"You… could you be Aiden?!" Grandpa Max stared at the flaming figure in disbelief. Even though the thought sounded impossible, he still had to ask.
"Yes, Grandpa. It's me," the fiery alien replied, his deep voice echoing through the clearing. "I pressed a button on this watch… and turned into this."
Heatblast nodded slightly. Though he looked calm, his heart was still pounding. If he'd been a second slower, the blast would have burned him to ash.
"Whoa, you can turn into an alien! That's awesome!" Ben shouted, his eyes lighting up with pure excitement.
"It's good you're okay," Gwen breathed a sigh of relief.
"You guys get to safety," Heatblast said firmly. "I'll take care of that big tin can."
He clenched his fists, and twin flames erupted from his hands. The ground beneath him glowed from the heat.
Grandpa Max and Gwen quickly retreated behind the trees, watching anxiously from a distance.
Ding!
"Sign-in target detected: Vilgax's Giant Robot!"
"Engage the target to complete the sign-in."
Heatblast's fiery eyes flashed. Perfect. Another sign-in reward from Vilgax's machine? Guess luck's on my side tonight.
With a grin, he threw both fists forward, launching two roaring streams of flame that streaked across the forest like burning shockwaves!
"Destroy the alien that boy transformed into!" Vilgax ordered coldly through the robot's control feed.
The robot crossed its massive alloy arms, taking the attack head-on. The flames struck its armor with a thunderous BOOM, sending smoke billowing through the trees.
When the smoke cleared, the robot's arms were still intact.
Heatblast wasn't surprised. That attack had just been a test — enough to complete the sign-in mission.
Ding!
"Sign-in successful!"
"Reward: Blue-tier — All of Fire Fist Ace's abilities from the world of One Piece!"
"What?!" Heatblast's eyes widened as an overwhelming rush of memories and instincts surged through him — Ace's techniques, movements, and battle sense all fusing seamlessly into his mind and body.
He closed his eyes, letting the energy settle, and when he opened them again, they blazed with new intensity. His aura was sharper, fiercer — a true warrior of fire.
Even the robot's sensors began to blare warnings. For the first time, it detected fear.
"Let's test a new move."
Heatblast raised his right arm. A massive orb of fire gathered in his palm, burning hotter and brighter until it formed a colossal, roaring fist of flame.
"Fire Fist!"
With a shout, he hurled the attack forward. The Fire Fist tore through the air like a flaming comet, setting the night ablaze.
Grandpa Max's eyes went wide. "How did Aiden's power suddenly jump so high?!"
The robot countered, swinging its gigantic alloy fist to collide head-on with the Fire Fist.
The clash lit up the forest like daylight.
BOOM!!!
When the flames cleared, the robot's arm had been completely obliterated — melted and shattered like glass under molten lava.
The blast continued skyward, bursting into the clouds in a spectacular explosion of firelight.
The sheer destructive power left everyone stunned.
"This… this human boy just got the Omnitrix, and he's already this strong?!" Vilgax shouted in disbelief from his command ship.
"He shattered my combat unit's arm with one blow!"
Even Heatblast himself blinked in shock, staring at his smoldering hands.
"Did I really just do that…?" he muttered, then smirked. "Guess I did."
Confidence surged through him.
"Alright, let's go for round two."
He spread his hands wide, releasing dozens of tiny fire sparks that drifted lazily through the air toward the damaged robot.
The robot's AI analyzed the flames. "Minor heat signatures detected. Negligible threat."
Vilgax sneered. "Pathetic attempt."
"Think so?" Heatblast grinned. "Then take this—"
"Fire Daruma!"
The words triggered a chain reaction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each spark exploded like a miniature bomb.
In seconds, the giant robot was engulfed in a series of fiery detonations, each one more powerful than the last!
Its armor cracked, limbs blew apart, and the entire frame staggered backward under the relentless barrage.
When the smoke finally cleared, the towering machine was a wreck. Scorched metal, shattered plating, and melted circuits littered the ground. Half its head was gone.
Heatblast lowered his hands, flames flickering along his arms. "Let's finish this."
He raised both palms toward the sky, and the fire surrounding his body began to surge upward, coalescing into a massive, spinning ring of pure flame.
"Flame Command: Fire Pillar!"
The night lit up once again — brighter, hotter, unstoppable.