Jen Pov
I had a small book in one hand, the other supporting me as I leaned against it. My eyes scanned the words of the book while my ears perked at whispers and quiet giggling coming from the back of the classroom. Recognizing those voices, I caught a paper airplane heading towards the teacher's head. I crumpled it and went back to reading.
After a minute, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. As kids began rushing out of the classroom for summer break, I was caught up in the commotion and knocked to the ground. I got up, gathered the books I had been carrying, and tucked them under my arm before shoving my hands in my pockets. I headed for the door, only to be stopped, I looked back at the teacher over my shoulder. "Ma'am?" I asked, unsure why I had been stopped. The teacher beckoned me closer to her desk, and I approached. She reached into her desk and pulled out an envelope. I took the envelope and looked at the teacher for an explanation.
"Oh, the school is starting a martial arts team next year, and many of the staff have seen your skills; they want you to help teach and demonstrate." I nodded and tucked the envelope under my arm with my books. "I'll get it taken care of when I get back," I said then left the classroom. I headed for the exit doors of the school, luckily avoiding being stopped by anybody else. I pushed the doors open and saw that almost everyone was already gone, except for a few kids who were waiting for their rides.
I was about to go take a seat on the bench beside the other kids when something caught my eye. "Those two just don't know when to quit," I muttered and headed for Cash and J.T., the school bullies. Those blockheads had Jamie backed into a tree, taking whatever little money the guy had.
I rolled my eyes and did a high kick slotting my leg between Cash and J.T.'s heads, not hitting either, but letting them know I was there. "AHH!" Cash and J.T. both threw themselves to the side and away from me and Jamie. I gave both boys a side glance before looking at Jamie and gesturing for him to leave, which he did. "You two need to mature a little bit and stop acting like five-year-olds," I said and turned around, walking to wait with the other kids.
"At least we aren't freaks like you," Cash called after me. I smirked to myself and my eyes glowed; I muttered, "Possessioona mifoolia." I watched as Cash and J.T. screamed in terror as they lost control of their bodies and began acting like idiots. The other kids turned to them and laughed hysterically.
Just then, my grandpa pulled up in his beat-up RV.
"C'mon Jen, we're burning daylight," he called as I hurried to the RV. I swung the door open and jumped inside, hopping up the short set of steps. "Hey, Grandpa." I greeted, seeing him smile in the rearview mirror. I glanced at the RV table, "Hey, Dweeb-A-thousand." "Hey, doofuszilla," I said, glaring at my cousin Gwen. We both laughed and hugged.
"Didn't know you'd be joining us this year," I said as I took a seat at the table and set my books aside. "Yeah, I did have my entire summer planned out, but then this was dropped in my lap," Gwen said, resting her head on her hands. I smiled and Gwen and I began to chat back and forth while Grandpa drove us to our first camping spot of the summer.
~~~~~~~~~
"Okay, chow time, girls," Grandpa said as he set a bowl of live worms in front of us. I looked at the bowl and glanced at Gwen, "Okay, I give, what is it?" Gwen asked. Grandpa gave us an innocent smile and replied, "Marinated millworms; they're considered a delicacy in some places." "And also, super gross in others," I added while looking at the bucket of wiggling worms in disgust.
"Can we just have a burger?" Gwen asked, putting on a hopeful smile. Grandpa smiled at us, "Now girls, I know you're not fond of my alien cooking and strange dishes, but just give it a chance." He said then turned and went back into the RV, probably to get something else. Gwen and I quickly looked at each other, and I suggested, "How about Philly cheese steaks?" She nodded. I nodded back and held my hand over the bowl of worms. My eyes glowed green, and energy surrounded my hand. "Changzia manipulatia." The bowl of worms glowed, and they transformed into two Philly cheese steak sandwiches.
"I love that you can do magic," Gwen said happily as she took her sandwich. I smiled and grabbed mine, eating it quickly just in case Grandpa came back out.
~~~~~~~~~
"Get back here!" Gwen exclaimed as I ran through the trees with her chasing me. Grandpa had suggested Grub s'mores, so we decided to split and take a walk in the woods, which turned into a game of tag.
I slid under a fallen tree and stopped to catch my breath, but that was a mistake. "Gotcha!" Gwen jumped over the tree and tackled me to the ground. We both laughed as we got up, but our laughter faded when I noticed something in the sky. "Gwen, look at this." I pointed out a shooting star with a green trail. "Whoa...Whoa!!" Gwen cried, the star suddenly changing direction and heading straight for us.
I quickly stood up and grabbed Gwen's arm, and we started running. "Jen, why don't you use your mana?" Gwen asked, and I facepalmed in frustration at my stupidity. "That would be a better idea," I replied as I created mana steps beneath us and we climbed up, out of the way of the falling star.
The star had crashed, creating a massive crater in the ground and a huge cloud of dust. "Ah, I can't see." "Jen, up, up." I climbed higher and out of the large dust cloud. Gwen and I looked down at the gigantic dust cloud and the sound of something hitting metal reached our ears. "Oh, that isn't a star," I said, and we began descending, following the sound through the dust cloud.
"Ugh, I can't see a thing," Gwen said. "Okay, I got this, Airona manipulatia" I said, and wind began to swirl around us and expand outward, clearing the dust cloud surrounding us. A loud metallic rip followed by a thump sounded, and Gwen pointed toward the source of the noise. "There it is," she said. We headed in its direction.
As Gwen and I got closer, we saw a transport pod and a figure lying face down on the ground. "Crap!" I said and ran forward, kneeling down beside the figure and turning him over. "He's a Revonnagander, and he's hurt," I said as I began casting a healing spell while Gwen went snooping through the transport pod.
Gwen's POV.
I was looking through the pod, trying to find something that would tell us why this guy was here for or who he was. "Aha!" I spotted a bag tucked under the seat of the pod and went to grab it. I began working to pull the bag from under the seat, but something caught my eye - in a corner, there was a small pod. "What is that?" I asked and moved closer to inspect it.
I reached out and touched the pod, resulting in it making a hissing sound and opening. Inside the pod was a blue watch-like device, and it looked kind of familiar. "Hmm, I swear I've seen this before," I said as I reached out to grab the device. The device suddenly jumped up and latched onto my wrist. "AHH!" I jumped up and began trying to pry the device off, but I tripped and fell out of the pod.
"Gwen?!" Jen rushed over and looked down at me with a concerned look. I chuckled nervously and held up my wrist, "I found a thing." I smiled and Jen's stray hair at the top of her head twitched along with her eye. Jen stood up straight and inhaled, her hands covering her face.
"We better get back to Grandpa," I said and stood up from the ground. Jen nodded and created a mana board to carry the Revonnahgender on.
~~~~~~~~~
Grandpa stared at us for a moment before pinching the bridge of his nose. "You two know the protocol for things like this," he said, and Jen chuckled nervously. "Yeah we know, but instinct took over," Jen said. "Yeah, that and curiosity," I added.
Grandpa sighed and looked at us, "You two have good instincts, but you shouldn't always trust them; for all you knew, he could have been dangerous." Grandpa looked over to the Revonnahgender who was lying on the couch, unconscious. Me and Jen both nodded, and we watched as Grandpa stood up, saying, "I'm gonna go check out that crash; don't do anything stupid." He knew that me and Jen couldn't always be trusted.
"Relax, Grandpa," Jen said as she propped her feet up on the table. "I'll keep Gwen in line." "Oh please, if anyone needs to be kept in line, it's you," I said, pushing Jen out of her seat. We both laughed, and I heard Grandpa mutter something under his breath before he left.
I sighed and pulled up the sleeve of my jacket; I didn't get to tell Grandpa about the device. "Jen, what- What are you doing?" I looked at my cousin with a raised brow. "His tail is so soft," Jen said and petted the Revonnahgender's tail as if it were some kind of house cat. "Stop that, you doofus! You can't just pet his tail like that!" I snapped and swatted Jen's hand. "Ow, what the heck?!" Jen stood up clearly upset with me. We began to argue back and forth, which led to us pushing each other back and forth, resulting in us tumbling out of the RV.
As we fell out of the RV, my wrist slammed onto the ground and I was blinded by a bright blue flash. "Whoa, what was that?" I asked, noticing that Jen was looking at me in shock. Her expression quickly changed to one of surprise, causing me to panic. "Wh-what?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she created a reflective mana shield.
"O.M.Gosh!" I exclaimed in shock, staring at my reflection. I was a pyronite. I continued to examine myself and noticed something; on my chest was the faceplate of the device. "That thing turned you into an alien," Jen said as she let the mana shield disappear. Jen walked around me, examining me, while I stood frozen, my shock still not having worn off.
Jen asked, waving her hand in front of my face. "Hey, Gwen," she said. "You good?" I nodded. "Yeah, totally." Jen gave me a skeptical look and created a mana platform behind me. "You're a good cousin." I collapsed onto the mana platform and Jen sat beside me, starting to talk me through my emotions.
After about five minutes, I was okay and sat up, "Thanks for that, Jen." I smiled and stood up from the mana platform. Jen stood up and the platform disappeared, "Hey, it's what family is for." She said with a shrug. I nodded and silence settled over us; I kicked at the dirt, trying to think of what to do next. "So, should I test out these powers or..." Jen began to laugh, "It's about time that clicked in your head, honestly do I have to do everything for you?" Jen laughed and created various mana shields in the sky.
"Shut up, you doofus," I said and looked at the mana shields. "Alright, alright, sorry, just trying to hit my mana," Jen said and I nodded, getting into a ready position. I took a moment to formulate a strategic attack with what I knew about Pyronites. "Got it." I grinned and lunged forward, but there was a sudden beeping noise and a flash of blue. "Ahh!!" I tripped over my leg and hit the ground. Now human again, I groaned and lay face down on the ground.
"So, I guess it has a timer?" Jen asked as she walked over to me. "Really? You think?" I replied, standing up from the ground. "Okay, lay off the sarcasm," Jen said, tucking her hands into her pockets. "Sorry," I said, dusting myself off and we headed back into the RV to wait for Grandpa.
~~~~~~~~~
Jen and I are still waiting for Grandpa, and for the Revonnahgender boy to wake up. "Hey, wasn't that thing orange a minute ago?" Jen asked, looking up from the spell book she was reading. I looked down at my wrist and saw she was right; the device was now blue instead of orange. Jen and I looked at each other and then hurried out of the RV.
Jen put up mana shields, and I looked at the device. "How did we do this last time?" I asked, looking over at Jen. Jen had a dumbfounded look, "Oh, yeah, how did you transform?" We both took a moment to think. I pulled up my sleeve to examine the device, hoping to find some kind of answer as to how it worked. As I examined the watch, I saw a button; I thought, 'That's something,' and pressed it. The faceplate of the device popped up, and a figure appeared on it.
"Neat," we both said in unison, and I began twisting the faceplate which made the figure change. I shifted through the figures and eventually settled on one. We both looked at each other, I pressed the faceplate down and was surrounded by a blue flash. Once the light faded, I saw I had become a Petrosapien. "Oh, shiny," Jen chimed in, and I chuckled, then got into a ready position.
Narrowing my eyes, I used the various abilities at my disposal to attack Jen's mana. It was going well, and Jen kept creating new obstacles for me to dodge and attack.
"Watch out!" Jen suddenly shouted and placed a mana shield around me. I was confused until some sort of drone bounced off the shield and crashed to the ground. "Whoa!" I exclaimed and Jen lowered the shield. We both examined the drone as it lay on the ground. "Where did this thing come from?" I asked, picking the broken drone up for a closer inspection.
"I'm not sure, but maybe they could tell us," Jen said and pointed to several more drones that were approaching. The drone began to shoot at us; my crystal body reflected the blast, and Jen's reflexes kicked in as she backflipped away. I started firing crystal shards at the drones, and Jen threw mana discs at them. The drones crashed to the ground, and one exploded.
"AHH!!" I looked over my shoulder as Jen screamed and saw her flying through the air. A drone hovered above Jen, ready to attack her. "Jen!" I yelled. The Revinnahgender boy burst our of the RV and kicked the drone, knocking it to the ground. The three of us stood there, unsure of what to say next.
~~~~~~~~~
After we settled down from the drone attack, we went back into the RV and got some information. "So, your name is Rook Blonko, and you are a Plumber who was helping transport the Omnitrix here, to give to our Grandpa Max, is that correct?" Jen asked, and Rook nodded, "Yes, that is correct."
Both Jen and I nodded, and then an awkward silence fell. I began glancing around the RV and then noticed the time; "It's almost midnight. Where is Grandpa?" I looked over at Jen. She looked at the clock and said, "Yeah, he should have been back by now." We both became worried.
Jen Pov
"I'm going to go look for him," I said, standing to my feet. "I'm coming too," Gwen said, I nodded and looked at Rook. "Oh, am I to accompany you?" he asked and I nodded. Rook seemed like a nice guy, but I still wasn't sure how trustworthy he was.
"Mayday, Mayday!" We all turned and looked at the handheld radio. "We need help, we're under attack by, well, robots." I turned to Gwen and we both nodded. Finding Grandpa would have to wait; we had innocent people in danger.
~~~~~~~~~
I was mana surfing through the sky while Gwen and Rook ran along the ground. The giant robot came into view and I dropped to the ground to run. "Gwen, transform into the Petrosapien again; it's the best for blocking and reflecting blasts. Rook, you're gonna help me get everyone to safety." Rook and Gwen both nodded.
Gwen began dialing into the Omnitrix, while I and Rook broke apart from her. I began gathering people and pointing them in the direction of safety, while Rook was doing the same. "Ahh!!" I looked to my right and saw a little girl trapped under a car. I held my hand out toward the car, saying, "Levitato flovita." The car lifted, and Rook grabbed the girl, carrying her to safety.
I took the car and chucked it at the robot. The robot looked at me and fired, but I dodged it. "Missed me, missed you, you'll never hit me." I taunted and the robot fired at a tree. "Uh-oh," the tree began falling toward me. "Star drop!" I was suddenly snatched off the ground and held in the air. I looked over my shoulder and smiled, "Hi, Grandma." I greeted and Gwen waved up to us, "Hi, Grandma."
"Hello, my dears," Grandma said as she set me down. Gwen crashed down beside us. "I'll handle this one, you two go take care of the civilians who are sneaking back in," Grandma said, and Gwen looked around, noticing people sneaking around. We both nodded and went to help get them back to safety.
~~~~~~~~~
"Reverio unduon filxuia" Everything that had been destroyed began to rebuild itself, and trees and grass started growing again. I stumbled back and Gwen caught me, supporting my weight. "Jen, are you okay?" Rook asked, looking at me worriedly. "Yeah, I've just used up a lot of energy is all," I replied, and Rook nodded.
"Girls!" "Grandpa!" Grandpa hugged us both. "Sorry I was gone for so long," he said, "I ran into a few complications." We both nodded. The RV pulled up beside us, and Grandma drove in. "Everyone on board; it's time to sleep," she said. Grandpa looked shocked, but he didn't say anything. It was going to be weird, even weirder than what they usually were for us.