" asked the man before a blur tackled him away from Jack and he crashed against the car. "Oof!! How did…" baffled the man.
"Too slow! Now what's your name?" asked XLR8.
"Bomberman and have a bomb!!" Bomberman grabbed the mortar shell, struck it at his hip before throwing it at his face. XLR8 immediately vanished before the explosion consumed him. "So speed is your power? Then dodge these!" Bomberman pulled out a canister and threw at the moving blur, which exploded and didn't hit him.
"You missed!!" he laughed as he dash in but he suddenly lost control, slipped and land on the ice-covered street. "Ow…." he moaned.
"You think I only carry explosions? I have different type of bombs for different purposes!" grinned Bomberman. "Now, are you fast enough to escape the ice before this hit you?" he asked as he threw a retro-bomb with its small fuse ignited.
XLR8 struggled to get up but can't as the ice is too slippery. To his shock, Jack jumped in and grabbed the bomb. "JACK!!" gasped XLR8 as the bomb detonated and engulfed her but the explosion jolted in place then began to be suck into the one point, which it's Jack's hands before they vanished. "Whoa…" he gasped.
"Oh…sh*…" cursed Bomberman.
"Leave Ryan alone!!!" Jack stomped her foot against the ground, energy fissures through the pavement and gather beneath Bomberman before exploded into a geyser of fire.
"NEXT TIME!!!" screamed Bomberman as he went flying to the sky before vanishing in a twinkle of star. Jack gave a sigh then turned at XLR8 and gave a sassy grin.
"Got it from an odd store, huh?" she asked.
"J-Jack, yo-you just absorbed explosion?" asked XLR8.
"And you're a speedy dinosaur. Guess we're even, huh?" asked Jack as she offer her hand, which he took it and stand up.
At the bench in the park, Ryan and Jack began exchanging stories over ice cream. Ryan started by explaining his origin of the Omnitrix.
"So that's what really happens in San Francisco. I know how you feel of losing control." sighed Jack.
"It was a glitch on the watch but it's fixed now." Ryan reassured her. "And XLR8 is one of 10 aliens I have." he said.
"I see, and you named them?" asked Jack.
"It was Melody's idea but her name picking sounds too obvious and Mega-Man-ish so I came up with some cool names. Diamondhead was picked because a man called me Mr. Diamond-headed Guy." Ryan explained. "And you? When you get your powers?" asked Ryan.
"Born with it. I have the power to absorb energy and matter. Even liquid. I'm like an elemental sponge and absorbing energy makes up for food if I need some. However, I have…issues on controlling myself. That's when that marking on my eyes began to form." explained Jack.
"Oh… Can you…exhaust the energy?" he asked.
"I said it acts as a food substance and I act like a battery so I often recharge myself. However, I stop absorbing energy as I'm getting…addicted to them. I get nausea if I'm near a massive surge of energy, like your watch." explained Jack as she slurp her ice cream.
"…Jack? Wanna join?" asked Ryan.
"Eh?" Jack blinked and glanced at him.
"We both have powers, so why not we fight together?" asked Ryan.
"You and me? Ha ha ha ha, such imagination." laughed Jack.
"I'm serious! I have shape-shifting powers, you got absorbing powers. We'll make a great team!" smiled Ryan.
"…Let me think about it, okay?" asked Jack.
"Sure. No rush." Ryan then checks his wristwatch on his left wrist. "I gotta get back. Grandpa might get worried." Ryan stands up and began to leave.
"Ryan?" asked Jack.
"Yeah?" Ryan replied, just for Jack to stand up and peck a kiss on his cheek. He turned bright red.
"Thanks for understanding me." she smiled as she walked away. Ryan flustered and coughed a bit before waving his hand.
"You're welcome." he said with a smile. Ryan then walked his way back to the Rust Bucket and regroup with his family.
"What took you so long?" asked Charles.
"Stopping a bomb-crazy wacko. And guess what? Jack has powers too." said Ryan as he sat down on the sofa.
"What!? No way!" said Melody in awe. "What powers she has?" she asked.
"She can absorb matter for armors and energy for powers." answered Ryan.
"Did she got it from aliens?" asked Charles.
"No, she was born with it." answered Ryan. "Even I'm shocked. I've known her since the start of high school and I didn't know she had powers but like you, she has a reason to keep it a secret."
"So where is your girlfriend?" asked Melody with a grin.
"She's not my girlfriend and she's at her cribs. She said she'll think over about joining us on the road trip and me on hero stuff." smirked Ryan with pride.
"Well, it's nightfall so let's get some shut-eye." said Charles, and the cousins nodded.
Late at night=
Ryan remains asleep and was snoring lightly then he hears a tap on the window. He opens his eyes and sat up to see a finger tapping the window. Ryan glanced over and saw Jack. She gave hand gestures, telling him to meet her over the alleyway. Ryan kicked the blanket aside, revealing he kept his clothes on and slowly sneak his way out of the RV. He then met up with Jack.
"Made up your mind?" asked Ryan.
"Yeah but we got a problem… Bomberman is planning to blow up the city with a fusion core." she whispered.
"What!? How cuckoo is he?" baffled Ryan.
"He wanted me to be a bomb but since you interfered and we kicked his butt, he plans to detonate the core in the sewer, using the methane to create explosion powerful enough to level at least a town." explained Jack.
"Damn! If he's in the sewer, then I should avoid using Heatblast. Where shall we start?" he asked.
"He'll be heading to the center of town so use that XLR8 dude." said Jack.
"Got it!" nodded Ryan as he activated the Omnitrix, turned the dial and slammed it down.
The Omnitrix produced a burst of brown energy then his arm bulged up and consumed his clothes, revealing his arm covered in jet-black skin then spread across his entire body, becoming a tall, athletically build humanoid lizard with golden squared plugs on his fingertips and one on his long tail that has shape pincer meant for stabbing and his eyes merged into one single eye.
He gain sharp teeth and gave a cocky grin as he open his fully-brown eye then bend over as he grew two elastic antennas with the plugs with pincers then the camera zoomed out to reveal his full body. He's wearing a full-black body suit with sleeveless top and V-neck on the torso; has brown soles, cuffs and collar; and wore black-with-brown wristbands. The Omnitrix symbol appears on his chest.
He held out his hands, antennas and tail forward as they discharged electrical currents then turned to the fourth wall and launch the electrical blast, ending the transformation.
"WHOA!!! A new 11th alien??! Now this is totally cool!!" beamed the Conductoid in a heroic voice with electronic tone.
"Can he run fast?" Jack asked.
"I dunno… Wait!" The Conductoid began sniffing the air with his antennas. "I smell…radio signal… It's Bomberman. He must be overhearing…an activity going on in the plaza. Something about the donation." he said.
"There's a meeting in the plaza about money donation for the orphanage. That twisted man is gonna plant the bomb under them!" cringed Jack.
"Hang on!" Ryan picked up Jack bridal style then jumped onto the power line, which the electricity surged around his body and start fueling him. "Electrical powers? Sweet!!" Ryan grinned as he sprint across the power line at enhanced speed.
In the sewer tunnel, Bomberman was carrying the Fusion Core with his Mechanoids carrying more explosions. He was holding the radio signal to eavesdrop the conversation. He then felt a sudden charge in the air then turned around to see the roof collapsed and emerged the Conductoid and Jack.
"How the hell did you find me???" asked Bomberman.
"By sniffing out the radio wave emanating from your radio." smirked the Conductoid.
"Bomb Drones, take the Fusion Core!!" ordered the villain as he gave the core to the drone and they sprint ahead. "I cannot dare use a bomb in the sewer so I'll just use my fists." frowned Bomberman.
"Good luck with that!" The Conductoid thrust his hand and discharged a beam of electricity. Bomberman evade it then threw pellets that exploded into smoke. Jack sprint in, absorbed the concrete and land a punch against Bomberman.
"OOF!! Beat it!!" Bomberman slapped her aside then Jack recovered to see she got small pellets on her body before exploding. "Nighty-night—ERK!!" exclaimed Bomberman as the Conductoid stabbed him with his antennas and tail then he burst with blue aura as his bio-electricity got drain into the alien, who forged a sphere in his hand.
"Just in case you need to know my name, it's Feedback!" smirked Feedback as he blasted him away. Jack emerged with no injuries, stating she absorbed the explosions and glanced at Feedback.
"Nice one!" she said.
"Don't get cocky!!" Bomberman recovered and threw a bomb, Feedback grabbed it and prepares to throw it back but it exploded and encased him in ice. "See ya, sucker!!" he mocked as he ran off.
"Ryan!!" Jack grabbed the ice structure and tries to weaken it by absorbing the matter but she suddenly burst in electrical energy. "GYYAAH!!" screamed Jack before she got knocked back. Feedback broke free and checks on her.
"Jack!! Are you…Whoa!" Feedback watched in awe as Jack emerged with her hair mold and mutated into three Conductoid antennas, spawn a tail and her hands had mutated into Conductoid hands. She glanced at herself.
"I…I….transformed?" she asked.
"It seems that, due of the Omnitrix used some special energy for transformation, you can absorb it along with its powers and DNA. You're now…" Feedback is thinking a name but Jack held out her hand.
"No hero name. This form obviously won't last until it burns through. Let's go! I can smell the radio signal." said Jack as her new antennas pointed at the direction Bomberman fled. They then ran off after the villain.
Bomberman had arrived at the underground entry to the city hall above and finds the Bomb Drones are jury-rigging a large bomb with the Fusion Core and another was opening the valve for methane.
"20 minutes before the meeting ends." said the Bomb Drone.
"Set the countdown." he ordered.
"Not so fast!!" Bomberman growled and threw smoke pellets at the incoming duo but they fired the combined electrical beams and smacked him down. Jack land on the grid, her tail touch the sewer water then absorb the liquid. "Have a shocker!!" Jack discharged the highly-conductive hydro beam that splashed the drones, electricuting them and the bomb went haywire.
"Dammit!! You are overloading the bomb!!! Do you want to die together???" asked Bomberman as he threw spinning disks at Feedback but he evade it and punched him down.
"I'll take your energy!" smirked Feedback as he stabbed him but Bomberman punched him back, pinned him over and punched his Omnitrix symbol. "OOOOWWW!!" he screamed before the Omnitrix let out a dying beep and morphed back into Ryan.
"A kid?! You really have a death wish!!" growled Bomberman as he starts choking Ryan.
"GAAACK!!" he gasped as he tried to pry free.
"LET HIM GO!!" yelled Jack as she pounced on him and start shocking him but her body glowed blue and her limps burns away, returning to normal. "Oh no!!" she gasped before Bomberman grabbed her and held them up.
"So absorbing Jack and a watch that can turn the brat into speed dinosaur and electric lizard? Time to teach you both a lesson!!" Bomberman dragged them to the Fusion Core Bomb then he forced Jack to grab onto the Omnitrix then grab onto the bomb. He then presses a button on his wrist, which cause the red light beneath her bandages to flash bright.
"AAAAAAAHH!!!" screamed Jack as she unconsciously starts absorbing both devices' energy.
"GYYAAAH!!" screamed Ryan in pain.
"You think I only cut your wrist for your blood sample when you joined my gang for a day?? I planted a device that forces you to absorb the bomb if you chicken out! That gives me enough time to escape! See ya in hell!!" Bomberman jumped off the grid and dive into the sewer water then swam to the aqueduct.
"ARRGH!! I…can't…stop…absorbing!!" screamed Jack.
"Error! Error! Outside force is tampering the Omnitrix. Activate the biofeedback defensive program." beeped the AI as the Omnitrix began surging neon-brown aura then blasted Jack with an energy blast, detaching her away from Ryan and the bomb before crashing into the wall. Ryan stumbled over and glanced at his Omnitrix.
"Did the Omnitrix just talked?" he baffled then he remembered. "Jack! Jack, are you okay!?" asked Ryan. Jack sluggishly walked out and her body is radiating a massive neon-brown energy and nuclear energy, her eyes are glowing and she's hyperventilating.
"R-Ryan… Too much…energy… Can't…. Run… Run away!" begged Jack. Ryan checks the bombs and saw it's deactivated for it has no energy.
"Dammit! No worry, I'll change back into Feedback and drain your energy." Ryan activated the Omnitrix and slammed the core but it let out a beep and didn't budge. "Come on! Come on!!" he grumbled.
"Ryan… I'm sorry!" cried Jack as she held up her hand, it glowed blue then fired an energy beam.
"Jack, what are—AAARRGGGH!!" screamed Ryan as he got consumed by the beam and vanished into nothingness.
"I'm sorry…. UUURRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!" screamed Jack as she glowed brightly then engulfed the whole area in bright light then erupted in a huge burst of explosion.
At the surface, the whole city hall burst in explosion of light and collapsed down into the sewer while 3 city blocks on both sides got the streets destroyed by a chain of explosions. It woke up everyone in the city and multiple people screaming in horror and panic.
"What was that!!??" panicked Melody as she woke up by the explosion and Charles looked out the window to see the flames emanating from the city hall area then glanced at the bed to find Ryan missing.
"NO!" gasped Charles as he glanced back at the flames.
