Chapter 50 Gorgon's Ability
"These two creatures both possess strength beyond ordinary humans. That Gentleman might have need of them, so it's best not to act rashly."
Lady Bullseye approached Gwen, who had been turned into a Stone Statue, picked up the Briefcase, and continued, "Let's return and report first. We'll explain things properly to Mister Kingpin and let him make the final decision. After all, That Gentleman detests others making decisions on his behalf."
Gorgon remained noncommittal. Kingpin was a capricious tyrant, and it was best not to overstep boundaries under his rule.
"Let's go. The car is waiting for us over there." Gorgon hoisted the unconscious Herman onto his shoulder and took the lead in leaving.
"Goodbye, Sweetheart." Lady Bullseye patted Gwen's face before following Gorgon out of the Port.
Soon after, with the sound of a car engine starting, the Port was once again enveloped in silence.
"Crack."
Rampage Tiger, now a Stone Statue, suddenly emitted a sound, and a fine crack appeared on its body.
"Crack, crack."
The sounds grew more frequent, the cracks multiplied, and countless stone fragments began to fall away. A slender, purple Figure emerged from the Stone Statue, collapsing to the ground.
"Hoo~, I really bit off more than I could chew this time." Yang Le gasped for air.
Just a moment ago, he had thought he was going to die. Thankfully, the Omnitrix's self-preservation function had activated. Sensing a lethal threat, it automatically selected an Alien Hero suited to the current environment.
"Turning into a mineral person to evade Petrification." Yang Le lowered his head, examining his arm composed of magenta crystals. "You're something else, Little Broken Watch."
Indeed, the Alien Hero the Omnitrix had chosen was Diamondhead, who, like Diamondhead, hailed from Petropia.
"You truly saved my life this time." Yang Le gazed affectionately at the Omnitrix on his chest.
"Right! Spider!" Yang Le looked up and quickly spotted Gwen, also transformed into a Stone Statue.
He rushed to Gwen's side. She was frozen in a punching stance, clearly resisting until the very last moment.
Yang Le clenched his fists. He had broken his promise. He had vowed to George to take care of Gwen, yet she had become a Stone Statue right beside him.
The blame lay squarely with him, with his habit of treating battles as games, his unlocking of the Omnitrix's full Authority, which had bred arrogance and hubris.
In the past, faced with such a lack of Intelligence, he would have likely chosen Swampfire, an Alien Hero known for his resilience and versatility, rather than the uncontrollable and unpredictable Rampage Tiger.
He was also a poor teacher. Even Gwen had been influenced by his recklessness, treating deadly combat as mere play.
Yang Le activated the Omnitrix on his chest, selected an Alien Hero, and pressed down.
A White Light flashed, and a completely new Alien Hero replaced Diamondhead.
Brass-colored, with a stout, metallic body, a massive wind-up key protruding from his head, and a circular, transparent Glass panel on his chest, revealing white gears within.
"I'll heal you soon, Gwen." Yang Le, transformed into Clockwork, said in a muffled voice. Self-pity was useless; it was better to address the immediate problem.
Clockwork focused his power into his chest and then unleashed it towards Gwen's Stone Statue.
A White Light beam enveloped Gwen. After the White Light subsided, the Stone Statue began to change.
As if a Video Recording was being rewound, Gwen, the Stone Statue, visibly reverted to her Human form at an astonishing speed, the entire process lasting only two or three seconds.
"Heya!"
"Clang!"
Because Yang Le had fired the time ray directly at Gwen, her last Punch before Petrification landed squarely on Yang Le's body.
"Ouch!" ×2
Two cries of pain echoed simultaneously. Yang Le was knocked off his feet, while Gwen crouched on the ground, clutching her right hand.
"Hiss~ What in the world just happened?"
Gwen gasped, looking around in bewilderment.
"In short, we lost, then I saved you, and then you punched your benefactor." Yang Le said, raising a hand from his prone position.
"Are you Habby?" Gwen asked uncertainly. After all, each Alien Hero looked vastly different, and she could only identify him by the Omnitrix on his chest.
"It's me." Yang Le raised his hand like a student called upon in class.
Gwen shook her hand; Clockwork's Skin was metal, after all, and the impact still stung.
Seeing Yang Le still lying on the ground, Gwen walked over and extended a hand to help him up.
"Can you explain in detail what happened?" Gwen reached up to remove her Mask, but remembering it wasn't safe yet, she lowered her hand.
"The last thing I remember was seeing a samurai who looked like he stepped out of a period drama. My Spider-Sense was vibrating like a Fascia Gun."
"I don't know much about that samurai either." Yang Le pondered, trying to squeeze any useful Message from his Brain.
"His Name should be Gorgon."
"Gorgon?" Gwen frowned. "The same Name as the snake-haired Medusa from mythology?"
"Gorgon is his code name. I'm sorry, I really can't recall his real Name. I only remember he's also a member of The Hand."
Yang Le racked his Brains, the wind-up key on his head seemingly spinning with the effort, physically embodying the phrase "his Brain is working overtime."
"As for his Ability, like his code name suggests, Petrification. Anyone who looks into his Eyes will be Petrified. And he also seems to be a Mutant."
"Mutant? What's that?" Hearing a new term, Gwen asked curiously.
"Similar to you, they're Humans with Superpower, except Mutants' Abilities are innate, while yours are acquired." Yang Le tapped his metal Head, producing a "dong dong" sound.
"As for Gorgon's Superpower… I think it's Mind-related, something like Telepathy."
"Telepathy? Doesn't that mean he can know everything we're thinking?" Gwen was shocked. "How are we supposed to fight an enemy like that? He doesn't already know our real Identities, does he?"
"No." Yang Le dismissed Gwen's concern.
"I remember his Ability isn't that powerful. It's not like he can read your every thought. His Ability is closer to Mind Resonance; he can only sense general emotions."
"As for defeating him, it's both difficult and simple. I recall his Ability also works on himself." Yang Le had a flash of inspiration.
Yang Le snapped his fingers and said, "Just equip a mirror and let him look at himself."
"That simple? Just like in the myths?" Gwen said in disbelief. She hadn't imagined that the Ability that had seemed insurmountable could have such a glaring weakness.
"Habby, how did you know that?"
Yang Le flashed a profound and enigmatic smile, though it looked somewhat goofy due to his Clockwork Transformation.
"The wisdom of our predecessors, nothing more."
(Wolverine used the reflection of his claws to deflect Gorgon's Superpower, turning him to stone. And his code name is also the biggest giveaway to his Ability's weakness. I really wonder what he was thinking when he chose such a code name.)
(End of Chapter)