13: Max Nearly Got A Heart Attack

Early that morning, the Rustbucket rolled into a quiet little town.

It was a peaceful place—mostly elderly folks enjoying their retirement, living at a relaxed, easy pace. Even the Rustbucket seemed to slow down naturally as it entered.

"Grandpa, we've got two energetic boys here, and you bring us to Great Aunt Vera's retirement community? Shouldn't we be heading to a stadium or something?" Ben groaned, resting his chin on the window sill, clearly bored out of his mind. "This place is seriously dull."

"Dweeb," Gwen said, crossing her arms with a smirk. "I don't think Great Aunt's house is boring at all."

"That's because you're practically a little old lady already—wait, huh?! Did you see that?! That old man just did a backflip!!"

Ben had been in the middle of teasing Gwen when his eyes widened, and he pointed out the window in disbelief.

Gwen didn't even glance. She just snickered and said, "What's wrong, is your little brain overheating again?"

"Oh yeah? Weren't you the one who totally freaked out when Zack transformed back then?"

"And weren't you the one who got chased across half the lake by the Krakken last night? Don't think I didn't see that, doofus."

"You!"

And just like that, Ben and Gwen were back at it again—bickering like it was their favorite sport.

Zack set down his GBA handheld and turned to look out the window.

Outside—

An old man wearing reading glasses stood motionless on his lawn. When he noticed Zack watching, he forced a smile.

That smile… looked off. Unnatural.

"My memory of the plot from this point on is kind of fuzzy. Better stay alert," Zack muttered to himself, a chill running down his spine as he turned back around.

"Kids, we're at Vera's! Remember to guard your faces!"

As the Rustbucket came to a stop, Grandpa Max's voice turned playful.

Zack and the others hopped out of the van, just as a plump older woman came bustling over to greet them—it was Great Aunt Vera.

With a big smile, she immediately went on a face-pinching spree, grabbing both Zack and Gwen by the cheeks.

"Hohoho~ Gwen's cheeks feel the best!" Aunt Vera declared with gusto." Zack's gotten thinner though."

"That's not it, Aunt Vera—Zack works out and has a swimmer's build, unlike someone." Gwen stepped up while looking at Ben with a disgusted expression.

"Huff, whatever. By the way, Zack, you should transform into Tetra-Terror and let Grandma pinch you like that. Bet it'd feel super satisfying!" Ben showed a shit eating grin.

"Cough, cough—Ben, Gwen, stop talking nonsense," Zack muttered, giving them a side-eye.

"Why isn't she pinching Gwen like that.. " Zack and Ben rubbed their cheeks as they followed Great Aunt Vera into the house, greeting their uncle along the way.

Not long after—

Zack casually made up an excuse and slipped out of the house.

He had a clear goal in mind: he was heading straight for the yard of that strange old man he'd seen earlier.

"You're going to investigate that old man? Cool—count me in!" Ben said, appearing suddenly.

"Oh my god, are you serious…?" Gwen's voice followed right after, sounding exasperated.

Zack came to a reluctant stop and turned to see Ben and Gwen walking toward him.

"You can come," Zack said with a sigh, "but stay behind me. Got it?"

The three of them exchanged a few words, then quietly made their way forward.

Up ahead, on the lawn, an elderly man in a wheelchair slowly rolled toward them.

He opened his mouth—barely a few teeth visible—and croaked out a question: "What are you kids doing here...?"

"Sir, we're just visiting our Great Aunt. We're out for a little walk," Gwen replied politely.

"Great Aunt's house… a walk…"

The old man in the wheelchair repeated Gwen's words like a broken record.

He mimicked her tone exactly and continued to block their path.

"That's weird," Zack muttered, frowning.

"Why does this guy keep repeating everything Gwen says?" Ben commented.

"Maybe he has Alzheimer's," Gwen said with a hint of pity in her voice. "Let's just go around him."

With that, she and the others continued walking, choosing to ignore the strange old man.

But just a few steps later—

Wham!

The old man suddenly launched himself out of the wheelchair with unnatural speed, landing directly in front of them in a single, fluid motion!

He stretched out his hand and placed it on Gwen's shoulder.

"What is… Alzheimer's?"

His face began to distort grotesquely, his skin cracking open and oozing foul green slime.

"Did you just… expose me?!"

Bang!!

Zack reacted instantly, launching into a flawless, high-speed strike. With a kick comparable to Bruce Lee's flying kick, he slammed his foot squarely into the old man's chest!

Thanks to his adult-level physique and close-combat training, Zack's kick sent the old man flying!

The man crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, and his disguise shattered.

What lay beneath was a grotesque, yellowish-brown creature—a Sludgepuppy.

Its entire body was made of disgusting slime, and its internal organs were vaguely visible through its gelatinous, semi-transparent shell. The sight was revolting.

"Yeah, bookworm, what's Alzheimer's? Is that some kind of alien race??" Ben asked, wide-eyed and clueless.

"Daitou, Alzheimer's is a disease!" Gwen snapped back, her voice tinged with lingering fear.

Whoosh!!

A flash of blood-red light erupted—Zack had already activated the Carnitrix and was mid-transformation.

"I… I actually got kicked away by a kid? Am I really that weak?" the Sludgepuppy groaned as it shakily crawled back to its feet, still in disbelief.

But as it looked up—

Its face contorted in terror.

Hovering in mid-air was a monstrous, blood-red silhouette—an error variant alien so fearsome, it looked like a demon incarnate.

More than a dozen blood-red tentacles floated in the air like a swarm of chaotic demons, twisting and dancing with eerie elegance. Occasionally, one of them brushed past Gwen and Ben, making the two freeze in place, pale with fear.

The surrounding air grew noticeably colder, an unnatural chill creeping over the scene…

Error Variant: Ghostfreak — has appeared. [A/N: Oh yeah, did we come up with a name for Carnitrix Ghostfreak? Or will Carnifreak be good since he looks a lot more disturbing than the other variants?]

"No matter what your ability is," Zack said coldly, "using a fucking Ghost against you is always the right move. Heeh~~"

He gave a slight smirk and then raised his arms—more than a dozen writhing blood-red tentacles surged forward like spears, instantly impaling the Sludgepuppy's gooey body.

The creature's form was riddled with holes, pierced clean through, pinned like a lab specimen. It trembled, barely able to speak.

"I… I'm immortal…" it rasped weakly.

Squelch!!

Zack's tentacles twisted and yanked outward at once, shredding the Sludgepuppy into dozens of slimy, quivering chunks.

The torn slime wriggled on the ground, twitching and bubbling as it slowly began to reform, its grotesque body attempting self-reintegration.

"Gross and unkillable, huh…" Zack muttered with a frown. Then he glanced down at Ben.

"Yo, Ben. Aren't you gonna name this one?"

Ben's lips quivered. "Th-this alien… I… I don't dare."

"Alright, then just call me Carnifreak," Zack sighed lightly, cutting off Ben's hesitation and naming the alien himself.

"Carnifreak, it is."

"Zack! There's more of those Sludgepuppies coming!" Gwen pointed around in alarm.

Sure enough, across the quiet little town, the "residents" of nearby houses had begun transforming one by one into Sludgepuppies—each grotesque and dripping with slime, swarming toward them from all directions.

"Time to fall back!" Zack didn't hesitate. He immediately extended his blood-red tentacles, grabbing both Ben and Gwen.

With practiced speed, he pulled them along and raced straight back toward Grand Aunt's house, rushing through the door and slamming it behind them.

Inside Great Aunt's House.

Max gripped a broom tightly, his gaze locked on Grandma and their uncle, who were slowly closing in on him.

"Vera… All I said was I was going out to find Zack and the kids—why are you acting like this?!"

"Max… don't go," Vera said, her voice unnatural and cold.

"Yeah… don't go," Uncle echoed eerily.

Their faces began to distort, melting into grotesque slime. Aunt's features twisted horrifically as her skin dissolved, revealing a sludge-like form underneath.

Max's eyes widened in horror as Uncle's arms stretched unnaturally, reaching for him—

Bang!!

The next second, Zack's ghostly, ethereal form—his Error Ghostfreak transformation—suddenly materialized in front of the two Sludgepuppies!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His blood-red tentacles shot forward with surgical precision, stabbing cleanly into the two Sludgepuppies and instantly tearing them into dozens of writhing, slimy fragments.

"Grandpa, I'll keep this short—this whole town's been overrun by these things. We need to prepare for a prolonged battle!"

Zack's voice was calm, but his eyes burned with fighting spirit. He was ready for a war.

"…Alright, Zack. Just… next time, try not to appear so suddenly..."

Max lowered the broom he'd been holding in a death grip and took a long, steadying breath.

He was a seasoned old-timer—there was no way he was afraid of Zack.

He was just… experiencing a slightly elevated heart rate and minor hand tremors, that's all... Oh yeah, he was.. not afraid.