One week later
It's finally time for me to go on patrol—and I'm not just going with Hector. Ted is tagging along too.
I upgraded his suit, of course… but after the week I had with him, I don't think he even needed it. The man is a monster. And I mean that in the most respectful, terrified way possible.
Let me tell you—training with Ted for one week was hell. He wasn't lying when he said he'd break me down. He did exactly that. I'm glad I made extra healing serums because I needed every last one of them. I still don't know if he was training me or just working out some deep-seated grudge against my face.
He told me, "Pain makes you learn faster,"—and I hate to admit it, but… he's right.
I picked up his boxing style pretty quickly. Honestly, it's way better than the stuff I used back when I trained with Yolanda. And Ted? He doesn't fight fair. He taught me every dirty trick in the book. Eye feints, cheap shots, unexpected angles—dude even bit me once on purpose to prove a point.
Also, when I say "old man," I mean really old. Apparently, he's got some kind of power that gives him nine lives and slows down his aging. I have no idea how many lives he has left, and he won't tell me. Makes it creepier somehow.
Oh, and get this—he can fight enhanced opponents. I tested him once while using Four Arms… and he still managed to throw me over his shoulder like I was a damn gym bag. I was holding back, sure, but still—he beat me.
So yeah, I learned a lot in a week.
Now let's see how I hold up out there.
It's finally here. Midnight on Friday. I'm at my base, already suited up in my armor. Hector and Ted are here with me, suited and calm, like seasoned vets waiting to see what the rookie can do.
Ava's hanging out with Yolanda tonight, probably watching movies or doing girl stuff. Cindy and Courtney are likely home by now too. This patrol is just for me.
"You ready, kid?" Ted asked, arms crossed, that ever-present smirk on his face.
"Hell yeah I am," I said, fists clenched in excitement.
"Okay, calm down," Hector chimed in, always the buzzkill. "We're only shadowing you. Giving advice when necessary. You'll be the one taking down the bad guys."
"Of course, if things get too dangerous, we'll step in," Ted added. "But just so you know, we're grading you—on everything. How you handle yourself, how you stop the criminals, how you save civilians. Think of it like your hero midterm."
"Got it," I nodded. "Just need the right alien for tonight."
I activated the Omnitrix, the dial glowing faint green in the dim base light. I scrolled through the list of aliens until I found the one I had in mind. I slammed the dial down.
"Guardian."
In a flash of green light, I transformed.
I now stood tall, my body encased in rough, dense stone. My wings stretched out wide behind me, leathery but powerful. I had no hair, and my ears were sharp and pointed.
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I looked like a living gargoyle built for war—and I felt ready.
"Guardian?" they both said.
"Well yeah," I replied. "In stories, gargoyles are protectors of the night... so, Guardian."
"You're a weird kid," Ted muttered. "Let's go."
The teleporter activated, casting a blue glow across the room before swallowing us whole.
In a flash, we reappeared on top of a building—not anywhere near my base. We were in Hell's Kitchen, one of the most dangerous parts of New York.
"All right… let's do this," I said, wings twitching in anticipation.
Third Person POV
Unknown to the three heroes, they were being watched.
Standing atop another rooftop, hidden by powerful magic, was a woman who had lived for countless years—her gaze calm, her presence unreadable. Cloaked in a ripple of arcane light was none other than The Ancient One, Sorcerer Supreme.
A swirl of green energy burst open behind her as a futuristic bike emerged from the portal. A man stepped off—tall, confident, older, and wiser. He was easily in his forties.
"You know you're not supposed to do that anymore, Franklin," the Ancient One said softly, not even turning to face him.
Future Franklin.
With a smirk, he walked up beside her and folded his arms as he looked down at his younger self, just beginning his journey.
"I know," he said. "I'm not allowed to change the past anymore. But… no one said anything about observing it."
The Ancient One hummed in amusement.
"That kid down there," Franklin muttered, shaking his head. "He has no idea what kind of hell he's about to walk into."
"It almost sounds like you regret becoming a hero," she said.
"Not even a little," he replied. "I've got a huge family. A lot of close friends. I've saved entire galaxies... I even have my own dimension now. That's pretty badass."
The Ancient One gave him a rare smile. "Yes, you've won a lot. But you've lost, too."
Franklin sighed. "Yeah… but losing is part of life. No one wins forever."
They stood in silence, watching younger Franklin disappear across the rooftops, Guardian wings spread wide.
"How far ahead did you see?" he asked.
"I know that once I teach your younger self magic, we become very close. Close enough that I become a mother figure to you. Your kids even call me Grandma." Her voice softened. "And I know you'll help free me… help rid the world of Dormammu."
"So you've gotten that far," he said with a quiet chuckle.
"I've also seen you kill Darkseid and Thanos. And behead Gorr the God Butcher."
He winced. "Still feel bad about Gorr. If I could go back and change his past… maybe things would've turned out differently."
"You can't treat time like a toy, Franklin," she said. "That's why the higher beings—The Tribunal, The Watchers—banned you from manipulating it anymore."
"I know," he said. "I just don't want to make the same mistake again."
He glanced at the swirling green portal his bike had arrived through.
"Well, it's time for me to head back before the girls notice I'm gone."
"They already know," the Ancient One said, smiling knowingly. "Gwen and Yolanda are waiting on you."
He blinked. "By any chance… are they wearing happy faces and ready for round two?"
She chuckled. "No. They look very pissed. You were supposed to be cuddling them."
"…Oh crap baskets," he muttered. "Wish me luck."
He hopped back on the bike. "See you later, Mom."
With a final flash of green light, Future Franklin disappeared.
The Ancient One stood in the silence he left behind, eyes still on the horizon.
"See you later, son," she whispered.
Meanwhile...On the other side of town—far from Franklin, a group of girls was enjoying a classic Friday night sleepover at Ava's place.
With no school the next day, the girls had taken over Ava's room, lounging around in pajamas, painting nails, and swapping stories like only best friends do. The mood was light, with music playing softly in the background and snacks scattered everywhere.
"So wait... are you seriously saying you like Ned?" Cindy M raised an eyebrow, holding her nail polish brush in midair.
Betty blushed and looked away. "I don't know... maybe it's just a small crush, but I've been feeling some type of way about him for a while now."
"I say go for it," MJ1 grinned. "Just ask him out, see what happens. Worst case? You have a story. Best case? You get a boyfriend."
"I want to," Betty admitted. "But I'm terrible at flirting."
"You don't need to flirt," Courtney chimed in, grabbing a bag of chips. "Just be direct. Ask him out."
"Shouldn't he be the one to ask me out?" Betty asked, a little unsure.
"That might've been the rule in the '90s," MJ1 smirked. "But it's 2025, girl. Take your shot."
Cindy B suddenly sat up straighter and looked around at the group. "Hey, random question—and I swear I'm not trying to be mean—but how smart is Franklin?"
The room went silent for a second.
"Uh… average?" Kamala said slowly. "He's good in science… but he sucks in English."
"Don't forget math," Ava and Yolanda said in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.
"Why do you ask?" Cindy M tilted her head.
"Because it's super obvious that Ava and Yolanda both have a massive crush on him, and he still hasn't figured it out," Cindy B said bluntly.
The room froze again, eyebrows raised.
"…You really speak your mind. I like that," MJ1 said, clearly impressed.
"She's a savage," Kamala nodded. "Please join my club permanently."
"Thanks," Cindy B smirked. "But I think I'll stick with cheerleading."
Ava sighed."So… you noticed."
Cindy B gave her a look. "Kinda hard not to. You two are not exactly subtle with the flirting. And Franklin? Completely oblivious."
"Yeah," Yolanda rolled her eyes fondly. "He's pretty dense… but honestly? That's part of what we love about him."
Courtney raised an eyebrow. "So what, are you two having some kind of low-key flirty competition? Like… may the best girl win?"
Ava shook her head quickly. "No, nothing like that. We're not competing. We've just been trying to nudge him enough for him to catch on."
"Wait." Cindy B narrowed her eyes. "But if only one of you can date him… doesn't that mean one of you has to back off eventually?"
"Says who?" Yolanda smirked. "Why can't he have two girlfriends instead of one?"
That earned a full pause from the room.
Kamala nearly choked on her soda. "Wait—what? You two want to share him?"
"Yes," Ava said, her voice steady. "We love him. We realized that ages ago. But we also love each other—as best friends. We don't want to hurt one another, and neither of us is willing to let him go… so, we're gonna share."
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"…Wow," MJ1 said first, breaking the quiet. "Okay, I did not see that coming."
"But I kinda respect it," Cindy M admitted. "Takes guts to be that honest."
"Good luck to both of you," Courtney smiled warmly. "Seriously. Franklin's a great guy. Just… maybe give him a clue-by-four to the head so he finally gets it."
"Oh, don't worry," Yolanda said with a mischievous grin. "We're working on it."
Ed POV
Tonight's patrol had been… exhilarating.
I stopped four muggers and, according to Ted and Hector, I did pretty damn well. I made sure every mugger's weapon was destroyed or tossed out of reach, and I always kept myself between them and any civilians. My alien forms definitely helped — nothing like a seven-foot-tall stone gargoyle with glowing eyes to make a criminal reconsider life choices.
Right now, we were all back on the rooftop, catching our breath.
"You know, kid," Ted said, arms crossed as he looked out over the city. "Feels like you were born to do this. You're doing well. But the night's still young. Don't let it go to your head — you could still screw it all up."
"Wow," I smirked. "Was that a compliment?"
"In his own grumpy way? Yeah," Hector chuckled.
I was just about to fire off a joke when the Omnitrix lit up and let out a soft ping. A police signal.
"There's a fire," I said, eyes narrowing as the alert displayed details. "In Hell's Kitchen. Firefighters are on the way, but they're saying people are still inside the building."
Ted and Hector instantly tensed. We all looked around and spotted the dark plume of smoke rising in the distance.
I turned to Hector.
"I can get there faster than anyone. You two'll just slow me down."
He nodded without hesitation. "I know. Go."
Didn't have to tell me twice.
I smacked down the dial.
"JetRay!"
Wings flared out, and I shot off like a missile through the sky, heading straight for the fire.
The closer I got, the worse it looked — flames licking out of the top floor, smoke pouring into the air. A small crowd had already gathered. I swooped low and landed fast, slamming the Omnitrix again.
"XLR8!"
I dashed into the building, a blue blur zipping through smoke and heat. Room by room, hallway by hallway — I made sure to check everything. No corner was left behind. I found people trapped in stairwells, behind furniture, one lady stuck in an elevator. I moved fast, evacuating them all one by one, until I was sure nobody was left.
Then I transformed again.
"Water Hazard!"
Jets of high-pressure water burst from my arms as I took aim at the flames. It didn't take long. Between alien firepower and strategy, the blaze was smothered.
When it was finally done, I turned around and—
Cheering.
A whole crowd was clapping, whistling, recording with their phones. I blinked, a little surprised, then checked on the people I'd rescued.
"Everyone okay? Anyone need medical attention?"
A chorus of "we're fine" and "thank you" hit me all at once.
Then I heard the sirens. Fire trucks, maybe a squad car.
I backed up a step. "Welp… that's my cue."
One more tap on the Omnitrix.
"XLR8."
And just like that, I was gone in a blur, racing back to where Ted and Hector were waiting.