Chapter 6 – Fire and Frost, Mind and Claw
The sky inside the pocket world burned like a furnace. Rivers of light coiled in the distance—Sozo's creation, living energy running through molten stone. Every breath tasted of ash and creation dust.
Two new shapes prowled before him.
Drago, scales lit like embers, heat rolling off his body in waves.
Tigrera, all sharp grace, her fur shining like frozen silver. When they breathed, steam hissed between them, where flame met ice.
Deku stood a few meters back, sweat darkening his shirt. His green eyes darted from beast to beast. "They're… beautiful," he whispered. "And terrifying."
Sozo chuckled under his breath. "That's how you know they're alive."
He raised a hand. The ground pulsed with crimson lines—sigils of his Arc of Embodiment.
Drago roared, wings flaring wide. Tigrera answered with a growl that rattled the air.
They weren't summoned this time. They were born, their essence woven directly from Sozo's will.
"Two opponents," Sozo said. "You handle one. I'll keep the other entertained."
Deku hesitated. "One of those? Alone?"
"You'll manage," Sozo replied. "You've got something new buried under all that fear. Find it."
Then Drago charged.
The dragon's movement was pure destruction—each step cracking the stone. Sozo darted aside, arms crossing instinctively. The first finger of his right hand burned. Heat gathered under his skin, racing through his veins like liquid fire. His nails darkened, scales crawling up his wrist.
Man-Beast Form—First Finger.
The world tilted.
Power surged, wild and hot. His heartbeat synced with Drago's roar. Sozo countered the beast's claw with his own, sparks spilling from the impact. His tailbone ached; a flicker of scales spread down his back. His body was beginning to mirror the creature's form.
Half-human. Half-legend.
He grinned. "Yeah. That's it."
On the far side, Deku faced Tigrera. The ice-born beast prowled in a circle, eyes gleaming. Every motion was too fast to follow. Deku's breath came in shallow bursts. His Ben-10 quirk shimmered faintly across his wrist, symbols flickering uncertainly.
Then Tigrera pounced.
Deku dove, barely rolling aside. "She's too fast—!" he gasped, trying to read her patterns. Claws slammed into the ground where he'd been a second earlier, sending shards of ice into the air.
"Don't think faster," Sozo shouted without looking back. "Think smarter!"
Something clicked inside Deku's mind.
His quirk flared—bright green, then silver-white. Circuits of alien geometry traced up his arm and across his face. His pupils narrowed into precise, inhuman shapes.
"Alien… ten… transformation: Grey Matter!"
The voice that came out of him was smaller, sharper. His whole body shrank, suit morphing, until a tiny grey alien stood where Deku had been.
Tigrera stopped, confused by the sudden change. Deku—no, Grey Matter—grinned, a flicker of mischief in his eyes.
"Finally," he said, voice high and quick, "a brain big enough to keep up."
He leapt onto Tigrera's head, dodging a paw swipe like it was nothing. "Your muscle memory's predictable," he muttered, tapping the beast's