eyes locked onto the Buglizard, now crawling out of the rubble, hissing.

Michael barreled forward, his form crackling with electricity. The Buglizard recovered quickly, snarling with renewed aggression.

"Smart, huh? Let's see if it's smart enough to handle this!" Michael growled, slamming his fists together to release a surge of lightning.

The Buglizard dodged, faster than he expected, skittering to the side on all fours. It spat more of that green gas, forcing Michael to leap back.

"Shockwave, got any more bright ideas?!" Michael shouted, frustration clear in his voice.

Shockwave's red optic flickered as he analyzed the creature. "It adapts. It learns from our attacks. It's targeting weak points."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Michael snapped, dodging another swipe.

Suddenly, the Buglizard feinted left, then twisted and lunged at Shockwave again. Michael reacted on instinct, slamming his hand to the ground and sending an electric pulse through the street. The shockwave erupted beneath the Buglizard, launching it into the air.

"Gotcha!" Michael grinned, leaping after it. He grabbed the creature mid-air, his fur surging with electricity. "Let's see you adapt to this!"

With a roar, he spun and hurled the Buglizard straight into a nearby power generator. The impact sent sparks flying, and the generator exploded in a burst of light and smoke.

The Buglizard screeched, twitching on the ground as arcs of electricity danced over its body. It tried to stand but collapsed, steam rising from its scorched scales.

"Two against one—well, the odds seem a bit unsporty," a smooth, taunting voice echoed through the smoky street, drawing Michael and Shockwave's attention.

Michael tensed, his fur crackling with residual electricity. "Who's there?" he demanded.

A low whistle cut through the air. The Buglizard, twitching and groaning moments ago, instantly perked up. It hissed, releasing a thick cloud of green gas, masking itself.

Michael coughed, waving his hand to clear the smoke. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Where'd it go!?" he growled, scanning the area — but the Buglizard was gone, like it was never there.

Shockwave's optic flickered. "It retreated... called off. Someone controls it."

Michael scowled. "Yeah, I caught that part, thanks."

Meanwhile, with Jen and Rook...

Jen soared through the air, her tendrils from Venom whipping around to keep up with the fleeing thugs. Rook sprinted alongside her, his agility keeping pace even on foot.

Jen's tendrils lashed out, snatching the leader from the group and yanking him backward. The chicken and the robot didn't even look back — they just kept running.

"Jen, shouldn't we chase the other two?" Rook called, still running.

Jen landed hard, slamming the thug to the ground before tapping her Omnitrix, reverting to human form. She smirked as she grabbed his helmet and ripped it off, leaving him gasping for air.

"No need. This one's going to take us right to them." Her voice was low and dangerous. Venom's tendrils coiled around her arm, ready to strike.

She leaned in close, her green eyes narrowing. "Alright, who's behind the shakedowns that keep interrupting my time with my beloved, amazing, perfect husband?"

The thug's face flushed pink as he wheezed. "I'll tell you... as soon as I can breathe."

Jen's eyes twitched. The tendrils tightened. "Not the answer I wanted."

Rook stepped in quickly, placing the helmet back on the thug's head. "That sounds like a reasonable deal."

Jen's head snapped toward him. "Rook, no!"

The moment air filled the thug's lungs, he smirked and tapped a button on his suit. A jetpack ignited, sending him blasting away into the sky.

"You idiot!" Jen shouted, slamming her Omnitrix. A flash of green later, she transformed into Terraspin. Her shell spun with a gust of wind, lifting her off the ground. Rook barely managed to leap onto her back as she took off in pursuit.

"You've never dealt with actual bad guys before, have you?" Jen growled over the wind, her voice dripping with irritation.

Rook glanced aside, a little sheepish. "I've read about them in books... and trained extensively."

"My darling Michael could've been done with this already, and we'd be off cuddling somewhere nice and quiet." Her voice dropped to a dangerous, sweet tone, almost sing-song. "But nooo... now I have to chase down this stupid little rat and make him talk."

Rook shifted uncomfortably. "I apologize, Miss Jen. I was only trying to ensure—"

"Ensure what? That he gets away? That he hurts my perfect, wonderful, irreplaceable husband?" Jen's voice darkened, her tendrils slipping out even in her alien form, twisting and writhing like living shadows. Her eyes gleamed with something unsettling.

"If anyone even thinks about touching Michael... I'll rip their arms off. Slowly. And then I'll make them watch while I feed their legs to Venom." Her voice dripped with honeyed malice, and the symbiote chuckled inside her mind.

Rook blinked, very unsure how to respond to that. "...You must really love Michael, Miss Jen."

Jen's furious expression softened instantly. Her cheeks flushed pink as her eyes sparkled with dreamy adoration.

"Of course I do!" she said, her voice turning syrupy sweet, as if she hadn't just been promising violence moments before. "Michael's my everything! My strong, brave, handsome husband... he's all I need in this whole stupid galaxy. No one else matters. Just him."

Her tendrils briefly coiled around her like a protective embrace.

"He's so amazing. I bet he's already beaten that ugly lizard thing. My hero..." she sighed dreamily, almost forgetting she was still flying.

"It really is admirable how much you love him. Wow, Earth romance is quite intense," Rook said, sounding genuinely impressed.

Jen's eyes sparkled, and her head tilted slightly. "Huh, maybe you're not that bad after all. I mean, most people say my love is either too obsessive or possessive or crazy. I mostly just kill them, but you're a good guy, Rook."

Rook froze, a nervous sweat breaking out. He wasn't sure if he should feel honored or terrified.

The thug swerved into a small, rundown factory. Jen didn't hesitate — she launched Rook off her back like a cannonball. He yelped midair but landed on the thug, knocking him to the ground.

Jen shifted back to human form, stomping over. Her tendrils slithered out, coiling menacingly around her. She grabbed the thug by the front of his suit and ripped his helmet off with ease.

"Alright! Who's your boss?!" she snarled.

"Uhh, Jen..." Rook spoke up, his voice uncertain.

Jen glanced up and finally noticed they were surrounded—dozens of aliens, all aiming energy weapons directly at them.

"Oh..." Jen blinked, unfazed as Venom's tendrils began snapping in the air like angry whips.

A smug, familiar laugh echoed from the shadows.

"Well, well. If it isn't Jen Tennyson," the voice sneered.

Jen's eyes widened, then immediately burned with fury. She knew that voice.

"Psyphon?!" she hissed.

The alien stepped out from the shadows, his twisted grin smug and confident.

"How have you been?" Psyphon asked mockingly. "I believe the last time we met was when your beloved husband fought Lord Vilgax."

Jen's hands shook, her pupils dilating. Her blood boiled like magma.

"First," she growled, voice low and venomous, "my husband didn't just fight him — he beat him to a bloody pulp. Second, my name is Jen Kaiser, and you will remember it. And third..."

Her voice exploded into a feral scream.

"YOU WILL FEEL THE SAME PAIN AS VILGAX FOR DARING TO INTERRUPT MY TIME WITH MY BELOVED MICHAEL!"

Her hand slammed down on the Omnitrix. Green light flashed—and she transformed into Heatblast.

Flames erupted from her body, scorching the floor beneath her. The temperature skyrocketed as waves of heat pulsed from her like a living inferno. Her tendrils, now wreathed in flame, lashed out uncontrollably.

The surrounding aliens barely had time to react before Jen unleashed a massive fireball, a blazing, furious explosion that consumed the entire factory.

Meanwhile, outside...

Michael and Shockwave wandered through the streets of Undertown.

"So, where do you think Jen and Rook are—" Michael began.

A massive fireball erupted in the distance, shaking the ground and lighting up the streets like a second sun. The factory collapsed in on itself, smoke and flames billowing into the air.

Shockwave didn't even blink. He raised one clawed finger and pointed.

"Right there."

Michael sighed, already knowing what was coming. "...Jep. Das ist Jen." (Yep. That's Jen)

TO BE CONTINUED.

Quick and small chapter, nothing really interesting happened to good?

Anyways, thoughts? Votes? Comments? Predictions?