Having regained his composure, Jonah Melville hurried to the edge of the deck and watched as the distant figure shrank to a small black dot before disappearing from view.
BOOM!
His fist slammed into the wooden handrail with violent force as he surveyed his defeated crewmates sprawled across the deck, crying and groaning in pain. The hatred that burned in his heart intensified with every passing second!
He would make that blue speed demon pay for this, and the sea monster would not escape either!
"You think I'm afraid of you?!" Melville's face contorted with rage as he screamed hysterically at his remaining conscious subordinates, madness flickering in his eyes. "Call everyone else and get the rocket launchers from the armory! I don't care if that sea monster thinks he can hide from me!"
His expression had become truly hideous, twisted with rage and wounded pride at being so thoroughly humiliated by a single alien creature.
Meanwhile, ashore...
The moment XLR8 reached the shallow water and leaped toward the shore, his body was enveloped in the familiar green light of Omnitrix transformation reversal.
Asher landed on solid ground, his legs still moving instinctively from the residual momentum, causing him to stumble several steps before he could fully adjust to his human form.
"If this had lasted a few more seconds, I wouldn't have made it to the shallows in time," he muttered with relief, glancing back at the bottomless lake behind him. There were still ripples on the surface, the only evidence of XLR8's incredible speed.
Not wanting to alarm Max and the others, Asher ran along the shore toward the marina. As he jogged, he could hear faint explosions and mechanical noises echoing from the middle of the lake.
Melville seems to be using some kind of heavy weaponry, he thought grimly.
"What the hell is he doing? It's like he completely ignored my warning!" Asher couldn't help but look toward the middle of the lake, his mood darkening with every distant rumble.
Next time, he wouldn't bother using XLR8 to board the yacht and try to have a civil conversation with Melville. Instead, he'd transform into Four Arms or Diamondhead and have a much more "direct discussion" with the poacher!
After several minutes of running, the familiar sight of the Rust Bucket came into view. The weathered RV was parked near the marina, where Max, Captain Shaw, Ben, and Gwen stood on the dock, all looking anxiously toward the middle of the lake.
The difference in their concerns was obvious: Captain Shaw was worried about the lake monster, while Max, Ben, and Gwen were clearly worried about Asher's safety.
"Grandpa!" Asher called as he ran toward them, waving to get Max's attention.
"Asher! Thank God you're back!" Max's tense expression immediately relaxed at the sound of the familiar voice. He turned to see his grandson approaching at a steady jog, relief washing over his weathered features.
"I told you Asher would be fine, Grandpa," Gwen said with obvious relief, though there was clear admiration in her voice as she watched her cousin's confident approach.
"How is everyone?" Asher asked with genuine concern as he climbed onto the dock, slightly out of breath from his run.
"We're all fine," Ben replied enthusiastically. "Asher, did you find anything new out there?"
"I don't think Melville's group is who they say they are," Asher said with a serious expression on his face. Rather than directly expose Melville's criminal identity, he chose to plant the seeds of suspicion in their minds.
"Not what they claim?" Max, Gwen and the others considered his words carefully.
Captain Shaw couldn't help but interject with curiosity, "Kid, where exactly did that strange creature take you? I completely lost track of where you went."
"First of all, he's not a strange creature, his name is XLR8," Asher corrected Captain Shaw's terminology with patient firmness. "And he didn't take me anywhere dangerous. He just got me to safety."
"All right, all right... XLR8. That's actually a pretty good name," Captain Shaw conceded with grudging approval before his expression turned more serious. "But I have to agree with you about Melville and his crew, they're definitely not the good guys they claim to be."
Truth was, Asher's warning wasn't even necessary at this point. Standing on the dock, Max, Gwen, Captain Shaw, and Ben could all hear the sounds of explosions and mechanical warfare echoing across the water from the center of the lake. Melville was clearly using some serious military weaponry against the lake monster.
"Hold on, let me look up his information online," Gwen said, pulling her flip phone out of her pocket. She opened the search engine and typed in Melville's name with practiced efficiency.
Reading from the screen, she announced her findings, "Jonah Melville, a known poacher specializing in the capture of rare and endangered animals. Also involved in illegal arms trafficking. Considered extremely dangerous by law enforcement..."
A poacher who hunts rare animals!
"No wonder the sea monster kept attacking him," Asher said with keen insight. "There must be a history between them."
"Wait, I remember something," Ben said suddenly, his face lighting up as he tried to recall details. "There was a sealed wooden crate on his yacht. I kept noticing it, but never got a chance to ask about it. There's definitely something important in there!
At first he'd thought he was just being paranoid, but now the pieces were falling into place.
"That's exactly right!" Asher confirmed Ben's observation with an approving nod. "That sea monster went right for that crate!"
"I knew I was right!" Ben declared with sudden pride, his chest puffing out with satisfaction. He wasn't just some kid who could only cheer from the sidelines, he could contribute real observations.
Even a ten-year-old like Ben had noticed the crucial details. For experienced adults like Captain Shaw and Max, the pattern was impossible to ignore.
Sea monsters had supposedly existed in these waters for years, but they'd always remained hidden and peaceful. It was only after Melville's arrival that the creature had emerged and become aggressive, specifically targeting the poacher's boat for sustained attacks.
Combined with Melville's criminal background, the conclusion was inescapable: this entire incident had been provoked by Melville and his crew!
Everyone had come to the same conclusion, whatever was happening, Melville was definitely the instigator. They just didn't know exactly what he had done to infuriate the ancient creature.
At that moment, the distant sounds of battle ceased, indicating that the first round of their confrontation had ended.
"I'm going over there to question that bastard face to face!" Captain Shaw declared with righteous anger, jumping straight into his boat with the determination of someone ready for a fight.
"Grandpa, we should go too," Asher said, his eyes flashing with cold determination.
He wanted to confront Melville again, this time as Asher Tennyson, to give the poacher one last chance to do the right thing before more drastic measures became necessary.