"You think I'm afraid of death? I'm taking you with me!"
Ben Tennyson shouted, his voice cracking as he scooped up jagged gravel from the muddy bank, hurling piece after piece at Dr. Animo with desperate accuracy.
"Gah! Ow! You wretched brat!" Animo yelped as the stones pelted his sallow skin. He held up a massive gorilla gauntlet to shield his face, but his other hand slyly pressed against the damp earth.
BOOM!
With a surge of hydraulic power, Animo's body was jolted upward. He lunged forward, closing the gap in a single, metal-enhanced stride. Before Ben could reach for another rock, Animo's heavy gauntlet clamped down on the boy's throwing hand.
"Now," Animo hissed, his eyes wide and bloodshot behind his remaining lens. "Let's see how well you throw with a shattered wrist!"
Ben struggled, but Animo's second mechanical arm pinned his chest, locking him in place. The doctor's face twisted with a manic ferocity as the servos in the gauntlet began to whine, the pressure mounting on Ben's small hand.
BOOM!!
A sound like a thunderclap echoed across the marsh. Tyler Levison, in his four-armed state, arched his back and surged with primal strength, snapping the prehensile tongues that had bound his limbs like brittle thread.
The giant bullfrog Tyler had been holding was hurled through the air like a cannonball, skipping across the surface of the marsh pool. In the same motion, Tyler's hand-blade sliced through the chameleon's skull with surgical brutality. He spun on his heel, his lower right fist connecting with the giant crocodile's snout with enough force to turn the beast into a red mist.
In less than ten seconds, the arena was silent.
"W-what? Already?!" Animo stammered, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He had spent weeks observing Tyler, planning this ambush to the second. He had hoped the wave of mutants would keep the "God of War" occupied long enough to harvest what he needed. But once Tyler found his rhythm, he was a force of nature—the ultimate predator.
"It's your turn!!" Tyler roared, his four eyes locking onto Animo as he charged.
"Gah! Stay back!" Animo shrieked. He didn't wait. He flung Ben toward the deep marsh pool like a piece of discarded trash. "Catch him, freak!"
"Ben!" Tyler skidded to a halt, his momentum shifting instantly as he dove toward the water to intercept the boy.
"Time to go!" Animo scrambled onto his remaining bullfrog mount, the creature leaping into the thick forest canopy with a powerful, mud-spraying kick.
Gwen watched them go, her eyes burning. She turned to Max, who was still holding her back. "Grandpa, why did you stop me? I could have tracked him! Once we were deep enough in the trees, I could have used a containment spell!"
"First, the forest is crawling with his experiments, Gwen. It's a trap," Max said, his expression grim. He reached into his vest and pulled out a small, blinking device. "Second... I managed to tag that bullfrog with a Plumber tracker. Once Tyler has Ben safe, we hunt him together."
Deep in the heart of the wetlands stood an abandoned Astronomical Observatory. Its iron railings were rusted orange, and the structure was a skeletal ruin of holes and corroded metal. A stray crocodile hissed from the shadows of the entrance, guarding the doctor's new sanctum.
Inside, Animo tore off the heavy gorilla gauntlets and collapsed into a frayed chair. He turned a dial on the massive, ultra-long telescope that had been modified with jagged alien technology.
"I didn't get a direct DNA sample from the watch," he spat, slamming his fist against the console. "How am I supposed to finish the evolution? Am I just waiting to be hauled back to a cage?"
CLICK.
A soft, digital chime sounded from the interior of the discarded gauntlet. Animo froze. He slowly reached out, rotating the mechanical arm to reveal a small LCD screen on the wrist.
The screen was flickering with a stolen DNA sequence. Icons of The Kinecelere-Slayer and The Four-Armed Brute flashed in rapid succession.
"I see..." Animo's face slowly split into a jagged, ecstatic grin. "The brat doesn't just wear a watch—he becomes the specimen. The data was in the gauntlet's sensors the moment I touched him!"
He donned the gauntlets again, his eyes reflecting the blue glow of the console. He gripped the modified telescope, pivoting the massive lens toward the gathering storm clouds above.
"Initiate the Genesis Protocol!"
Tyler brought Ben back to the tourist clearing, reverting to his human form. The area was eerily silent; the other tourists had long since fled.
"Grandpa, where is he?" Tyler asked, his voice cold.
Max held up the tracker. "The central marsh. There's an old observatory there. We have to cross the mud to reach it."
"No need to walk," Tyler said. He rotated the Carnitrix dial, stopping on a sleek, winged silhouette. "This one will get me there before he can even blink."
CLICK.
Red light erupted, and The Jet-Slayer (Stingray) emerged. His wings were a ghostly, bone-white silver, and his jaw was a row of serrated needles.
"A demon," Ben whispered, looking at the creature.
"Stay close to the RV," Tyler commanded. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air, a sonic boom rippling through the stagnant marsh.
As he reached altitude, he saw it. The observatory in the distance was glowing with a sickening violet light.
"Animo! I'm coming for you!!" Tyler roared.
Suddenly, a beam of blood-red light shot from the telescope, piercing the clouds and illuminating the entire sky. Tyler banked hard, his instincts screaming as the Carnitrix on his chest began to pulse with a violent, rhythmic warning.
The sky didn't just change color; it began to rain. Not water, but glowing, crimson droplets that hissed as they hit the marsh.
"Tyler! What's happening?!" Max's voice crackled over the comms.
Tyler dived back toward the group, landing with a heavy thud. "Animo released some kind of energy into the atmosphere. The whole wetland is being covered in 'blood'!"
"We wait for it to clear," Ben said, shielding his eyes.
Tyler shook his head, rotating the dial again. His body began to swell, his muscles thickening into armored plates. "We don't wait. We send in a tank."
The Blood-Tyrant (Humungousaur) stepped into the crimson rain. The soil beneath his feet was already turning a bruised purple, and the air smelled like ozone and rot. But the Tyrant didn't flinch.
"If the marsh isn't safe," Tyler's voice rumbled, "I'll just crush the marsh."
New Transformation Log
The Jet-Slayer (Stingray Variant)
Traits: A sleek, aerodynamic predator with bone-silver wings and a jagged, needle-filled maw.
Ability: Sonic Laceration. Can fly at supersonic speeds, creating vacuum blades with its wings that can slice through reinforced steel.
Passive: Bio-Electric Navigation. Can "see" heat and electrical signatures through fog, mist, or solid objects.
The Blood-Tyrant (Humungousaur Variant)
Traits: A massive, bipedal dinosaur-like entity with thick, armored brown hide and a spiked mace-like tail.
Ability: Kinetic Fortitude. The more damage it takes, the denser its armor becomes, allowing it to act as a living shield.
Passive: Seismic Stomp. Can create localized earthquakes by focusing its weight into a single step.
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