"Psst! Blonko! Wake up!"
Blonko woke to his sister shaking him. He groaned and rolled over. It was still dark and it felt like he'd just fallen asleep. What did she want? "Go away, Shar. I am not scheduled for a muroid look out shift."
A couple nights had passed since Blonko found the Omnitrix and the following days had been uneventful. He noticed a few stares at his wrist but his days went by as normal, filled with farming, entertaining Young One, trying not to talk to the girls who kept coming after him, and tinkering with whatever tech he could get his hands on in secret. He hadn't tried using the Omnitrix again nor did he plan to. He meant what he said when he told Wat-Sen he'd keep it a secret. However, it seemed Shar had other plans.
"I traded your shift for Rayona's so we could have the night to practice using the watch," Shar told him. Blonko snapped awake at the mention of his beautiful neighbor, ignoring the look on Shar's face when she realized it was her name that woke him up. "I am letting her have my next shift with you."
"Could you not have waited until then for the chance to figure out the Omnitrix?" Blonko sighed but he was already rolling off his bunk and onto the floor. They were lucky Young One was such a heavy sleeper or he'd be awake and demanding to come with them.
"Our next shift together is in a week. We should try to figure this thing out as soon as possible!" Shar responded, sounding as sure as an experienced farmer telling a child how to use a harvesting tool. She grabbed his sleeve, dragging him outside. He really wished she would stop doing that. She hadn't even given him the chance to get dressed. "You started a fire as Archfiend, you cannot talk as Tidetail Wave, and you have no control over Antigravitesla."
"So?" Everything she said was true but he didn't understand why she was pointing it out. Using new bodies was very difficult. How could she expect him to have mastery over their abilities so soon?
"So, you need to practice before we are caught in a situation where you need to use your powers but are unable to," she told him as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her harvest tool. Blonko did as well and they stepped into the night. "What better time to do it than when the muroids are feisty?"
"I would not call muroids feisty," Blonko responded as they headed towards the fields. "They are rarely bold enough to try to steal and they are usually scared enough by our harvesting tools. I do not think harm or violence is necessary."
"Then use Antigravitesla! You need to practice his abilities."
"Fine," Blonko sighed. They reached the patrol path and began walking along it. "But only if we see muroids! We are not going to go looking for them."
"Okay, okay," she conceded. She shot him a probing glance through the corner of her eye. "How are you not more excited about this? You are the one who loves all that alien junk."
"It is not junk. And this is different," Blonko told her as they wandered down the path. "It is one thing wanting to know more about aliens and it is another to be an alien."
"But what better way to learn about aliens than to be an alien?"
Blonko opened his mouth then paused. She did have a point. He'd learned more about dolphins from listening to Tidetail Wave than listening to Wat-Sen. It wasn't the Magister's fault but here on this lonely world, the Omnitrix was more than anyone who wanted to learn about aliens could hope for. It was the ultimate learning tool.
"I suppose." Blonko knew he was caving. Suddenly, his fingers itched to touch the watch. He hadn't been too keen on turning into Antigravitesla but suddenly the idea of transforming excited him. He was still going to wait until he had a reason to transform though. He dealt with Young One enough to know not to be rash. "Do you see anything?"
"No," Shar responded, looking around. "It is too dark to- Wait, there is a shadow near that crate. It might be a muriod."
A moving shadow was more likely to come from a forgotten overgarment in the wind but Blonko was getting a bit impatient. Dialing up the right alien into the Omnitrix, he brought his hand down and transformed. "Antigravitesla!"
This transformation was less extreme than his transformation into, say, Tidetail Wave but Blonko wouldn't say it was any less strange. Rather than feeling his bones break down and his fur melt away, he was overtaken by the sensation of… lightness. And power. More of a buzz than strength but still power. He'd tapped into that power when he'd saved Shar from the rockslide but he still sensed that he was barely scratching the surface. The same power filled and surrounded everything around him. To pull on those gravitational fields or manipulate his own, the urge was always there. It wasn't that easy though.
"Blonko!" Shar yelped as a stone flew past her head.
"Lo siento," Antigravitesla apologized and nearly dropped everything he was holding in surprise. The voice that came out of his mouth didn't sound like him. He didn't even know what those words meant. He tried again. "Sorry. Forgive me."
"It is fine," Shar told him. "Just focus your power on the target instead of everything else."
"Right." Doing as he was instructed, Antigravitesla focused his power on the shadow he had seen. He tried shrinking his own field so he could pull on the gravity of the shape without grabbing anything else but… well, he wasn't really sure what wrong but suddenly everything was flying away from him, like he'd exerted some kind of pulse. "Sorry, sorry. Lo- forgive me."
His alarm only seemed to make it worse. Now everything was pulling towards him. Shar had to grab onto a rock to keep herself from getting caught up in the field. At least he'd managed to nab his target this time. He was right, it was a jacket in the wind. Somehow he'd managed to snag a few muroids though, despite not knowing they were there. Two of them were clinging to a locked crate of amber ogia that someone had forgotten to put away. He'd also uprooted a bush, picked up a few handfuls of water, and-
"Drone!" Shar yelled. Antigravitesla whipped around, trying to see where she was pointing. His gravitational field had indeed caught a drone, likely the same one that had escaped the day he got the Omnitrix.
Antigravitesla made a fist and brought it down, trying to slam the drone into the ground. He dropped a few of the objects in his orbit but the drone resisted. Blinking angrily, weapons emerged from between its plates and it began to fire.
The muroids screamed and scuttled away as Antigravitesla released his gravitational hold and dove for Shar, managing to block a shot right before it hit her. Wasting no time, she pulled him behind the rock she'd been holding onto. "Are you alright?"
Antigravitesla gave himself a once over. There was no blood of any color staining his minty green skin. "I am unharmed."
"Good because I do not think my harvesting tool will be able to protect us from that," Shar replied, gesturing in the direction of the drone. A few more blasts sounded and Antigravitesla heard the lasers hitting the stone they were leaning against. He grimaced. It was better a rock get hit than a Revonnahgander or a silo but he still didn't want any unnecessary damage done, especially when it was his job to protect the land. Sticking his hand out from the safety of the stone, he tried grabbing the drone's gravitational field again but he couldn't even get a hold this time.
"My grip keeps slipping," Antigravitesla growled in frustration. He withdrew his hand and picked up a small stone. Getting a brain wave, he tried launching it at the drone but missed, not even clipping it.
"Does Antigravitesla have any other abilities?" Shar suggested. "Because we cannot sit here forever."
Antigravitesla suddenly remembered his attempts to fight as Archfiend. "I am a fool. Give me your harvesting tool."
Confused, Shar did as she was told and handed her brother her weapon. He grasped it, tightening his fingers around it as he felt some of his power flow into it, and he leapt out from behind the rock. Without the use of his gravity powers or the powerful legs of a Revonnahgander, he did not go as high as he could have but he jumped high enough to clear the rock and twist to dodge a laser blast before hitting the ground.
Taking off from a crouch, he sped at the drone and began spinning his weapon. He felt a surge of electricity light up as his weapon as he deflected a blast. The weapon suddenly felt so much better in his hand. Hurling it like a spear, the pointed tip made a beeline for the drone and spiked it into the ground.
Shar stood up, peering out from behind the rock in confusion. She shot her brother a questioning look. Antigravitesla smiled awkwardly and shrugged. "I cannot use Revonnah Kai as Archfiend or Tidetail Wave. I forgot I could as Antigravitesla."
Shar pinched her brow and sighed. "You are an idiot."
"If you could manipulate gravity, you would forget as well," Antigravitesla retorted. He paused for a moment. "I think you were right about Antigravitesla having additional powers as well. Watch this."
Shar watched curiously as Antigravitesla spread his hands. Sparks of electricity flickered off of them. She looked impressed. "Can you throw them? Or shoot them like the drone?"
"Let me try." Antigravitesla extended a hand and tried creating a beam of electricity. Nothing happened. He tried throwing the sparks like a ball. A few of them showered down around them but they did not go very far. He flexed his fingers and frowned. "I do not think this is a very strong power."
"Or you are just really bad at it," Shar laughed. Antigravitesla stuck his tongue out at her childishly but she was already looking away. "We should get this drone to Magister Wat-Sen. You can practice your flying on the way."
Antigravitesla held back a groan. Of course, because he could totally fly if he couldn't defeat a drone. This was going to be a long trip.
Magister Wat-Sen had a new Antigravitesla-shaped imprint on the outside of his cave but he got a fresh drone out of it so he didn't mind. A fresh drone that wasn't water logged, meaning he had a good chance of tracking it.
He'd spent the whole morning working it and then some. He'd gotten on it the moment the young Revonnahganders left. As much as he would have liked to sleep until sunup, this was his job and his duties didn't end when he was sleeping. And that meant he started the day frantically trying to find the right gear and remember how to actually use it properly. Not the best morning but he knew better than to complain.
He got so invested that he didn't even notice the stranger in his home until he was only a few feet away.
Wat-Sen grabbed his weapon and fired with lightning speed, catching the stranger off guard. The blast bounced right off his faded grey armor but it bought Wat-Sen the chance to take cover. He dove behind one of his cushioned chairs and readied his weapon. It was too bad this seat was going to get shot, he really liked it. At least it was harvesting season so there would be the resources to make him another one.
The stranger brandished a weapon as well. It lacked the same safety locks as a Plumber issued-gun but Wat-Sen could tell it wasn't set to kill. Or maybe it was. His vision was getting blurry with old age. He was pretty sure some kind of safety was on though and that was good enough for him.
He fired a few shots blindly, showing the stranger he meant business. The stranger retaliated with a few shots of his own, blasts burning clean through his favorite chair. He also meant business, it seemed.
"I'm looking for the Omnitrix," a deep voice informed him. The stranger took a few steps, his boots making an unfamiliar sound against the smooth wood of Wat-Sen's floors. He ran a hand over the disassembled drone on the table. "This drone's last known location was with the Omnitrix bearer."
"Well, I sure ain't him," Wat-Sen responded, preparing himself for a gutsy move, "and I sure ain't telling you where he is either."
Wat-Sen threw himself at the newcomer, barreling into him and catching him off guard. The stranger couldn't hold against Wat-Sen's weight and the two of them fell through the front door. Controlling the way they rolled and taking advantage of his foe's confusion, Wat-Sen managed to get on top and made a break for the caves. He'd have the advantage here. He knew the caves better than anyone. The intruder would be distracted trying not to get lost so he'd be able to get a few shots in. Hopefully, at least. But, he kept all his good weapons here so he had that going for him too.
Wat-Sen grabbed a bigger gun on his way in. A shot fired from behind him, narrowly missing his legs as he veered into the tunnels. They didn't go all that far, only covering the mountain, but if he found the right spot, he'd have some good cover and maybe even be able to disorient his opponent enough that he could get off some good shots of his own.
The stranger's footsteps echoed as he ran into the tunnels. Wat-Sen could tell he was running. Wat-Sen made sure to keep slow. Slow and steady was quiet but it was also controlled. He couldn't afford to get caught up in the thrill of a fight right now, not when his attacker was so much more prepared for a fight than he was. Plus, he was old and couldn't go very fast anyway but he tried not to think about that.
He weaved through the tunnel network, using his opponent's footsteps to keep track of his location. Sneakily circling around, Wat-Sen managed to get behind him and unleashed a flurry of blasts on his foe before immediately ducking back behind the wall and retreating to safety.
The stranger didn't even grunt in pain. Turning, he started walking in Wat-Sen's direction with steady confidence. "Your weapons won't work on me."
Wat-Sen wanted to give a snappy response but he also didn't want to give away his location. Fading into the darkness, he tried to pick the next best place to launch an attack from.
"You can't beat me." The stranger's voice sounded low and deep in the confines of the cave. His footsteps sounded almost like metal against the stone. That was some pretty heavy duty armor and Wat-Sen didn't even know what alien was under there. "Just give up."
He wouldn't do that. He didn't know what this stranger was after but if he had something to do with the drones, Wat-Sen knew it was no good. Something to do with the Omnitrix, probably. And that meant Blonko was in danger. Rook Blonko, that little Revonnahgander who'd been bothering him for stories about what lay beyond the stars ever since Wat-Sen took post near his village. The kid he'd watched grow from a child nervous around something as small as batteries into a fine warrior with a brilliant mind adept in technology. The boy who'd brought some sunshine to his days when so many others had shunned him on this lonely planet. He wouldn't let anything happen to him.
At some point while Wat-Sen was riling himself up, the footsteps stopped and Wat-Sen didn't think it was because the attacker had left. He was still here but he was strategizing. He knew what Wat-Sen was doing and he was adapting to counter it. Wat-Sen strained his hearing but he knew he'd find nothing. He'd have to adjust his plan.
"Boo."
A hard hand came down on the back of his head before Wat-Sen could turn around. Cursing his old age for dulling his combat skills, Wat-Sen went down and his world went black.
When Shar and Blonko came by after their time on the fields was over, they found an empty house and no Wat-Sen. This was alarming. The pair split up, Blonko checking the caves while Shar snooped around Wat-Sen's home in hopes of finding some clue of where their friend could be.
"I found nothing," Blonko announced upon reentering the house. Shar looked up from where she was sitting at Wat-Sen's desk, hunched over what looked to be a note. "What is that?"
"A note. Not Magister Wat-Sen's handwriting," she told him. She held it up, letting him take it for a read. The ink was smeared and the writing was messier than Young One's, which was saying something. "I do not think it was written by someone familiar with our language and I am unable to decipher the last part."
"Omnitrix bearer, I have your Plumber," Blonko read aloud, playing with the edges of the paper. "I wo- will not harm him. I just want to talk. I will be at the top of the terrace on the far side of the valley. Pick one and meet me at sundown."
"I do not understand what he means by pick one or the meaning of these characters at the bottom," Shar told him, pulling down his arm a bit so she could point to what she was referring to. Below the message, there were four strange shapes. They looked nothing like any kind of written language that Blonko had ever seen and it took him a moment to realize their meaning.
"These are drawings of transformations. I believe Magister Wat-Sen's attacker tried to guess which aliens I have in my Omnitrix," Blonko explained. He ran his fingers over the drawings. He recognized one, the tailed figure with angular features. He'd seen its silhouette flipping through the options of his Omnitrix, not that he had ever turned into it. The other three- a wheeled quadruped, a slender humanoid, and a winged beast- were completely alien to him. Well, alien as in foreign, not alien as in extraterrestrial. Part of him longed to know what they were but he didn't even know anything about the one he did recognize so he shook off his curiosity and dialed up the alien in his Omnitrix. "I have no idea why he would suggest an alien."
"Try turning into it," Shar suggested. "What could go wrong?"
Many things, Blonko wanted to say but he kept his mouth shut and brought his hand down on the Omnitrix, letting the light and sensation of transformation overtake him. "XLR8!"
"XLR8?" Shar echoed, eyeing the new form before realization dawned on her face. "Oh! Like accelerate! This must be a speedy form. Magister Wat-Sen's attacker was making a recommendation for fast travel."
XLR8 waved his tail, trying to find his balance. What was wrong with his feet? Were those wheels? That didn't seem right. This form was clearly built for speed but he couldn't imagine- Wait, Shar was clambering on his back. "What are you doing?"
Shar put her arms around his shoulders and positioned herself over his tail. "The meeting point is very far away. There is no way I could make it there by sundown and I am not letting you go alone."
"Fine," XLR8 sighed as he tried to maneuver to the doorway. It was awkward, sliding his feet over the floor. Was he supposed to take steps? Or move his wheels? He felt like he wasn't doing this right. "But it is not my fault if you fall off."
XLR8 didn't hear Shar's response because by that point, he was already moving. He started slow, just trying to navigate his way through the tunnels, but then instinct took over. Just like when he turned into Tidetail Wave, he felt something in his mind click into place and everything just made sense. He picked up speed, gliding over the Revonnah's surface cleaner than Tidetail Wave through water and scaling obstacles better than even Master Kundo.
Going down the cliffside was a bit scary but XLR8 remained in control the whole time and they were soon in the open land of the valley. Here, he felt free. Nothing to dodge, no obstacles to avoid, he could just go as fast as he wanted. Still, he had a destination in mind so he couldn't dally. Later though. Later, he was definitely coming back.
Using his momentum to propel himself upward, XLR8 made his way up the terraces. He had to slow down a bit for this and he could now hear properly. Realizing his sister was talking, he pulled back his face mask and let her climb off his tail. She was grinning. "That is exhilarating!"
XLR8 found himself nodding in agreement. "I wish to do that again sometime after we retrieve Magister Wat-Sen."
Shar's expression shifted and she nodded. "Let us hurry."
XLR8 picked her up and sped upward the rest of the distance. In the blink of an eye, they were at the top of the terrace standing opposite of a bulky figure head to toe in black armor. In chains at his side was Magister Wat-Sen.
"Blonko! Shar!" Wat-Sen cried in alarm at the sight of the pair. "You shouldn't have come."
"We had to," Shar responded as XLR8 put her down. "Are you alright?"
"Yes but-"
"The Kineceleran. Good choice," the foreigner mused, interrupting Wat-Sen. He glanced at Shar. "What is she doing here?"
"You did not say to come alone," XLR8 replied, lashing his tail behind him. His face shield dropped down. "Release Magister Wat-Sen now."
The stranger put up a hand. "Calm down. I am here to talk, not fight."
"Then talk." XLR8 was not feeling patient. Something inside him was urging him to just lunge forward, snatch Wat-Sen away from this lowlife, and speed away with him and Shar in tow. But the rational part of his brain stopped him. He didn't know who this stranger was. For all he knew, he was just as fast as he was.
"The Omnitrix for the Plumber," the stranger offered in a benevolent tone, even if he was acting anything but. "I think it's a fair trade."
"Don't do it, Blonko!" Wat-Sen cried but XLR8 didn't think the man was thinking clearly. XLR8 couldn't offer the Omnitrix even if he wanted to.
"I cannot," XLR8 replied. He put a clawed hand to his chest where the Omnitrix resided. "It is attached to me. I have been unable to remove it."
"Then I will remove it from you," the stranger responded, tearing his gloves off and revealing crystal arms, "or my name isn't Tetrax Shard!"
Eying the crystals, XLR8 thought the name was a bit on the nose but he didn't have the time to say something because Tetrax's fist melded into something sharp and was suddenly flying at his face. XLR8 ducked and spun around, slamming his tail into Tetrax's legs. It was one of his favorite moves in Revonnah Kai and XLR8's tail worked better than Blonko's legs. Or at least that's what he expected. He didn't expect his tail to hit something so solid.
XLR8 yelped as a spike of pain shot up his tail. Tetrax chuckled before throwing a punch. "Clearly you have some things to learn about offworld lifeforms."
XLR8 scooted out of the way, clutching his tail as he skeeted to the other side of the battleground. There was enough area to fight at the top of the terrace but there wasn't a lot of extra room. If someone underestimated the strength of the blow, the other would end up flying off the mountain.
There was no way for XLR8 to place himself in any kind of defensive position between Tetrax and both Shar and Wat-Sen so he merely shuffled in the space between them, trying to anticipate Tetrax's next move. Only, this was nothing like a sparring match with other Revonnahganders. Tetrax's moves only resembled Revonnah Kai in that they were fighting moves. Nothing else was the same, not to mention the fact his confident demeanor paired with the helmet covering his face kept him from betraying any hint of what he was thinking until it was too late.
A flurry of crystal shards flew from Tetrax's outstretched hand. XLR8 ducked and dodged before deciding to rear back on his tail and kick the shards right back to their sender. XLR8's kicks were powerful and he expected the splinters to do some damage but Tetrax merely shifted his arm into a shield and batted them away. Behind his visor, XLR8 watched critically. Being able to use his body like that was an amazing skill to have in battle. XLR8 loved this new form but he felt a flash of jealousy for the other alien. He wasn't entirely sure what this form looked like in its entirety but he knew it was not one of the ten aliens in the Omnitrix. That was too bad, he would have loved to explore having a body like that.
The two moved in and began exchanging blows in a way XLR8 was more familiar with. No tricks, save Tetrax's sharpened arms and XLR8's enhanced speed. Fists met shoulders and claws and wheels battered forearms. It was thrilling in the most strange way. XLR8 knew he was fighting for… Well, possibly his life but he'd never been in a fight like this. Revonnah Kai was all set forms. Execution of the moves was a factor but in the end it was all strategy. Which move countered which best, would a certain technique leave too big of an opening, that sort of thing.
But this. Oh, this was something else entirely. There were no recognizable forms, no way to predict the opponents moves and no need to spend time conjuring the best plan to counter them. This was just raw fighting. Speed, power, and versatility was increased which enhanced the experience to a level a Revonnahgander could never dream of but the bottom line was just that this was just brawling in its truest form. It was exhilarating, to say the least.
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end.
Tetrax and XLR8 noticed the Omnitrix blinking at the same time. In XLR8's surprise, he froze which gave Tetrax all the time he needed to strike. In one motion, he simultaneously slammed a foot down on XLR8's tail, keeping him from running away, and shoved both palms against the ground. By the time XLR8 turned back into Blonko, crystal had erected from below and encased everything from the neck down.
"Do not hurt him!" Shar yelled but Wat-Sen grabbed her before she could lunge at the armored being. Blonko felt a flash of gratitude that they were both safe but it did little to quell the fear bubbling up in his belly. Crystal joints creaked as Tetrax began rising to his feet. Blonko's stomach twisted in anticipation, not wanting to know what was going to happen to him when Tetrax saw him in his weak Revonnahgander form.
Tetrax took a step back in surprise.
"Y-You're a child." Tetrax stared, shocked. He took his helmet off, as if removing the visor between his eyes and the trapped Revonnahgander would somehow change things. Blonko didn't know what he'd been imagining Tetrax's face to look like but he thought he'd look meaner. Tetrax's face was strong and angular but certainly not mean. Yellow eyes wide and crystal jaw slack, he almost looked like a friendly guy.
"I do not have a bi'nthak," Blonko stated, unable to think of anything better to say. It didn't look like Tetrax heard him. Blonko couldn't begin to fathom what kinds of thoughts were rushing through the alien's head.
"I- I need to go," Tetrax stuttered, running his gloved hand over his face. He took a step back, the crystal encasing Blonko melting into the ground, and turned away before jumping off the cliffside.
Shar threw herself into Blonko's arms the moment he was gone, muttering about how relieved she was that he was alright. Wat-Sen hovered around them worriedly before deciding to go in and gather the both of them up in his arms. Blonko hardly noticed either of them.
All he could see was the bulky figure retreating into the sunset on a slide of crystal, wondering just who Tetrax Shard was and what he wanted with the Omnitrix.
"Tetrax, report."
"You didn't tell me the Omnitrix bearer was a kid, Vilgax."
Vilgax's tentacles curled. A child? His drones had failed to report that. This would be easier than he thought. An untrained adult with the Omnitrix was one thing but a child was another. He probably didn't even need the bounty hunters. It would be nice to keep his hands from getting dirty but now he knew it wasn't completely necessary.
"And?" Vilgax prompted, already knowing the answer to his question but wanting to hear Tetrax say it.
"I don't- He's a child, Vilgax. He isn't doing any harm."
"I didn't hire you to be a hero, Shard. I hired you to retrieve the Omnitrix."
"I'm out," Tetrax announced, startling Vilgax. Never in all his years of hiring the bounty hunter had he refused a job. He expected some argument, maybe, or some renegotiations about his pay but a walk out? Never in a thousand millenia did Vilgax think he'd hear the bounty hunter utter such words. "I'm not cutting off a kid's arm, Vilgax. Not even for eight thousand taydens."
"I'll increase it to ten," Vilgax offered but he didn't expect Tetrax to take it. Anyone in this business with morals didn't go back on them.
"I'll pass. Hire me for another job if you have one but until then, don't bother me."
"You know someone else will just go after the boy," Vilgax told him. Tetrax himself had recommended some other bounty hunters to take the job. How ironic that was biting him in the rear now.
A pause. "I know."
Tetrax signed off without another word. Vilgax couldn't help but wonder if he'd see more of the bounty hunter before he got his claws on the Omnitrix. He was confident to say he would.
