Zack's heart tightened, and he was about to inspect the Carnitrix more closely.
"Oh fuck.. What self-awareness? Don't tell me—"
Bang!
Tetrax suddenly shoved Zack aside and quickly grabbed the hoverboard from the ground!
He flung the hoverboard into the air and leapt onto it. "You two—one has the power to protect himself, and the other can inspire endless self-reliance! I'm relieved!"
With that, he sped off on the hoverboard, fleeing the scene.
Gwen crossed her arms, a small smile on her lips. "Clearly, Zack was the one who scared you off. You don't need his approval, do you?"
"Heh, Zack—he approved of me, didn't he?" Ben chuckled, then looked at the troubled Zack. "Oh? Why the troubled look? Still stuck on the name thing? If you don't like Backlash then I can think of something else like Freak-Electric or something.."
Apparently, he thought Zack was still worried about the name he had suggested.
"Thanks, Ben, Backlash sounds cool, no need to think about it..."
After Zack thanked him and confirmed he was fine, he returned to the old, rustbucket with the others.
The old vehicle continued across the desolate landscape, heading toward their next destination.
Zack leaned on the lower bunk and softly said, "System, open the personal panel."
—PERSONAL PANEL—
Host: Zack
Age: 11
Template: Carnitrix
[Transformation Duration: 20 minutes]
[Cooldown Duration: 10 ~ 0 minutes]
[Killer Mode Unlocked]
[Killer Consciousness Unlocked]
Progress: 15 / 100
Skills:–
Multilingualism: Proficiency in five major languages.
Advanced Driving: Expertise in operating vehicles across land, air, and sea.
Close-Combat Techniques: Training in hand-to-hand or close-quarters fighting.
Precision Firearms Training: Instruction in the accurate and precise use of firearms.
Items: None
Unlocked Aliens:
The Original Ten
Snare-oh (Mummy)
Feedback -> Backlash
Frankenstrike
Blitzwolfer
Gorebolt
Terror Eye
Wildvine
Ditto
Gluttony
Grave Glacier
Upgrade
[New alien- Name pending]
Physical Condition: Adult-level physical strength
[Mental Energy: Significantly above average for a human]
...
Zack immediately sat up from a lying position, his face full of surprise.
"Huh? Why did the cooldown time change to 10 ~ 0 minutes?? System, explain in detail!"
Ding!
Simply put, the Host can now forcibly transform during the cooldown period!
Doing so will awaken the Carnitrix's Killer Consciousness, which, although temporary, will attempt to take control of the Host!
Hmm.. Now, Zack understood.
In the original, the Carnitrix could transform without a cooldown precisely because of its Killer Consciousness!
Now, the System had refined it, turning that ability into an active skill.
"This way, I can choose freely whether or not to unleash the Carnitrix," Zack said, clenching his fist slightly and taking a deep breath."I just wonder if I'll be able to resist the Carnitrix's control!"
He now possessed an extremely dangerous—but incredibly useful—trump card.
Overall, the advantages outweighed the risks.
"Zack, I really envy you… having so many alien heroes. Meanwhile, I'm still stuck with just these ten," Ben said, his voice heavy with longing as the Rustbucket rumbled toward the sunset.
Ben looked at Zack's watch… Then look at his poor, busted one, which sometimes didn't even listen to him!
Sigh… what a burden~
...
A new day.
Sparksville Town.
Inside a theme park named Fantasia Amusement Park
It featured oversized exhibits like "Giant Duct Tape" and "Giant Globes," but not much else.
The entire park, aside from Zack and his group, was nearly empty of visitors.
"Grandpa," Ben said, looking around in confusion, "Do you come to this park often?"
"Ben, how did you know?" Grandpa Max asked.
"Because if you weren't coming here to pay for tickets, this place probably would've shut down a long time ago!"
As Ben delivered his soul-piercing complaint, Zack and Gwen both smiled knowingly—this place really was unbelievably boring.
"Eh? Wait a second..."
Ben's eyes suddenly lit up, and the others stopped as well, curiosity piqued.
At the entrance of a pitch-black building, various warning signs were plastered all over, each one screaming caution.
"Please do not come close to 'It'!"
"Please do not touch 'It' inside!"
"Please touch the ground with both hands to discharge static electricity before entering!"
"Children under ten are strictly prohibited from entering!"
...
"What is this? A haunted house?"
Zack quirked an eyebrow with interest, lifted his foot, and was the first to step inside.
Once inside, the main attraction was a massive ball of yarn on display—nothing else.
"Just this ball?"
Ben stared at the giant yarn ball, speechless, and reached out to touch it. "Why can't I touch it?"
"Ben, leave it alone."
Zack reached out and pushed Ben's hand down, speaking sincerely, "It's better not to touch random things."
That bit of dissuasion made Ben give up the idea of messing around, ensuring a whole day of peace and safety.
Maybe he even earned some template energy~
Just as everyone was about to leave, the door suddenly slammed shut!!
"What's happening..."
Zack walked over to the door but couldn't push it open—it was sealed tight. "Eh? Why can't we enter?"
Inside the dim house—
The lights began to flicker wildly, and faint glows floated through the air like fireflies.
Sparks of electricity started crackling around the yarn ball.
Sometimes they leapt toward the group.
Other times, they struck the door!
Bang! Bang!!
From time to time, heavy knocking sounds echoed throughout the house!
"Is the world really acting up now?"Zack looked shocked, raising the Carnitrix with a hint of unease.
"Zack, I think someone has been unlawfully kept inside..." Gwen ran over in fright and clung to Zack's arm. Though they often teased each other, in moments like this, her childhood friend was still the most reliable.
"Don't worry... I'll break down the door!"
Grandpa Max stepped forward, raising his elbow and lining up for a strike.
The door opened with a bang, and they found 'It'.
"Eh? This is 'it'? A giant ball of rubber bands?" Gwen blurted out.
"And the sound seems to come from the inside," Max muttered.
Ben, full of fearless energy, walked boldly toward the yarn ball. "If I'm not mistaken, all this weirdness is because of this thing!"
"Ben, wait. The board says not to touch it—It might be dangerous."
"We can hide today, but we can't hide forever... Let's face the fear head-on!"
With the bold spirit of a true hot-blooded protagonist—Ben slammed his palm onto the yarn and gave it a hard pull!!
The yarn ball suddenly unraveled rapidly, and golden rays of light refracted from within!
Wherever the light reached, figures began to take shape—Zzzt zzzt~~!
They were small aliens shaped like batteries!
Each had four limbs, smiling faces,and their entire bodies crackled with fierce golden electricity!!
"Oh my goodness… they're all aliens!"Gwen gasped, clinging to Zack in shock.
"It's okay. Let me handle them."
Zack took a deep breath, quickly rotated the Carnitrix screen, selected a familiar alien, and slammed his hand down!
If he remembered correctly... These aliens were called Megawhatt, right?
As the blood-red light flashed—
All the Megawhatt were instantly drawn to it, flying toward the red glow with cheerful expressions.
One of them even bumped into the busted watch on Ben's wrist.
Ben instinctively protected his broken watch—only to find it flashing with bursts of light.
...
As the red light slowly faded, Gwen, still staring at the flying Megawhatt, clung tightly to the "Zack" next to her.
Wait, that's not right…
Zack had become smaller.
And his body felt cold to the touch.
"Uh?"
Gwen slowly turned her head, almost on the verge of tears. "Z-Zack, don't transform so suddenly like that again!!"
"Oh, Gwen, am I that scary?"
Standing beside her was a skeleton-like figure, about the same size as the Megawhatts.
He looked at Gwen in confusion, and Gwen nearly collapsed from fright.
The figure then turned to look at the Megawhatt.
"Ahhh!!"
The Megawhatts all suddenly scattered, surging toward the main entrance and smashing it open as they fled!!
Zzzzt zzzzt!!
Electric light radiated from Zack's body, forming his outer shell until he looked nearly identical to the other Megawhatts.
He chased after them, puzzled— Am I really that scary?
"This… this alien should be called…" Ben, though still shaken, took a deep breath and began his usual grand naming process.
[Ben's Megawatt in the original series was called Nosedeenian. I'm thinking of Blood-Light for Zack's transformation.]