The screech tore through Bellwood like a rusty blade through cheap metal. Ben Tennyson, mid-bite into a chili fry, choked. Not on the fry, but on the sheer, unadulterated rage vibrating in the air. He knew that sound. He dreaded that sound. It was Rath. But…wrong. So very wrong. This wasn't the usual, bombastic, self-aggrandizing pronouncements of his inner tiger. This was primal fury, amplified tenfold, laced with a dimension-warping static that made his teeth ache. He spat out the fry. "Something's definitely not right," he muttered, the Ultimatrix already activating on his wrist. He slammed down, the familiar green flash engulfing him. This called for speed. This called for…
XLR8. His lithe form shimmered into existence, the Kineceleran's bio-armor humming with pent-up energy. He bolted, leaving a sonic boom in his wake. The source of the disturbance? Downtown Bellwood, where a figure that could only be described as an 'alternate' Rath was tearing through a used car lot. But this Rath…it was wrong. Colors shifted, reality flickered around it, and its roars were tinged with an echo of other voices, other dimensions. Cars were tossed like toys, and the air crackled with an energy that burned Ben's nostrils. "Alright, kitty cat! Time for a nap!" Ben yelled, accelerating to speeds that blurred the very air around him. He launched a series of rapid-fire strikes, each one carrying the force of a freight train. The alternate Rath staggered, roared louder, and then…multiplied. Not clones. Not duplicates. More…versions. Each one slightly different. One was bulkier, armored, almost robotic. Another was sleeker, faster, with glowing red eyes. Another…was on fire?
"What in the name of the plumbers is going on?" Ben shouted, barely dodging a flaming claw. The Ultimatrix pinged, an error message flashing across its screen: 'Dimensional Instability Detected. Ultimate Evolution Unstable'. Unstable? That couldn't be good. He needed power. He needed…an edge. Desperate, Ben slammed the Ultimatrix again, this time aiming for Fasttrack. He needed to be faster than ever before to escape the incoming Rath's. But something went wrong. The transformation was agonizing, his bones contorting, armor plating forming…but not the familiar streamlined blue. Instead, black-violet armor erupted across his body, curved claws tipped with shimmering energy extended from his hands and feet. He felt…different. More powerful, yet…unstable. "Ultimate…Fasttrack?" he questioned, his voice a distorted growl.
The alternate Raths, sensing a new threat, converged on him. This was it. Time to test out this upgrade. Ultimate Fasttrack roared, a sound that resonated with dimensional energy. He focused, picturing the spaces between spaces, the hidden pathways that connected realities. The world shimmered around him. He vanished. Not invisible. Gone. Then, he reappeared behind the armored Rath, claws extended, striking with speed and force that shattered the alien's armor like glass. The force of the blow sent the alternate Rath flying into another Rath, who was on fire, causing both to explode in a mess of alternate dimension energy. He was moving faster than he ever thought possible. He was bending space to move between dimensions. With a series of calculated strikes, Ultimate Fasttrack systematically dismantled the remaining alternate Raths, sending them screaming back into the dimensional rift that had spawned them. The last Rath fell, the energy dissipated, and silence descended on the shattered car lot. Ben, still in his Ultimate Fasttrack form, stared at his claws, a sense of unease settling in. The Ultimatrix was definitely glitching. Badly.
He deactivated the transformation, reverting back to Ben. He looked around at the destruction he had caused and shook his head. "Grandpa Max is gonna kill me," he muttered. As if summoned by his thoughts, Gwen and Kevin screeched into the parking lot in Kevin's car, which had been modified to be nearly indestructible. Gwen ran to Ben, concern etched on her face. "Ben! What happened here? We felt a massive energy surge." "Alternate Raths," Ben explained, "from… somewhere else. And my Ultimatrix is majorly bugging out. I turned into… Ultimate Fasttrack. It wasn't pretty."
Kevin examined the scene, a grim expression on his face. "Dimensional rift. Big one. And whatever came through wasn't natural." Suddenly, a figure stumbled out of the shadows, cloaked and battered. Vilgax. But… different. Older, wearier. His cybernetics were damaged, his face scarred. He collapsed at their feet. "You…you must listen…Eon Codex…coming…all is…doomed…"
Vilgax fell unconscious. Kevin knelt down to examine him. "This Vilgax…he's not ours. I can feel it. Different energy signature." Gwen's eyes glowed with mana energy. "He's telling the truth. I can sense it. Eon Codex…it's…powerful. Beyond anything we've faced."
Ben stared at the unconscious Vilgax, a chilling premonition settling over him. Alternate dimensions, rogue ultimates, and now…Eon Codex. This was just the beginning. The Ultimatrix pinged again, the error message flashing brighter, more insistent. Ultimate Evolution Unstable. The ground beneath them trembled, another rift tearing open in the sky. This time, it wasn't Raths emerging. This time, it was something far, far worse.
A colossal silhouette, wreathed in cosmic energy, blotted out the sun. The air crackled with temporal distortions. A voice, ancient and malevolent, echoed through the air. "The Final Singularity…begins."