Under the scorching sun, the ruins of Sparksville lay scattered—buildings and amusement rides reduced to rubble, burn marks everywhere, black cracks spreading across the ground like a spider's web.
In the middle of the destruction, a dinosaur and a spark of light clashed fiercely beneath the blazing sky.
The battle between Humungousaur and Buzzshock had drawn a crowd.
"Oh my god, what kind of monster is that? It's actually fighting that light!"
"Looks like a dinosaur, right? Could that be the legendary humanoid T-Rex?"
"Let's hope it can capture that light."
"I wouldn't count on it. That big guy looks strong, but he keeps getting tossed around by that thing... totally useless." A blonde girl licked her ice cream and sighed.
The Mayor, dressed in a blue shirt, sat calmly on a nearby bench, watching Humungousaur chase Buzzshock. "Strange things happen every year," he murmured, "but this year's been something else."
Meanwhile, Humungousaur was panting heavily as he pursued Buzzshock.
"This thing... really knows how to run," he muttered, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.
But Buzzshock wasn't about to let him rest. It spun around midair, laughing mockingly as it slapped its rear, stuck out its tongue, and even flipped him off.
That was the last straw.
Seeing the smug expression on that glowing face, Humungousaur clenched his fists, roared furiously, and charged forward with terrifying speed.
Yet again, Buzzshock darted aside with lightning agility, appearing behind Humungousaur and bursting into taunting laughter.
Suddenly, a massive hand shot out like a thunderbolt, snatching the little creature out of the air.
"Gotcha," Humungousaur growled, lips curling into a smirk, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.
Buzzshock chuckled wickedly, its body blazing with golden electricity. In an instant, a torrent of energy exploded outward, dazzlingly bright. The surge sent Humungousaur flying backward, crashing into a vending machine with tremendous force. Bottles burst and shattered, spraying soda in every direction.
Humungousaur slumped on the ground, head hanging. A cracked soda bottle rolled off his brow, cola running down his rough face.
His physical defense was exceptional, but against electricity, he was almost helpless.
"The Humiliated Humungousaur... lives up to the name," Lucian muttered dryly.
Forcing himself up again, the giant alien grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it at Buzzshock.
With a sharp crack, the little spark turned into a streak of golden lightning and vanished.
A moment later, it reappeared directly in front of him, laughing mockingly, refusing to let up.
"Damn it!"
Humungousaur roared and charged, his iron fists clenched tight.
Buzzshock flashed to his ankle, grabbing hold of a steel cable lying on the ground.
Humungousaur's legs tangled instantly. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward and crashed face-first into the dirt.
Buzzshock zipped onto his back, stomping its tiny feet like it was dancing on his spine, its laughter ringing loud and grating.
"I've had enough!"
With a furious roll, Humungousaur sent Buzzshock flying. The little spark hovered a short distance away, shrieking with laughter.
Just as Humungousaur prepared to attack again, the Omnitrix on his chest flashed red. A bright light engulfed him, and in the next moment, Lucian stood where the alien had been.
Brushing dust from his clothes, Lucian sighed. "Humungousaur... not as easy to handle as I thought."
The moment Buzzshock saw Humungousaur disappear, its excitement turned to rage. Screeching, it lunged straight at Lucian.
Lucian froze for an instant, then instinctively started to run—only to stop mid-step as an idea flashed through his mind.
He raised his wrist and thrust it forward, meeting Buzzshock's claw head-on.
Zzzzt!
The tiny, lightning-charged claw struck the Omnitrix dead-on. In the same instant, Lucian's body was flung backward, crashing hard into a deer statue nearby.
An electric jolt ran through his body, making Lucian wince, though a faint smile curved his lips.
"Success..." he murmured, glancing down at the Omnitrix's yellow screen, a surge of relief and satisfaction rising in his chest.
Buzzshock froze where it stood, confusion flashing across its glowing face. It didn't know what had just happened—but seeing Lucian's pleased expression filled it with sudden, irrational fury.
Letting out a shrill cry, it flared with dazzling golden light and shot toward Lucian in a violent rush.
"Not good." Lucian turned on his heel and sprinted without hesitation.
Beep! Beep!
A small truck sped into view, hauling a massive thermometer in the back.
Lucian's eyes narrowed as he spotted Grandpa Max at the wheel, with Ben and Gwen sitting beside him.
In moments, the truck screeched to a stop beside him.
"Get in! Grandpa's about to give it an unforgettable lesson in electronics!" Grandpa Max grinned, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Lucian nodded, leaping into the passenger seat.
Behind them, Buzzshock, glowing furiously, gave chase with reckless speed, its energy crackling through the air.
Then, without warning, the truck dropped the huge thermometer from its bed. It hit the ground hard, standing upright as if planted there.
Buzzshock, unable to react in time, slammed straight into it. Golden sparks flared wildly, but it couldn't break free.
Ben jumped out of the truck first, eyes bright with excitement. "Nice! Let's see how Sparky gets out of this one!"
"Haha! That was my idea!" Gwen said proudly, hands on her hips. "Using the giant thermometer as a lightning rod—the Spark's got nowhere to run now."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Except... isn't Earth itself one giant conductor?"
Zzzzt...
Before the words had even faded, a powerful electric hum erupted from below. The nearby phone booth, power poles, and soda machines all began to crackle and glow with arcs of golden light.
In the next instant, countless Buzzshock clones burst forth, flooding the air in a blinding swarm. The people of Sparksville turned pale as ghosts, trembling in terror.
The swarm erupted in eerie laughter, a deafening wave of sound that rippled through the park. Overhead, the giant display case of toothpicks began to shake violently.
Then—crash!
Enormous toothpicks rained down like spears, whistling through the air as people screamed and scattered, fleeing for their lives.
Only the Mayor, dressed in his usual blue shirt, remained seated on a bench, expressionless, calmly munching popcorn.
Strangely, every single toothpick embedded itself in the ground around him—none so much as grazed his seat.
"The world's largest toothpick, ruined just like that... what a shame," he remarked blandly.
Ben's eyes widened as he stared up at the sky filled with Buzzshock copies. "Oh man, we're toast."
One Buzzshock had already been bad enough—now there were thousands.
"Grandpa Max, what do we do?" Gwen asked anxiously, biting her lip.
Grandpa Max rubbed his forehead, grimacing. "At this point... even I'm out of ideas."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless Buzzshock transformed into streams of golden electricity, converging toward a single point before vanishing entirely.
Lucian's expression darkened. He had a bad feeling.
And sure enough, a massive tremor shook the ground ahead.
From the smoke and dust rose a towering robot—its entire body built from models of the nine planets, from head to limbs.
Every Buzzshock had merged into it, powering the enormous planetary robot to life.
Its heavy footsteps echoed as it began marching steadily toward the horizon.
"Where's it going?" Grandpa Max frowned.
Without warning, the Mayor appeared behind them, still chewing popcorn, still expressionless.
"It's heading for the dam's hydroelectric plant," he said evenly. "It'll absorb as much power as it can, then destroy this city. After that, it'll move on to the next."
"One after another... until it's satisfied."
Ben clenched his fists. "That'll kill tons of people! We can't let Buzzshock get away with this!"
"Ben's right," Lucian said firmly.
The Omnitrix on his wrist flashed green once more—ready for transformation.