*Note: yesterday I didn't upload chapter for no reason, but today there's no reason not to upload a chapter, so here you have, enjoy it.
Have a good day :)
...
The two opponents stood facing each other in the center of the clearing, separated by only a few meters of desolate ground. The tension in the air was thick enough to be felt physically, like a static charge before a lightning strike. A short distance away, the girls had retreated to a safe vantage point, their eyes fixed on the scene, anxious about what was about to unfold between the wielder of the Omnitrix and the galaxy's most feared assassin.
"What are you doing, Lala?" Mikan asked, her voice laced with curiosity as she watched the pink-haired princess tinker with a sophisticated piece of equipment.
Lala had produced a strange device that looked remarkably like a standard television remote, though it was topped with a high-gain antenna that hummed with a soft, blue light.
"This is a presence inhibitor that can be extended to a radius of more than 50 meters. Any person who is within this limit or attempts to cross it will simply be diverted from this site without even realizing it. Some will forget why they wanted to pass through here, while others will suddenly remember urgent errands that will prevent them from taking this path. This way, we will prevent any normal human from accidentally witnessing this fight," Lala explained with a focused smile.
She pressed the single button on the device, and a small green LED flickered to life. To the naked eye, nothing had changed, but the very space around them now felt isolated from the rest of Sainan.
"Is that it? I don't feel anything," Mikan remarked, blinking in confusion.
"Should you feel something? Those of us inside won't feel a thing; only those about to cross the established limit will experience the effect," Lala replied casually.
To an outsider, such a device might seem like an incredibly dangerous tool, the kind of technology that could destabilize a society. In reality, this apparatus was strictly for military use in the advanced sectors of the galaxy; unauthorized possession was a grave offense punishable by long-term imprisonment. How Lala had acquired one was a story in itself. She had come across one of these devices by chance and, using her genius-level reverse engineering, managed to decipher its internal workings and build her own version from scratch before returning the original to its rightful place.
Mikan asked no further questions. Her attention, like everyone else's, was now consumed by the confrontation that was about to ignite.
Akira and Nemesis stared at each other for a long, silent few seconds. The wind whipped between them, but neither blinked.
"You can start," Nemesis said, her voice calm and devoid of any intimidation, though her golden eyes were sharp as razors.
"I must assume you're letting me have the first strike," I replied, shifting my stance and readying the Omnitrix.
"You can take as many as you want. I'll even throw a few punches myself, but if you are capable of landing a single hit on me, I lose," Nemesis declared. Her confidence was staggering, a testament to her position as the number one assassin.
"How much time do I have?" I asked. I knew she wouldn't give me all day to figure out her patterns.
"One hour, maybe two at most. If in that time you are unable to land a single blow… then you simply aren't worth the effort," Nemesis said, her tone shifting back to that cold, evaluative edge.
"Let's get this over with then," I said firmly.
I slammed my hand onto the dial of the Omnitrix, and the familiar green light engulfed me. I chose Ghostfreak. For a challenge where the only requirement was to touch a target, an alien capable of becoming intangible and invisible seemed like the perfect strategic choice. If I could bypass her physical defenses by simply not being "there," I could end this fight in seconds.
"What kind of monster is that?" Nemesis asked, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the wispy, one-eyed phantom. She seemed genuinely surprised by the form, likely having never encountered an Ectonurite before.
"You'll see," I replied, my voice echoing with a haunting, gravelly resonance.
In an instant, I vanished from everyone's sight, turning completely invisible. I moved through the air like a shadow, making no sound, closing the gap between us with ghostly speed.
"Invisibility? Not bad," Nemesis remarked, though she didn't look worried. She stayed rooted to the spot, her eyes scanning the empty air with a relaxed intensity.
I lunged forward, swinging a spectral clawed hand toward her shoulder. But to my absolute shock, Nemesis didn't even turn around. She simply raised her hand and caught my fist in the palm of her hand without flinching, as if she could see me as clearly as if I were solid.
"How?" I asked, my voice dripping with disbelief.
"It's a good ability, but your current strength doesn't allow you to draw out its full potential. A truly strong person can pick up on things that normal people miss—like the faint sound you make when you move, or the displacement of the air itself," Nemesis explained calmly.
Before I could react, she delivered a lightning-fast counter-punch to my face, sending me spiraling through the air. I tumbled across the grass, the impact stinging. It hurt quite a bit, but luckily not enough to leave me writhing on the ground in agony.
"Since this one doesn't work, let's try something better," I muttered, pushing myself up.
I tapped the Omnitrix icon again, accessing a form that was a direct result of the device's latest update—a form no one in this world had ever seen before. I called him Mimicore. In its base form, Mimicore was an amorphous, purple mass with a single, large eye and a texture similar to living skin. It looked simple, almost like a common slug, but its true power was terrifying. Mimicore could copy the form and abilities of any being it touched. The catch was that I couldn't copy memories or emotions, and I could only stay in the copied form for twenty minutes at most, followed by a five-minute cooldown period.
"And what is that one supposed to do?" Nemesis asked with genuine curiosity. She looked at the purple mass with a hint of disgust. It was undeniably gross to look at.
"You're about to find out," I said.
I threw myself at her, launching a punch that she parried with ease, her expression bored.
"Weak," Nemesis said. The impact felt like hitting a wall of solid steel; to her, my punch felt like nothing more than a blob of slime hitting her hand.
"Now the fun begins," I smiled, or at least the Mimicore version of a smile.
Nemesis raised an eyebrow as a strange transformation took place right before her eyes. The purple mass shifted and reorganized itself, and within seconds, I was standing there as a perfect double of her. I was her identical twin, from the side pigtails down to her dark skin and golden eyes.
"What on earth did you do?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuine surprise for the first time.
"Just copied your form!" I exclaimed.
Using my other hand, I launched a punch with her own physical strength. Unfortunately, it didn't connect. She dissolved into a black mist, and the blow passed through empty air, the sheer pressure of the punch obliterating a nearby wooden bench instead.
"I understand now," Nemesis said, her voice echoing from the mist before she solidified a few meters away.
She launched a punch of her own, intending to strike me down, but I mimicked her move. I dissolved into black fog and reappeared behind her, unleashing a flurry of strikes that she found herself struggling to dodge.
"I see. That creature can transform you into the being you touch and grant you their abilities and powers," Nemesis noted.
The power dynamic had shifted completely. With her own strength and speed at my disposal, I was finally on the offensive, and she was forced into a defensive position. It was a bizarre sight—Nemesis fighting a perfect mirror of herself.
"That's right. I'll use your own power to hit you!" I shouted, pressing the advantage.
Nemesis let out a small, chilling laugh as she dissolved into smoke again. She maneuvered behind me and delivered a blow so powerful it sent me crashing through several trees, uprooting them as I skidded across the dirt. The impact was monumental.
"Unfortunately for you… that monster of yours can't copy memories or experiences. You lack the honed skill to use those powers correctly," Nemesis said, standing over me as I lay in the dirt.
The transformation dissipated, and I reverted to my human form, coughing as I tried to get back to my feet. Every bone in my body felt like it had been rattled.
"Damn it, you didn't even hold back," I wheezed.
"Mmm, if you were me, you should have handled that blow perfectly. The strength I used can't hurt me too much," Nemesis replied nonchalantly. Well, the pain is very real for me! I thought bitterly.
"Well? Is that all, or do you have something else up your sleeve?" Nemesis asked. She looked disappointed, as if she had expected the fight to last longer or be more creative.
Inside, I was screaming. How could I beat an enemy who could turn into smoke at will? Her strength, speed, and reaction time were all light-years ahead of mine. Brute force was useless against someone who could just phase through it, and catching her off guard was nearly impossible when she had reflexes that put Spider-Man to shame. I sat there, racking my brain for an alien that could counteract her intangibility.
"If that's all, then I am truly disappointed," Nemesis sighed.
But then, the Omnitrix began to hum with a different kind of energy. A new, authoritative voice rang out from the device, one that vibrated in my very soul.
[ATTENTION: THE OMNITRIX HAS DETECTED AN ENEMY IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEAT WITH THE HOST'S CURRENT ALIENS. SEARCHING FOR A SUITABLE MATCH!]
"What was that?" Nemesis asked, sounding confused and slightly wary.
The girls, however, recognized that voice.
"That is the voice of hope!" Kari shouted from the sidelines, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
[SUITABLE ALIEN FOUND. TEMPORARILY UNLOCKING ONE OF THE DIVINE ALIENS!]
Divine aliens? What the hell is that? I wondered, but I didn't have time to ask.
The green light that erupted from the watch was blinding—so intense that even Nemesis had to shield her eyes. It felt like something terrifying was being unleashed upon the world. When the light finally faded, a new figure stood in the park. He looked remarkably like me, but taller and far more muscular. His hair, usually messy, was now partially spiked up. His eyes and hair were pitch black, and his gaze was so intimidating it seemed to darken the air around him. The Omnitrix symbol glowed with a fierce, emerald light in the center of his chest.
"What are you now? A human, but more muscular?" Nemesis asked, regaining her composure though she remained on guard.
"Heh, I'm more than that," I smiled, feeling a surge of power unlike anything I had ever experienced.
In a literal blink, I vanished. I reappeared instantly behind Nemesis and launched a punch. It connected with a thunderous crack, sending her flying across the park.
Technically, the duel was over. I had landed a hit. But nobody except the girls seemed to care about the rules anymore. The thrill of the fight had taken over.
"Interesting, very interesting!" Nemesis laughed as she recovered in mid-air. That hit had been incredible!
With impressive speed, Nemesis lunged back at me, unleashing a barrage of strikes. They were heavy, bone-breaking blows that all landed squarely on my chest. But to her shock, I just stood there, smiling as if I were being hit by feathers. I didn't budge an inch. Seeing this, Nemesis increased her power, slamming me into the ground with enough force to create a massive crater.
"What are they doing?! The duel is already over!" Nana shouted, her voice filled with worry.
"It seems… they've gotten a bit too excited," Yami observed, her eyes never leaving the clash of titans.
I rose from the crater, laughing as the adrenaline surged through my veins. "Hahaha! More! This is amazing, I want more!" I shouted.
Suddenly, my eyes flared bright green, and an aura of the same color erupted around me. By now, the transformation was clear: I had become a Saiyan, a perfect, ultimate version of the warrior race.
(Note: Saiyans are incredibly powerful—so powerful they would completely dominate this universe. That's why this form is temporary, and the power level starts lower but grows over time. Since the transformation has a limit, the power increase will also have a cap. However, Akira will retain some of this growth for the future. As you might have guessed, the perfect version of a Saiyan is the Legendary Super Saiyan form. Now, back to the fight.)
With the aura active, my strength skyrocketed.
"Impressive! Now this is a fight!" Nemesis exclaimed. Far from being afraid of the sudden power jump, she looked like she was having the time of her life.
We threw ourselves at each other, our fists colliding and sending massive shockwaves through the park that shattered windows in the distance.
"Those idiots are breaking the barrier!" Nana cried out. The presence inhibitor Lala had set up was beginning to flicker and fail under the sheer pressure of the energy being generated by our clash.
Neither of us noticed. We were locked in a dance of destruction, neither willing to give an inch.
"Take this!" I shouted, forming a sphere of green ki in my hand and hurling it at her.
"This is what I'm talking about!" she laughed, forming a sphere of dark energy that collided with the ki blast. The resulting explosion was deafening, lighting up the gray sky.
I didn't know what kind of energy Nemesis was using, but I didn't care. The thrill of fighting someone this strong made my blood boil with an excitement I had rarely felt in my previous life. We traded blow after blow, each strike harder than the last, completely indifferent to the destruction around us. It was a battle for pure supremacy.
"You idiots, stop it already! The barrier is crumbling! If you keep fighting like this, the humans will notice you in no time!" Nana screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her voice finally pierced through the battle haze. Realizing the gravity of the situation, both Nemesis and I relaxed our stances. We touched down on the ground, neither of us having even realized we had started flying during the heat of the moment.
"Sorry, I got carried away," I said, my breathing heavy but my spirit elated.
"Me too. It's been a long time since I had a battle of this intensity," Nemesis nodded, her eyes still shining with residual excitement.
[DANGER CLEAR. TEMPORARY TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!]
And just like that, the Saiyan power faded, and I returned to my normal human form.