Ben looked at Peter as they crouched in the shadows, observing the unsettling scene before them. More lizardmen than they had anticipated were gathered in the large, dimly lit chamber of the sewer. The grotesque creatures hissed and snarled, their claws scraping against the wet concrete floor as they awaited instructions from their leader.
Ben leaned closer to Peter and whispered, "There are way more lizardmen here than the serum we made can handle."
Peter's brows furrowed behind his mask. "Then we'll have to corner them somehow. If we can pin them down, can you do your DNA repair thing?"
Ben hesitated, glancing at the glowing Omnitrix on his wrist. "I don't know how many I can manage at once… but we have to try. And I just so happen to know the perfect alien to help us corner them."
Before Peter could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber. Both of them froze as Dr. Connors emerged from the shadows, now fully transformed into his lizard form but still wearing the tattered remnants of his lab coat. His presence silenced the other lizardmen as he stepped onto an elevated platform, addressing his mutated followers.
"My people!" Dr. Connors declared, his voice deep and guttural. "Today, we turn this city into our vision of perfection. The weak will be reborn, superior as we are, and the world will finally understand our excellence. After New York, we'll move to the rest of the country, and then the entire Earth!"
Peter clenched his fists. "I've had enough of this guy's speeches."
He leapt from the shadows, flipping through the air and landing on the platform in front of Connors. "Dr. Connors, stop this madness! We can still help you. We can turn you back."
The lizardman sneered, his reptilian eyes narrowing. "Help me? No, Spider-Man. I will help the world. They will see what it means to be truly superior!"
Peter raised his hands, web-shooters at the ready. "You're delusional. This ends here. We'll stop you."
Connors laughed, a low, menacing sound that sent shivers down Ben's spine. "We?" he repeated mockingly.
Ben wearing a mask stepped out from the shadows, standing beside Peter. "Yeah. We."
Connors tilted his head, observing Ben. "Two against an army? How noble. And how futile. Kill them!"
With a guttural roar, the lizardmen began charging toward the duo. Ben's heart raced as he quickly dialed the Omnitrix. He scrolled through the holographic silhouettes of aliens until he found the one he needed. "Let's heat things up."
Slamming the Omnitrix, a brilliant green light engulfed him, forcing the advancing lizardmen to shield their eyes. When the light faded, Ben had transformed into Heatblast, a humanoid alien wreathed in flickering flames. His body was made of molten rock, and fire danced from his head like a living torch.
Peter glanced at him and quipped, "Well, you're literally on fire now. I hope you don't burn the sewers down."
Heatblast smirked, his voice now deeper and resonating like crackling embers. "No promises. Let's light this party up."
The lizardmen hesitated momentarily, wary of the intense heat radiating from Ben's transformed form. But Dr. Connors roared, "What are you waiting for? Attack!"
They surged forward. Heatblast raised his hands, unleashing a wave of fire that spread across the floor, creating a wall of flames that separated several lizardmen from the rest of the group. "That should slow them down," he said.
Spider-Man leapt into action, webbing up a pair of lizardmen that tried to climb over the fire. "Nice work, hotshot. Now let's keep them contained!"
Heatblast launched fireballs at the feet of the advancing creatures, forcing them to scatter. One particularly large lizardman lunged at him, claws outstretched. Heatblast sidestepped and delivered a fiery uppercut, sending the creature flying into the wall. "Man, these guys don't quit."
Meanwhile, Spider-Man used his agility to evade attacks, webbing lizardmen to the floor and walls whenever he could. "Ben, can you turn any of these guys back yet?"
Heatblast frowned as he blasted another attacker. "Not until we clear out most of them. I can't scan their DNA while they're all moving around trying to rip our faces off."
Peter groaned, dodging a swipe. "Great. Guess we're doing this the hard way."
The two worked in tandem, their teamwork seamless despite the chaos. Heatblast created barriers of fire to funnel the lizardmen into tighter spaces, making them easier for Spider-Man to immobilize with his webs. When three lizardmen broke through the flames, Heatblast slammed his hands together, creating a shockwave of heat that knocked them off their feet.
Spider-Man landed beside him, panting. "Okay, that was awesome."
"Thanks," Heatblast replied, launching another fireball. "But we're not done yet."
From the platform, Dr. Connors watched with growing frustration. "Enough of this! You cannot stop evolution!"
He leapt from the platform, landing with a thud that shook the ground. His tail whipped out, nearly catching Spider-Man, who narrowly avoided it with a backflip.
"Ben," Peter called out, "you deal with the small fry. I've got the big guy."
Heatblast nodded, igniting his hands again. "Be careful, Parker."
As Spider-Man engaged Connors in a fierce one-on-one fight, Heatblast focused on containing the remaining lizardmen. He created a ring of fire around the largest group, forcing them to huddle together. "Alright, time to cool off."
Slamming his fists into the ground, he intensified the heat, melting a section of the concrete floor and creating a makeshift pit. The lizardmen roared in frustration, unable to climb out.
Finally, Heatblast turned to check on Peter. The battle was far from over, but they were holding their own. For now.