The luxurious private jet soared over the vast, boundless expanse of the Pacific. Inside, Ben and Gwen were practically glued to the reinforced windows, eyes wide with curiosity.
"This is incredible! My first time on a private jet, and we're heading to a five-star underwater restaurant!" Ben cheered, bouncing in his leather seat. "Grandpa, how do you even know a guy like Donovan Smith? He's a legend!"
Max leaned back, a faint, nostalgic smile playing on his lips. "We go back a long way, Ben. Long before he was a billionaire."
Tyler, meanwhile, was reclined in a plush ergonomic chair, scrolling through high-speed satellite internet on his laptop. "Donovan Smith... a permanent fixture on the global Forbes list. Net worth in the hundreds of billions," Tyler noted. He looked at Max with a raised eyebrow. "Grandpa, your connections are either very impressive or very dangerous."
"Actually," Max chuckled, "Donovan's connections are the ones that are impressive. He's the one who kept track of me."
The jet eventually made a smooth landing on a massive helipad anchored in the middle of the ocean. As the doors opened, the group was met by the sight of a sleek, futuristic elevator and two figures: a sharp-dressed older man in a designer sweater and a teenage boy who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Max! You old dog, you're still as stubborn as ever," Donovan Smith called out, approaching Max with a warm, vigorous handshake.
Max grinned. "I could say the same to you, Donovan. Though I see your face on the news more than I'd like."
"Haha, well, someone has to keep the world interesting!"
As the elders traded barbs, Ben and Gwen stepped toward the younger boy. He had short blue hair, wore an identical designer sweater, and carried an expression of cold, calculated boredom. He completely ignored Ben's hand.
"Hey, I'm Ben Tennyson—"
"And I'm Gwen."
The boy didn't even blink.
Tyler stepped between them, breaking the awkward silence with a casual shrug. "Ben, Gwen, don't worry about it. We already know each other well enough; we don't need to waste breath on people who lack basic social protocols."
Tyler turned his back on the boy, pointedly ignoring him. He knew exactly how to handle the "rich and spoiled" type: be even more indifferent than they are.
"Wait—" The boy, Edwin, was caught off guard. He wasn't used to being the one ignored. His eyes suddenly locked onto Tyler's wrist. "Is that... Rogue Predator merchandise?!"
Tyler froze, looking down at the jagged, blood-red face of the Carnitrix. "What merchandise?"
Edwin's boredom vanished, replaced by fanboy intensity. "The Rogue Predator! That terrifying, dark alien that's been sightings lately! Every tech company is trying to rip off the design for toys and watches... but yours looks custom. It looks exactly like the symbol on the Predator's chest!"
Tyler's face darkened. "You know everyone calls that thing an 'Evil Alien,' right? Why are you so excited?"
"Because it's a monster! That's what makes it cool!" Edwin shouted.
It was a strange reality: while adults and the Plumber-adjacent elite feared the Carnitrix, the teenage underground had turned Tyler's transformations into a counter-culture icon. To the youth, the "Rogue Predator" was the ultimate anti-hero.
Edwin frantically rolled up his sleeve, revealing a high-end designer watch—and then showed off a glimpse of his undershirt, which had the terrifying, fanged face of The Velocity Wraith printed on it. "Hey! We have to be friends! Where did you get that watch?"
Tyler remained expressionless. "First, introduce yourself properly to my two friends. Use your manners."
Edwin hesitated, his ego warring with his desire to know more about the watch. Finally, he gave a stiff but formal introduction to Ben and Gwen.
Donovan watched the exchange from a distance, smiling to himself. "Max, someone can actually control my grandson. That's a miracle."
"The only one who controls me is the Rogue Predator!" Edwin shouted, his face turning a bright, embarrassed red.
New Transformation Log
The Nuclear Sun (Atomix Variant)
Traits: A hulking, armored titan with a reinforced containment suit. Glowing green fissures leak high-level radiation, and its head is a transparent dome containing a roiling miniature star.Ability: Fission Command. Can fire concentrated beams of pure nuclear energy. Unlike the original, this version's radiation is "sticky"—it lingers on the target, causing continuous cellular decay and melting armor long after the initial blast.Special Move: Meltdown Aura. Tyler can briefly vent the containment suit, creating a heat-field so intense that projectiles vaporize before they can touch him.
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