"Urgh. We're just friends!" Mark groans loudly after William asks about his relationship with Eve for the Nth time.
William sat opposite the Grayson Twins and tried desperately to get information. Ethan was also there during the break since one of his lessons had been cancelled, thankfully. Turns out that after a teacher just goes... missing, you have more free time during the slots when Physics was supposed to take place. But he wasn't as happy about getting the time free as he may have been otherwise if he hadn't heard this discussion.
"Will you stop saying that? It's like you're trying to jinx any chance you have of dating Eve." William says.
"A day ago, you said I had no chance!" Mark argues.
"That was before everyone saw you leave school with her yesterday," William says.
"Everyone saw that? It doesn't matter. She already has a boyfriend." Mark says
"So what? You can be more awesome than him and take his place. That's how dating works."
"..."
"Why are you so intimidated by her? Other than she's amazing and you're kinda basic?" William continues.
"Thanks for that, William. I gotta go." Mark says and walks away.
"Go? Go where? You know what? I don't care." William says and wants to pick up some meat from Mark's plate. However, before he can do so, someone grabs his hand.
"If you want to keep your hand, you stay away from that plate," Ethan says and looks William in the eyes, threatening him.
"Wha- sheesh, you're as intense as usual," William says, rubbing his wrist in pain.
"What did you call my brother? Basic? Just so we're clear, he's the second most handsome guy at this house filled with prepubescent trash, and calling him basic is hilarious coming from a shit-faced sheet of a human being like you. Depriving others of their partners is not how dating works; that's what rats do."
"Lots of people do that."
"Lots of cunts." Ethan says, standing up and looking down at William.
"..." William has shrunk into his seat.
"I always thought you were a stunted fool. Good to see I was right."
Ethan leaves the table after having stuffed all of Mark's food into his mouth. After Ethan leaves, Amber sits at his table.
"Is Mark dating Eve Wilkins?" she asks William.
"Huh, I wish. I- I mean no. He is super available. Do you want his number? I'll write it down for you."
"No. What do you know about his brother, Ethan?" she goes on.
"Ugh, a real pain in the butt, I tell you. The only person who is all brawn and still has a brain. Has no friends and, as you might expect, is also available. But I wouldn't recommend his number. I don't have it anyway, but you wouldn't want it anyway."
"..."
.
The Flaxans have returned. Only three days after their initial attack and defeat, they are back, and this time, they are prepared. The leader of the Flaxans, the one who Mark injured, has a personal vendetta with the Earth and sees them as weak cattle for him to slaughter. But one of the people he is looking for hasn't arrived yet. The Teen Team fly forward, as does Mark, dressed as Invincible, and they start to attack the aliens. Rex uses explosions, Dupli-Kate uses numbers, Robot attacks from the sky, Atom Eve tries to protect the civilians and Invincible attacks the Flaxans using his fists.
Something is wrong, however. The Flaxans are using superior technology than they were before. They use powerful cannons to fire immensely powerful beams of energy at them. Rex's attempts to blow those cannons up are met with resistance as the Flaxans reflect his explosive coins. Atom Eve, who manages to drive the Flaxans back initially, is hit with a special contraption that covers her face, disrupts her concentration and stops her from breathing. Invincible is attacked from multiple sides by powerful lasers fired from the Flaxan tanks. As he is trying to resist those attacks, though, the Flaxans fire specially created glue and trap him, not letting him move anymore.
"They seem... to have spent their time wisely." Robot who was electrocuted says.
The Flaxan leader crackles and walks towards Atom Eve. He has noticed that Invincible seems to care for her and is worried about her. He picks her up, points his gun at her, and looks at Mark.
"Pathetic."
...
A new voice causes the Flaxan leader to look back and see a big figure standing in front of him. Ethan has arrived. Flaxan's eyes widen, and he points the gun at Ethan, firing right away.
*BOOM BOOM*
The blast hits Ethan directly. The alien smiles, but in the next moment, a hand reaches out of the smoke and grabs his throat, squeezing hard and lifting him in the air.
"Disgusting," Ethan says and looks around.
The other Flaxans suddenly realise what is going on and open fire on Ethan. However, he doesn't care and simply walks forward with the Flaxan leader in his hand. The lasers and tanks hit him, causing large explosions and trying to kill him, without luck. He walks forward with one hand in his pocket and does not stop. Mark looks after his brother and realises in shock that he has walked straight through the red portal.
"ETHAN!" he shouts as he sees the portals closing, and his brother is still in the other dimension. "NOO!"
He rages and destroys the glue, keeping him contained and attacks the Flaxans, saving the Teen Team and attacking the others. Robot analyses the Flaxans and makes an important discovery.
"The wristbnds protect them from our timestream." he tells the rest of the team. "Destroy their wristbands."
"What? All of them?" Rex asks, seeing the remaining Flaxans attacking them.
They all begin to destroy the wristbands, and the aliens start dying soon after, ageing as they did the first time. But Invincible is not happy. He looks around, trying to find another portal or to see his brother having returned.
"What's up with him?" Rex asks, looking at Invincible.
"He seems to know the individual who just went into the portal," Robot says.
Invincible suddenly stops and takes out his phone, which is ringing.
"Hello?"
[...]
He turns it off and flies into the sky. He is worried, but the message must be a sign, he thinks. He makes his way back to the Pentagon, where his father lies in the hospital. As fast as he can, he makes it to his father's room and sees him and his mother sitting on the bed.
"Mark!"
"Hey, son."
"Dad!" Mark exclaims and embraces his father.
"Ow. Ribs... Mark... what's wrong, son? Where's Ethan?" Nolan asks.
"Dad, Mom... Ethan he... he is gone."
"What?! What happened?"
"Explain!"
.
- In the Flaxan dimension -
Ethan stands before a monstrous amount of Flaxan soldiers, all aiming their weapons at him. He holds the skull of the Flaxan leader in his hand and looks at it. The rest of his body has been destroyed by their own fire. With a clenching of his fist, Ethan crushes the head.
"You all don't understand. The world is my battlefield, and I am its conqueror. There is no place for you."
Without waiting for anything, he shoots forward. He moves through the motions, using his improved and adapted martial arts as he moves from Flaxan to Flaxan. He uses his ever-improving martial arts and flight skills to their maximum and takes this for what it is, a feast for him to devour. There is no limit to his strength. He is constantly evolving and growing more powerful. He takes the hits of their tanks and monstrous contraptions located in the sky without caring about damage. As he flashes from alien to alien, his figure moves faster as time passes.
"All of you are weak. And in this world, the weak are the sustenance of the strong. If you don't want to be my prey, you must strengthen the fangs and claws within you. Fight and try to kill me. Give me everything you have."
Ethan's demeanour has changed once again. He looks the same as he did when his father punched him. An ecstatic smile splits his face, and his presence has taken a lethal edge, causing the Flaxans to fear him and shout in fear. But it is useless; the unstoppable force has started moving, and it won't stop until there is nothing left or he has been truly satisfied. His figure becomes blurred as he shoots through the air and crushes the Flaxan's using all parts of his body. He crashes through the buildings, destroying everything in his path.
Suddenly, a large beam of energy hits him.
*BOOOM*
A massive mechanical mecha appears from a building in the distance. This technological machine is manned by several Flaxans and was created in anticipation of facing Ethan again. Due to the time, though, it wasn't quite ready for field use just yet and wasn't taken with them. But that doesn't matter now; they have to use it. Each step causes the ground to shake and crater.
"Hahahahaha... YES!"
As the dust clears, Ethan appears. His shirt is destroyed, and he suffered some wounds, but his smile only grows larger. The dangerous aura around him intensifies, and it seems as though something appears behind him. The image of a skull appears, striking fear into the Flaxans' hearts.
[Picture]
Ethan has unconsciously used the ability to manifest his imagination and use it to fight. However, the Flaxans see nothing but his fighting spirit right now. The Flaxans activate their fighting systems. Several large rocket launchers appear on the mecha's shoulder, pointing at Ethan. Ethan looks at this and shoots forward, using his top speed to approach the giant weapon. The Flaxans fire hundreds of rockets towards him.
The rockets shoot forward and fly in unpredictable patterns, trying to confuse him. But Ethan has gotten incredible with his flight skills and dodges them all with impeccable accuracy. This is training for him, nothing more. A way to push himself, now that his father was in the hospital. He makes his way through the air and arrives in front of the large mecha. He pulls his arm back and punches forward, using all of his strength.
*VROOOOOOM*
A massive stream of energy hits his body from orbit and causes him to crash into the ground. The rockets have not stopped chasing him and strike him now that he is no longer in motion.
*BOO-OOOOOOOOOMMM* x100
A shockwave of heat and air permeates the surroundings and disintegrates thousands of Flaxans. The Flaxans inside the mecha walk forward towards the large crater, trying to see whether they succeeded in ending hte threat of Ethan or not. As they stomp towards the edge of the crater, another more silent explosion is heard, and a milisecond later, Ethan appears before the mecha's head, punching it with all of his strength.
*BOOOOOOOM*
The force of his blow smashes the head backwards and makes the giant machine tilt backward. But Ethan is not finished. His fingers dig into the strong material, and he bashes the machine's head again and again until he destroys it so far as to gain access to the inside. He moves inside the mecha and goes nuts, destroying everything inside it and killing all the Flaxans who were operating it.
*CRASHHH*
*BOOOOOOOOOOM*
A monstrous explosion, even larger than the previous one, causes widespread destruction and death. The only thing that remains on the charred ground is Ethan; his fighting spirit has only grown larger. He eyes the orbital weapon and shoots into the air, aiming to destroy it. And so, the poor Flaxans are at the Hanma-Viltrumite's mercy, only now realising the error of their ways.