The fiery streak tore across the Earth's upper atmosphere, a blazing comet trailing arcs of emerald energy. Every sensor in Vilgax's warship lit up instantly, overlaying dozens of tracking lines on the holographic display. The Omnitrix was falling—exactly according to canon. But Vilgax was no longer the same fool who would arrive late and broken. He was early. He was ready. And he was waiting.
"Trajectory locked," the ship's AI announced, its voice crisp and precise thanks to Vilgax's earlier upgrades. "Object velocity decreasing. Atmospheric friction intensifying."
The warlord's red eyes sharpened. This was the moment he had been preparing for since the day he awakened in this body. All simulations, all calculations, all strategies converged into this single point in time.
"Bring all interception systems online," Vilgax commanded.
Massive armored panels slid aside on the warship's exterior. Energy cannons hummed to life. Gravity snares rotated into position. A specialized capture net—one he had personally designed to absorb the Omnitrix's impact—waited in standby mode.
But he wasn't naïve. Azmuth didn't simply "drop" the Omnitrix without protection. There would be failsafes. The device had a habit of rewriting fate itself to reach Ben Tennyson. Reality liked canon. The timeline tended to snap back.
But this time?
This time fate would have to fight a smarter enemy.
"AI," Vilgax said. "Display possible interference."
"Probability analysis: 37% chance of dimensional shift. 28% chance of random atmospheric bounce. 21% chance of gravitational misdirection. 14% chance of unpredictable anomaly."
"Unpredictable anomaly," Vilgax muttered. "It always comes down to that."
Still, he wouldn't allow a wristwatch-sized device to outrun him.
"Track its vector," he said. "And activate pursuit thrusters."
The warship roared forward, cutting through the void in a silent blur. The hologram showed the Omnitrix's descent: spiraling, burning, and accelerating toward the Earth. Already, it was bypassing the upper layers of atmosphere and entering a steep downward plunge.
But something was off.
Vilgax leaned closer. "Its angle is shifting."
The AI confirmed his suspicion. "Object trajectory diverted. Gravitational drift not typical."
Vilgax's face tightened.
Azmuth… you meddling little genius.
The Omnitrix was designed to avoid hostile capture, steering toward compatible DNA hosts—primarily young humans with flexible genetic potential. In canon, that had been Ben Tennyson. It wasn't fate. It was engineering.
But Vilgax would not be outplayed.
"Calculate all potential landing points," he ordered.
Maps of Earth flickered into existence. Desert regions. Forests. Oceans. And finally, a red circle tightened over a familiar region—the American Southwest.
There they were.
The RV. The Tennysons. Driving directly into the landing zone.
A slow, cold fury bubbled within Vilgax's chest. Not anger—motivation.
"AI," he said calmly, "prepare the atmospheric entry armor. I will retrieve the Omnitrix personally."
A massive hangar door opened beneath him. His battle armor rose on a mechanical platform—towering, obsidian-black, reinforced with plasma-hardened alloys and grav-suppressors. He stepped forward, the armor magnetizing onto his form piece by piece until he stood fully encased, looking more like a living juggernaut than a biological being.
"Atmospheric drop route calculated," the AI stated.
"Prepare my descent pod."
The pod's interior lit up, runes glowing with chilling blue. Though not magical, the tech was so advanced it felt arcane. Vilgax entered, the hatch sealing shut around him.
Inside the pod, he watched the Omnitrix arc downward. Faster. Hotter. Destined for Earth.
Destined for me now.
The pod launched.
The acceleration crushed lesser beings. But Vilgax was not lesser. He barely felt pressure as he descended at hypersonic velocity, the pod igniting into a flaming spear of destruction.
Below, the desert stretched endlessly, illuminated by the roiling streak of the Omnitrix burning across the sky. His sensors pinged—Ben's RV was veering off the highway, drawn by the falling object, just like in canon.
Vilgax adjusted trajectory.
His pod erupted through a cloud layer, tearing downward, leaving a spiral of vapor behind. The Omnitrix was only seconds away from impact.
"Proximity alert," the AI's projected voice echoed in his helmet. "Five seconds until groundfall."
The Omnitrix hit first.
A shockwave erupted across the desert, sand exploding outward in a circular radius. The impact crater glowed green, radiating intense heat. The RV's brakes screeched in the distance. Max grabbed the wheel. Gwen screamed. Ben's curiosity drew him forward.
But Vilgax's pod struck the ground a moment later.
BOOM.
Debris launched into the air. Dust clouds billowed. The ground heaved and cracked beneath the sheer force of the impact.
Inside the crater, the Omnitrix lay smoking—still hot, faintly glowing, just beginning to initiate its self-protection protocols.
The pod door hissed open.
Vilgax stepped out, towering, armored, radiating heat from atmospheric descent. The ground beneath him fragmented under the weight of his steps.
And there—only a few feet away—lay the Omnitrix.
It pulsed once, as if sensing danger.
Vilgax extended his hand.
"Finally," he growled softly. "You are—"
A flash of green energy shot upward.
The Omnitrix launched itself into the air like a defiant meteor.
Vilgax's eyes widened for the first time since his transmigration.
"No."
He leapt. His arm extended.
The device darted upward.
He soared higher.
It veered left.
He corrected instantly.
It blasted forward horizontally, trying to escape.
He matched its trajectory, tearing through the air like a missile.
In the RV, Ben's eyes widened as he saw two glowing objects streak across the sky.
"What is THAT?" Ben shouted.
Max slammed the brakes.
Gwen stared in disbelief. "Is that—two meteors chasing each other?!"
The Omnitrix plummeted again.
Vilgax dropped after it like a falling predator.
The ground rushed up. The device hurtled downward toward the earth with a mind of its own.
It's trying to reach Ben, Vilgax realized.
He roared and pushed harder.
He reached out.
His fingers brushed the edge of the device—
A surge of energy erupted.
BOOM.
The Omnitrix blasted Vilgax backward with a shockwave. He hit the ground with such force that boulders cracked around him. Smoke rose from his armor. A crater formed around his impact point.
The Omnitrix, flickering desperately, flew again—this time directly toward the RV.
Vilgax stood.
Slowly.
Impossibly angry.
"I will not," he growled, "lose to a watch."
A final comet of emerald crashed beside Ben Tennyson.
The child bent forward.
And reached out.
Vilgax sprinted.
The distance was too large.
And then—
CLICK.
The Omnitrix latched onto Ben's wrist.
Green light exploded outward.
Vilgax stopped.
The battlefield fell silent.
For a single moment, time froze.
Then Vilgax whispered, voice dripping with wrath and promise:
"…Very well, Ben Tennyson. If I cannot stop destiny…"
His eyes burned with power.
"…I will break you instead."
The true war had begun.
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