The impact of Ben's dramatic entrance sent up an enormous cloud of dust and debris that filled the entire lobby of Stark Tower, obscuring visibility and creating an atmosphere of otherworldly tension.
Dr. Animo couldn't immediately make out the figure through the swirling particles, but he could feel the intense heat radiating from within the cloud, waves of thermal energy that seemed to bake the very air around him. His enhanced senses picked up the distinctive scent of superheated rock and the crackling energy of barely contained flame.
From within the dust cloud, a burning silhouette stepped forward with deliberate purpose. The figure's upright posture radiated confidence and power, while brilliant light and searing heat emanated from his transformed body like a living furnace.
As the dust began to settle, Dr. Animo finally got his first clear look at this unexpected opponent.
The being's head appeared to be wreathed in flames that danced and flickered like hair caught in an eternal wind. Within the fire, a dark, skull-like face mask created an imposing visage that seemed to peer directly into one's soul. His body was composed of what appeared to be living magma, with chunks of red-hot rock serving as natural armor plating across his torso and limbs.
Between the gaps in his rocky exterior, streams of molten lava flowed like incandescent blood vessels, creating a circulatory system of pure thermal energy. The creature was a walking embodiment of volcanic fury, a being that seemed to have stepped out of the Earth's molten core.
This was Heatblast—one of Ben 10's most iconic alien transformations and the first he had ever used. The DNA template came from the Pyronite species, silicon-based lifeforms who possessed complete mastery over flame and thermal energy. They could absorb heat from their environment, generate virtually unlimited amounts of fire, and survive in conditions that would instantly vaporize most other forms of life.
Heatblast's temperature capabilities were theoretically limitless, and like certain other powerful beings, his emotional state could dramatically amplify his abilities.
Now, Ben stood in the ruins of Stark Tower like a miniature sun, wreathed in orange flames that cast dancing shadows across the debris-strewn lobby. While Heatblast's physical stature was relatively modest compared to Dr. Animo's mutated form—making him appear almost child-like by comparison—the sheer thermal energy he radiated was comparable to standing near an active volcano.
"And just who are you supposed to be?" Dr. Animo asked, his voice carrying a mixture of surprise and growing fascination.
Despite his own monstrous transformation and abilities, the sight of Ben's current form challenged everything he thought he understood about biological possibilities. Here was a creature that appeared to be composed entirely of flame and molten rock—something that defied every principle of carbon-based life he had ever studied.
In some ways, Ben's alien nature made him seem like the true demon in this confrontation.
"Don't you remember me, Dr. Animo?" Ben replied, his voice carrying the distinctive crackling undertone of his Pyronite vocal cords. "We had a brief encounter at Oscorp Tower earlier today."
Before engaging in this dangerous battle, Ben had prioritized solving the time limitation problem that had always constrained his transformations. Rather than attempting to completely remove the thirty-minute restriction—which could have had unpredictable consequences for the Omnitrix's core programming—he had implemented a new operational mode.
The "Life Lock" protocol was a feature that had been developed by other Omnitrix users in emergency situations. Since even they had been able to create it, the modification hadn't proven particularly challenging for Grey Matter's intellect.
While active, Life Lock mode removed all time constraints on his current transformation, allowing him to maintain his alien form indefinitely. However, this came with a significant trade-off—the Omnitrix would be unable to perform any other functions until the mode was manually deactivated.
"Oscorp Tower?" Dr. Animo's enhanced memory quickly brought up the relevant encounter. An image flashed through his mind of a young man who had appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary student.
"You were the one with spider abilities?" he said, his voice shifting between anger and genuine surprise. "You're the one who killed my test subject? And that incompetent fool Connors couldn't even eliminate a single teenager?"
Dr. Animo's original plan had involved splitting their targets based on intelligence he had gathered about Spider-Man's activities. He had assumed that the spider power individual he'd encountered at Oscorp was the same web-slinger that Connors had mentioned, leading to their decision to divide their efforts.
"You continue to surprise me!" Dr. Animo said, extending one massive clawed hand and slowly closing his fingers as if grasping something precious.
He felt no sadness or regret over Connors' apparent defeat. The transformed scientist had served his purpose, and now Dr. Animo had encountered something far more valuable—a being whose very existence shattered the fundamental laws of terrestrial biology.
Every creature on Earth was built from carbon-based chemistry, and fire was the natural enemy of organic life. But the entity standing before him appeared to be composed entirely of thermal energy and molten minerals. If he could somehow obtain genetic samples from this impossible being, the applications would be revolutionary.
"With your unique biology, I could create mutants that transcend the very concept of carbon-based life!" Dr. Animo declared, his scientific enthusiasm overriding his caution. "I could break through barriers that have limited evolution for billions of years!"
"I will ascend beyond mortality itself!" Dr. Animo proclaimed, raising his monstrous arms toward the moonlight streaming down through the hole he and Captain America had created during their fall.
Standing in the gutted lobby of Stark Tower with the night sky visible far above, Dr. Animo's massive form was illuminated by pale lunar radiance filtering down like godly light touching the depths of an abyss. For a moment, his nightmarish appearance took on an almost sacred quality, as if he were some ancient deity receiving celestial blessing.
But the moon was cold and distant. Ben, on the other hand, burned with the intensity of a captive star, ready to banish the darkness with righteous fury.
Seeing Dr. Animo slip into another megalomaniacal rant, Ben decided that further conversation was pointless. His orange palm ignited with concentrated thermal energy, and he immediately launched a stream of superheated flame directly at his opponent.
Dr. Animo made no attempt to dodge or defend himself. His arms—each one thicker than an elephant's leg and covered with overlapping scales and bone spurs from dozens of prehistoric predators—came up to block the attack. He wanted to test the true capabilities of this thermal being, to understand exactly what kind of power he was facing.
BOOM!
The moment Ben's flames made contact with Dr. Animo's enhanced physiology, the resulting explosion shook the entire building. The blast was comparable to detonating several dozen barrels of high-octane fuel simultaneously, sending shockwaves rippling through the foundation and causing what remained of Stark Tower's structure to groan ominously.
"Rookie mistake," Ben said with cold satisfaction.
Heatblast's flames were far more than simple thermal energy. While they could indeed melt through the most heat-resistant materials known to science within seconds, Ben also possessed complete control over their combustive properties. He could make his fire burn steadily like a welding torch, or he could compress and release it in devastating explosive bursts that generated more destructive force than military-grade missiles.
The explosion sent Dr. Animo tumbling backward across the lobby, his massive form rolling through debris and twisted metal before finally coming to rest against a collapsed support pillar. His arms, which had taken the full brunt of the blast, were severely burned and gave off the acrid smell of charred flesh.
But within seconds, the damaged tissue began to slough away, replaced by completely healthy muscle and skin. Dr. Animo's regenerative abilities were clearly superior to even Connors' enhanced healing factor, operating at a speed that bordered on the supernatural.
"You can actually injure me," Dr. Animo said as he climbed back to his feet, his tone shifting from arrogance to cautious respect. "Most impressive."
His enhanced physiology incorporated defensive characteristics from dozens of prehistoric apex predators, all augmented by the mutagenic radiation that had transformed him. The fact that Ben's attack had penetrated these defenses was proof of just how dangerous this thermal being truly was.
While his healing abilities could repair the damage, Dr. Animo still felt pain—and his enhanced nervous system actually amplified these sensations rather than diminishing them. His increased pain tolerance allowed him to function despite the discomfort, but the experience served as a stark reminder that he was facing a legitimate threat.
Rather than deterring him, however, the realization only increased his excitement.
"If I could incorporate your genetic template into my research, there's no limit to what I could become!" he said, his eyes blazing with scientific fervor.
"Unfortunately for you," Ben replied, his voice carrying an ominous chill despite the flames surrounding his body, "that's never going to happen."
He had confirmed that his thermal output was sufficient to damage Dr. Animo's enhanced physiology. Now it was simply a matter of escalating the assault until his opponent's healing factor was overwhelmed.
Ben clenched both fists, concentrating his thermal energy until the flames surrounding his hands began to shift from their original orange-yellow coloration to a deep, blood-red intensity. The temperature increase was dramatic—he was now operating at levels that could melt steel like butter and turn sand into glass.
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