"Phil! You really did steal the Null-Gate Generator just to play both the arsonist and the firefighter for a paycheck!" Max stood tall over the broken man, his face a mask of disappointment as he confiscated the stolen Plumber tech.
"My mistake... just tell headquarters to come get me," Phil sobbed, his spirit shattered after witnessing the Cosmic Horror loom over the processing plant.
"Hey, Tyler!" Ben jogged over to the massive red giant as it began to de-transform. "That form... we have to call it The Cosmic Horror!"
"Sure, Ben. I like it," Tyler said faintly, giving a thumbs up as he reverted to his human self.
Ben looked down at his own green watch, sighing deeply. "Man, when is my watch going to give me something that cool? This thing is such a letdown."
By the time the official Plumber cleanup crews arrived, the Tennyson family was already long gone, leaving Phil trapped in a cluster of obsidian crystals for the authorities.
"Look at this! Pure, high-grade protein!" Max reached into a rotting log and pulled out a wriggling, fat white grub, popping it into his mouth without hesitation.
"Grandpa," Gwen groaned, looking like she was about to be sick. "You said this was a picnic. Please tell me you aren't making us eat larvae again."
Max paused, then grinned mischievously. "I wasn't going to, but since you mentioned it... everyone, grab a bucket! Let's go hunting!"
Tyler leaned against a tree, watching the chaos with crossed arms. "If it gets too bad, I'm just transforming into something without taste buds. What about you, Ben?"
Ben didn't answer. He was staring intensely at his wrist. The Omnitrix's faceplate was flickering wildly, the hourglass symbol spinning and inverting as if it were possessed.
CLICK!
The dial popped up, and a new icon appeared: a stout, armored sphere.
"I got one! A new alien!" Ben shouted, his mood flipping instantly. "Wait... I've unlocked four recently? That makes fifteen in total!"
Tyler was taken aback. Maybe Ben's growth is forcing the Omnitrix to catch up with my Carnitrix?
FLASH!
Ben slammed the dial and transformed into Cannonbolt. "Haha! Let's roll!" He curled into a ball and tore through the undergrowth, vanishing into the woods in a blur of yellow and white.
"He's totally ditching us," Gwen muttered.
"Maybe," Tyler replied, but his eyes were fixed on the sky. A streak of fire was cutting through the atmosphere. "No... look! A meteor!"
RUMBLE!!
The impact shook the forest floor. When the smoke cleared, a massive, pink, fleshy nest sat in the center of a crater. Thick, pulsating tentacles were already burrowing deep into the soil.
"Earthlings, stay away from the Great Fungivore."
Three aliens on circular flying devices descended from the sky. The lead warrior, a burly alien swinging a heavy energy axe, glared at them. "You're already dead. Go home and enjoy your final hours."
Tyler's Carnitrix hissed. [GLOBAL PARASITE DETECTED. CALCULATING PREDATORY RESPONSE.] Tyler slammed the watch.
WHOOSH!
The alien warrior swung his axe into the red light, but his blade stopped dead. A massive, four-armed hand had caught the axe mid-air. Tyler, as The Quad-Sunderer, stared him down with four murderous eyes. "The 'Great' what? Stop talking in riddles."
CRUNCH.
Tyler crushed the energy axe like it was made of dry twigs. He flicked a single finger against the alien's chest, sending him soaring fifty yards into a tree.
"He... he sent the messenger flying with a finger?!" the other aliens gasped.
Suddenly, a yellow-and-white orb bounced out of the trees, slamming into the second alien. Ben was back. Gwen followed up, slamming her staff into the ground to summon a gale that knocked the third alien out of the air.
The "Mighty Messenger Trio" had been dismantled in under three minutes.
Tied together with Gwen's magical energy, the aliens finally sang. "The Great Fungivore... it uses planets as soil. It absorbs all biological life to fuel its own growth. It has already begun the 'Absorption Phase.' This world is finished!"
"Look at the trees!" Ben shouted.
The ground within a hundred yards of the nest had turned a sickly purple. The vibrant forest was rotting in real-time, trees turning into brittle grey husks.
WHACK!
The withered trees suddenly moved like whips, lashing out at Ben and Max. Tyler stood his ground. When the dead wood hit his Tetramand skin, the trees simply shattered.
"So, you think you're powerful?" Tyler muttered, walking toward the pulsing heart of the nest. "Carnitrix... give me the recommendation. How do I kill a planet-eater?"
The aliens behind him sneered. "He's just a Tetramand! The Great One will dissolve him in seconds!"
Tyler stopped directly in front of the fleshy nest. The Carnitrix dial began to rotate with a high-pitched whine.
CLICK.
The core popped up. Tyler's eyes widened as he saw the recommended form. The Carnitrix wasn't picking strength—it was picking something much more surgical.
[Transformation Recommended: THE FALLOUT-FORGE (NRG)]
Tyler realized the logic. Physical strikes were useless against a parasite that thrived on organic matter. He needed to burn the infection out from the inside with pure, uncontained radiation.
Transformation Profile: The Fallout-Forge (NRG)Traits: A massive, rusted iron-lead suit with three narrow, glowing slits for a face. It is essentially a living nuclear reactor contained within a sarcophagus.Ability:Radioactive Venting. Tyler can fire beams of pure thermal energy or vent radioactive heat from the suit's vents, incinerating everything in a wide radius.Tactical Advantage: Immune to organic-based parasites and absorption. Physical attacks against the suit only heat it up further.