The green light that burst from Ben Tennyson's wrist painted the entire desert in an unnatural glow. It was chaotic, primal, alive—like a newborn star tearing itself into existence. The wind whipped in all directions as energy spiraled outward, pushing sand into swirling halos. The RV rattled violently, its windows trembling from the surge.
Inside the center of that glow, a silhouette formed. Small, human… but changing. Transforming.
Vilgax watched, every muscle in his massive body tense.
The Omnitrix had chosen.
Not him.
Not a galactic champion.
Not a trained warrior.
But a human child.
The air cracked like thunder as the transformation completed. Standing where Ben had been was a creature of molten rock and erupting flame—Heatblast. The very first alien of Ben Tennyson's destiny.
A ten-year-old boy… wielding the power of a living star.
Vilgax felt something rare stir in his chest. Not fear—
Rage.
His voice boomed across the desert.
"BEN TENNYSON!"
Heatblast spun around, flames sputtering in confusion. "Huh!? Who knows my name?! And—wait—who the heck are YOU?!"
Ben's voice was unmistakable despite the new fiery form. It echoed with childish panic and excitement, mixing in a way only a kid with godlike power could manage.
But to Vilgax, this creature was not a hero in the making.
He was an obstacle.
And obstacles were meant to be crushed.
The warlord stepped forward, his heavy boots cracking the stone beneath him with each stride.
"I am Vilgax," he said, voice deep and slow, vibrating through the air. "Conqueror of worlds. Destroyer of civilizations. And you… have something that belongs to me."
Heatblast took a hesitant step back. "Uh… Grandpa?! Gwen?! Some giant octopus-man is threatening me!"
Vilgax didn't waste time.
He lunged.
The ground exploded under the force of his leap. Heatblast yelped and rolled aside just as Vilgax's armored fist smashed into the sand, sending a shockwave powerful enough to shatter nearby boulders.
Max shouted from the RV window, "Ben! Run! That thing is dangerous!"
Gwen screamed, "Move!"
Ben did not understand the gravity of the situation—but the Omnitrix did. The watch pulsed, adjusting the alien's reflexes, keeping him just barely ahead of death.
Heatblast fired a spontaneous fireball at Vilgax.
It hit the warlord square in the chest.
BOOM.
Flames engulfed his armor.
Ben let out a gasp. "Did I get him?!"
The smoke cleared instantly.
Vilgax stood unharmed.
"Fire?" Vilgax said, unimpressed. "Pathetic."
He swung his arm.
A wave of compressed air blasted outward. Heatblast was thrown across the sand and crashed into a rock pillar, sending cracks racing up its surface.
"Ow—ow—OW! That actually hurt! Gwen! Grandpa! This isn't funny anymore!"
Vilgax marched toward him like an unstoppable titan—cold, calculating, merciless.
"I will rip the Omnitrix from your corpse if I must."
Ben gulped. "That… that sounds SUPER bad."
Heatblast raised both hands and unleashed a torrent of flame. A spiraling inferno rushed forward, turning sand into glass.
Vilgax didn't dodge.
He walked through the fire, armor glowing red, eyes burning brighter than the flames.
Ben's voice cracked, "WHY ARE YOU NOT BURNING?!"
"Because I," Vilgax growled, "am beyond your childish tricks."
He grabbed a chunk of molten glass, hardened it instantly with a cooling blast from his armor, and hurled it at Heatblast.
Ben dodged only because the Omnitrix enhanced his reaction time. The projectile detonated behind him, spraying shards everywhere.
Max slammed the RV door open, plasma blaster in hand. "Ben! This way!"
Heatblast stumbled toward the RV.
Vilgax leapt.
The impact cratered the desert floor.
Ben barely dodged the fist that smashed where his head had been a second earlier.
The RV's tires screeched as Max floored the pedal. Gwen leaned out the window, shouting, "Ben, get in!"
Heatblast sprinted—flames leaving a trail behind him.
Vilgax pounded the earth.
BOOM.
The shockwave launched Heatblast tail-over-head into the air.
He crashed through the RV door window and tumbled inside, scattering tools and supplies.
Gwen shouted, "Ben! You're on fire!"
Ben yelled back, "NO DUH!"
Max yelled, "Seatbelt!"
Vilgax landed in front of the RV, towering over it like a mountain of metal and muscle.
And for the first time, Ben saw something terrifying:
The warlord was smiling.
A cold, razor-edged smile that held no amusement—only certainty.
"You cannot escape me," Vilgax said.
Max slammed the RV into reverse. Tires burned rubber as the vehicle swerved wildly backward, kicking up clouds of dust.
But Vilgax charged forward, relentless.
Each step shook the ground.
Each breath radiated killing intent.
Gwen clutched Ben's arm. "What does he want?!"
Ben's flames flickered nervously. "THE WATCH! He wants the WATCH!"
Vilgax reached the RV, lifting one massive arm—
And brought it down.
CRASH.
Metal shrieked.
The RV buckled under the blow, throwing everyone inside off balance.
Max grunted. "He's too strong…!"
Vilgax approached again, ready to tear the vehicle apart like a toy.
Inside, Ben panicked. "Okay, okay—how do I turn this thing OFF?!"
The Omnitrix glowed.
Vilgax paused.
He sensed the device's energy spiking.
"No," he growled.
Heatblast flickered—
—and Ben reverted back to human form.
Vilgax roared. "NO!"
Max didn't hesitate. "NOW, BEN! MOVE!"
The RV shot backward with all the power its old engine could produce. It sped down the desert road, bouncing violently over rocks.
Vilgax sprinted after them, entire body coiled like a predator.
He was gaining.
Ben peeked through the broken window. "Grandpa—He's STILL coming!"
Gwen grabbed Ben's shoulders. "You need to transform again!"
"I CAN'T!" Ben yelled. "The watch is recharging!"
Vilgax was now only twenty meters away.
Then ten.
Then five.
He lunged—
And the RV swerved sharply, skidding sideways, barely scraping past a large canyon drop.
Vilgax slid, claws digging into the ground to avoid falling.
His eyes narrowed.
He stood at the edge of the canyon, watching the dust cloud trail behind the fleeing RV.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
He raised his hand—and activated a long-range beacon.
His ship, orbiting above, received the signal.
A drone swarm launched from the underside bay, streaking toward Earth like a cloud of metallic locusts.
Vilgax watched them descend.
"If I cannot take the Omnitrix now…" he whispered, "then I will isolate its user."
He turned away from the canyon.
"I will wear the boy down. Exhaust him. Break him. The Omnitrix has chosen—but it will regret its decision."
Far across the desert, the RV sped into the fading sunlight.
Max grimly checked the rear mirror. "He's gone… for now."
Ben slumped onto the seat, shaking. "That was… bad. Really bad."
Gwen whispered, "Ben… that thing almost killed you."
Ben looked at the green watch on his wrist.
"…Yeah," he muttered, voice quiet and trembling. "I know."
But behind a distant mesa, Vilgax's ship shimmered faintly in the sky.
Watching.
Waiting.
Plotting.
The real hunt was only beginning.