"My goal isn't money. My goal is you!"
Kevin's words hung in the air like a threat.
The red-haired woman froze, her eyes widening with surprise as she studied Kevin more carefully. A slow smirk spread across her face. "You... are you sure?"
"Don't give me that nonsense!" Kevin snarled, his expression twisted with anger and impatience.
"Okay, okay, but you have to find a place where no one else can see us," the woman said with exaggerated resignation, though her eyes glinted with mischief. "And you're not allowed to bring my little brothers along."
"Pff, !"
Kevin nearly spat blood, his face flushing crimson with rage. "Idiot! I mean I want you to be my subordinates! Do you understand?"
"Your subordinates?!" The red-haired woman blinked, then scratched her hair with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh! We understood from the beginning, just messing with you! So, is there any benefit to being your subordinate?"
"Your equipment isn't as strong as mine," Kevin said, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "I can take you on some real jobs. Interested?" He paused, letting the offer sink in. "You just need to do me a favor. I'll explain the specifics after we leave."
The red-haired woman glanced at her fellow robbers. They exchanged looks and nodded in agreement. She turned back to Kevin with a grin. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal." She stuck out her hand. "My name's Rojo, by the way."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several small flying robots descended from above, their mechanical arms extending to grab Rojo's clothes. They lifted her into the sky with surprising efficiency. Kevin activated his own flight systems, the combined power of his armor and absorbed technology launching him skyward alongside the convoy!
From his vantage point in the crowd, Asher's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. His expression darkened with recognition.
"Those are Vilgax's robots! Kevin's actually working with him?" A bad premonition settled in his chest like a stone. This was worse than he'd anticipated.
"When people like that stay together, nothing good can come of it. Something terrible is brewing," Gwen said firmly, her voice carrying absolute conviction. "Asher, we're counting on you."
"If they want to team up, fine by me." Asher's response came with an extraordinarily domineering edge, his voice dropping low. "I'll just take them all down together."
He raised his wrist, fingers already moving toward the Omnitrix's raised faceplate. His thumb hovered over the selection dial.
Heatblast, it's your turn!
He slammed his palm down on the device's activation button.
Whoosh!
A burst of brilliant light erupted from the Omnitrix, engulfing Asher's form completely. But as the flash faded, the transformation that emerged wasn't the flame-wreathed Pyronite he'd intended.
Instead, an overwhelming stench filled the air, putrid and nauseating.
"Ugh, it smells so bad! I can't stand it anymore."
"God, Asher, why did you become this big alien bug? It's disgusting!"
Gwen and Ben both recoiled, covering their noses and mouths as they backed away rapidly. Their faces contorted in disgust as they tried to escape the terrible odor wafting from the transformation that now stood before them.
Stinkfly's insectoid form dominated the space, a massive winged creature with four eye stalks, olive-green skin, and that unmistakable, terrible smell that came with the Lepidopterran species.
The alien's four eyes swiveled to examine its own body, and even Stinkfly's expression seemed to droop with disappointment. He released a long, defeated sigh. "I was aiming for Heatblast..."
But then his mandibles set with determination.
"You know what? It's fine! There are no weak alien heroes in the Omnitrix! As long as I'm strong enough, it doesn't matter who I become, I can still intercept those guys!"
His wings began to beat rapidly, their movement creating a blur of motion. Stinkfly's form launched into the sky, transforming into a streak of movement far faster than his first transformation had been. Experience and practice had honed his control.
He tore through the air toward Kevin's retreating group.
"Hey? A big flying monster?"
Kevin's attention was drawn by the approaching figure. His eyes locked onto Stinkfly with immediate interest and recognition. "Asher, so this time you used the Omnitrix to transform into another alien hero, huh?"
"Kevin, you know everything now, don't you?" Stinkfly's voice carried across the distance, multiple tones resonating from his insectoid vocal structures.
"Vilgax told me everything." Kevin's expression radiated confidence, almost smug satisfaction. One careless sentence revealed the full extent of his new alliance. "Also, Asher, your good luck ends today!"
Stinkfly's heart lurched at those words, ice flooding his veins despite the warm air currents.
Kevin and Vilgax. They've joined forces.
This wasn't just bad. This was a powerful alliance, one that could spell serious trouble.
No. I definitely can't let Kevin take these criminals back to wherever Vilgax is hiding!
The thought crystallized into action. Stinkfly flapped his wings even harder, increasing his speed exponentially. He closed the distance rapidly, nearly catching up to Kevin's armored form.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three more small combat robots descended near Stinkfly, forming a perfect triangle-like encirclement pattern around him. Their movement was coordinated, tactical, clearly following programmed assault protocols.
Stinkfly had no choice but to brake suddenly. His wings beat backward furiously, reversing thrust to force his momentum to halt. He hovered in place as the robots closed their formation.
With their cover fire established, Kevin and Rojo's group escaped smoothly, disappearing into the distance within seconds.
ANALYZING.
DETECTING OMNITRIX SHAPESHIFTER. INITIATING ELIMINATION PROTOCOLS.
The three Mechadroids raised their red cannons in perfect synchronization, targeting systems locking onto Stinkfly's hovering form!
"You bastards..." Stinkfly's tone turned complex, layered with frustration, anger, and something infinitely cold. The temperature around him seemed to drop despite his biological heat signature. "You've succeeded in making me very angry."
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Three crimson energy beams suddenly erupted from different directions, converging on Stinkfly's position!
"Asher, be careful! Dodge quickly!"
"If those hit you, you'll definitely be seriously injured!"
Down below, Gwen and Ben had their hands clasped together anxiously, watching the battle unfold overhead. They shouted warnings, wishing they could use telepathy to warn their cousin faster. Their concern was palpable, transmitted through body language and raised voices.
After all, among all of Asher's known alien transformations, Stinkfly had always been considered the weakest combatant. Even the diminutive Buzzshock could claim superior offensive capabilities. Stinkfly's strength lay in reconnaissance and mobility, not direct combat.
Or so everyone thought.
"It's useless!"
Stinkfly's four eye stalks moved independently, each one tracking a different angle. They observed the positions of all three energy beams simultaneously, processing trajectory, velocity, and impact point with inhuman precision!
His body shifted with minimal movement, just enough to let the first laser brush past his exoskeleton. The second beam followed, missing by centimeters as Stinkfly adjusted his angle with practiced ease!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The energy beams missed their target completely, colliding with the ground below instead. Explosions erupted across the street, sending debris and smoke billowing into the air!
"Continue firing!"
The three Mechadroids' tactical AI didn't hesitate, immediately gathering energy for another coordinated strike.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
But before they could complete their charge sequences, Stinkfly spat out torrents of thick, viscous green slime at incredible speed! The adhesive substance splattered directly onto each robot's scanner array, completely obscuring their visual sensors!
For a brief moment, the combat drones couldn't identify their surroundings at all. They'd lost their vision systems entirely, flying erratically as they attempted to recalibrate and clear their sensors!
Between one heartbeat and the next, Stinkfly moved.
His speed was like lightning itself, far beyond what anyone had seen from this transformation before. He materialized directly in front of one Mechadroid, his insectoid form radiating authority and power.
In that moment, he truly resembled the king of the skies!
SLASH!
Stinkfly's razor-sharp claws extended fully, their edges glinting with natural weaponry honed by millions of years of Lepidopterran evolution. They moved like blades through warm butter, tearing the first robot into scrap metal components! The mechanical body fell to the ground in pieces, exploding on impact!
WHIP!
His tail flicked with serpentine speed, the split axe-like blade at its tip slashing through another robot's armored chassis!
His fighting style was pure predatory instinct, movements flowing like a beast of the wild!
The last combat robot didn't stand a chance. Stinkfly's combined assault, claws and tail working in perfect coordination, reduced it to nothing more than a ball of twisted scrap metal that tumbled from the sky!
"It seems that even what we considered the weakest alien hero, Stinkfly, has been pushed to perfection by Asher!"
Max stared at the battle unfolding in the sky above, his expression caught between amazement and pride. That combat style, that silky-smooth execution, it was textbook fighting form!
Even someone who didn't understand aerial combat could see the elegance and efficiency in Stinkfly's movements.
Max didn't realize it yet, but Asher had undergone profound changes. After absorbing various combat concepts, [Baji Quan principles], [Fishman Karate techniques], the fighting philosophies of warriors like Diamondhead, something fundamental had shifted in Asher's consciousness.
Though Asher himself hadn't fully recognized it, his combat awareness had been elevated to something approaching cosmic warrior-level instincts!
Every alien hero transformation could gradually become stronger through battle, adapting and evolving as they fought.
This was his greatest skill. This was what made him truly dangerous.
And Vilgax was about to learn that lesson the hard way.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
☆☆☆
-> 50 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/AshenMoon
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you