Chapter 4: A Dream of a Prize, Shattered by a Punch
Not far away, Dr. Animo saw the tables turn. With a squawk of desperation, he spurred his giant parrot forward, crashing through the supermarket's massive skylight in a shower of glass and plastic. He had no intention of getting tangled up with Heatblast.
"I will get back what is rightfully mine!" he shrieked into the night. "I don't have time to play these childish games with you!"
"Who was that guy?" Klein mused, reverting to his human form as the fiery alien form dissolved. "And more, is the pet food in this supermarket just too nutritious?" He had no real memory of Dr. Animo; it had been far too many years since he'd last watched the show.
"Beats me," Ben shrugged, kicking at a stray can. "Just some weirdo who showed up out of nowhere."
"Great hero! You saved our supermarket!" The shop owner scurried over, rubbing his hands together in a mixture of awe and relief. He addressed Klein, who had been Heatblast just moments before. "What can we offer you? Anything in the store, it's yours!"
"Oh, come on!" Ben grumbled, his voice thick with frustration. He kicked the can again, harder this time. "I'm the one who beat that big, stupid rat, and what do I get? Nothing!" He watched as the owner's gaze remained fixed on his older cousin. With a ten-foot-tall alien of living fire standing there, no one was looking at the kid as the hero. The lack of recognition stung more than any scraped knee.
"No, I'm not the hero," Klein said, his voice calm and clear. He gestured with his head toward Ben. "That kid over there is the one who took down the giant hamster. He saved that old man and the little girl. You, my friend," he declared, his eyes locking onto Ben's, "you are the true hero."
"Thanks! Cousin… I mean, Heatblast!" Ben's face lit up, a wide grin spreading from ear to ear. Being recognized by his hero-cousin felt even better than pulling a limited-edition Raging Sumo gold card.
"Child, what do you want?" the shop owner asked, finally turning his full attention to Ben.
"I want to..." Ben began, his eyes already scanning the shelves, but before he could finish, a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder and lifted him clean off the ground.
"Alright, Ben, that's enough," Grandpa Max said, tucking him under his arm. "We still need to chase down that big parrot." He didn't want Ben to get the idea that helping people was just a transaction for rewards.
Klein, however, simply shrugged. "In that case," he said, pointing a thumb towards a display case behind the counter, "please give me that."
Inside the case, gleaming under the fluorescent lights, was a Raging Sumo gold card.
"This is so unfair!" Ben sat sullenly on the Rustbucket's worn-out sofa, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "I do all the work, and what do I get? Nothing!"
"Oh, Dweeb, don't be such a credit hog," Gwen teased from her seat, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Alright, Ben, stop moping," Klein said, his voice laced with amusement. He dangled something shiny in front of his cousin's face. "Look. What's this?"
Ben's eyes went wide. "A Raging Sumo gold card! How did you get it?" He shot his hand out to grab it, then froze, his fingers hovering just inches away. It was his cousin's, after all.
"The shop owner gave it to me," Klein said, pressing the card into Ben's hand. "Want it?"
"Thanks, Klein!" Ben was ecstatic, turning the card over and over in his hands as if it were a holy relic.
"Now, Klein, that's not right," Grandpa Max said from the driver's seat, his tone disapproving. "We can't be asking for rewards every time we help someone."
"Relax, Grandpa," Klein replied with an indifferent wave. "Ben fought his heart out against that giant hamster. A small reward won't hurt. Besides," he added, glancing at Ben, "I'm sure he understands the lesson you're trying to teach." His real philosophy was much simpler: do whatever makes you happy.
"Exactly, Grandpa! I totally get it!" Ben immediately raised both hands in a gesture of solemn agreement, his eyes still glued to the card.
Grandpa Max sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Alright… But you can't do this next time."
"Fine, fine, I won't do it again," Ben mumbled, feeling a little sheepish under his grandfather's gaze.
"Guys, look at this!" Gwen swiveled her laptop around to face them. The screen showed an old news article. "Dr. Animo. In his youth, he was a renowned biologist, but he went insane after he was passed over for the Nobel Prize."
"So, where do you think he'd go?" Grandpa Max asked, expertly handling the Rustbucket through the city streets. The towering skyscrapers of Washington D.C. blurred past the windows. "This is a big city. Finding one giant parrot isn't going to be easy."
A spark of realization lit up Ben's eyes. "Wait a minute… I know where he's going!"
"The Natural History Museum!"
Under the vast, dark sky, the museum stood as a silent, unlit silhouette against the brightly illuminated city. Its imposing form seemed strangely eerie, a pocket of darkness in a sea of light.
The family slipped inside, finding Dr. Animo hunched over a strange device in the main hall. He spun around at their approach, his eyes wild. "Why are you people tailing me? I hate being followed!"
"It's over, Animo!" Ben shouted, planting his hands on his hips in a classic hero pose. "Surrender now, or we'll beat you so bad you'll be crying for your mommy!"
"Surrender?" Dr. Animo cackled, gesturing grandly at his machine. "Behold! My mutation device, a prototype of the second stage! Soon, modern Washington D.C. will become a prehistoric paradise!" He slammed a large red button, and the device roared to life. Scarlet arcs of electricity lashed out, striking the skeletons of a Triceratops and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In a grotesque display, flesh and muscle began to knit themselves over the ancient bones.
"Sorry," Klein said with a yawn, "if I were in a better mood, I might actually play along. But I'm in a hurry. It's late, and I really need to get back to sleep." He raised his left arm, casually twisting the dial of the Another Omnitrix with his right hand.
"Humungousaur!"
A flash of brilliant blue light filled the hall. When it faded, a three-meter-tall, brown-skinned dinosaur-like alien stood in its place, its yellowish-white underbelly contrasting with its powerful, muscular frame.
The newly resurrected Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops let out deafening roars. They towered over this newcomer, easily twice his size, and regarded him with predatory contempt.
"What are you roaring about?" Humungousaur's voice was a low growl that shook the very floor. "You got a problem with me?"
As he spoke, his body began to expand. Bones cracked and muscles swelled as he grew larger and larger, shattering display cases and cracking the marble floor. He didn't stop until he was over twenty meters tall, a true titan who made the two prehistoric beasts look like frightened little chicks.
The museum's ancient foundations groaned in protest, as if to say, This isn't funny, kid!
A low, terrified whimper escaped the throats of the T-Rex and Triceratops. Their primal instincts screamed at them to flee from the colossal predator before them, and they began to back away slowly.
Bang!
Humungousaur's movements were a blur. He shot out both hands, grabbing each dinosaur by the head. With a grunt of minimal effort, he slammed their skulls together in a sickening crunch of bone. The two dinosaurs collapsed in a heap, twitching for a moment before falling still.
"Listen up, you big, dumb dinosaur!" Dr. Animo shrieked from atop his parrot, realizing his creations were no match. He prepared to flee but couldn't resist a parting shot. "I'm going to get what's mine! Stay out of my way!"
Bang!
The parrot had barely gotten off the ground when a fist the size of a small car swatted it out of the air.
'A punch like that should have turned a man with Animo's physique into a fine red mist,'Klein thought idly as the villain's crumpled form hit the floor.'But I can't be bothered. His death is none of my business. If he doesn't die, should I? Besides, even if someone investigates, it was Humungousaur who did it, not Klein. Still… getting lectured by Grandpa would be really annoying.' He had already decided to pass it off as an accident if anyone asked.
Woo… Woo…
The wail of sirens finally cut through the night as police cars swarmed the museum entrance.
"You've got to be kidding me. You're like a cockroach," Klein muttered, now back in his human form. He stared in disbelief as Dr. Animo, bruised and battered but very much alive, was hauled to his feet by two officers.
"No! You can't arrest me!" the mad scientist screamed, struggling in their grip. "I still have to receive my award! My Nobel Prize!"
"Alright, kids, time to head back and get some sleep," Grandpa Max said, steering them towards the exit. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll be very excited about our next destination."
Ben and Klein were characteristically indifferent to the vague promise. Gwen, however, was another story. A faint blush colored her cheeks, a clear sign of her eager anticipation. Even covered in dust and dinosaur debris, a blushing Gwen was undeniably cute.
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