Chapter 5: The Longest Run
Tokyo – 7:12 A.M.
The city stirred beneath a bruised sky, its skyline marred by the recent battle with Cruelight. Scorch stood at the edge of the crater where the confrontation had ended, her white body illuminated by the soft morning light. Her pink armor glinted as she extended her claws, feeling the residual heat in the air.
"He's still out there," she murmured.
Ben, perched atop a flipped-over taxi, poked at the Omnitrix. "You mean Sharim? The guy who tried to vaporize us?"
Scorch nodded. "He's not himself. The mutation... it's consuming him."
Hikaru approached, his Elementatrix pulsing softly. "We need to find him before it's too late."
Scorch turned to them. "I can track his heat trail, but I need your help navigating this planet."
Ben smirked. "You're in luck. I know this place like the back of my hand."
The Hunt Begins
They moved through the city, following Scorch's lead as she traced the faint heat signatures left by Sharim. The trail led them through alleys and over rooftops, the city's pulse matching the urgency of their mission.
As they moved, Ben couldn't help but boast. "You know, I've faced some pretty tough enemies. There was that time I took down Vilgax, and then there was Dr. Animo with his mutant animals. Oh, and let's not forget the Forever Knights."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Forever Knights?"
Ben grinned. "Yeah, a bunch of medieval wannabes with alien tech. Took them down with a little help from Four Arms."
Scorch listened intently, absorbing the information. "Your experiences could be valuable. Any insights on dealing with mutated beings?"
Ben thought for a moment. "Well, there was Kevin. He absorbed the Omnitrix's energy and mutated into this... thing. Called himself Kevin 11. He was unstable, dangerous."
Hikaru added, "Kevin's mutation was a result of absorbing too much power without control. Similar to what's happening with Sharim."
Scorch's expression darkened. "Then we must hurry."
The Encounter
The trail led them to an abandoned industrial complex on the city's outskirts. The air was thick with tension as they approached. Suddenly, a blur of motion, and Sharim stood before them, his form twisted and glowing with unstable energy.
"Sharim!" Scorch called out.
He turned, eyes wild, unrecognizing. "Scorch...?"
She stepped forward cautiously. "It's me. We're here to help."
Sharim's body convulsed, energy crackling around him. "Can't... control... it..."
Ben transformed into XLR8, ready for action. "Looks like talking's not gonna cut it."
Hikaru activated the Elementatrix, preparing for battle.
Scorch held up a hand. "Wait. Let me try."
She approached Sharim slowly, her voice soothing. "Remember the Harmonic Heights? The tempo-loop?"
Sharim's eyes flickered with recognition. "Tempo-loop..."
Suddenly, he screamed, energy surging as he lashed out. The trio scattered, dodging the blasts.
Ben zipped around, distracting Sharim. "Hey, ugly! Over here!"
Hikaru launched elemental attacks, trying to subdue him without causing harm.
Scorch focused, recalling their shared memories. "Sharim, fight it! You're stronger than this!"
For a moment, Sharim hesitated, his form stabilizing. But the energy surged again, and he vanished into the shadows.
Aftermath
The trio regrouped, catching their breath.
Ben sighed. "Well, that went well."
Hikaru looked to Scorch. "He recognized you. There's still hope."
Scorch nodded, determination in her eyes. "We will save him."
Ben placed a hand on her shoulder. "Together."
As the sun rose higher, casting light over the city, they prepared for the challenges ahead, united in their mission to bring Sharim back.
Tokyo – 7:38 A.M.
The warehouse/industrial complex creaked with settling heat, steam curling from ruptured pipes. The walls were warped, scorched with claw marks that shimmered faintly in the early light.
"Don't just stand there!" Scorch barked. "He's getting away!"
She shot forward.
Not with practiced speed—but with velocity that distorted the air itself. Kinet-born momentum surged from her, sending papers and gravel into the air like confetti caught in a storm.
Ben slammed his palm against the Omnitrix. In a flash of green, XLR8 emerged, his helmet sealing with a crisp click. "Let's see if he's still got it!"
Hikaru hesitated only a moment. Then: a burst of light from the Elementatrix.
"Feedgrade!"
A fusion of electricity and raw upgrade code surged through his body—sleek, agile, and riding Tokyo's infrastructure like a living signal.
Chasing a Ghost
Sharim wasn't running. He was tearing through Tokyo like a living comet, scorching every intersection, every rooftop, every neon sign in his path. The speed wasn't elegant anymore—it was fractured. Skipping. Jerking. As though reality couldn't keep up with his body.
Ben gritted his teeth. "I'm the fastest thing on this planet. He shouldn't be beating me!"
"He's not just fast," Scorch replied, eyes locked forward. "He's fractured. His trajectory's nonlinear—he's slipping. The mutation's pulling him in every direction."
From above, Feedgrade surged between data poles, riding a burst of magnetic charge. "Power surges across the grid. He's leaving instability in his wake. It's not just kinetic anymore—there's something else in him."
Below, manholes exploded from the street. Windows blew out. And yet, through it all, the heat trail was unmistakable—Sharim was burning, not just running.
"He's headed toward the river!" Scorch shouted.
Ben's heart sank. "He hits the bay at this pace, it's not just a splash. It's a crater."
"Localized implosion," Hikaru confirmed. "And kinetic detonations in water amplify."
Scorch's speed increased, pushing herself harder.
The moment she caught sight of him—Sharim—her chest tightened. His form was monstrous: bent backward with tendons glowing, shoulders hunching under the weight of unstable kinetic energy. One arm dragged like it was dead. The tempo-loop on his wrist pulsed irregularly, emitting a blue glow too sharp to be natural.
"Sharim!" she called out.
His head jerked—but not in recognition. It was as if the name cut through noise only briefly. He skidded, turned.
His eyes, once burning red, flickered violently. Colorless. Then blue. Then gold. His jaw trembled.
"Scorch…?"
Scorch stepped forward, carefully. "It's me. You're not alone."
His form twitched, energy crackling at the edges. He looked barely tethered to the ground. "Too much… it hurts…"
XLR8 arrived in a blue streak, coming to a stop beside her. "We've got about five seconds before he turns this whole dock into confetti."
Hikaru landed on the opposite side, arms already glowing.
Sharim let out a guttural scream and lunged forward.
XLR8 zipped around, drawing his attention. "Come on, hothead, you want a fight?! Come get it!"
Hikaru fired off a pulse of contained electric force—enough to shock, not kill. It hit Sharim dead center. The kinetic field rippled, absorbing the hit—and bouncing it back.
The shockwave cracked a nearby crane in half.
Scorch ran forward again, claws lowered. "Sharim, you don't have to fight. I'm still here. You remember me. You do."
Sharim paused.
Just one second.
Just long enough for his body to stop vibrating.
But then—his muscles spasmed violently. Energy surged through his spine. A distorted voice burst from his throat.
"No… more… futures!"
He charged.
He hit XLR8 first, sending Ben flying into a wall of cargo crates. Sparks erupted as Feedgrade tried again to tether him, sending a whip of electrified code wrapping around Sharim's right arm.
It held.
For three seconds.
Then Sharim tore through it like it was nothing. His breath came in rasps now. The energy leaking from him started vaporizing the very ground beneath his feet.
Scorch leapt, trying to reach the tempo-loop, claws clicking as she scraped the casing.
"LET GO!"
"Not until I get you back!"
Her voice cracked—not just with determination, but grief.
Sharim flailed, his back arched unnaturally. The dock trembled. Every board began to peel upward from the raw kinetic pressure.
He exploded outward.
Scorch was flung into the air. XLR8 reappeared in a blink, catching her before she hit the water. She was breathless, coughing, but alive.
When they looked back—the dock was gone.
In its place: a crater. Not wide—but deep. The metal below had melted into slag. And at the center, a tunnel bored into the earth.
Ben helped Scorch up, his mask peeling away.
"He phased through the ground," Hikaru said. "He's still moving."
"He's hiding," Ben said. "Or… escaping."
Scorch wiped at her face. Her hands trembled, claws flickering in and out of control.
"I touched him. He knew me."
Ben's expression sobered. "But not enough to stop."
"No," she murmured. "Not yet. But he's in there. And I'm not letting him burn alone."
The three stood over the smoldering hole as the morning sun finally broke fully over the skyline. Golden light bathed the rubble.
And beneath it all, deep underground, Sharim dragged himself into the dark, his fingers sparking against the dirt.
His voice barely audible:
"…sorry…"