The Next Day
Franklin POV
It was lunchtime, and I couldn't stop staring at Courtney.
She had another bruise on her cheek—and she was walking funny. Limping, actually. Probably trying to hide a leg injury. Cindy B stuck close to her side, subtly supporting her when she thought no one was looking. But I saw it. So did Ava.
And honestly, it was starting to worry me more than it should.
They're clearly still out there, being heroes. Courtney's tough, yeah—but she doesn't have the gear, the backup, or the training. If this keeps up, she's going to get herself seriously hurt… or worse.
I glanced over at Ava. She was already looking at me. We didn't say a word, but the look we exchanged said everything—we were on the same page.
We had to tell them. About us. About the training. About the base. They deserved to know we were in this too. That they weren't alone. And if nothing else, maybe with our help, Courtney wouldn't keep showing up to school looking like she barely made it out alive.
Yeah... we'd tell them after school. Before it was too late.
After school
After school, I was parked in the lot waiting. Ava said she'd bring Cindy B and Courtney to the car. The plan was simple—get them to the base, show them everything. No big speeches. No drama. Just straight to the point.
It took a few minutes, but I finally spotted the three of them making their way over. Cindy was practically holding Courtney up, walking slow and steady. Courtney was clearly still hurting, but trying to act like she wasn't. Tough girl. Stubborn girl.
I opened the backseat door for them without saying anything. They got in, and I shut the door behind them. Ava was already sliding into the passenger seat. I climbed in, started the car, and pulled off.
The ride was quiet. Not awkward exactly, but no one said anything. Just the radio playing low in the background. Eventually, I decided to break the silence.
"So… I'm guessing you two are wondering why we suddenly want to hang out," I said, glancing at them through the rearview.
"Kinda," Cindy replied. "I mean, we're all friends, sure… but we don't usually do this. Just us."
"Yeah, well, that's for a reason," Ava added, arms crossed. "The whole group doesn't need to be in on what we're about to talk about."
Courtney leaned forward slightly, wincing a bit. "Okay… now you're just making it sound dramatic. What are you talking about? What's this big secret?"
I didn't even hesitate.
"I know you two are superheroes."
They both had the same look on their faces—pure shock. I saw it clearly in the rearview mirror. Cindy looked like she was calculating her options, probably figuring out if she could knock me and Ava out and bail. Courtney just looked stunned, staring at me like I'd grown a second head.
"What are you talking about?" Cindy finally asked, her voice sharp.
I kept my eyes on the road. "There's no need to play dumb. Trust me—I've been where you two are."
"Been where?" Courtney asked, clearly still confused and maybe a little scared.
"Look, we're almost at the base. I'll explain everything there." I kept my tone calm, reassuring.
"Base?" Courtney echoed, eyebrows raised.
"Why can't you just explain it now?" Cindy pressed.
Ava finally chimed in, "Because seeing is believing. And trust me… you're gonna want to see this."
The rest of the ride was dead quiet. Tense.
A few minutes later, we pulled into a concealed spot near my base. I parked, killed the engine, and got out. No one said a word as we made our way down. Cindy kept glancing at me like she was waiting for some kind of trap. Courtney limped slightly, trying to hide it, but Ava noticed—just like I did.
They had no idea what they were walking into. But they were about to find out.
The look on their faces? Priceless.
They stepped into the base and just froze—eyes wide, jaws practically on the floor. I don't blame them. Between the training area, medical setup, my custom lab, the teleporter, and the wall of TVs... it was a lot to take in. Then there was the suit area—yep, just like Batman's. Right now, the White Tiger suit was sitting front and center in a glass container, on full display.
"Welcome to my base," I said, stepping inside with a grin. "Doesn't have a name yet, but I'm working on it."
They didn't even answer at first—just looked around in complete awe. But then their eyes locked onto the suit.
Courtney's voice broke the silence."Oh my God... Franklin, you're—"
"Yep, that's right. I'm a sup—" I started to say with a smirk.
"White Tiger," Courtney finished, cutting me off.
I blinked."…Wait, what?"
"No, he's not," Ava cut in.
"Yeah, no I'm not," I said.
"You're not?" Cindy asked, confused.
I shook my head. "Nope. I'm Omni."
Courtney blinked. "You're Omni?"
Cindy immediately laughed. "Yeah, no. You being White Tiger? I could maybe buy that. But Omni? No way in hell."
"Yeah," Courtney added. "Cindy's right."
"The fuck?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, no offense," Courtney said quickly, "but it's just kinda hard to believe you're Omni."
I didn't say a word. I just raised my arm, activated the Omnitrix, and slammed the dial down.
"XLR8," I said.
In a flash, I transformed. Lightning crackled off me, and the air shimmered from how fast I moved. I zipped around the room a few times, came to a stop right in front of them, and crossed my arms.
Cindy's jaw dropped."Oh my god… you are Omni."
"You're damn right," I said, shifting back into my regular form with a flash of green.
"Now let's take a look at that leg."
I helped Courtney over to the medical area and gently set her down on the table. I grabbed a small handheld scanner—something I built while using Gray Matter—and ran it over her leg.
The screen lit up with data. "Good news—it's just a sprain. If it was broken, you wouldn't be walking right now."
"What is that thing?" Cindy asked, eyeing the device.
"Nothing too crazy. Just a scanner that reads muscle and bone condition when I point it at a body part. Right now, it's telling me her leg's sprained."
"That 'nothing too crazy' scanner looks expensive as hell," Cindy said, narrowing her eyes. "Where'd you even get it?"
"Didn't get it. I made it."
I set the scanner down and walked over to the medicine cabinet. I grabbed a vial and a clean syringe, carefully drawing out the liquid.
"Okay… and what is that?" Cindy asked again, more suspicious now.
"This is a quick-heal serum I also made. It's going to speed up Courtney's recovery a lot, but she still needs to stay off her leg for at least an hour."
"Look, not calling you dumb," Cindy said, folding her arms, "but I know you're not smart enough to invent this stuff. This is high-tech, Franklin. You're barely passing English."
"Don't forget math. He sucks at that too," Ava chimed in without looking up.
"Okay—ouch," I said, glancing between them. "I promise I'll explain everything. Just let me finish patching her up first."
I grabbed an alcohol wipe, cleaned a spot on Courtney's arm, and gently slid the needle in, injecting the serum into her vein.
"Okay, now that's done…" I stepped back, set the syringe down, and looked between the two of them seriously. "It's time I told you everything. And I need you to keep an open mind… because what I'm about to say will absolutely blow yours."
I told them everything. About Ava's dad being the original White Tiger. About how I found the Omnitrix. I shared the same story I told Ava and Hector, even showed them the fake message that led me to it.
In return, Cindy and Courtney opened up too.
Cindy told us how her father experimented on her when she was just a kid, giving her her powers. Her dad was the Dragon King. Yeah, I already knew that, but I played along like it was all new to me. What did surprise me, though, was how these two became friends… and how Courtney got the cosmic staff.
Apparently, in this universe, Starman wasn't just some random guy—he was Courtney's uncle. Her mom Barbara knew, too. Makes sense, since Starman was her brother. And Pat? Turns out he wasn't just some stepdad who stumbled into hero life—he was Starman's best friend. After Starman died fighting the Injustice Society, Pat did everything he could to protect Courtney and her family. That meant hiding them away, keeping them far from the world of superheroes and villains.
Courtney and her stepbrother Mike had no clue. They didn't know their parents had kept them hidden from literal supervillains. They didn't even know the superhero life was in their blood.
Then came the move to Blue Valley.
Barbara and Pat thought it'd be safe. Quiet town, no threats, perfect place to settle down. But they were wrong. Dead wrong. Because hiding in that same town... was the Dragon King. And he had plans—terrifying ones. He wanted to turn every living thing in Blue Valley into his own mutated monster army.
And Cindy? She was supposed to be the general.
But she and Courtney became friends. Real friends. The kind that can see each other's pain even when no one else can. They bonded fast—fast enough that Cindy tried to convince Courtney to take her family and leave. She didn't want her caught up in what her father was planning.
But Courtney refused to leave. She knew Cindy was being abused by her father. And no matter how bad things got, she wasn't going to abandon her.
The turning point came when the cosmic staff found her.
One night, the two of them were hanging out at Courtney's house when she felt this strange pull… like the staff was calling to her. She followed the feeling, Cindy close behind, all the way to the basement. That's when the crate exploded open—and the cosmic staff shot straight into her hand.
And when it did… it hit her with a flood of memories. Images. Feelings. From every person who had wielded it before her.
That's when she realized the truth: her uncle was Starman.
She confronted her mom and Pat, with Cindy by her side. They didn't want to tell her the whole story, but eventually, they came clean—about Starman, the staff, everything.
Then Cindy told them the rest: what her father was planning.
As soon as Pat heard the Dragon King's plan, he suited up and went after him. Courtney wanted to help, but Pat refused—she had no training, no experience. Lucky for him, he had his STRIPE robot. And with Cindy guiding the way, they found the Dragon King's lab.
It wasn't easy. The fight was brutal. Even with STRIPE and the cindy, the Dragon King was winning.
Until Courtney showed up anyway.
All three of them—Courtney, Cindy, and Pat—fought side-by-side. It was chaos. Explosions. Minions everywhere. They were finally turning the tide… until the Dragon King decided to take everyone out by blowing up the entire lab.
He tried to escape. Cindy made sure he didn't.
She made damn sure he didn't walk out of there alive.
With the lab collapsing around them, the team barely got out in time. Courtney was seriously hurt—she got caught by some rubble and it messed her up bad. Cindy and Pat pulled her out just before the explosion wiped everything.
After that, Courtney's family adopted Cindy. Her stepmom, Belle, had already taken off—no one blamed her. Cindy had no one else, and honestly? She didn't want anyone else.
They all moved to New York, hoping for a fresh start. Safer, quieter, cleaner slate.
Courtney was bedridden for weeks. And Cindy? She never left her side.
"Wow… that is a lot to take in," I said, blinking after hearing Cindy and Courtney's story.
"Tell me about it," Courtney replied. "So, how many aliens can you actually turn into?"
"Well," I grinned, tapping the Omnitrix, "there's over a million DNA samples in here. And I can scan and add new ones too."
"Okay, you've got to show us some of them," Cindy said, leaning forward eagerly.
I smirked. "Say less."
Without wasting any time, I slammed down the Omnitrix and started cycling through forms. One after another, I showed them off:
Diamondhead – creating crystal constructs.
Upgrade – merging with and enhancing tech.
Four Arms – pure brute strength.
Echo Echo – sound-based attacks and duplication.
Gray Matter – tiny genius brainiac.
Brainstorm – electric attacks and supreme intellect.
Heatblast – fire generation and flight.
Big Chill – ice powers and intangibility.
Swampfire – regeneration and plant control.
Stinkfly – agile flight and toxic slime.
Feedback – energy absorption and blasts.
With each transformation, I explained what the alien could do, what I used them for, and maybe showed off a tiny demo here and there—just enough to wow them without blowing up the lab. We were so caught up in it that we didn't even realize how much time had passed.
"Looks like you told them everything," Hector said.
We all turned like we were caught doing something illegal. I had just turned back to my regular form when I noticed he wasn't alone—there was an older man with him. Even though the guy was clearly in his senior years, he looked solid—muscular, alert, built like someone who could still throw hands with Superman on a good day.
Before I could ask, Ava beat me to it.
"Uncle Ted!" she shouted, running up and hugging him.
The man—Ted—grinned and picked her up effortlessly, spinning her around like she was still six years old before setting her back down.
"Ava! My favorite god-niece. How are you doing?"
"I'm your only god-niece," she said, smiling up at him.
"Exactly. That's what makes you one of a kind," he chuckled.
She laughed, and Hector finally spoke up. "Franklin, this is Ted Grant—Wildcat. Ava's god-uncle… and Yolanda's godfather."
Ted gave me a good, slow look from head to toe, like he was sizing me up in a boxing ring.
"Así que este es el tonto que baila con extraterrestres. No me parece tan impresionante," he muttered under his breath.
"Why does everyone keep calling me dense?" I muttered. "Feels like I'm getting roasted by everyone lately."
"¿Tú hablas español?" Ted asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I do. Two of my best friends speak it. Why wouldn't I learn from them?" I replied casually.
Ted smirked. "Okay, you just earned a bit of respect from me, kid."
"Cool, cool," I said. "But can someone tell me why he's here? And why you told him my secret?"
"Because he's going to help train you this week," Hector said plainly. "And I trust him. He trained me, and a lot of other heroes. He's the best there is."
"Still not cool that you told someone my secret identity without even letting me know first," I said, crossing my arms.
"You're right. I should've asked first—and I'm sorry. That's on me," Hector said seriously. "But trust me when I say... you're going to need his training."
"So, Ted… what exactly can you teach me?" I asked, folding my arms, genuinely curious.
"How to fight. How to survive," Ted said with a serious look. "You might think you're untouchable with that special watch of yours, but even Superman has weaknesses. I'm gonna train you in my kind of boxing—real fighting. No powers, no gadgets, just grit. Because if one of those villains ever figures out how to disable or destroy that watch of yours… you better know how to throw hands."
"Okay, but the Omnitrix can't be destroyed or disabled that easily," I said, a little smug. "It's basically impossible."
Ted crossed his arms and gave me a look.
"Kid, nothing is impossible anymore. Gods walk among us. Aliens invade every other week. Just because it hasn't happened yet… doesn't mean it won't."
"...Fair," I muttered.
I glanced over at Cindy and Courtney. "But what about them? They want to be heroes too. They've got powers. You gonna train them too?"
"Don't worry about them," Hector said, stepping in. "They'll get proper training. But Ted? He's your personal trainer this week."
When I looked at Hector, he had this face—somewhere between pity and amusement. Like he knew exactly what I was in for.
Then I looked at Ava… and she had her hands together, eyes closed, like she was literally praying.
And suddenly I was very concerned.
"That's right, kid," Ted said, cracking his knuckles with a twisted grin. "Just me and you. All week. I'm gonna break you down and build you back up. By the time I'm done, you'll be too tough for any villain to take down."
Yeah. No spider-sense required. My danger alarms were screaming.
"...I need an adult," I muttered.
"I am an adult!" Ted barked, still grinning.