The next morning, San Francisco.
The golden sunset hung on the eastern horizon, shyly hiding behind clusters of skyscrapers and spilling warm light across the city. On the busy pedestrian street, a long line wound past the sales kiosk like a crawling black dragon.
From the kiosk window, staff periodically handed out boxes containing an ornate game cartridge. The cover showed a fat sumo wrestler with a little ponytail, posed for battle.
"Awesome! I finally got it!" a freckle-faced boy shouted, clutching the cartridge to his chest.
"Bought it? Move along—there's a huge line behind you!" a black man shouted from behind, clearly annoyed.
The freckled boy laughed and bounced away, not caring about the man's sour face.
"Pfft, it's just a crappy game," the man sneered.
"Next!" called a staff member at the kiosk.
"Hey, it's my turn! It's my turn! Hahaha!"
The black man practically danced to the window, heart pounding, his expression changing faster than flipping a page.
In the long line, Lucian and the others stood in the middle, waiting for their turn to buy the cartridge.
"We've been standing here two hours and the line barely moved. My legs are killing me," Gwen complained, squatting to rub her calves.
"Nerd, I told you to exercise more," Ben said from the front, tiptoeing to check how many people were left ahead.
Gwen snorted. "Doofus, like you actually work out."
"Of course I do! A great hero's schedule is jam-packed—beating up alien weirdos totally counts as exercise," Ben said, self-righteous.
Grandpa Max, hair streaked gray and wearing his usual red floral shirt, smiled gently. "Ben, don't you already have this game? Why buy another copy?"
Lucian looked at Ben with a questioning expression too.
"Oh, come on! This is Sumo Slammers 2.1! You can change the main character's outfit color mid-fight. It's awesome!" Ben said, eyes shining with longing. He wanted the cartridge badly enough to wait until nightfall.
"All right, we'll wait here with you," Grandpa said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Ben's face suddenly went pale. A sharp cramp gripped his stomach like someone twisting his gut. Then an overwhelming urge hit him like a wave.
"Oh, damn it! Why now of all times?" Ben clutched his stomach and pinched his legs together.
"Ben, are you all right?" Lucian noticed.
"Heh heh… heh heh, it's… just a little problem," Ben forced a smile, sweating. "I can handle it. I'll be fine."
"Ben, you can't force it. That's bad for your health. Let's go back and come another time," Grandpa said, worried.
"No, I'm not going back!" Ben insisted stubbornly, holding his stomach. "I can hold on. I have to get Sumo Slammers 2.1."
Gurgle.
A strange noise came from Ben's stomach. His face turned even paler.
"Eww!" Gwen recoiled. "Go back, doofus! I don't want to see you poop your pants in public. That would be disgusting."
"I… won't!" Ben protested.
"Here's the deal. We'll stay in line and buy the cartridge for you. Then you can go back to the Rustbucket and take care of it," Lucian suggested. He didn't want to imagine Ben having an accident either.
Ben grabbed that lifeline and nodded frantically. "Awesome! I knew my Cuz was the best! You guys stay here in line—I'll be right back!"
Ben clutched his stomach, legs pinched together, and ran awkwardly toward the Rustbucket. The group exchanged looks and laughed, then returned to their place in line. Lucian estimated they'd still need at least an hour to get Sumo Slammers 2.1.
About ten minutes later, a commotion erupted at the ticket window. The crowd let out piercing screams and scattered in every direction like a boiling pot exploding.
"Run! There's a monster!"
"Aaaah! Help! Somebody save us!"
"Damn, I haven't even bought the game yet!!"
"Screw the cartridge. You need to live to play it. If you won't run, I will!"
...
BOOM!
The crowd ahead scattered like ants doused with water, panic-stricken and fleeing in all directions. For a moment, the air was filled with the sound of trampling feet, shrieks, and angry curses, leaving those behind staring in stunned silence.
"What's going on?" Gwen poked her head out, trying to see what was happening ahead.
"I think I just heard someone mention monsters. Could it be aliens causing trouble again?" Grandpa Max's expression turned grave.
If that were the case, he'd have to go back to the Rustbucket to grab his weapons. Ever since the last battle with Vilgax, Grandpa Max had retrieved some Plumber gear from Mount Rushmore and stored it in the Rustbucket—both as a precaution against Vilgax's return and to deal with other alien threats.
Thinking about it, Grandpa Max felt puzzled. He couldn't understand why this summer had been filled with so many alien encounters—almost as many as during his old Plumber days. Strange things happen every year, but this year was on another level...
Lucian's sharp eyesight quickly picked out what was going on up front. With perfect vision since childhood, he easily saw through the thick crowd. A towering figure stood near the sales kiosk.
Blood-red skin. Four arms. Four eyes. Muscles bulging across its massive frame—its sheer power was enough to make anyone tremble.
It was Four Arms!
With a furious roar, he lifted the flimsy kiosk and gave it a violent shake, sending the staff member inside flying. Dozens of valuable game cartridges scattered through the air, tumbling across the street.
"Oh my god, has that doofus completely lost his mind?" Gwen's eyes widened in disbelief.
In broad daylight, using his transformation powers just to snatch a game cartridge?
Grandpa Max frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Ben loves gaming, but he wouldn't go that far."
Beep-boop!
From down the street, a convoy of police cars came rushing in, red and blue lights flashing atop their roofs, sirens wailing through the city...
...
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