"This is going to be fun~"
Ghostfreak chuckled, his voice low and eerie.
"Cuz, beat those monsters up and show them what you've got!" Ben shouted from behind, cheering with excitement.
Gwen and Grandpa came running over, both out of breath.
Their arrival immediately drew Dr. Animo's attention. A faint, sinister grin spread across his face.
"Go! Kill those brats for me!"
Dr. Animo pointed toward the three behind Ghostfreak, issuing his command to the mutated beasts.
"Roar!"
"Hissss!"
"Chirp!"
The three mutated creatures went wild, their crimson eyes blazing as they charged forward all at once.
"Much as I'd love to stay, I'm far too busy," Dr. Animo laughed manically. "Just you wait—soon this city will return to the prehistoric age and become Prehistoric Washington!"
"And the Verities Award will finally be mine!"
With that, he spurred the mutated frog beneath him to leap away, quickly disappearing from sight.
Ghostfreak was about to pursue—but a sudden scream from behind made him turn sharply.
"Ah! You disgusting monsters, stay away from me!" Gwen shouted in panic, dodging frantically as the giant bird struck at her.
Meanwhile, Ben and Grandpa were also being chased by the other mutated animals, their situation worsening by the second.
"Clever old man~" Ghostfreak muttered darkly, turning and rushing toward Gwen.
Dr. Animo knew Ghostfreak was troublesome to deal with, so he deliberately commanded the beasts to attack Ben and the others, forcing Ghostfreak to protect them instead of chasing him down.
Crash!
The mutated bird swung its massive claws, aiming straight for Gwen—but missed, its talons raking across a metal shelf. Sparks flew as deep gouges tore through the steel.
"I'll have you know, I'm a karate master!"
Gwen spun and kicked the creature right in the neck.
But the attack only made the bird's enormous body tremble slightly. It screeched sharply and lunged forward, its beak stabbing toward her like a spear.
"Ah!" Gwen gasped, her pupils shrinking in fear.
At the last moment, a white blur flashed past. Ghostfreak appeared, grabbing Gwen and whisking her out of harm's way.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing safely beside the shelves.
"Stay here, Gwen. Don't move~"
As his voice faded, Ghostfreak's form vanished again, melting into the air.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
The mutated bird thrashed wildly, its beak jammed deep into the floor. Unable to pull free, it clawed furiously, leaving long, ragged gashes across the tiles.
"Need a hand~?"
Ghostfreak suddenly materialized behind it, his pale claws gleaming as he slashed down hard at the creature's neck.
The giant bird let out a low screech, its body trembling before collapsing limply to the floor, unconscious.
Truth be told, Ghostfreak hadn't evolved yet—his attack power was limited. His strength lay in stealth and unpredictability. Killing the bird outright would take too long, so knocking it out was the smarter choice.
Once Dr. Animo's DNA Transmodulator was destroyed, everything would return to normal anyway.
"I'll tie it up. Cuz, go help Grandpa and the others!" Gwen called, running over with a thick nylon rope in hand.
"Got it~" Ghostfreak gestured an okay sign before vanishing once more, gliding toward Ben and Grandpa.
"Hissss!"
A massive green serpent chased furiously after Grandpa Max, knocking over rows of shelves as it went. The crashes echoed through the store.
"You think I'm too old to handle you?" Grandpa grumbled, still running full speed.
Without any equipment, he was little more than a strong ordinary man—no match for the creature.
The mutated snake whipped its tail with terrifying force, smashing through an entire row of shelves and sending them flying ahead of Grandpa, blocking his path.
"What a pain…" he muttered, forced to detour toward a narrow opening nearby.
"Hiss!"
The snake's slit pupils gleamed coldly as it lunged forward.
But before it could strike, a ghostly shape solidified in front of it.
Ghostfreak appeared from the shadows, his white claws flashing like lightning as he lunged forward—striking directly at the serpent's eyes.
"Hiss!"
The mutated giant serpent let out a crazed roar, its massive body thrashing violently. The searing pain in its eyes drove it into a frenzy.
Ghostfreak seized the moment, his figure flickering above the snake's head. Clenching his fists, he slammed them down hard, knocking the creature out cold. Its enormous body went limp and crashed heavily to the floor.
"Just one left~"
As Ghostfreak was about to turn invisible again, the Omnitrix on his chest suddenly flashed red. With a dull thud, he reverted back to his human form.
"Ugh, this stupid watch…" Lucian muttered helplessly, shaking his head.
He quickly ran toward the last mutated creature, only to find the giant hamster pinned beneath a toppled shelf, unable to move.
"How about that, cousin? Pretty awesome, huh?" Ben said proudly, standing on his skateboard with a grin.
He had cleverly used his skateboard and the store's layout to lure the hamster in, then used its own charge to knock over several shelves, trapping it completely beneath the wreckage.
"Nice work, Ben." Lucian patted him on the shoulder.
Honestly, Lucian was impressed. For all his mischief, Ben was a sharp kid.
Before long, the police arrived, tied up the three mutated beasts, and transported them back to the research facility.
The supermarket, however, was a total disaster—merchandise scattered everywhere, shelves crushed, and the once-solid floor cracked and broken from the rampage.
After a round of cleanup, Lucian and the others returned to the Rustbucket.
"Oh yeah! That was totally awesome!"
Ben jumped up in excitement, holding the Sumo Slammers Gold Card in his hands, admiring it like a precious treasure.
Fortunately, before fighting the mutated hamster, he had hidden the cereal box under his clothes, so it hadn't been lost in the chaos.
"Dweeb cousin, if it weren't for you, Lucian would've already caught Dr. Animo," Gwen said, exasperated.
Grandpa shook his head. "Our top priority now is finding Dr. Animo and stopping whatever he's planning."
"But we don't have any clues. How are we supposed to find him?" Ben asked, puzzled.
"He said he was going to build a Prehistoric Washington," Lucian said calmly. "The answer's already clear."
Gwen and Ben looked at each other, then shouted in unison, "The Prehistoric Museum!"