Chapter 24: Alien Cousin, Worthy of Being Grandpa
The starry, cosmic silhouette of Alien X descended upon the cracked, barren surface of a desolate planet. A faint blue light flashed, washing over the cratered terrain, and the all-powerful entity shrank down, reverting back into Klein.
Ever since he realized he could easily bypass the internal debates and control Alien X with a simple majority vote, Klein had decided to take a casual stroll across the universe.
"Wuwuwu..."
A faint, pathetic sobbing echoed through the rocky canyons.
Klein paused, his boots crunching against the dry dirt. He tilted his head, listening to the sound. Crying? Out here in the middle of absolute nowhere? His eyes narrowed slightly. 'Definitely a scam.'He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued walking forward without missing a beat.'Whatever it is, it has absolutely nothing to do with me.'
He walked for several minutes, handling the jagged terrain, but the crying did not diminish in the slightest. In fact, it seemed to follow him, echoing persistently just behind the rocky outcroppings.
Seeing that the unseen stalker had no intention of letting him go, Klein stopped. He let out a long, exhausted sigh. If they wanted to play games, he would just conveniently get rid of the annoyance.
Klein raised his wrist and slapped the dial of his Another Omnitrix.
"Swampfire!"
A brilliant blue light illuminated the dusty canyon, and a towering, plant-like being with a head resembling a blooming flame took his place. The pungent smell of methane filled the air.
Swampfire raised his right hand. Mud and vines shifted around his arm as a concentrated ball of fire ignited in his palm. Without a second thought, he hurled the blazing projectile directly toward the source of the crying—a massive, jagged boulder.
Boom!
The explosion ripped through the air, shattering the rock into countless smoking fragments.
"Ahhh!" A human girl, looking no older than ten, jumped out from the debris, shrieking in pure fright.
Swampfire lowered his hand slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing. A human? Here? That made absolutely no sense. Unless she was not human at all. And considering she had been tailing him this entire time, refusing to leave, she was definitely not a good person.
Utterly devoid of anything resembling sympathy or pity, Swampfire did not hesitate. He immediately prepared to eliminate the suspicious little girl.
"Wait!" the girl shrieked, waving her arms frantically.
You say stop and I stop? Swampfire acted as if he had not heard a single word. He ignited another fireball and threw it straight at her face.
Seeing the flames closing in, the little girl panicked and thrust both hands forward. A vibrant, glowing purple energy shield erupted in front of her.
The fireball slammed into the barrier and dissipated into harmless sparks.
Swampfire paused, recognizing the distinct frequency of the energy immediately. "Mana?" he muttered, his deep voice crackling like burning wood. "Are you an Anodite?"
Seeing that the girl was indeed an Anodite, Swampfire lowered his hands, deciding to at least listen to her explanation before turning her into ash. "Why are you following me?"
"Um..." The girl shifted her weight, looking away. She seemed to be struggling to find an excuse.
Swampfire lost his patience instantly. He raised his right hand, and another fireball roared to life, burning twice as bright as the last.
"Wait! I'll tell you! Just don't laugh when I say it..." The girl waved her hands repeatedly, her eyes fixed on the threatening flames. "I was being naughty, so Grandma Verdona threw me onto this planet. She said she wanted me to reflect properly on my actions."
"What does that have to do with me?" Swampfire extinguished the flame and lowered his arm. "Why are you following me?" he emphasized the main question again, his tone completely flat.
"I just arrived here and happened to run into you. Because I was too bored, I wanted to find you to keep me company," the girl said, poking her index fingers together nervously.
"And what else?" Swampfire pressed. There was no way he would believe that was the only reason.
The girl lowered her head even further, her face turning slightly red. She whispered, "Because you're handsome."
Swampfire froze. He stared at her for a long moment, completely stunned by the sheer absurdity of the answer. Without another word, he turned around and started walking away.
A faint blue light flashed, and Swampfire transformed back into Klein. He kept his hands in his pockets, completely unbothered. His Another Omnitrix had an automatic self-protection function, so he was not afraid of a sudden ambush from the back.
"Hey!" The girl quickly scrambled over the rocks and chased after him. "My name is Sunny! What's your name, handsome big brother?"
Klein kept walking, his expression deadpan.
Originally, he had come here to do some quiet exploring. These desolate planets were supposed to be perfect for a relaxing, uninterrupted walk.
Now, he regretted his life choices entirely. Sunny talked non-stop, chattering away as if she had been locked in solitary confinement for a decade and had forgotten how to breathe between sentences.
However, she showed no ill intentions and had not actually provoked him, so he could not justify vaporizing her. Plus, relying on the few remaining scraps of conscience buried deep inside him, Klein decided not to just abandon a kid on a barren rock and run away.
His new goal was simple: find this Grandma Verdona, hand the kid over, and then go back to sleep. He figured that since Verdona had just dropped Sunny off, the older Anodite should still be somewhere on this planet.
But as the minutes dragged on and the endless chatter continued, Klein lost all desire to search. He decided he would just send Sunny home himself and be done with it.
Just as Klein was about to come up with an excuse to ditch Sunny, a heavy, rhythmic thudding echoed from the distance. The ground trembled slightly.
Klein stopped. Sunny, noticing his sudden halt, quickly stopped beside him.
As the commotion drew closer, the dust cleared, revealing the source of the disturbance. A massive, three-to-four-meter-tall alien lumbered toward them. It possessed thick, stone-like skin and an underbite that made it look even more primitive than a caveman. It roared, beating its chest.
"Ah! Big brother, I'm so scared!" Sunny gasped, immediately taking the opportunity to latch onto Klein's left arm, hugging it tightly against her.
'You do not look scared at all,' Klein complained internally, noting the complete lack of fear in her eyes. He casually broke free from her grip, raised his wrist, and slapped the Omnitrix.
"Feedback!"
A brilliant flash of blue light erupted. In Klein's place stood a sleek, black-and-white alien with a single green eye and plug-like appendages extending from his head and fingers.
Feedback raised his right hand. Violent, crackling blue lightning burst forth, illuminating the canyon. The terrifying surge of electricity struck the primitive beast head-on. The monster convulsed violently, instantly electrocuted until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, smoking.
"Big brother is so awesome!" Sunny cheered, jumping up and down like a dedicated cheerleader.
With the threat eliminated, a blue light flashed again, and Klein reappeared, dusting off his jacket.
Sunny quickly trotted forward, pretending to check if he was hurt. Klein simply held up a hand, blocking her advance. "Do you want to go home?"
"Not yet," Sunny answered obediently, batting her eyelashes.
Klein stared at her, utterly speechless. 'Who was the one crying and wailing behind a rock just twenty minutes ago?!'
"I'll send you home later," Klein said, completely ignoring her refusal.
Sunny visibly grew anxious, opening her mouth to argue. But before she could speak, a sharp, commanding voice boomed from the sky.
"Little brat! Are you trying to take my granddaughter?"
Klein and Sunny both looked up. Floating high in mid-air was a female Anodite, her entire body composed of glowing, ethereal purple mana. Her hair flowed like cosmic energy, and her eyes burned with strict authority.
"Actually, it's fine..." Sunny lowered her head, kicking at the dirt as she whispered her response to her grandmother's accusation.
"Shut up!" the female Anodite roared, her voice echoing like thunder.
"Sorry, Grandma Verdona..." Sunny shrank back, genuinely scared this time, and quickly conceded.
"And you, little brat!" Verdona snapped, shifting her glowing eyes down to glare directly at Klein.
Klein completely ignored Verdona's threatening aura. Instead, he turned his head slowly to look at Sunny. "What did you just call her?!" he asked, his tone laced with absolute disbelief.
"Grandma Verdona," Sunny replied, looking at Klein in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"
Klein slowly shook his head, looking up at the glowing alien in the sky. 'Grandpa Max... I have finally seen Grandma Verdona.'
Up in the air, Verdona frowned deeply. Realizing she was being completely ignored by some human teenager, her temper flared. Her hands glowed with intense purple mana as she prepared to swoop down and teach him a lesson.
Klein did not say a word. Grandpa Max had only ever mentioned Grandma Verdona in passing, but he had never explained exactly why they lived separately. What if mentioning Grandpa Max right now made Grandma Verdona even angrier?
'Grandma Verdona's temper does not seem very good at all,'Klein thought, maintaining his completely deadpan expression.'I can only say... as expected of Grandpa Max. What a legend.'
Having internally complained for the last time, and possessing absolutely zero desire to deal with explosive family drama, Klein slapped his watch.
A blinding blue light consumed the area.
When the light faded, the starry, cosmic form of Alien X floated in the air.
Up above, Verdona froze. The ambient mana in the atmosphere completely stalled. She stared at the Celestialsapien, an overwhelming, primal sense of danger crashing down on her. Every instinct in her body screamed at her not to act rashly. She held her breath, not daring to move a single muscle.
A few seconds passed in absolute, suffocating silence.
Then, Alien X simply vanished, blinking out of existence without a trace.
Verdona exhaled sharply, the tension leaving her glowing form. She immediately descended, grabbed Sunny by the arm, and prepared to leave the planet before whatever that god-like entity was decided to return.
But as she dragged her away, Sunny kept her head turned, looking back at the empty spot where Alien X had disappeared, a deep sense of loss written all over her face.
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