Lucian was quite familiar with these three Alien Heroes.
Big Chill, covered in icy blue, resembled a celestial moth when flying. When its wings retracted, however, it took on the form of a mysterious, cloaked figure. It possessed abilities like flight, freezing, and phasing—making it a formidable fighter—though it did come with some side effects on the user's body...
Unlike Ghostfreak, Big Chill's phasing form was visible. It concealed its body within another dimension to evade enemy attacks, making it untouchable unless struck by attacks with spatial properties. Ghostfreak, on the other hand, dispersed his molecules to widen the gaps between them, allowing him to pass through solid walls. But compared to Big Chill, Ghostfreak was easier to hit—though he could turn invisible, giving him his own edge.
Both had their strengths, and how much power they could unleash depended entirely on how skillfully the user wielded them.
Brainstorm, by contrast, was a boastful genius who introduced himself as a "master of both intellect and combat." His shell was bright red, making him look like a giant, feisty crab. Despite his arrogance, his intelligence was undeniable—though slightly below Grey Matter's, it still ranked among the highest in the galaxy. He possessed immense intellect and psychic abilities.
When in danger, Brainstorm could open his shell to reveal a swollen pink brain, generating a psychic barrier to block attacks or firing a powerful brainwave shock cannon.
Echo Echo appeared as a small white child wearing an MP3 player, but its true form was a sentient cluster of sound waves. It had the power to create duplicates, emit ultrasonic attacks, and use echolocation.
Its duplication ability, however, was very different from Ditto's. Ditto's clones shared all pain and injuries—if one clone died, so did the original. Echo Echo, on the other hand, did not share pain. As long as one duplicate survived, he could instantly regenerate at the same spot without dying.
After some thought, Lucian ruled out Brainstorm and began weighing his options between the other two.
Both Big Chill and Echo Echo were highly capable in battle, leaving him torn between them.
But soon, Lucian made his decision. He still had plenty of chances to unlock other alien genes later—there was no need to rush this one.
However, he didn't plan to unlock it just yet. Each time he gained a new hero, the Omnitrix granted him a seamless transformation—no charge time, instant morphing. He planned to save that opportunity for when he truly needed it...
Just as Lucian reached his conclusion, the nearby bushes rustled suddenly.
His eyes narrowed, and lightning crackled in his palm, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Whoosh!
Ben Tennyson burst out of the bushes, weeds tangled in his hair, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
Whether it was because of the angle or Buzzshock's small size, Ben immediately spotted Rojo lying on the ground—but failed to notice his cousin.
"You wicked woman! What did you do to my cousin?!"
He sprinted forward, racing right past Buzzshock. Without hesitation, he slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix, cycling through forms as he prepared to give Rojo a serious beating.
"No!" Rojo shook her head frantically, her face filled with panic.
But the electric vest held her firmly to the ground, leaving her completely immobilized. She could only stare helplessly as the kid approached step by step.
"Ben, stop!" Buzzshock flashed into a streak of light, darting toward him.
Thud!
A surge of green light erupted, instantly lighting up the surroundings.
Ben glanced down at his black-and-green arm, its surface gleaming with a sleek, mechanical glow. He groaned, clutching his head in frustration. "Oh, come on! I was going for Diamondhead, not Upgrade!"
Buzzshock paused, floating behind the Upgrade. "Well, at least the busted watch worked properly this time."
Under his direction, Upgrade flowed onto Rojo's half-mechanical body, beginning the process of restoring her to normal.
As a techno-organic being, Upgrade could merge with both inanimate machines and living cybernetic systems—though the more intelligent the target, the harder it was to control.
Fortunately, thanks to Lucian's earlier conditioning, Rojo didn't show even the slightest hint of resistance.
At first, she squirmed uncomfortably. The slimy, liquid-like texture of Upgrade clinging to her skin made her tense and uneasy.
After a while, Upgrade's body melted back into liquid metal and slid off her like a receding tide.
Clatter!
Dark, metallic parts fell away from Rojo's body, scattering across the ground.
Her skin slowly regained its natural color, and the crimson substance that had covered her eyes lost its energy, drying up and disintegrating into the air.
Upgrade reformed into human shape, pressing a hand to his head as if lost in thought.
While he had been merged with Rojo, he'd caught a fleeting glimpse of something—a massive octopus-like head...
After restoring her to normal, Lucian handed Rojo over to the police. No matter how much she begged or promised to serve him loyally, he didn't budge.
What could she possibly offer him anyway?
Back on the mountain road, Grandpa Max had already finished repairing the Rustbucket. Once he confirmed that both of them were safe, he smiled and nodded.
Then, the group set off on their journey once again...
...
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