This individual was none other than XLR8.
Resembling a velociraptor, his sleek black-and-blue body was built for speed. A black mask marked with a blue X shielded his face, designed to deflect the powerful airflow generated during his high-velocity sprints. Wheels on his feet and a long, flexible tail enabled him to move at incredible speeds—up to three hundred miles per hour—appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
In just a few seconds, XLR8 dashed into the pool with the mother and child, racing across the surface of the water. The splashing waves instantly extinguished the flames on their bodies. The entire rescue took less than five seconds.
Without stopping, XLR8 became a blur of blue light, racing to a nearby hospital. He grabbed a doctor by the arm.
"You! Save them, now!" XLR8 snapped, pulling back his mask.
The doctor froze in terror, staring wide-eyed at the creature before him. What was this thing? It wasn't human, nor was it a ghost. It resembled a velociraptor, but more refined—clearly not of this world.
Then he saw the injured mother and child.
Though still shaken, the doctor's instincts kicked in. Saving lives came first. He stumbled to his feet and quickly gathered the medical staff to start treatment.
After an urgent round of care, both the woman and her child were out of danger.
When the doctor turned to thank the strange rescuer, he was gone—vanished completely, as if he had never been there.
Meanwhile, XLR8 sped down the highway, weaving effortlessly between vehicles. His speed was so extreme that the naked eye could barely perceive him, leaving traffic entirely undisturbed.
The fire hadn't been an accident—it was deliberate.
A group of vicious robbers had just looted a nearby bank. To draw the police away, they had set that residential building ablaze. As the minutes passed, the fire grew uncontrollable. By the time the firefighters arrived, the damage would have been catastrophic.
Fortunately, Lucian had arrived in time. Transforming into XLR8, he rescued everyone trapped inside and delivered them safely to the nearest hospital.
Though Heatblast could have contained the fire, he couldn't transport the victims as quickly. For this mission, XLR8 was the perfect choice.
Whoosh!
A streak of blue lightning cut through the wind as XLR8 caught up with the robbers' van. He shattered the window with a swift kick and leapt inside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With just a few precise blows, XLR8 subdued every criminal inside. He tied them together like a giant bundle and tossed them into the back seat, leaving only the driver conscious.
"P-please, have mercy! Let us go!" the driver pleaded, secretly reaching for something beneath the seat.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the driver lunged up, veins bulging on his forehead as he screamed hysterically, "Die, you ugly monster!"
He whipped out a pistol and fired point-blank.
Bang!
A blinding flash erupted, the bullet ripping through the air with deadly force.
XLR8 vanished in an instant, leaving behind only an afterimage before reappearing behind the driver.
"Game... over."
With a sharp strike to the neck, he knocked the man out cold. The driver slumped forward, unconscious, hanging limply in his seat.
Moments later, the police arrived, surrounding the van and arresting the robbers. Prison awaited every one of them.
Watching from the shadows, XLR8 gave a small nod before turning and racing toward the Rustbucket...
...
Back at the Rustbucket, Grandpa Max quickly asked about Lucian's situation. After confirming that everything had gone smoothly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't worried about Lucian's safety—he knew just how powerful those aliens were. What concerned him most were the ordinary people. That fire had been terrifying, still not completely extinguished even now. Fortunately, the fire department arrived in time, and the blaze was soon brought under control without further casualties.
Before long, noon arrived.
Under the scorching sun, waves of heat rolled off the pavement as Grandpa Max led Lucian and the others to a large supermarket to stock up on supplies.
"Alright, kids, Grandpa's off to buy some ingredients. Don't get into any trouble—especially you, Ben."
With that, Grandpa Max headed toward the pet section.
"Oh man, he's probably going to buy some weird thing again…" Ben groaned, rubbing his forehead. Then his eyes lit up as he tugged on Lucian's arm and whispered excitedly,
"Cuz, come with me to the snack aisle! Let's get some Sumo Slammers Cereal. With your watch, we can totally score the rare Sumo Slammers Gold Card!"
Lucian smiled helplessly. Ben was just as mischievous as ever—just like in the original timeline. If things played out the same way, Ben would turn into Grey Matter, flip the shelves upside down, and get caught red-handed.
But this time, Lucian had a better idea.
"Hey, Dweeb! Can't you think of something normal for once? Don't drag my cousin into trouble!" Gwen complained.
"Gwen, could you stop being such a nag?" Ben shot back, frustrated. "This is a Sumo Slammers Gold Card we're talking about! You don't just pass that up—it's super rare!"
Lucian waved it off calmly. "It's fine. I'll go with Ben. We'll be back soon."
"Alright then," Gwen said with a sigh of resignation.
Soon after, Ben led Lucian to the aisle stacked with Sumo Slammers Cereal. Rows upon rows of colorful boxes lined the shelves, each containing a random Sumo Slammers card. The golden edition was the rarest of them all—one in ten thousand—practically a collector's holy grail.
In the original story, Ben had been tricked by Kevin, who had powers of his own. The two had tried to steal a Sumo Slammers game cartridge, only to end up chased by the military—helicopters and all. That alone proved just how valuable the series was.
"Cuz, come on! I can't wait any longer!" Ben said, bouncing with excitement.
Lucian smirked, raising his watch as its green holographic interface flickered to life. He quickly scrolled through the hero options and slammed his palm down.
A flash of eerie green light filled the air. Ben shielded his eyes, and when he opened them again—Lucian was gone.
"Cuz? Where are you?"
Whoosh!
A chilling gust of wind swept through the aisle. Ben shivered, goosebumps prickling his skin as if the air had suddenly dropped below freezing.
It was the middle of summer, yet the cold bit straight to the bone.
Hugging his shoulders, Ben glanced around nervously. "Cuz, where are you? Something's not right here!"
"I'm here~"
A sinister, rasping voice whispered from directly behind him.