In the center of the room, where the four people were gathered, there was a table. On top of it rested a metallic device shaped like a watch, from which thin silver tubes extended, faintly glowing.
"Finally, I did it," Lala said proudly, placing her hands on her hips.
"It took over two months of work, mostly because I only had my own tools. The only somewhat useful technology in this place is the Plumbers', and honestly, it's not that great. At first, I thought the technology of this universe was really primitive, but after analyzing the Carnitrix, I realized that's not the case. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I even doubt that the Golden Inventor, the greatest genius in the Milky Way of our world, could modify something like this."
Lala spoke with enthusiasm, moving her hands as she explained.
"The thing is, the technological gap between Earth and other planets in this universe is enormous, even more exaggerated than in ours. Still, you were lucky. If the device had been damaged, or if you had wanted me to alter something deeper, there would have been no way to do it. Honestly, I'd love to meet the creator. It's a shame he's insane. Maybe we could meet the one from another universe instead, huh?"
"Get to the point," Kaito interrupted, giving her a tired look.
"Ha ha, sorry," Lala said, scratching her head with an embarrassed smile. "In short, it's usable now. Actually, this was possible because of how it was built. The device was made in stages, and the last one was what allowed aliens to take control of the user. So I just removed that configuration. Makes sense?"
The three stared at her in silence, not understanding a single word.
Lala sighed, puffing her cheeks before continuing. "Think of the device like a Jenga tower, made up of many pieces stacked one on top of another and glued together. If you wanted to change the tower or add something different, it would be impossible. Even removing pieces from the bottom would be a disaster. But I got lucky. I only had to remove the last piece added. Even though it was glued, I just had to force it a bit to separate it. If it had been one of the lower ones, it would've been impossible without breaking everything else. Understand now?"
Seeing they were still just as confused, Lala opened her mouth to try another comparison, but Kaito stopped her with a smile.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that you're amazing, and that it works now."
Kaito picked up the device and stored it in his inventory. But nothing happened.
He frowned, thoughtful. A moment later, he realized what he needed to do and placed the device on his wrist. The metallic tubes extended and embedded into his skin, absorbing his blood as the watch tightened with such force that it would have crushed a normal person's arm.
The metallic logo of the Carnitrix, once gray, began to glow green, displaying three black diagonal lines that pulsed with a deep mechanical hum.
Kaito pressed the screen. The hologram that appeared showed the silhouette of an imposing being: Alien X.
"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked, glancing suspiciously at Lala.
"Of course. Trust me," she answered with a proud smile.
Kaito turned the dial and pressed the center. His body began to twist. His human skin was replaced by a deep, shining black as his form transformed into the Carnitrix version of Alien X.
In that form, Kaito felt completely omnipotent. His mind expanded to the edges of the universe, perceiving every atom, every particle, every motion. He could mold reality itself with a thought.
For a moment, he considered gathering all the powerful artifacts in the universe: the Omnitrix, Azmuth's Omnitrix Prototype, Ascalon, the Interdimensional Portal Projector, the Map of Infinity, the Seal of Bezel, the Fragments of the Bezel Stone, the Central Computer of Galvan Prime, Kwarrel's Disk, the Core of Xenon, and many more.
But he held back. If he took them all, especially in his Alien X form, he would attract the attention of the Celestialsapiens.
Even if Kaito wasn't sure whether they'd care, taking all of them would distort the universe too much, and he wasn't willing to risk that. The few he could take without being noticed were the weaker ones, so he decided to test the limits by claiming one of the most powerful artifacts.
He managed to take the first one, but the moment he tried to seize a second, he felt countless crushing gazes fall upon him, stares emanating from every corner of the cosmos.
Honestly, Kaito firmly believed that in the future, Alien X had only managed to kill the other Celestialsapiens because they endlessly debated before acting, while he could move freely. But even so, it had been pure luck. Kaito was not a lucky man, and he had no intention of starting a war with hundreds of cosmic beings just for more rewards.
So after obtaining only one artifact, he abandoned his greed and did what he had originally planned: break the seal covering that universe.
Doing so was easy. In fact, it felt natural, as if the seal were a poorly attached patch that could simply be peeled off. Once it was gone, he returned to his human form, and a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
[Mission: Eliminate the threat. (Completed)]
[Optional Mission: Special Technology. (Completed)]
[Mission Completion Rank: 500%, Grade: SSS]
"This time, I owe the score to Lala and Charmcaster," Kaito murmured with a faint smile.
The reason the mission had exceeded 100% was simple. Not only had he eliminated the threat, but he had also prevented it from destroying half the universe by transforming into Alien X.
Still, Kaito felt he could do more.
[Do you wish to end the mission and return?
-Yes -No
Warning: The Omnitrix(es) from the optional mission will be exchanged for rewards.]
He wasn't surprised he couldn't take the Omnitrix. From the start, he had considered it impossible. Even in its Carnitrix form, it was far too powerful, capable of breaking the system's very rules.
But the question on the screen sparked his curiosity. If the system was offering him the option to stay, it meant there was still something left to do. And since he had already achieved an SSS grade in the main mission, the only possibility was that it was related to the optional one.
The phrase "the Omnitrix(es)" reinforced his theory: there had to be more than one.
But how to obtain them? The Nemetrix and Ultimatrix didn't exist in that universe.
Traveling to another one would be logical, but he could only do that as Alien X, and the Celestialsapiens of other universes would notice his presence long before he could even cross the veil.
He then thought of two alternatives.
First, the interdimensional smoothie shop that appeared randomly in Omniverse. But waiting for it could take months, or years.
Second, he remembered something Charmcaster had once said, that she had tried to escape to another universe. If that was true, then there might be a way.
'And if not... is there another way to travel between universes?... Maybe I don't have to go there. Maybe I just need to wait for them to come.'
That thought lit a spark in his mind. He recalled that event where several Omnitrix users from different universes fought each other.
He smiled.
He selected the option not to return and stayed in the mission's world for now.
Then, he looked up and spoke into the air.
"Hey, how about helping me get to the War of the Bens?"
"Who's he talking to?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Charmcaster shook her head. "No idea."
"Um, Kaito..." Lala said, leaning closer, "there's no one there."
"That's correct, I'm right behind you," said a voice from behind Kaito, startling him.
"Ugh... that was sudden."
"But didn't you just ask me for help?" said the voice calmly.
"I guess I did," Kaito replied, shrugging.
The girls didn't seem as calm. Charmcaster and Gwen raised their hands, surrounding them with magical energy as they cautiously asked,
"Who are you?"
The man only smiled mysteriously and turned his gaze toward Kaito.
"It's Professor Paradox," Kaito explained, in the same tone one would use for an old acquaintance. "Basically, a time traveler, unique in the entire multiverse. He loves acting like... well, a time traveler. Appearing out of nowhere, speaking in riddles, telling you what you'll do tomorrow. But don't worry, he's not dangerous."
"Ho ho, that narrow description always amuses me," Paradox laughed, adjusting his hat.
"If you already know what we're going to talk about, then let's skip the small talk," Kaito said.
"Ah, but there's the problem, my dear friend from beyond this universe," Paradox replied with an enigmatic smile. "We've never had this conversation."
Kaito looked at him seriously. "So this is the first time we've talked?"
Paradox chuckled softly. "Ha ha, of course this event isn't so unique. It's just that we always start the conversation the same way, which makes us end it without ever really having it. This has happened infinite times, and it will happen infinite times more. Or maybe it's only happened once, and everything else is a repetition. Or perhaps... it hasn't happened yet, and I'm getting ahead of myself."
Kaito sighed. "You're even more annoying in person," he said honestly.
______________________________________
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)