The stars outside the Teen Team's spacecraft were a blur, warped by the ship's desperate sprint back to Earth. Inside, the cockpit was a mess—sparks flew from damaged consoles, and the air smelled of burnt wiring. Mark Grayson, bruised and bloodied in his Invincible suit, gripped the armrests, his eyes fixed on the rearview screen. A Viltrumite dreadnought loomed behind them, its massive hull a dark scar against the cosmos, closing fast.
"They're gaining," Eve said, her voice tight as she stabilized a flickering energy shield around the ship. Her pink suit was singed, her face pale from the strain.
Mark's jaw clenched. "How long till we reach Earth?"
Robot's drone, patched into the nav system, whirred. "At current speed, twelve minutes. The dreadnought will overtake us in three."
Rexplode, nursing a burned hand, cursed. "Great. We blew their stupid hub, and now they're pissed!"
Dupli-Kate, her clones repairing a breached panel, shot him a look. "You think? We're in their crosshairs because we hit their nerve center."
Monster Girl, in human form and bandaged, leaned against a bulkhead. "We knew this was coming. Viltrum doesn't play nice."
Saitama, sprawled in a jump seat with a bag of stale spaceship crackers, yawned. "Let 'em come. I'm bored anyway."
Mark turned, exasperation mixing with fear. "Bored? Saitama, that's a dreadnought. It's got enough firepower to glass Earth!"
Saitama crunched a cracker. "So? I'll punch it. Problem solved."
Before Mark could argue, the ship lurched, a deafening boom shaking the hull. Alarms screamed, and the rearview screen flared with blue energy—a Viltrumite boarding pod had latched onto them, its drills tearing through the armor.
"They're boarding!" Robot shouted. "Prepare for combat!"
The pod's hatch exploded inward, and Viltrumite soldiers poured in, led by Anissa, her scarred armor glinting. Her eyes locked onto Mark, cold and predatory. "Invincible. Your defiance ends now."
Mark stood, fists clenched. "You want me? Come get me."
Saitama cracked his knuckles, standing. "I call dibs on the grumpy one."
The cockpit became a battlefield. Anissa charged Mark, her speed a blur. He dodged her fist, the impact cratering the wall, and countered with a punch to her jaw. She barely flinched, grabbing his throat and slamming him into a console. Pain flared, but Mark twisted free, landing a knee to her ribs.
Eve's energy constructs pinned two Viltrumite soldiers, while Dupli-Kate's clones swarmed another, overwhelming him with sheer numbers. Monster Girl shifted to beast form, roaring as she tackled a guard, her claws raking his armor. Rexplode hurled a grenade, the blast scattering Viltrumites but damaging the ship further.
Saitama faced Anissa's second-in-command, a hulking Viltrumite with a spiked mace. The soldier swung, the weapon shattering a bulkhead. Saitama sidestepped, yawning, and flicked the mace away, sending it—and the Viltrumite—crashing through a wall.
"Too easy," Saitama muttered, then turned to Anissa. "You got anything better?"
Anissa snarled, shoving Mark aside and lunging at Saitama. Her sonic scream ripped through the cockpit, shattering monitors. Saitama winced, covering his ears. "Ow. Annoying."
He tapped her chest, and she rocketed backward, smashing through the pod's wreckage into the dreadnought's hull. The impact shook the ship, but Anissa staggered to her feet, blood dripping from her lip.
"You're strong," she spat. "But strength isn't enough."
Before Saitama could reply, the dreadnought's weapons fired, a beam grazing the ship. The hull breached, air hissing out. Eve sealed it with a construct, but the ship was losing power.
"We can't outrun them!" Robot shouted. "We must board the dreadnought and disable its core!"
Mark, grappling with a Viltrumite, yelled, "Board them? Are you crazy?"
"It's our only chance!" Eve said, her shield flickering. "We take out their ship, we buy Earth time!"
Saitama grabbed a Viltrumite by the cape, tossing him into space. "Sounds fun. I'm in."
Mark hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Everyone, with me!"
They fought their way to the boarding pod, using its drills to breach the dreadnought's hull. The interior was a fortress—corridors of black metal, pulsing with energy. Viltrumite soldiers swarmed, but Saitama cleared a path, flicking them aside like crumbs. The team sprinted toward the core, guided by Robot's scans.
The core chamber was a cathedral of war, its ceiling lost in shadows, the central reactor a glowing sphere of blue fire. Thragg stood before it, his scarred face a mask of fury. Beside him was Nolan, his Omni-Man armor repaired, his expression unreadable.
"Mark," Nolan said, voice heavy. "You shouldn't have come."
Mark's heart twisted. "Dad. Why are you doing this?"
Thragg smirked. "He's Viltrum's son, boy. Unlike you."
Saitama raised an eyebrow. "Family drama again? Lame."
The battle exploded. Thragg charged Saitama, their clash shaking the chamber. Each of Thragg's punches cracked the floor, but Saitama blocked them effortlessly, his face bored. "You're tougher than the others. Still kinda slow, though."
Mark faced Nolan, his fists trembling. "Dad, stop. You don't have to be their puppet."
Nolan's eyes flickered with pain, but he lunged, his fist grazing Mark's cheek. "You don't understand, Mark. Viltrum's will is absolute. Join us, or you'll lose everything."
Mark dodged, landing a punch that staggered Nolan. "I lost you already! I'm fighting for Mom, for Earth!"
Nolan roared, tackling Mark into a pillar. The impact rattled Mark's bones, but he fought back, fueled by rage and grief. He grabbed Nolan's arm, flipping him into the floor, cracking it. "You taught me to be a hero! What happened to you?"
Nolan hesitated, his fist raised. "I… had no choice."
Thragg's voice cut through, sharp and commanding. "Finish him, Nolan! Or Viltrum finishes you!"
Saitama, still trading blows with Thragg, sighed. "You guys are so loud." He tapped Thragg's shoulder, sending him crashing through a wall, then turned to Nolan. "Yo, cape dad. Pick a side."
Nolan's eyes darted between Mark and Thragg, conflict tearing at him. Mark seized the moment, tackling Nolan, pinning him. "Dad, please. Come back to us."
Before Nolan could respond, Anissa reappeared, bloodied but unbowed, leading a squad of Viltrumite elites. "Enough!" she snarled. "The anomaly dies now!"
The elites were different—faster, stronger, trained to counter Saitama. They moved in sync, their sonic screams and coordinated strikes forcing Saitama to actually dodge. One landed a hit, cracking the floor beneath him. Saitama's eyes narrowed, not angry but… interested.
"Huh," he said, blocking another strike. "You guys practiced."
The Teen Team fought desperately. Eve's shields buckled under elite fire. Dupli-Kate's clones were overwhelmed, thinning fast. Monster Girl's roars weakened as she bled. Rexplode's bombs barely slowed the Viltrumites. Robot's drone hacked the core, but its defenses were too strong.
Mark, still grappling with Nolan, shouted, "Saitama! The core!"
Saitama, now surrounded by elites, grinned. "On it."
He moved—a yellow blur—and punched the core. The reactor shuddered, its glow faltering, but the elites tackled him, their combined strength pinning him momentarily. Thragg rejoined, slamming Saitama into the floor, creating a crater.
"You're not invincible," Thragg growled.
Saitama stood, dusting off his tracksuit. "Funny. Neither are you."
He unleashed a fraction of his power, a single punch that sent Thragg and the elites crashing through the chamber's walls, the shockwave rattling the dreadnought. The core sparked, its systems failing, but the ship's alarms blared—self-destruct initiated.
"We've got to go!" Eve yelled, her voice hoarse.
Mark looked at Nolan, still pinned. "Dad, come with us."
Nolan's face softened, but Thragg's voice echoed. "He's Viltrum's, boy. Always."
Nolan pushed Mark off, standing. "Go, Mark. Save Earth."
Mark's eyes burned with tears. "Dad—"
Saitama grabbed Mark, dragging him toward the exit. "No time, kid."
The team sprinted, the dreadnought collapsing around them. They reached the boarding pod, piling in as explosions rocked the ship. Nolan stayed behind, facing Thragg and Anissa, his expression unreadable.
The pod launched, blasting free as the dreadnought erupted in a silent fireball, its debris scattering across the void. Mark stared at the fading light, his chest tight. "He stayed."
Saitama, squeezing into the pod with a stolen Viltrumite ration bar, shrugged. "His choice. You made yours."
Eve hugged Mark, her voice soft. "You did everything you could."
Mark nodded, but the loss cut deep. The ship limped toward Earth, Viltrum's threat wounded but not gone. In the distance, a cloaked Viltrumite fleet watched, its commander's voice cold.
"The boy's heart is cracked," Anissa said. "One more push, and he breaks."
The stars burned, and Earth loomed, unaware of the final storm approaching.
End of Chapter 13