Real Armada

Power Struggles and New Allies

The battle raged on, and the Decepticons opened fire on Optimus Prime. The force of their attacks drove the Autobot leader to his knees, but Optimus remained steadfast, his determination unshaken. Megatron, smirking with sadistic pleasure, revealed his Mini-Con partner, Leader-1. As the two combined, a massive cannon extended from Megatron's waist, powered by the Mini-Con's energy.

"This is only the beginning, Prime," Megatron taunted, activating the cannon. The immense blast of energy erupted, but the power of the shot sent Megatron careening backward, missing Optimus entirely and obliterating the hill behind him instead.

Optimus stood tall, amusement flickering in his optics. "Not quite as precise as you'd hoped, Megatron?"

But Megatron only laughed maniacally, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "That was just a taste of my power, Prime!" he roared. He began firing wildly, sliding backward with each shot until, to the surprise of everyone, the force knocked him onto his back. The uncontrolled blasts triggered a landslide, sending debris tumbling toward Alexis, Carlos, Rad, and Cassie.

Hot Shot reacted quickly, leaping into action to shield the children, while Red Alert protected the Mini-Cons from the falling rocks. Alexis peeked from behind Hot Shot's protective form and spotted something in the debris. "Look! There's something buried in the ground!" she exclaimed.

Among the rubble, Alexis saw three glints of light—more Mini-Con storage panels.

As Starscream and Demolishor rushed to their fallen leader's side, Megatron waved them off. "Fools! Destroy Prime!"

But before they could act, Optimus surged forward, grabbing Starscream by the head and hurling him toward Demolishor. The two Decepticons collided in a heap, and Optimus turned his attention back to Megatron, locking them into a fierce grapple.

Meanwhile, Red Alert and Hot Shot focused on the newly uncovered Mini-Cons. Red Alert carefully extracted one of the panels from the ground, activating it. As it came online, Hot Shot gained the Mini-Con partner, Jolt. Red Alert combined with his Mini-Con, Longarm, and the pair opened fire on the Decepticons, unleashing their newly unlocked weapons.

Realizing they were outmatched for the moment, Megatron ordered a retreat. "Decepticons, fall back!" he commanded, warping away in a flash of energy, followed quickly by Starscream and Demolishor.

Cyclonus, however, lingered for a moment longer, cackling insanely as he swooped down and grabbed two of the Mini-Cons that the kids had just unearthed. "I'll take these, thank you!" he sneered before warping away.

Back on the Moon, Megatron was less than pleased with the outcome of the battle—until Cyclonus arrived with the stolen Mini-Cons. His mood shifted as he inspected the new power at his disposal. "Good work, Cyclonus. These Mini-Cons will serve us well."

As the dust settled on the battlefield, Optimus Prime turned to Cassie and the kids, his expression grim. "Megatron will return. Now that he knows more Mini-Cons are on Earth, he won't stop until he finds them."

Rad, feeling guilty, kicked at the ground. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't touched that panel... I never would've done it if I knew it would start a war."

Cassie stepped closer to Rad, offering a reassuring smile. "None of us knew what we were getting into, Rad. But we're here now, and we have to help."

Optimus nodded at her, appreciating her resolve. "You're right, Cassie. And I believe you all have a role to play."

Alexis looked up at Optimus, curious. "Why do the Decepticons want the Mini-Cons so badly?"

"The Mini-Cons are powerful," Optimus explained. "They can enhance the abilities of any Transformer they bond with. The Decepticons want to use that power to dominate Earth and Cybertron. But the Autobots see the Mini-Cons as equals, not tools to be exploited."