"Oh no, these mechanical monsters are going to kill him!" Howell's voice cracked with panic as he watched from his hiding spot. His hands trembled around his camera, desperately wanting to rush out and help Ben.
FZZZZT!
The crimson energy wave rocketed toward Ben's body. There was no time for him to transform, the attack would hit in less than a second.
"Isn't that just great?!" Ben shouted, throwing his arms up. "Your opponent isn't even me!"
"Don't worry, Ben! Lucky Girl's got you covered!"
A melodious voice rang out across the pool area like a silver bell. On the shore nearby, Gwen had arrived just in time, dressed in her Lucky Girl costume. She thrust her palm toward Ben, and the Charm of Luck hanging around her neck blazed with brilliant golden light.
WHOOSH!
Ben's body suddenly lifted off the ground and sailed through the air, landing safely on the distant shore just as the crimson blast struck the spot where he'd been standing!
BOOM!
The energy wave blasted several massive craters into the pool floor. Water exploded upward in a tremendous geyser, and waves crashed outward for several seconds before the surface finally began to settle.
"What is a Lucky Girl? And where is the Omnitrix owner?" Vilgax's voice crackled through the large robot's speakers as he observed Gwen through its visual sensors. The warlord's small eyes narrowed with confusion from his ship in orbit. "She has magic? Haven't seen each other for a few days, and these children have gained so many new allies?"
The questions hung in the air unanswered.
Meanwhile, in the deep end of the water park's main pool, something stirred beneath the churning surface.
"You worthless scrap heaps, you've stirred up so much sediment I can barely breathe down here!"
A powerful figure burst from the deep water, rising like a gray torpedo until he broke the surface!
Ripjaws.
His mouth was filled with rows of gleaming steel-like teeth. His muscular body was built like a swimmer's, lean but incredibly powerful. He floated there in a karate stance, fists raised and ready, his tail fin keeping him perfectly balanced in the water. The alien hero's eyes gleamed with predatory anticipation.
"Omnitrix owner detected."
"Omnitrix owner detected."
All three robots immediately redirected their scanners and turrets toward Ripjaws, their cold electronic voices announcing their new target in perfect unison.
They prepared to fire.
But,
"I'm your opponent!"
Gwen's jade-pale hand waved gracefully through the air. She activated the Charm of Luck's levitation ability twice in rapid succession, and both smaller robots were suddenly yanked toward her position with irresistible magical force!
That left only the large combat robot standing alone in the pool, its optical sensors flickering with what might have been confusion.
"Don't even think about it," Ripjaws called out to the machine, flashing a terrifying grin full of razor-sharp teeth. "Those two are already Lucky Girl's prey. You? You're mine."
Vilgax, monitoring from space, felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
He had a terrible feeling about this.
This time, I'm going to lose again!
"HYAAAH!"
The large robot didn't understand the concept of fear. It was simply a machine executing its programming. It raised one massive alloy fist and brought it crashing down toward Ripjaws with all its considerable mechanical strength!
"Fishman Karate, Five Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Ripjaws' own fist shot upward to meet the descending blow. His arm rippled with concentrated power as he channeled everything into a single devastating strike!
Their fists collided.
For one frozen instant, the unequal proportions seemed almost comical, the robot's fist was easily five times larger than Ripjaws' own.
Howell, still hiding behind a beach umbrella stand, winced and covered his eyes. "It's over! That fish creature is so small, that robot's going to smash him to pieces!"
He'd only just witnessed a real, living alien for the first time. Was he about to watch one die?
KRAAANG!
The shockwave from Ripjaws' punch exploded outward like a torpedo detonation. The robot's alloy fist shattered completely, fragments of metal spraying in every direction like shrapnel. The force didn't stop there, it traveled up the robot's arm and into its torso, blowing massive chunks of machinery into the air!
Countless parts flew through the sky, scattered by the wind like metallic confetti.
"Unbeatable," Ripjaws said coolly, relaxing his powerful fist. His voice was a low, gurgling growl, the natural tone of his species.
He wasn't finished.
SPLASH!
His powerful tail whipped through the water, propelling him upward with tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, Ripjaws had launched himself out of the pool and landed on the large robot's shoulder!
CRUNCH!
His jaws clamped down.
The robot's entire alloy shoulder was torn away as easily as wet paper. Ripjaws bit through the metal with the force of a hydraulic press, severing the arm completely. It splashed down into the pool, sparking and twitching before going still.
"Critical damage sustained. Critical damage sustained." The large robot's synthesized voice droned out warnings while it attempted to counterattack with its remaining arm and turret systems.
But every time it tried to strike or fire, Ripjaws was already somewhere else. He twisted and spun through the air with perfect grace, using the robot's own body as a platform to launch himself from point to point. His movements were fluid, almost serpentine, impossible to predict or track.
CRUNCH! SNAP! TEAR!
Over and over, those massive jaws descended. Each bite carried the crushing force of a prehistoric predator.
Howell couldn't look away.
His hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold his camera steady, but he kept filming. This creature, this alien, possessed a fighting power that defied everything he thought he understood about biology and physics.
If he bit me, Howell thought, I'd be meeting my maker before I even felt the pain.
The only reason he hadn't fled was the promise of incredible footage. If he could capture this battle on video, the Forever Knights would have to take him seriously!
When Ripjaws finally dropped back into the water with a heavy splash, the large robot was unrecognizable.
Riddled with holes.
Like a skeleton picked clean.
Every major component had been torn away or bitten through. Sparks flickered weakly from exposed wiring, and the machine's optical sensors had gone dark. It was completely non-functional, destroyed beyond any hope of repair.
And Ripjaws' teeth? Still gleaming. Still terrifyingly sharp.
He hadn't even chipped one.
"Now then," Ripjaws growled, circling the robot's remains like a shark around wounded prey, "let me finish the job. Can't have you reassembling yourself or transmitting data back to your master."
He'd learned from previous encounters with Vilgax's technology. These robots had a nasty habit of repairing themselves or sending tactical information back to the warlord's ship. The only solution was total destruction.
Ripjaws dove beneath the surface and began generating a powerful current with his tail. The water around him started spinning faster and faster, forming a massive underwater vortex that sucked in everything within reach!
The robot's remains were pulled into the whirlpool with irresistible force.
CRASH! BANG! CRUNCH!
Inside that churning maelstrom, the robot was battered against itself, the pool walls, and the debris already caught in the vortex. Every component was ground down, crushed, and scattered until nothing remained but unrecognizable scrap.
The battle had lasted perhaps two or three minutes.
Boring, Ripjaws thought with some disappointment. These things keep getting weaker.
On the other side of the pool area, another battle was concluding.
BOOM! BOOM!
Twin explosions echoed across the water park as the last of the smaller robots detonated, their cores overloaded by Gwen's clever manipulation of their own systems.
Lucky Girl had used the terrain masterfully, leading the robots through narrow passages between attractions, forcing them to navigate obstacles that slowed their movements while she stayed nimble and mobile. She'd turned their own weapons against them, redirected their attacks, and ultimately destroyed them through a combination of magical power and tactical intelligence.
She was maximizing her combat potential through pure strategy.
But when Gwen looked over at Ripjaws emerging from the settling water, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of inadequacy.
I thought I was getting strong, she mused, watching her transformed cousin shake water from his form. But compared to Asher? I might as well be fighting cleaning robots.
"Nice work, Lucky Girl!" Ripjaws called out, offering her a thumbs-up with one clawed hand. "You're one hell of a partner!"
"Thanks!" Gwen smiled and returned the gesture.
The two of them exchanged a brief nod of mutual respect, then quietly slipped away from the water park before any authorities or curious onlookers could corner them. They moved through the crowd with practiced ease, disappearing into a secluded area where they could change back to their normal appearances.
Aboard his ship in orbit, Vilgax stared at the visual feed from his destroyed robots with barely contained fury.
His spy drones had captured everything through the orange-haired girl's perspective. He'd watched the entire battle unfold in real-time.
"Who gave that girl so many powers?!" Vilgax snarled, his massive hands clenching into fists. "If I ever find out who's responsible for this, I'll ensure they die without even a grave to mark their existence!"
The warlord was still confined to his regeneration pod, his wheelchair positioned before the main viewscreen. Most of his body had healed, his powerful upper torso was nearly complete, muscles rippling with barely contained strength. But his legs remained unfinished, forcing him to watch these defeats from a position of helplessness.
Asher, he thought, venom dripping from every mental syllable. Soon, I will deal with you personally.
Several minutes later, the water park had returned to something resembling calm. Emergency responders and park security were beginning to investigate the scene, cordoning off the destroyed areas and interviewing bewildered witnesses.
Asher and Gwen strolled back through the crowd as casually as if they'd simply been enjoying the attractions. They were both back in their swimwear, their heroic identities safely concealed. They found Ben waiting near the snack bar, looking bored but unharmed.
"That was fast," Ben said, perking up when he saw them approach.
"Gwen's magic has really improved," Asher said, genuine admiration in his voice. "She's getting stronger every day."
"The beginning is always the easiest part," Gwen replied with a modest shrug, though she was clearly pleased by the compliment. "I practice magic whenever I have free time, so I'm progressing quickly. But eventually, the difficulty curve gets steeper. The more advanced techniques are much harder to master."
"Still," Asher said, "you're doing great. Keep it up."
The three of them fell into easy conversation as they walked, discussing the battle and what they might face next. None of them noticed the figure watching from the shadows nearby.
Howell Wainwright's hands were still trembling as he crept away from the water park.
He'd captured everything.
Everything.
The robots descending from the sky. The magical girl's levitation powers. The fish creature's impossible combat strength. The complete destruction of all three machines.
This wasn't blurry spaceship footage or questionable photographs of distant lights. This was clear, undeniable video evidence of superhuman abilities and alien technology.
The Forever Knights have to believe me now, Howell thought, his heart pounding with excitement and fear in equal measure. This changes everything.
He hurried home as fast as his shaking legs could carry him, burst through his front door, and immediately plugged his camera into his laptop. His cat watched him with mild disinterest from its perch on the couch.
Howell's fingers flew across the keyboard, establishing a secure connection.
The screen flickered, and a communication window opened.
"This is Howell Wainwright," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm contacting the Forever Knights with evidence that will make all my previous submissions look like children's drawings. I have footage of aliens, real aliens, fighting advanced robots at a water park. Multiple creatures with different abilities. You need to see this."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
Then a voice responded, calm, measured, and utterly cold.
"The Eternal Knight will review your submission personally. Transmit the footage immediately."
Howell's eyes widened. The Eternal Knight? He'd heard whispers of that title among the Forever Knights' ranks, a figure of immense importance within the organization's shadowy hierarchy. Someone who dealt with matters of genuine significance, far above Howell's usual contacts.
This was his chance. His real chance.
"Y-Yes! Right away!"
He began uploading the video files, his heart hammering against his ribs.
The transmission completed with a soft chime.
Somewhere in the darkness, hidden from the world's prying eyes, the Forever Knights were watching. Ancient stones surrounded by advanced technology hummed with activity as armored figures reviewed the incoming data.
And in the shadows of a grand chamber, the Eternal Knight observed silently.
Everything was falling into place.