After flying for more than five hours, Jack and Gwen stopped near a town on the way to the royal capital to rest.This time, instead of using his Skrull form, Jack decided to try out his Zehoberei form for the first time.
"Gwen, fight me. I want to test how strong an elite Zehoberei actually is," Jack said, asking her for a sparring match.
"Okay." Gwen dropped into a stance, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Jack charged first, closing the distance in a blur. His fist shot toward her jaw.
Gwen tilted her head, letting it graze past her ear, and drove her palm into his ribs.
Thud.
Jack staggered back half a step, more surprised than hurt.
Faster than I expected.
He pushed off the ground and came at her again, this time low, sweeping for her legs. Gwen simply hopped over the strike, flipped backward, and landed a kick square on his shoulder in mid-air.
Crack.
Jack's arm went numb for a second as he skidded across the dirt.
Okay, that actually stung.
He shook it off and threw a flurry of punches, testing her reflexes—left, right, an elbow, a knee. Gwen weaved through every single one without breaking a sweat, blocking two, dodging three, and countering with a strike to his stomach that folded him halfway over.
"You're strong," Gwen said, not even breathing hard. "But you're still fighting like a human who got a power boost. You're not fighting like you."
Jack gritted his teeth and pushed off again, faster this time, putting more of the Zehoberei's strength into his legs. He landed one solid hit on her forearm, the first real contact of the match.
Gwen's eyes lit up.
"There we go."
She came back twice as hard. A jab, a spin kick, another jab, each one faster than the last, until Jack could barely keep his guard up. He caught one strike, twisted to redirect her momentum, and for half a second thought he had an opening.
Gwen ducked under his return swing, planted a hand on the ground, and swept his legs out from under him.
Jack hit the dirt flat on his back.
"Enough. You win," he said, staring up at the sky for a second before pushing himself up and brushing the dirt off his clothes.
Gwen offered him a hand.
"Not bad for an alien you just picked up an hour ago."
Jack grabbed her hand and pulled himself to his feet.
"Zehoberei isn't much of an upgrade for me.Even with the Omnitrix turning me into an elite version of the species.., this form still doesn't match my human body after the X-serum," Jack told Gwen.
Afterward, he headed into the town, sold some of the monsters he'd hunted along the way, and used the money to buy clothing that covered them completely. That way, the two of them could walk through other towns without drawing attention to themselves.
As Jack walked through the streets, he noticed a few young Zehoberei girls glancing his way. One of them finally walked closer and gave him a bold smile.
"Hey, you look really good. Wanna spend the night with me?"
Jack looked around, wondering who she was talking to, before realizing she was looking directly at him.
"Are you asking me?"
The girl nodded.
Jack felt a little awkward. He honestly hadn't expected to get invited out by an alien girl, especially on another planet.
Still, he politely declined and pulled his covering higher over his face as he walked away.
It seems even on another planet, I'm still a handsome man.
Feeling a little proud of himself, Jack glanced at his reflection in a nearby window before continuing on.
As he looked around, he noticed something else.
"I don't see much in the way of machines or electronics around here, but other things seem pretty developed. Even the nobles' guards are carrying some strange-looking guns. What an odd mix of technology," Jack muttered to himself before leaving the town and meeting back up with Gwen.
"How's this? Now you don't have to be jealous of me anymore. Come on, let's go," Jack said, glancing at Gwen, who had already changed into her new, fully covering outfit.
"Mm, it's just not really my style," Gwen said, looking down at the outfit.
Jack rolled his eyes at her before transforming into XLR8. He scooped Gwen into his arms and took off.
They were still far from the royal capital, practically on the opposite side of the planet, which explained why this region felt so underdeveloped. Jack ran at full speed, hoping to reach a larger city before nightfall so they could spend the night somewhere safer than out in the open.
By the time the sun began to set, they had finally reached the city. Jack slipped inside without any trouble, and since it was Gwen's first time there, the two of them took a moment to look around.
They didn't stand out as much as Jack had expected. Plenty of Zehoberei were already dressed in clothing that covered most of their bodies, so their own outfits didn't attract much attention.
As they wandered through the streets, however, Jack noticed a group of Zehoberei soldiers scanning the crowd. They seemed to be paying particular attention to anyone wearing full coverings, stopping some people and taking a closer look at them before letting them continue.
"Jack, those soldiers keep checking every covered Zehoberei they pass. Are they searching for someone? You don't think they're looking for us, do you?" Gwen asked quietly, watching the soldiers aggressively search through the crowd.
"There's no way they're looking for us specifically. It has to be someone else. But we should get out of here anyway," Jack said, taking her hand and pulling her toward a nearby alley.
They had barely reached the alley when one of the soldiers suddenly noticed them.
"Hey! You two, stop!"
Jack glanced back, but instead of stopping, he pulled Gwen along.
"Come on!"
The two of them quickly ran deeper into the alley.
"They're running!" one of the soldiers shouted.
Another soldier watched Jack for a moment, studying his appearance. His expression suddenly changed.
"Wait... it has to be him!"
He raised his gun.
"Don't let him escape again! He's got an accomplice with him!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The soldiers immediately opened fire, their shots tearing into the walls around Jack and Gwen.
"They're shooting at us!" Gwen shouted.
"Yeah, I noticed!" Jack shouted back as they sprinted deeper into the alley.
"Take them down! Don't let them escape!"
More gunshots echoed behind them as the soldiers chased after them.
Gwen quickly spotted a low building beside the alley.
"Up!"
She fired a web at the edge of the building and pulled herself up, dragging Jack along with her. They quickly hid behind the edge of the rooftop as the soldiers rushed past below.
"Where did they go?"
"Check the next street!"
Jack and Gwen stayed hidden until the soldiers moved farther away.
Gwen slowly raised her head and looked at Jack.
"That was way too close."
Jack stood up and looked toward the street.
"We just get into the city and already end up in trouble. Unbelievable. What bad luck," he muttered, irritated.
"Let's leave. It's not safe here," Gwen said.
The two of them soon left the area and found an old, abandoned building where they could hide and rest for a while.
"Once we get some rest, we'll leave the city," Jack said to Gwen.
Gwen looked at him for a moment.
"Aren't you even a little curious who they're looking for?"
Jack glanced at her.
"Huh? You actually want to find out?"
"Don't you?"
"Why bother? It's not like it'll matter once we leave the city. We're already lost on an alien planet, trying to find a spaceship and get back to Earth. I think we already have enough problems."
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