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Sakaar. The arena.
The air tasted like rust and burnt oil.
"ROAR—!"
The modified Tetramand bellowed — not a warrior's cry, but the programmed shriek of something whose free will had been replaced by a kill subroutine. Its four cybernetically grafted arms raised simultaneously, each wielding weapons that pulsed with red energy: a battle-axe the size of a car, a chainsaw blade humming with heat. Vilgax's proprietary Red Sun technology — designed to cut through things that weren't supposed to be cuttable.
"Watch out!" Thor shouted from the rubble. "That axe can cleave an Asgardian shield!"
"Let's see if it can cleave this."
Jake stood his ground. Four eyes. Four arms. Zero fear. Thirteen feet of genuine Tetramand muscle staring down the cybernetic bastardization of his own species.
"The strength of the Tetramand doesn't come from the muscles. It comes from the honor. And this pile of modified flesh is nothing but a bulldozer that only knows how to push."
The monster charged — a crushing overhead strike that could bisect a tank.
Jake moved into it.
His upper hands shot out, fast as lightning, grabbing for the axe handle—
A red energy repulsion field erupted from the monster's mechanical arm.
SZZZT—!
Jake's hands were blasted off the handle. The axe grazed his shoulder and cratered the ground behind him, splitting stone six feet deep.
"Interesting." Jake back-jumped to create distance, flexing his stinging hands. "A turtle shell with thorns? Vilgax spent some real money on you."
In the VIP box, Loki shrank in his chair and whispered to the Grandmaster, "We should leave. If he sees me—"
"Leave?" The Grandmaster's eyes were fixed on the Omnitrix. "Look at that device! Instant biological reorganization! That's a one-of-a-kind collectible in the entire universe! I want it!"
Below, the modified monster pressed its advantage. Panels on its shoulder armor snapped open, revealing rows of honeycomb missile launchers.
"ROAR!"
Dozens of tracking missiles erupted — red exhaust trails crisscrossing, locking onto Jake from every angle. No escape vector unaccounted for.
"Don't want to fight close quarters? Fine."
Jake's mind shifted. Master Control Mode — no tap, no loading, no cooldown.
Thought-speed transformation.
Green flash.
Four Arms vanished. In his place — a tall alien made entirely of indestructible Petrosapien crystal.
Diamondhead.
Jake slammed both palms to the ground.
"Crystal Barrier!"
BOOM-BOOM!
A diamond wall — meters thick, translucent, geometrically perfect — erupted from the arena floor.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
Every missile detonated against the crystal surface. Flames roared. Smoke billowed. The wall didn't have a scratch.
The monster peered through the smoke, searching for a corpse.
The wall exploded outward — not collapsing, but disintegrating into thousands of razor-sharp crystal fragments that shotgunned into the monster's body, shredding exposed tubing and cracking optics.
And through the crystal dust — another flash.
A blue blur. Afterimages. Speed beyond visible tracking.
XLR8.
WHOOSH—!
Time slowed for everyone except Jake. He crossed a hundred meters in a blink, ran straight up the monster's massive body, and his claws went to work — precise, surgical strikes on every mechanical system he could reach.
SZZZ-SZZZ-SZZZ!
Sparks fountained. Before the modified Tetramand's combat AI could even register the new threat, its missile launchers were scrap. Its energy shield generators were ribbons. Its targeting systems were severed cables.
"FINAL BLOW!"
Jake leaped off the monster's shoulder, airborne, and the green flash hit one more time.
Four Arms. Again.
Thirteen feet of Tetramand fury, using thirty meters of free-fall as a force multiplier. All four fists clasped together into a single battering ram.
"GET — DOWN — NOW!!"
BOOOOM!!!
The impact hit the monster's skull. No shield. No defense. Nothing left to protect it.
The arena floor collapsed into a ten-meter crater. The modified Tetramand crashed into the pit, red optics flickering — once, twice — then going dark.
Done.
Jake stood on the unconscious monster's chest. Reached down. Found the electronic control collar around its neck and ripped it free, crushing it to dust in one fist.
Silence.
Then — the arena erupted. Thousands of alien voices, screaming, stamping, roaring approval for violence they didn't understand and a warrior they'd never seen.
Jake raised his head. Past the crowd. Past the noise. His gaze found the Grandmaster's VIP box — and the holographic camera pointed directly at the arena.
Vilgax was watching. Jake was certain of it.
"Listen, Squid-Face."
His voice was low, carried through the arena's broadcast system to every screen on Sakaar.
"I know you can hear me. You touched my people. You reached into my universe."
Jake drew a finger slowly across his throat.
"Wash your neck and wait. I'm coming."
He detransformed. Human. Walked to Thor, who was still sitting in rubble with the expression of a man who'd just watched someone speedrun his death match.
Jake extended a hand.
"Hey, Rapunzel. Long time no see. Where's your hammer?"
Thor looked at the hand. Looked at the crater. Looked at the unconscious five-meter monster lying in it. Touched his own cropped hair and gave a weak, genuine laugh.
"Don't ask, Jake. Family tragedy. I'm a 'Thunder Man' without a hammer now." He clasped the offered hand and let himself be hauled upright. "That combo you just did — Diamondhead, then the fast one, then back to the big red — can you teach me?"
"Sure. Soon as you learn to transform."
Jake pulled Thor up and looked at the VIP box. The Grandmaster was practically vibrating with acquisitive delight. Beside him, Loki was attempting to disappear into his own collar.
"SPLENDID! Absolutely splendid!" The Grandmaster's voice boomed. "New challenger! Who are you? Will you be my new Champion? I can offer wealth! Glory! Even a spaceship!"
Jake smiled.
"I'll take the spaceship myself."
He cupped his hands around his mouth and let his voice carry like thunder:
"GRANDMASTER! Since you love entertainment so much — tell me something. Where is your previous Champion? The big green guy?"
The arena went silent.
The Grandmaster's smile froze. His eyes flickered — calculating, hedging, suddenly very aware that the man in the arena was not someone who could be managed.
"Uh... well..."
In the VIP box, Loki heard the question, closed his eyes, and wailed internally:
I KNEW it. He came for the green monster. It's over. This entire planet is about to become ruins.
[Arena battle — complete!]
[Master Control Mode combo executed: Diamondhead → XLR8 → Four Arms.]
[Vilgax's modified creature — defeated.]
[Emotion resonance: 650,000 points.]
[Thor favorability: LIFELONG COMPANIONS.]
[Mission updated: Interrogate the Grandmaster. Locate the Hulk. Plan the breakout.]