[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successful sign-in!
Reward received: White-tier reward — Omnitrix transformation time extended by 10 seconds (originally 5 minutes).]
It might have been labeled a common white reward…
But to Aiden, it was life-saving.
The flashing Omnitrix symbol on Heatblast's chest immediately dimmed.
"Yes!"
Relief flooded through him. He accelerated midair and, within seconds, landed in a nearby alley.
Flash!
Green light burst outward as the Omnitrix timed out.
Aiden stepped out of the fading glow, glancing down at the now-red Omnitrix on his wrist.
"Next time, I need to be more careful," he muttered. "If I revert midair, I'm done for."
[Ding. Host may now view Omnitrix-related information.]
"Related information?"
As soon as he spoke, a translucent data panel appeared in front of him.
Host: Aiden
Age: 12
Omnitrix:
Transformation Time: 5 minutes 10 seconds
Cooldown: Equivalent duration
Ultimate Forms: Not awakened
Alien Data: Incomplete
Available Transformations:
Heatblast
Four Arms
Diamondhead
Ripjaws
Wildmutt
Grey Matter
Ghostfreak
XLR8
Upgrade
Stinkfly
Aiden blinked.
"That's… actually really useful."
The interface felt intuitive. The moment he thought about closing it—
The panel vanished.
"Nice," he muttered.
"Aiden, are you okay?"
Grandpa Max stepped into the alley, clearly concerned.
"I'm fine," Aiden replied. "Let's go."
Back inside the Rustbucket, the TV news was already reporting on the incident.
The four robbers were shown being arrested, wildly gesturing as they described a "man on fire." The anchor's expression suggested she didn't believe a word of it.
At the bottom of the screen, a small scrolling headline read:
Citizens report sightings of a giant creature.
Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hey, Aiden!" Ben leaned forward eagerly. "How'd you deal with those guys? Did you use that—uh—"
He raised his fist dramatically but couldn't remember the name.
"Fire Blast," Aiden said with a faint smile.
"Yeah! That!"
"Not really," Aiden replied calmly. "They were just ordinary criminals. No need to go all out."
He wasn't interested in abusing power.
Changing the subject, he asked, "Grandpa, where are we headed?"
"Biggest supermarket nearby," Grandpa Max answered. "We need supplies."
"Yes!" Ben cheered.
Then he lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"Aiden, Gwen—how much money did you bring? Let's stock up on real food so we don't have to eat Grandpa's… experimental cooking."
"I only have a few dollars," Gwen admitted.
"Honestly," Aiden said carefully, "it's not that bad once you get used to it."
Ben and Gwen stared at him like he had just confessed to being an alien again.
"…But I'll use some of my savings," Aiden quickly added.
Ben grinned instantly.
Five minutes later, the Rustbucket pulled into a parking spot outside a medium-sized supermarket.
The place looked normal.
Too normal.
They stepped inside.
"Alright," Grandpa Max said, grabbing a cart. "I'll get groceries. You three can look around—but stay close."
"Got it, Grandpa."
As Max wheeled off, Aiden followed his direction with his eyes—
—and felt a chill.
"Is Grandpa going to the fresh food section?" Gwen asked innocently.
"No," Aiden said stiffly.
"That's the pet food aisle."
Ben and Gwen screamed in horror simultaneously.
Soon, the three kids reached the snack aisle.
Potato chips. Candy bars. Chocolate hazelnut spreads.
Their cart filled quickly with whatever they could afford.
Then Ben stopped dead in his tracks.
In front of him was a display of chips featuring Kuangbao Sumo collectible cards.
His eyes sparkled.
"Aiden…" Ben said slowly, turning with exaggerated pleading. "Could you maybe transform and help me find the rare card? Just real quick?"
"I could, but…"
Aiden's hand hovered over the Omnitrix.
That headline.
Citizens report sightings of a giant creature.
His memory stirred.
Even though it had been over a decade since he'd transmigrated into this world, fragments of the original timeline surfaced.
A giant frog.
A mad scientist.
Supermarket attack.
Aiden slowly scanned the store.
This was it.
Not far from here—
A man wearing a ridiculous chair-shaped helmet was riding a massive, mountain-sized frog straight toward this area.
His name surfaced in Aiden's mind.
Dr. Animo.
And if Aiden remembered correctly…
The target was this very supermarket.
Outside, in the distance—
A tremor shook the ground.
Ben blinked. "Uh… did you feel that?"
Aiden's expression turned serious.
"…Everyone, stay close."
Another tremor.
Then—
A booming voice echoed from outside:
"I will unveil my greatest creation! Witness the genius of Dr. Animo!"
Aiden clenched his fist.
"Here we go again…"