The blonde girl gave him a deadpan stare. "My name is Lumine. I am a traveler, and I have journeyed across many worlds."
Seeing her expression, which looked ready to explode at any moment, Kai decided to reply seriously.
"Okay, joke aside I'm Kai. I was just going to school like any other day, but before I could sit down, I suddenly ended up here without warning."
Lumine smiled proudly and asked, "So, you're still in school?"
Kai merely nodded. He had no intention of revealing his reincarnation before turning into a child.
Lumine then turned and began walking forward. "Let's go."
Kai frowned. "Where are we going?"
She pointed toward a faint waypoint visible near the forest's entrance. "We can't stay here forever, can we? We need to find a safe place or any settlement nearby before dawn."
Her reasoning made sense. They were stranded in the middle of nowhere, exposed in an open area. Who could guarantee what dangers might come if they stayed here?
"Don't worry, little brother," Lumine said confidently, flexing a bicep that didn't exist. "I'm very strong, and I can protect you. Just stay by my side."
Kai sighed at her theatrics. 'I still have the Omnitrix, but having someone with me is better than nothing. If the watch goes on cooldown, I'm screwed.'
Kai followed behind Lumine as she led the way toward the forest, his mind heavy with thoughts of an uncertain future. Just as they reached the waypoint, a sudden sound interrupted their steps.
Thump, thump.
They turned slowly toward the noise, only to see a cluster of small slimes bouncing in their direction.
"They look just like the slimes I saw in games when I was a kid," Kai muttered.
Lumine rolled her eyes. "You are still a kid. But there are so many… don't tell me there's an elite monster among them."
After she finish her sentence he slapped her belly in irritation. "Can't you shut your mouth and stop raising death flags?"
Lumine rubbed her stomach in annoyance but kept quiet, until five Hydro Slimes suddenly surged forward, swelling in size until they towered taller than her. She scratched her head awkwardly. "Hehe…"
Kai shot her a deadly glare, thinking it looked intimidating. Instead, it only triggered her urge to pinch his cheeks.
"Traveling rule number five," Kai lectured. "Never jinx something before it happens, otherwise it will happen."
Lumine just gave him a silly smile and raised her hand. "Don't worry. Let this big sister show you how strong I am."
A blunt, dull sword materialized in her grip, and she swung it effortlessly, shocking Kai with her casual strength.
But his eyes drifted to the Omnitrix on his wrist. 'I didn't think I'd need you this soon.' In this unknown place, where safety was never guaranteed, he decided to postpone experimenting with the watch. Better to save it for when he truly needed it, rather than risk being helpless during its cooldown.
Kai stared at Lumine with a confident smile. "How about I take this one? You can handle the next we encounter."
Without waiting for her reply, he activated the Omnitrix. The dial rose upward, the familiar symbol shifting into a rhombus as a shadowy figure appeared before him.
Kai squinted at the silhouette. 'Vegeta?' The thought crossed his mind, but this figure looked taller and far cooler than vegita.
He placed his finger on the dial and pressed lightly. The watch flared to life, its glow spreading across his hand. Crimson, stone-like plates emerged from the device and crawled over his body, locking into place. Flames burst from the gaps between the plates, wrapping him in a blazing aura.
Kai opened his eyes which was green, now burning with the same fiery hue as the flame in his body. To him, the transformation felt like it lasted forever, yet in reality not even a second had passed.
Under the stunned gaze of both Lumine and the slimes, the transformed figure clenched his fist, heat radiating from every pore.
"Heatblast!" he roared