Zombozo let out a shrill, bloodcurdling scream, staggering backward as if he'd just seen a ghost. His face turned pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"You... what kind of monster are you? You're terrifying!!"
As a clown who thrived on devouring human joy, he'd always considered himself frightening enough. But now, he realized there were creatures even more horrifying than him.
"You're not scared of this ordinary little ghost, are you~?" Ghostfreak said in a chilling tone as he slowly drifted closer.
He wasn't afraid of clowns anymore.
Seeing the ghastly spirit closing in, Zombozo hurriedly pulled out a handful of streamers and threw them into the air.
"Don't run, loser!" Ghostfreak roared, swinging his fist toward the panicked Zombozo.
Biu~
The thick bundle of streamers exploded with a sharp pop, bursting into colorful confetti. Zombozo vanished instantly, leaving only a rain of shimmering ribbons fluttering to the ground.
"Oh, man. I wanted to play a bit longer." Ghostfreak scratched his head.
The Big Chill hovered in the air, his ghostly form flickering in and out of sight. Arms crossed, he said coldly, "Alright, Ben. Let's go. Grandpa and the others are still waiting for us."
"Got it." Ghostfreak nodded, grinning. "I'm not scared of that clown anymore. If Zombozo dares to show up again, I'll give him a real beating."
Big Chill nodded slightly. It seemed Ben had finally overcome his fear.
With Zombozo fleeing in panic and the Psyclown destroyed, the battle was over. After making sure no remnants were left behind, Big Chill and Ghostfreak phased into their spectral forms, slipping through the thick layers of soil and heading straight for the surface.
Since the tunnel housing the Psyclown Machine wasn't far below ground, the two quickly emerged, greeted once more by the soft glow of moonlight.
Big Chill's icy blue wings fluttered with quiet grace as he turned toward Ghostfreak.
"Ben, head back to the Rustbucket. I'll check if that circus freak is still around."
Though he couldn't kill them, that didn't mean Lucian had no way of handling them. At least with someone timid like Eliza, he had his own methods.
Letting these people off too easily wouldn't teach them anything. The circus crew had long grown addicted to the thrill of taking what wasn't theirs. They needed a firm reminder.
"But..." Ghostfreak began, but the Omnitrix on his chest started flashing red.
A blinding light burst out, and in an instant, he reverted to his human form as Ben.
He stood stiffly on the withered lawn, motionless.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Big Chill's wings beat gently, sending a chill through the air as he floated closer.
Could he have been injured during the fight?
Ben stared at his hands in confusion, shaking his head.
"Cuz, I'm fine. It's just... this feeling's really weird."
"I don't know why, but when I changed back just now, I felt... resistant. Like when you're about to win a game of Sumo Slammers and Grandpa tells you it's bedtime."
Big Chill's eyes narrowed. This wasn't a good sign.
He had thought the replica Omnitrix was completely safe, which was why he'd let Ben use it. But now, it didn't seem that way.
And with the Omnitrix already fused to Ben's wrist, taking it off wouldn't be easy.
After a moment's pause, the Big Chill croaked, "Try to transform into Ghostfreak less often from now on, understand?"
"Fine," Ben shrugged, sighing helplessly. "Even though Ghostfreak is terrifying, I think it's pretty cool."
"It's dangerous," the Big Chill shook her head slightly.
"Hey, Cuz, remember that Ghostfreak that escaped from your watch? After it possessed Kevin last time, it hasn't shown up again. Wonder where it went now." Ben paused, glancing down at his Omnitrix.
"I wonder if the Ghostfreak in my watch might escape too?"
"Don't worry too much. Just stay vigilant." The Big Chill scooped up Ben and soared through the night sky. "Listen to me: just avoid transforming into Ghostfreak. If it really does escape, we'll just catch it again."
Though he said this, from Ben's blind spot, the Big Chill's gaze was unusually grave—a feeling Ben had never sensed before.
Currently, Ghostfreak was possessing Kevin, its whereabouts unknown. What if the two joined forces? Or worse, what if Kevin was completely controlled by Ghostfreak, becoming a ghostly version of Kevin 11?
Combined with Ben's earlier concern about another specter appearing, the situation would become truly perilous. A single Ghostfreak was already troublesome enough—two would be unbearable.
Of course, such futile worries were pointless. The greater the crisis, the more urgently Lucian craved to grow stronger.
Lost in thought, Big Chill had already carried Ben back to the circus camp.
After the battle between Diamondhead and the Circus Freak, the place was now a desolate wasteland, utterly ravaged. Torn tents, giant beast footprints, pools of corrosive acid... and shards of emerald crystal littered the dark, muddy ground.
"Stay here. I'll be back soon."
With that, the Big Chill transformed into a blue phantom, swiftly darting through the debris to search for the circus trio.
Moments later, the Big Chill returned, finding no trace of the others—likely already long gone.
Just as Ben was about to respond, the Big Chill suddenly grabbed him again, enveloping him in a chill as they soared toward the distant highway.
But when they landed, they found nothing unusual except a frozen rhinoceros and a path paved with ice.
"Cuz, why did you bring me here?" Ben asked, puzzled.
The Big Chill scanned the surroundings, then sighed. "Looks like that little girl got away. Let's head back..."
...
When the two returned to the Rustbucket, they found Gwen and Grandpa had fully recovered, all traces of the fatigue and drowsiness they'd felt during the performance vanished.
Not only that, but the townspeople had also returned to normal. Their eyes were bright and alert as they bustled along the crowded pedestrian street, chatting and laughing, their merriment filling the air.
Ben sat in the passenger seat, his expression fired up as he excitedly recounted his heroic deeds underground to Grandpa and Gwen—and of course, Lucian's timely rescue.
Gwen snorted lightly, retorting without hesitation, "I bet it was Cuz who took down the clown. You, with your doofus ways, would've been scared out of your wits!"
She even made a silly face to tease Ben across from her.
"No way! I did my part too!" Ben protested indignantly.
"Alright, alright. Grandpa Max believes you both did great," Grandpa Max said with a kind, gentle smile.
Chatting and laughing, they drove the Rustbucket away from the town under the morning glow, heading toward their next destination...