Night fell over San Francisco, but the city was far from quiet. The radio in the Rustbucket crackled with an emergency broadcast: "All citizens are advised to stay away from the Golden Gate Bridge! An unidentified giant creature has appeared; the military is currently mobilizing..."
"I have to hand it to the universe," Tyler muttered, leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. "Kevin actually ended up at the bridge, just like the original story. Some things never change."
Max floored the accelerator, weaving through traffic toward the bay. On the bridge, chaos reigned. Kevin—in his skeletal, malnourished version of The Cosmic Horror—gripped the suspension cables, his massive form looming over the terrified commuters trapped in their cars.
"I want gold! I want cash!" Kevin roared, his voice shaking the bridge. "Bring it now, or I drop this bridge into the sea!"
Captain Steel and his special forces stood at the edge of the bridge, paralyzed by the scale of the threat. Steel whispered into his radio, "Get the fighter jets and tanks. I want every one of these freaks erased."
"I can't hear you from down there, Captain," Kevin sneered, reaching a mountain-sized hand toward the officer. "Why don't you come up here and say it to my face?"
Before the giant hand could close, a foul-smelling gust of wind swept Steel to safety. The Stink-Fiend (Tyler) hovered over Kevin's head, a devilish smirk on his insectoid face. "Oi, Kevin! If you want to bully someone, pick on a real heavyweight."
FLASH!
Tyler slammed the dial. A pillar of crimson light erupted, and The Cosmic Horror descended from the clouds like a vengeful god. The impact of Tyler's full-strength form crushed Kevin, sending both giants plunging into the frigid waters of the bay.
The battle was a massacre. While Kevin had the size, Tyler had the "Prime" DNA and superior combat instincts. Tyler pinned Kevin to the seabed, delivering a barrage of blows that felt like a father disciplining a disobedient child.
"I got bigger... but I'm still just a sandbag!" Kevin gurgled as Tyler's fists rained down.
In a final act of desperation, Kevin crossed his arms, firing a deep blue energy ray. Tyler didn't even bother to dodge. He stepped back, crossed his own arms, and unleashed a Deep Golden Event Horizon Beam.
The two rays collided, but Tyler's was like a waterfall crushing a candle flame. The golden explosion completely disintegrated Kevin's borrowed form, sending the boy spiraling back to his human state and out of the fight.
[Ding! Host thoroughly dominated the malnourished Way Big. Progress +1%.]
[Template Mastery: 33/100. REWARD: MASSIVE MENTAL ENERGY ENHANCEMENT!]
Tyler felt his mind expand. The "fog" of the Carnitrix's bloodlust seemed to recede, leaving his thoughts sharper and more resilient.
As the golden afterglow faded, Tyler switched to The Void-Wraith and vanished before the special forces could surround him.
"The aliens are gone," a soldier whispered in relief.
"Not for long!" Captain Steel barked, clutching his rifle. "I will hunt down that disappearing freak if it's the last thing I do!"
Ben, watching from the Rustbucket, huffed. "We save him, and he still wants to arrest us? Some gratitude."
"Don't worry, Ben," Tyler whispered, a playful glint in his eye. "He's about to have a very bad night."
Suddenly, Captain Steel's body shivered. He stood perfectly still before his men, his eyes glazed. Then, with robotic precision, he unzipped his tactical gear and dropped his pants in front of the gathered news cameras and his entire unit. A ghostly shadow—the Void-Wraith—flickered out of his back and vanished into the night.
"Captain... what are you doing?" a soldier asked, mortified.
Steel snapped out of the trance, looked down at his exposed self, and then at the live news helicopter hovering above. "I... I think I need to resign," he whispered, experiencing the ultimate social death.
Back in the Rustbucket, Tyler lay on his bunk, focusing on the new surge of Mental Energy flowing through his veins.
"System," Tyler thought, "can I control the Slaughter Protocol now?"
[Ding! Specific effects are currently being calibrated...]
[Status: Mental resistance significantly increased. The Host's control over the Carnitrix has reached a new threshold. Future activations of the Slaughter Protocol will no longer result in total loss of self.]
Tyler looked at the red dial on his wrist. It was still a weapon of mass destruction, but now, he finally had his hand on the steering wheel.
New Enhancement Profile: Mental Overload
Effect: Tyler's brain now operates at a frequency higher than standard humans.
Carnitrix Synergy: He can now "negotiate" with the Slaughter Protocol, allowing him to maintain tactical objectives and spare allies even when the watch's bloodlust is active.
Psychic Resistance: He is now highly resistant to mind-control, illusions, and possession (e.g., from beings like Zs'Skayr).
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