"I don't know who you are, but it's time to go!" shouted Eve, with a sharp tone as she thrust both hands forward. A massive pink wall of energy burst into existence, slamming into a group of Flaxans and sending them flying like ragdolls.
"Eve," Robot's voice crackled through the comms, as he gave Johnny an earpiece so he can hear too, "two and a half seconds after this sentence, three enemy tanks will align fifty degrees to your right."
Eve didn't hesitate. "I got it," she replied, twisting her head just in time to see the alien tanks emerging through the smoke — bulky, six-legged machines, humming with a red glow as their cannons began to charge.
"I'll help you, Eve!" Johnny shouted, already heating up as his body burst into flame. He rocketed forward as the ground below him rippling from the heatwave. But just as he was about to reach her—
"Human Torch, wait," Robot interrupted. "I need you to counter the jetpack-equipped Flaxans to your left. No one on the team except Eve can achieve sustained flight. You are the optimal countermeasure."
Johnny slowed midair, glancing between the incoming tanks and the swarm of jetpack aliens strafing civilians across the street. His flames flickered with hesitation. "But I—" he started, watching Eve blast one of the tanks apart with a massive energy spike.
"Ok, sure. No problem," he said finally, forcing a smirk. "Guess I'll handle the air traffic control."
He shot off toward the left, cutting through the air like a burning spear. The heat trailing behind him distorted everything in his path. Ahead, three Flaxans hovered above a crowd of panicked people, their jetpacks spitting green smoke as they fired energy rifles into the street.
"Leave them alone!!" Johnny roared, his voice echoing through the chaos. He charged one of the Flaxans head-on, his fist glowing white-hot as he drove it straight into the alien's helmet. The metal shattered instantly, flames wrapping around the creature's head like a fiery crown before it fell, screaming, to the ground below.
Another Flaxan turned his rifle toward him and fired. Johnny spun aside, as the bolt of energy grazed past his shoulder, and grabbed the alien's jetpack strap. With a burst of flame from his other hand, he yanked the creature down hard, slamming it into the pavement before blasting it point-blank in the chest.
"Two down!" he yelled, scanning for the third.
He spotted it trying to flee — darting between buildings toward one of the portals. "Oh no you don't," Johnny growled. He poured on the speed, flames roaring louder, until he caught up and tackled the Flaxan midair. They crashed through a billboard, sparks and burning debris raining over the street as they tumbled. Johnny rolled onto his feet, breathless but grinning.
Behind him, Eve obliterated the last tank in a shockwave of pink light, and Robot's voice came through the comms again. "Efficient work, Human Torch. Maintain aerial perimeter and suppress any remaining airborne combatants."
Johnny wiped sweat from his brow, his flames flickering lower for a moment. "Yeah, sure," he muttered under his breath as he watched Eve hover effortlessly in the distance, radiant and composed. "You make it sound so easy, metalhead."
Johnny zipped between bursts of green energy fire, his flames streaking gold as he weaved through the chaos. The Flaxans were relentless — wave after wave of armored soldiers pouring out of the portals like a damn flood. For every one he took down, three more appeared, some even adapting, changing their gear and weapons mid-fight.
He blasted one out of the sky, then another, spinning in midair as he avoided a barrage of plasma bolts. "Robot!" he shouted over the comms, the roar of his flames nearly drowning out his voice. "Any idea when these things are gonna start aging again? You said something about time running faster for them, right?"
Robot's voice came through, steady but with a hint of strain this time. "I did. However, without consistent readings, I cannot determine when the accelerated aging process will take effect. Their equipment appears more resistant than anticipated."
"So basically," Johnny grunted, blasting another alien into a wall, "you don't know."
"Affirmative."
Johnny clenched his fists, frustration bubbling alongside the heat radiating off his body. The sky was filled with alien gunfire, lasers raining down, explosions echoing through downtown Chicago. Civilians screamed below, hiding behind overturned cars and crumbling concrete.
He looked around — Eve was trying to shield a group of people behind a barrier, Rex and Dupli-Kate were fighting off ground troops, Robot coordinating them all with perfect precision. But even with the Teen Team, the Flaxans were too many.
"Fuck it," Johnny muttered under his breath. "If time isn't on our side… I'll make it be."
He rosed higher into the air, flames trailing behind him like a comet's tail. His heat spiked, the color shifting from bright orange to blinding yellow. The very air around him began to shimmer, and cracks formed on the ground below as the temperature soared.
Eve looked up mid-fight, eyes widening. "Johnny?! What are you doing?!"
He gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as the energy built up inside him — like a sun trying to burst free from his chest. "Testing my limits!" he shouted back. "You might wanna stand back!"
Robot's voice cut in, urgent. "Human Torch, readings from your thermal output are reaching catastrophic levels! You must stop before—"
But it was too late.
Johnny roared, as his entire body ignited in a violent surge of energy. The sky exploded in pure light — a blinding, white-hot sphere expanding outward, engulfing the nearby area in a searing flash. Windows shattered for blocks, alien ships combusted midair, and the very clouds burned away in the sudden heatwave.
It lasted only a second — but it felt like eternity.
Then, just as suddenly, the light vanished. The flames around Johnny dimmed, flickering weakly as he hovered there, gasping for breath. Below him, the battlefield was a smoking crater of molten concrete and twisted alien metal. Most of the Flaxans were gone — vaporized or retreating through their portals in panic.
Eve and the others stared up at him in stunned silence. Robot's sensors whirred audibly through the comms. "Incredible…" he finally said. "You generated a thermal pulse exceeding several thousand degrees Celsius. Comparable to a localized solar event. Are you—alive?"
Johnny wiped sweat — or maybe tears — from his cheek, forcing a shaky grin. "Barely," he panted. "But… yeah. Still here."
He glanced at his hands — the faint yellow glow fading back to orange. He couldn't quite believe what he'd just done.
That attack was insane. He thought with odd as he stared at his hands.
"Guess," he muttered with a tired smirk, "I just found a new trick."
Down below, Eve just shook her head with a mix of awe and disbelief. "You're insane," she said through the comms, smiling faintly.
Johnny looked at her, still hovering among the drifting embers. "Yeah," he replied softly. "But it worked. Guess I will call it, Supernova."
As the dust finally began to settle, Johnny descended from the sky, still surrounded by faint flickers of fire licking off his shoulders. His boots touched the cracked street, smoke rising around him as the last few Flaxans dove back through their collapsing portals, retreating in full panic.
He stood there catching his breath when he noticed RexSplode and Dupli-Kate approaching through the haze, both covered in grime and alien blood. Rex had a hand over his forehead, squinting through the light.
"Damn…" Rex muttered. "Who the hell is that guy?"
Kate frowned, wiping soot off her cheek. "You mean the walking inferno that just ended the invasion? Yeah, good question."
Johnny turned toward them, the flames around him dimming to a gentle orange glow. His hair was slightly longer, his shoulders broader, every muscle on his torso carved and taut from the intense flame on he had been doing. He looked nothing like the overweight, awkward kid he was before.
"Yo," Johnny said with a small grin, raising a hand. "You guys okay?"
Rex blinked, then tilted his head. "Wait, wait, wait… you're Johnny?! What happened? You were a little overweight before but now you are…colosal!!"
Kate's jaw dropped. "No way. You're the same Johnny?!"
Johnny rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "In the flesh. Uh… sorry if I look a little different. Guess I've been working out."
"Working out?" Rex scoffed, circling him like he was inspecting a damn statue. "Dude, you look like you ate a gym and then bench-pressed the sun. What the hell happened to you?"
Kate elbowed Rex, but even she couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing a faint pink as her eyes trailed over Johnny's new form. "I—uh—yeah. You've… changed a lot."
Johnny raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "Good different, I hope?"
Kate quickly looked away. "Just… different," she said, pretending to dust off her gloves.
Eve landed softly beside them, her pink energy fading as she approached. She'd seen him from above — but now, up close, it was even more obvious how much he'd changed. Her eyes lingered for half a second longer than she meant to before she forced herself to speak normally. "You look… stronger. Like, a lot stronger."
Johnny chuckled. "Guess I've been putting in some extra hours."
Rex threw up his hands. "Man, what's next? You're gonna tell me Cecil's been giving you secret superhero steroids or something?"
Robot floated down next, his mechanical voice calm as always — he was the only one unsurprised by the change. "I already anticipated the improvement. Human Torch's heat-based metabolic rate would significantly increase his muscle density and overall physical performance. His transformation is a natural byproduct of his powers' prolonged use."
"Translation," Johnny said, half-grinning, "I burned off the fat."
Rex snorted. "Yeah, and replaced it with armor plating."
Kate giggled quietly, though she quickly hid it when Rex gave her a look. Eve, though, just smiled — softly, thoughtfully. "Well," she said, meeting Johnny's eyes, "whatever you're doing, it's working."
Johnny gave her a small, genuine smile in return. "Thanks, Eve. Means a lot."
Robot interrupted, his sensors scanning the area. "Compliments aside, the Flaxan threat has been neutralized for now. We should regroup before the Pentagon's recovery teams arrive."
Rex crossed his arms, still grumbling. "Yeah, yeah. But seriously, dude — next time, warn us before you go all sun explosion out there."
Johnny laughed lightly, the tension easing from the air. "No promises. Sometimes you just gotta… flare up."
Kate rolled her eyes but smiled. Eve chuckled quietly.
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