BOOM!!
Tyler raised his palm with casual indifference, meeting Ben's lightning-charged spinning punch mid-air. The kinetic force rippled through the swamp mist, but Tyler's hand didn't move an inch.
"Damn it!" Ben hissed, his voice a distorted rasp of its former self. He tried to retract his arm, but it was like pulling against the weight of a mountain.
Tyler's grip tightened, his claws sinking into the thick fur of the infected Bolt. "You aren't going anywhere, Ben."
"Let me go! Let go of me!" Ben roared, his predatory instincts flaring. He leaned back, digging his heels into the muck, his muscles bulging with superhuman strain. "I said... LET GO!"
Tyler didn't respond with words. He lunged forward, his massive skull connecting with Ben's in a brutal headbutt that sent the boy sprawling backward into the reeds.
"Ben," Tyler said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying register. "I'm going to beat you awake right now."
The Carnitrix on Tyler's wrist began to pulse, the dial spinning with a mind of its own. It recognized the threat. Tyler slammed his hand down on the glowing red interface, shifting his form in a burst of bloody light.
"It's not certain who's beating whom yet!" Ben scrambled to his feet, his mind clouded by the Error Killing Consciousness. He threw a heavy, desperate punch at Tyler's silhouette.
CRACK.
The sound of bone hitting reinforced scales echoed through the woods.
"Ow!" Ben spun away, clutching his hand and blowing on his knuckles, his predatory arrogance momentarily replaced by sheer pain.
The Blood-Tyrant (Humungousaur) stepped out of the red mist, rubbing his massive claws together with a rhythmic, sickening click. "You've got ten minutes before you revert. For those ten minutes, don't blame me for what happens next."
BANG! BOOM! SPLAT!
The clearing became a one-sided slaughter.
"Ah! Tyler, I'm going to tear you to pieces! I swear it!"
"There's a time you close your eyes at night, isn't there? When that happens, I'll—"
"Wait... stop! Please, just stop!"
"Tyler, may your whole bloodline end with you!"
For ten agonizing minutes, Ben alternated between vicious threats and pathetic pleas, and for ten minutes, Tyler systematically broke his spirit with the weight of the Blood-Tyrant's fists.
When the red light finally flared and the transformation timed out, Ben slumped into the dust, covered in mud and bruises. He looked up, trembling. Tyler's human fist was frozen inches from his nose, his eyes cold and searching.
"Are you normal now?" Tyler asked.
"Tyler! You practically killed me!" Ben shrieked, his voice finally sounding like a scared eleven-year-old again.
Tyler exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders. "Good. You're back." He reached down to help Ben up. "You'll need some medicine for those bruises, but nothing's broken. The Bolt's physique is tougher than it looks."
"So," Max's voice cut through the air, vibrating with a grim authority. "Is someone going to tell me exactly why Ben turned into a homicidal monster?"
Ben stood up, mud dripping from his hair. To his credit, he didn't deflect. "It's my fault, Grandpa. I asked for the Carnitrix DNA. I wanted to be strong like Tyler, and... I didn't listen."
Tyler stepped forward. "I misjudged the infection risk, Grandpa. I shouldn't have let him scan it. Don't blame Ben."
Max stared at them for a long time. The anger in his eyes softened into a flicker of relief; despite the chaos, his grandsons had chosen to stand together. He put on his sternest face, pointing a finger at Ben. "Rule one: no transforming until that watch is verified safe. Rule two: you follow Tyler's lead on power risks."
He turned to Tyler. "And rule three: tomorrow, you transform into Brain-Drain and find a way to purge that glitch from the Omnitrix. Am I clear?"
"Understood, Grandpa," they said in unison.
Gwen watched them, her brow furrowed. "That watch... when it saw me, it didn't just want to fight. It felt... hungry. Why was it so excited?"
No one had an answer.
The four continued their trek through the forest toward the bayou's scenic overlook. Deep in the thickets, a shadow watched them pass. It was an ape-like figure, silent and calculating, tracking their every move from the darkness of the trees.
The scenic area was bustling with tourists exploring the murky marsh pools. Shops lined the clearing, selling alligator-skin souvenirs and even live hatchlings. Tyler's mood began to lift as they reached the water's edge. "This place is actually decent. It feels... wild."
"Tomorrow is the real show," Max promised. "The alligator feeding starts at noon."
"Uh, Grandpa? I think the feeding started early," Ben said, pointing toward the marsh.
A dark, massive shadow was cutting through the water, moving with impossible speed. A crowd of tourists gathered at the shore, snapping photos and laughing.
"That's not right," Tyler whispered, his eyes narrowing. "An alligator that big should be deeper. And look at the wake... you shouldn't be able to see a shadow that clearly if it's just swimming."
"Unless it's in shallow water," Gwen said, her voice dropping. "Or unless it's big enough to displace the whole pool."
WHOOSH!!
The shadow veered toward the shore. The crowd began to murmur, stepping back, but no one ran. They were too many; they felt safe in their numbers.
RUMBLE!!
The marsh erupted. A prehistoric head, several meters long, burst from the muck. Its jaws were wide enough to swallow a man whole. It lunged at the group on the bank.
"RUN!"
Panic shattered the crowd. People tripped over one another, falling right into the path of the beast. The giant alligator snapped its jaws shut on three unfortunate tourists, dragging them into the mud while it pinned others beneath its massive weight. This wasn't just a predator; it was picking targets with a chilling, calculated intelligence.
BOOM!!
A blur of kinetic energy, like a localized hurricane, swept across the shore. In a heartbeat, the fallen tourists were scooped up and deposited ten meters away on the high ground.
The alligator bit down on nothing but empty mud, its teeth grinding into the earth. It let out a frustrated hiss, trying to retreat into the pool.
BANG!
The blur struck again. The Kinecelere-Slayer (XLR8) slammed both feet onto the alligator's snout, driving its head deep into the shoreline.
"Get down and eat dirt!" Tyler's voice was a cold snarl. His body began to spin, his tail and limbs forming a razor-sharp top.
The centrifugal force drilled into the alligator's skull, forcing its head further and further into the mire. The beast thrashed its tail, five meters of muscle whipping the air, but it was powerless against the kinetic drill. Within thirty seconds, the massive predator was pinned vertically—its head buried deep in the mud, its body standing upright like a grotesque, clumsy monument in the bayou.
Unlock advance chapters on Patreon and stay ahead of the adventure!
Cadet Plumber — 10 chapters ahead
Ultimate Evolution — 30 chapters ahead
🛸 Patreon: patreon.com/Authorzero
Thank you for reading and supporting the novel!