Thud!
A flicker of ghostly green light flashed and vanished in an instant.
Inside the Rustbucket, a small black-and-green creature appeared, its body crackling with electricity as it floated in midair.
It stared at its hands in confusion before letting its head droop. "Buzzshock…" it muttered softly.
"Cool!" Ben exclaimed, eyes lighting up the moment he recognized the alien. "That's Buzzshock! The one that chased Ghostfreak all over last time—this guy's awesome!"
Gwen's face was pale as she conjured streams of water bubbles, layering them in front of the Rustbucket to block Rojo's laser blasts.
Each crimson beam shattered bubble after bubble with terrifying force. The drain on Gwen's magic was immense—sweat beaded across her forehead as her trembling arms struggled to hold up. She was moments from collapse.
"Cuz… help me," Gwen said through gritted teeth, her voice tight with strain.
Buzzshock grinned, then transformed into a dart of green lightning. In a flash, it shot out of the Rustbucket, hurtling straight toward Rojo.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Rojo's eyes widened in alarm. She immediately stopped firing at the Rustbucket, turning her cannons toward the incoming blur.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of crimson lasers erupted from her shoulder-mounted weapon, each beam laced with deadly energy as it rained toward Buzzshock.
"Hehehe…"
Buzzshock zipped through the air, twisting and darting like a streak of living electricity. The lasers missed one after another—its speed was too fast to track with the naked eye. In a blink, it was right in front of Rojo.
"This… how is this possible? What kind of freak are you?!" Rojo gasped, her face twisted with disbelief.
To come out unharmed from that kind of onslaught—what kind of monster could do that?
Buzzshock raised one claw and fired a blinding bolt of green lightning. It cut through the air like a scorching blade and slammed directly into Rojo's chest.
She barely had time to raise her iron claws in defense before the blast struck. Electricity surged through her body, charring her armor black.
Her crimson hair curled and frizzed, smoking as she staggered back.
"Ahhh!" Rojo screamed, coughing up a puff of thick black smoke.
"Hahahaha!" Buzzshock laughed, eyes glinting with mischief.
"I'm done with this!"
Flames ignited from the boosters on her back, and she shot into the air, vanishing into the forest canopy at high speed.
She knew perfectly well she couldn't outfly that electric gremlin in a straight chase. Staying exposed in the sky would only get her fried—diving into the dense forest was her only shot at escape.
Watching her flee, Buzzshock flashed once more, turning into a streak of green lightning that weaved through the trees in hot pursuit.
By the roadside guardrail, Grandpa Max wiped the sweat from his brow as he worked under the blazing sun, struggling to replace the Rustbucket's blown tires.
Though he had managed to shake off Rojo earlier, the intense friction from their wild ride had shredded three tires in a row. Fixing them would take time—and on this narrow mountain road, a delay meant risking a traffic jam.
Still, Max wasn't too worried about Lucian. His combat instincts were sharp, and he was far more composed than Ben.
Besides, with Buzzshock's speed, even if he couldn't beat the mechanized Rojo, he could easily get away.
Inside the Rustbucket, Ben kept fiddling with the Omnitrix.
"Doofus, is that thing still not charged?" Gwen sighed, wiping sweat from her brow.
Before Ben could answer, the Omnitrix let out a sharp beep, switching from red to green.
"Hero time!" Ben grinned and bolted out of the Rustbucket, diving straight into the dense forest...
Just as Gwen moved to follow, Grandpa Max's voice called from behind.
"Gwen, give me a hand here." He was crouched by the tires, wrench in hand.
Gwen lowered her eyes, letting out a resigned sigh. "Okay, Grandpa."
She turned back once more, gazing toward the forest. Faint flashes of green lightning pulsed through the trees, and unease flickered across her face.
…
Amid the dense forest, Rojo tore through the sea of green, slashing wildly at the branches and vines in her way. Her iron claws sliced through the foliage with brutal force, scattering leaves and grass that drifted silently to the forest floor.
"I'm done with this! What a useless watch! That stupid Squid-Face can get it himself!" Rojo snarled, seething with frustration. It was that voice in her head that had dragged her into this mess—she'd nearly been fried by that lightning brat because of him.
"Hm?" A deep, thunderous voice suddenly reverberated in her mind.
The next instant, everything went dark. It felt as if she'd been pulled into the vast emptiness of space.
Before her, a massive octopus-like head took form—its skin a sickly green, its face twisted in fury.
"Who did you just call Squid-Face?" Vilgax bellowed, his eyes burning with rage.
Rojo, tiny and powerless before him, clenched her fists to stifle her fear and shouted back, "Did I say anything wrong? You never told me that guy was this strong! He almost killed me out there!"
If she was doomed either way, she might as well speak her mind.
Vilgax let out a cold, rumbling snort. "Earthling, you'd better retrieve that watch quickly. Otherwise, I'll make you beg for death."
As his words fell, unbearable pain surged through Rojo's skull—worse than before.
"I give up… but if I get you that watch, you'll give me back my freedom," she gasped, clutching her head in agony.
"No problem," Vilgax replied icily.
Moments later, the pain receded like a fading tide, leaving Rojo trembling but conscious.
"That guy's too strong… how the hell am I supposed to steal that watch from him?" she muttered under her breath.
Crack!
Before she could think further, a surge of green lightning tore through the air, splitting the silence as it came crashing toward her with terrifying speed...
...
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