Grounded (Kalus 10)

Grounded is the second episode of Kalus 10.

Plot[]

Kalus arrives at his house at midnight and enters, but when he does, his mother is waiting in the living room, glaring at him when he tries to sneak past. She demands to know where he's been so late and he says that he was given a detention. His mother responds that he still should've been home hours ago and can tell he's hiding something from her. Kalus is unsure whether to tell her about the Omnitrix, because as much as he wants to, he knows it comes with risks. He lies that he stayed behind to do some studying and lost track of time but she reminds him the school building closes much earlier than this. Before he can protest, she tells him he's grounded and sends him to his room. He decides to not try arguing with her and goes up to his room where he looks at the device on his arm. He wonders how to remove it, knowing M.E.C.H will probably come after him again if he continues to use it. He decides to worry about it tomorrow and goes to sleep.

The next day, a man knocks on a door, yelling. The door is answered by a green-skinned man with grey hair who the man calls Animo. He tells Animo his rent is overdue and demands to know when he plans to pay. Animo leads him into his house and the man is surprised to find pieces of metal and blueprints littering the floor with a machine on the desk. Animo places it on his head and tells him it's his latest creation before taking a cover off a glass cage, revealing a frog inside. Animo's helmet, which he dubs the Transmodulator, releases a beam that mutates the frog into a giant creature with multiple eyes and horns. It swallows the man whole and Animo begins to laugh as he looks up at his beast.

Kalus and his mother are eating breakfast watching TV in the kitchen, where Kalus's mother can tell he's quieter than usual. She apologises for being so angry last night but says she did it for his own good, claiming he can't go around town all evening and come back at the late hours because anything could happen to him. Kalus hides the Omnitrix under his hoodie, not wanting her to see it. Before she can continue, a breaking news report comes on and the reporter explains a giant mutant frog has been spotted wreaking havoc in the city and all citizens are advised to stay indoors until further notice. Kalus, watching the report, realises it's a potential threat, and watches as the police attempt to confront it, but then he notices a man on top of the beast and wonders if he's associated with M.E.C.H. His mother watches and tells Kalus that's another reason he shouldn't stay outdoors, but then he excuses himself from the table and goes to his room, lying that he's going to do his homework. When he gets there he activates the Omnitrix and flicks through the transformations before selecting Fasttrack and transforming into him. He opens the window and leaps out, then he races towards where the creature was most recently spotted.

In the city, Animo and his frog are causing destruction, Animo laughing that this is the perfect test run for his new ‘pet'. Then, it reveals a long, thick tongue that it uses to hit a building and the rubble falls, with some people beneath it. Jacob is among them and stares up in shock, too scared to move. Then, he is saved before it can hit him. He wonders who rescued him and looks up to see Fasttrack, who asks if he's okay. Jacob is amazed to see another creature, this one with good intentions. Animo sees Fasttrack and is fascinated to see such a 'specimen'. He asks who created Fasttrack and Fasttrack replies that he isn't just some mindless creature, he's an alien hero who's about to save Bellwood from Animo's destructive path. He races at the creature but slams into its side, being too weak to do any physical damage. It then kicks him, sending him flying down the street. As the fight occurs, Jacob gets out his phone and begins to record it. Fasttrack gets up and wonders how he should confront the beast. He races at it once more but it releases its tongue and uses it like a whip. Fasttrack avoids it then claims that anyone's weak spot is their eyes, so he runs forward and hits the creature in the eye, causing it to wail out in pain. Animo tells Fasttrack to keep out of his way and his creature bounds off into the distance. Fasttrack is about to give chase but hears his Omnitrix start to beep so he runs off to time out before anyone can see him. He reverts in an alley and runs home. He tries sneaking back into his house but when he opens the door his mother is once again waiting for him.

Kalus is sat in his room, now being forbidden from leaving with his door and window locked. He flicks through his phone and sees Jacob has uploaded the fight of him and Animo and realises it's now trending all over social media. He realises this is bad, because now Jacob might be a target, so he tries to call Jacob.

Meanwhile, Animo is looking for ways to improve his creature and decides he must get hold of the alien he fought in that battle, thinking he could try and control it to do his bidding. He isn't sure where to find it, though, and then he sees a video on social media of the battle. Upon seeing who uploaded it, he smirks.

Jacob is in Bellwood, proud that his video has so many views when Cash and J.T appear, claiming they know the video he uploaded is fake. Jacob claims it's real but they don't believe him, then a shadow looms over them and they look up to see Animo and his frog.

A report pops up on Kalus's phone and he sees someone has seen Animo return to the city and kidnapped 3 boys. He sees an image and realises that the victims are in fact Jacob, Cash and J.T, then he sees a video beneath. He presses it and it plays, revealing Animo sending a message to whoever the mysterious alien is. He tells him to meet him at the observatory if he ever wants to see the trio again. Kalus knows he'll be in the biggest trouble he'll ever be in if his mother found out he snuck out again but knows it will be worth it to save Jacob, so he turns into Big Chill and turns intangible to fly through the wall.

At the observatory, Jacob, Cash and J.T are being suspended in the air by chains, Cash blaming Jacob for the whole thing. Jacob protests that he didn't want them to get kidnapped but Animo tells them to shut up, claiming they're getting on his nerves. He wonders where the alien is but Big Chill phases through the wall. Surprised to see another alien, Animo gives him the offer to work with him and he'll make him stronger than he's ever been but Big Chill refuses and flies over to the trapped humans. Before he can free them he's grabbed by a tongue and the frog pulls him to the ground. He phases through it, freezing the frog's tongue, then uses his icy breath to freeze the frog. Believing himself to be triumphant he turns to rescue his friends but then the ice shatters and Animo says it will take a lot more than that to defeat his creation. Big Chill avoids the frog's tongue then tries freezing it again but the frog leaps out of the way in time, then jumps at Big Chill. He turns intangible so it passes through then freezes the chains holding the humans in the air. He provokes the frog to attack him so it uses its tongue again but it phases through him and instead hits the frozen chains, smashing them and making the humans fall. Big Chill rescues them and flies them outside before going back in. He tells them Animo is too dangerous to allow him to keep harming people and he must stop him once and for all. Once inside he finds Animo nowhere to be seen and reverts. He wonders where he went before Animo grabs him from behind, saying he never suspected the aliens to be shapeshifting humans. He asks how many there are but Kalus says he doesn't know and struggles to free himself. Then he is hit by a crowbar, knocking Animo out and allowing Kalus to free himself. It is revealed to be Jacob who saved him and Kalus asks why he came back. Jacob says he wanted to see the end of the fight but Cash and J.T were too chicken and ran off. Kalus asks how much he saw and Jacob says the first thing he saw was Kalus being grabbed by Animo.

Then the frog appears and leaps at them. Kalus sees his Omnitrix has recharged and, knowing he must save Jacob, he turns into the first alien that appears on the dial. He becomes a metallic yellow and black alien who, on instinct, releases a magnetic pulse that forces the frog back. He wonders what powers he has and Jacob stands there, shocked to see Kalus just turn into an alien. Kalus asks Jacob to not tell anyone about this and prepares to battle the creature. He realises his head is floating in place, and notes that it must be magnetic forces, so he deducts that his alien must have magnetic powers. Using these powers he lifts some machinery and throws it at the frog, trapping it beneath. He decides to call his alien Lodestar but the frog breaks out and pins him down. Lodestar asks how he can defeat this thing and Jacob says it appears Animo, who has now regained consciousness, controls it with his helmet. Lodestar releases another pulse to throw the frog off him then uses his powers to attract the metal helmet, pulling it towards him. He then makes it collapse in on itself and destroys it, reversing the effects it had on the frog and returning it to normal. Animo realises he's been defeated and runs, but when he gets outside the police are waiting for him.

Kalus and Jacob are later behind the observatory, with Jacob asking Kalus a lot of questions. Kalus says he'll explain later and makes Jacob promise to not tell anyone about it. Jacob promises and Kalus wonders if having a friend who knows his identity could be dangerous. In a cell, Animo declares he'll get revenge on the shapeshifting hero, revealing he hid away the blueprints to the Transmodulator and he cackles with insanity.