The moment Kyle stepped through the front door, his parents descended upon him, their faces etched with a shared, palpable anxiety.
"Kyle, honey! How did it go?" Sarah asked, her voice a little breathless. "Your ability awakening… what happened?"
Simon, usually more reserved, leaned forward, his eyes searching Kyle's. "Well, son? Don't keep us in suspense."
Kyle offered a smile he hoped was reassuring rather than manic. "It's… alright, I think."
"'Alright'?" Simon echoed, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean, 'alright'? That's not exactly an Earth-rank pronouncement."
"It's just… a bit strange," Kyle admitted, already backing towards his room. "Um, I think I'll only know more, for sure, after I break through to Rank One. I need to… I'm going to go cultivate first. Right now."
Before they could press him further, Kyle hurried into his room and firmly locked the door. He leaned against it for a moment, his heart still thumping from a mixture of residual stage fright and burgeoning excitement. He eagerly navigated to the file his teacher, Mr. Gordon, had sent to the class group chat. The cultivation method. This, he knew, wasn't just some hastily thrown-together guide; it was a technique meticulously refined over five hundred years of human adaptation to the Aura Resurgence, lauded as the most suitable and efficient cultivation method for humans. Its core purpose was elegantly simple: to teach individuals how to perceive, draw in, and absorb the free-floating spiritual qi – the psionic energy – that now permeated the heavens and earth. The name itself was deceptively unadorned: "Meditation Technique."
Of course, while everyone started with the same foundational method, the speed of cultivation varied wildly. Innate talent was a massive factor; those blessed with superior psionic aptitude would naturally progress faster, their bodies more attuned to absorbing and processing aura, than those with poorer talent. Then there were the resources. Wealthy families, Kyle had learned from his late-night research binges, often provided their children with the specially prepared meat of mutated beasts, or even, for the truly affluent, the rarer and more potent flesh of Vicious Beasts. Consuming these energy-rich foods could not only significantly enhance one's spiritual power reserves but also strengthen the physical body, making it more resilient and capable of handling greater psionic stress.
For those with even deeper pockets, there were the extremely rare and highly coveted crystal cores. These condensed nuggets of pure psionic energy were unique to monstrous beasts. Paradoxically, the weaker the monstrous beast, the lower the probability of it possessing a crystal core. However, even absorbing the spiritual qi from the most common, low-grade crystal core was an experience many times faster and more potent than laboriously drawing it from the surrounding environment. And then there were the legends – the vanishingly rare crystal cores that even contained echoes of the beast's special skills. If a psionicist was fortunate enough to acquire and successfully absorb such a core, they had a slim but real chance to comprehend the skill contained within, thereby gaining an extra, often unexpected, ace up their sleeve compared to their peers. The probability of this kind of treasure appearing in mere mutated beasts was astronomically low. But if one managed to slay a Vicious Beast, then finding a crystal core within its remains was almost guaranteed, a dangerous but potentially lucrative prize.
Kyle pushed these thoughts aside. For now, he had only the "Meditation Technique" and his own determination. After carefully reviewing the instructions, the diagrams of energy flow, and the mental visualizations required, he settled onto the floor of his small room, legs crossed in a traditional meditative posture, and began to cultivate.
Breaking through from the unranked state of a newly awakened individual to a true Rank One, Level One psionicist was, relatively speaking, the simplest part of the journey. As long as one could successfully sense the ambient spiritual qi, even a little dedicated cultivation would allow them to reach this initial stage. Upon reaching Rank One, they would then typically awaken their first psionic skill, distinct from their innate awakened talent. Psionicists, he knew, had a total of ten ranks to strive for, and each hard-won rank could potentially unlock one new skill. So, starting from Rank One, coupled with their innate talent revealed at the Awakening Ceremony, a person could have at least two distinct abilities at their disposal.
Kyle focused, clearing his mind, continuously circulating the mental pathways of the cultivation method, trying to extend his senses outward, to feel for the surrounding spiritual qi. In the living room, his parents sat in tense silence, exchanging worried glances. They were acutely aware that his cultivation attempt could go awry, especially after the ambiguous results of his awakening, and dared not disturb him.
An hour passed, marked only by the soft ticking of the clock in the hall.
Then two hours…
Then, as the third hour began to wane… he "saw" it.
Though his eyes were tightly closed, a new kind of perception bloomed in his mind. He could perceive the world around him not as solid objects, but as a shimmering tapestry of tiny, vibrant points of light, floating and dancing in the air like microscopic fireflies. Some glowed faintly, others pulsed with a brighter intensity.
This… this must be spiritual qi, he thought, a thrill shooting through him.
With renewed focus, Kyle accelerated the mental circulation of the "Meditation Technique," visualizing those points of light being drawn towards him, a gentle vortex centering on his body. Slowly, gradually, he felt them being absorbed, sinking into his skin, merging with his nascent internal energy. Like this, painstakingly drawing in the aura, another hour crawled by.
Crack!
It wasn't an audible sound, but an internal sensation, profound and unmistakable. It felt as if some invisible shackle deep within his body, something that had been holding him back, had suddenly, gloriously, shattered. A wave of energy, his own aura, exploded outwards from him with surprising force, potent enough that even his parents, anxiously operating in the next room, trying to distract themselves with mundane chores, paused, their heads snapping up.
Kyle gasped, his eyes flying open. A feeling of lightness, of power, suffused his entire being. "So this… this is what it feels like to officially become a Rank One, Level One psionicist?" he breathed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "No wonder so many people are obsessed with cultivation. This feels… great!"
However, what made him even happier, what sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated elation through him, wasn't just the breakthrough itself. It was the Omnitrix. The device on his wrist, which he had despairingly labeled a 'little wreck of a watch,' was finally, finally usable! He understood now. During his initial awakening at the plaza, the reason he couldn't ascertain his innate skill, the reason the crystal ball hadn't reacted, was because the Omnitrix hadn't been officially, fully activated yet. It needed a spark, a certain threshold of his own psionic energy to truly come online. Now, as he broke through to Rank One, Level One, the Omnitrix finally began to reveal its true function.
First, it pulsed with a faint warmth against his skin, and a new understanding flooded his mind. It brought Kyle an innate skill, a core function tied to his psionic awakening: "DNA Restructuring." As the name chillingly implied, the device could, at a fundamental level, disrupt his existing DNA and then reassemble it into new forms. Alien forms. And then, the proof: after Kyle broke through to Rank One, the previously blank screen on the Omnitrix flickered, and a solid black silhouette appeared, sharply defined against the glowing green background. A tall, lanky figure, wreathed in what looked like flames. It was unmistakably Heatblast.
Kyle slowly, reverently, enunciated the name. "Heat. Blast." Then, suppressing the wild excitement bubbling in his chest, he lifted the watch face, just like in the show. Thinking for a moment, a wide, almost manic grin stretched across his face, he whispered the iconic phrase, a phrase he'd dreamed of saying: "It's hero time!"
Then, with a surge of adrenaline, he raised his right hand and decisively slapped the activated watch face down.
Instantly, a dazzling, emerald green light enveloped him, so bright it forced him to squint. When the blinding green light faded a second later, Kyle Su was gone. In his place, standing in the cramped confines of his bedroom, stood a creature composed entirely of living flame and dark, craggy rock. Its body was covered in numerous fissures and cracks, through which a molten, magma-like substance pulsed with an inner heat. Overall, it looked like a being of sentient fire wearing segmented, protective rock armor. And there, emblazoned on its chest, was the circular, hourglass-patterned symbol of the Omnitrix, glowing a steady, powerful green.
"Awesome!" the transformed Kyle boomed, his voice now a chorus of crackling flames and grinding stones.
Heatblast, he knew from his encyclopedic fan knowledge, was a DNA sample of a Pyronite from the distant, volcanic planet Pyros, taken from the Prime Omnitrix. This alien species possessed the astonishing ability to project and absorb fire, to control flames with near-perfect precision, and was capable of truly spectacular, awe-inspiring feats with their pyrokinesis. Kyle—no, Heatblast—was admiring his new, fiery body, feeling the incredible power thrumming within him, when the Omnitrix symbol on his chest suddenly flashed a warning red, accompanied by a distinct, beeping chime. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the transformation reversed. Another flash of green light, and he was Kyle again, stumbling slightly, the lingering scent of brimstone in the air.
"Oops," Kyle muttered, recognizing the timeout sound. "Blinking already." He felt his body, now abruptly returned to its normal, decidedly less fiery state, and noted the extreme weakness, a profound energy drain. He shook his head in resignation. "The spiritual power stored by a fresh Rank One, Level One psionicist is just too little. After transforming, even if I just stand completely still and do nothing, I can only maintain the Heatblast form for about a minute, maybe less."
But… a wide, knowing smile spread across Kyle's face. He now understood how the Omnitrix worked, its core mechanic in this new world. With each major rank he advanced in his psionic cultivation, the Omnitrix would add the DNA of another alien hero to its available roster. He currently only had access to Heatblast because he was only at Rank One, Level One. But after this, as he grew stronger, there would be more and more aliens. Diamondhead, Four Arms, XLR8, Upgrade… Thinking of the possibilities, Kyle's heart began to race with a dizzying, almost unbearable excitement. After all, who, as a kid (or even as a not-so-kid), hadn't fantasized about owning their very own Omnitrix and transforming into all those super-cool, incredibly powerful aliens?
However, a sobering thought quickly tempered his elation. This amazing ability also had a significant, glaring drawback. In his normal, human state, he was still just Kyle Su – physically unremarkable, vulnerable. Only after transforming did he possess extraordinary combat power. At most, his base human strength and resilience could only increase incrementally along with the general physical enhancements that came with breakthroughs in his psionic rank, as the spiritual qi gradually fortified his body. This was a problem. A big one.
I can only try to think of a solution for this later, he resolved, pushing the concern to the back of his mind for now. The immediate joy was too potent to be overshadowed.
Kyle had intended to continue cultivating, to perhaps try and consolidate his newfound rank, but his stomach suddenly let out a long, embarrassingly loud growl, reminding him that he was still, at his core, a growing teenager who had missed a meal. He unlocked his door and walked out into the living room.
Sarah and Simon were still there, sitting on the sofa, their earlier attempts at distraction abandoned. They'd been waiting, their hearts in their throats, ever since he'd started his cultivation. They had witnessed, with sinking hearts, their son seemingly "fail" to awaken a discernible ability at the grand ceremony. And while they didn't demand that their son become incredibly powerful or fabulously wealthy in the future, their deepest, most fervent hope was simply for him to be able to live safely, to navigate the dangers of this transformed world. And in this era, to live safely, one had to possess strength.
Simon stood up the moment Kyle emerged, his voice tight with worry. "Kyle, son… how did your cultivation go? Are you… are you alright?"
Kyle grinned, a genuine, confident smile this time. "Relax, Dad. Mom. The ability I awakened? It's super, super strong!"
"Really? Truly?" Sarah gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, Kyle! Quickly, show us! What is it?"
Kyle chuckled. "Not right now, Mom. Give me a minute."
"Why not?" Simon asked, a flicker of his earlier fear returning, worried that Kyle might be lying, trying to comfort them with false bravado.
"I just tested out my ability in my room," Kyle explained, "and I'm pretty much out of spiritual power right now. It takes a lot out of me. Let's eat first. By the time we finish eating, it should be mostly recovered. Then I'll show you."
Sarah immediately bustled towards the kitchen. "Right, right, of course! Let's eat first. We can talk about anything and everything after we've eaten."
Sarah quickly reheated the food that had long since gone cold, and the family sat down to enjoy a surprisingly delicious, if slightly delayed, meal. The atmosphere, however, was charged with an almost unbearable anticipation. After eating his fill, Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, sensing his internal energy. He felt that his spiritual power had indeed almost fully recovered, the short rest and sustenance doing wonders.
He pushed his chair back and stood up, a dramatic flourish in his movement. "Dad, Mom, watch carefully! For next," he declared, his voice ringing with theatrical importance, "is the moment of miracles!" Kyle activated the Omnitrix on his wrist, the faceplate popping up. He selected the Heatblast silhouette, then, with a grin, slammed his hand down forcefully onto the dial. (Regarding the potential for a strong impact to cause the Omnitrix to activate a random alien selection mechanism – a quirk he remembered well from the show – he didn't need to worry about that at all. Since he only had Heatblast unlocked, who cared if the selection was 'random' or not? The outcome would be the same.)
As a blinding green light once again flashed through the small living room, a tall, imposing figure made of rock and living flame stood where Kyle had been moments before.
"Heatblast!" Kyle's transformed voice boomed, the name echoing with the crackle of fire, mostly because he thought it sounded incredibly, undeniably cool.
His parents stared, speechless, their eyes wide with utter shock and dawning, unbelievable awe.