The massive hamster roared loudly, its mutated body trembling with rage as it lowered its head and charged straight toward the group. Its oversized claws tore into the floor tiles as it ran, knocking over shelves and scattering products everywhere in its path.
Max immediately stepped forward instinctively, ready to shield the kids if necessary.
But before the monster could reach them, a brilliant flash of golden light erupted from the side.
A green figure burst out of the light like a bullet.
An oversized grasshopper crashed directly into the charging hamster with tremendous force, knocking the giant rodent sideways and sending it tumbling across the aisle.
"Crashhopper!"
The insect-like alien landed heavily, his large, powerful legs slamming onto the ground with a loud thud. His body straightened as he lifted his head, compound eyes immediately locking onto Dr. Animo and the small army of mutated animals surrounding him.
Animo blinked in confusion.
"What the? I don't remember mutating a grasshopper," he muttered under his breath while adjusting the strange helmet on his head.
Then his expression twisted into anger.
"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "I'll recapture you and make you obey your true master, myself!"
"GRAAAAR!"
The mutant hamster scrambled back onto its feet while the enormous frog and the gigantic parrot let out furious cries. At Animo's command, the three beasts lunged toward the oversized grasshopper at the same time.
Crashhopper bent his legs slightly. Then he launched forward.
Using the incredible strength in his legs, he slammed headfirst into the charging hamster, his horned head smashing into the creature's chest and sending the oversized rodent flying across the store. The hamster crashed through an entire row of shelves before collapsing in a pile of broken products.
Crashhopper landed again with a heavy stomp.
A split second later, a massive frog tongue whipped through the air toward him, smashing through several shelves along the way.
Crashhopper instantly flipped backward, the long tongue missing him by inches before slapping loudly against the floor.
Tilting his head upward, he immediately leaped again, narrowly avoiding the enormous parrot as it swooped down toward him with its claws extended.
The gigantic bird began chasing him through the store.
Crashhopper bounced from aisle to aisle, using the shelves and displays as stepping points while glancing over his shoulder. The parrot swooped behind him while the mutated frog hopped forward in huge leaps, trying to cut him off.
Landing on the ground again, Crashhopper crouched as his legs tensed.
But instead of jumping away this time, he launched himself directly toward the incoming frog.
His head collided with the amphibian mid-air.
The impact knocked the frog backward, sending it spinning across the store before it crashed into a pile of fallen merchandise.
Crashhopper twisted in the air as the parrot dove toward him from behind.
He flipped backward and then immediately launched forward again, ramming his head into the giant bird's chest. The parrot screeched as the blow sent it flying across the store, where it slammed hard against the wall.
Crashhopper landed smoothly and lifted his head toward Animo.
The mad scientist trembled with rage at the sight of his defeated animals.
"Mindless fool!" Animo shouted furiously while pointing at him. "You cannot stop me!"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"I will turn Washington, D.C. into Washington, B.C.!"
Before Crashhopper could leap toward him, Animo quickly scrambled onto the back of the massive parrot.
The mutated bird screeched loudly before launching upward. It smashed straight through the glass ceiling window of the Megamart and burst out into the open sky.
The mutated frog immediately leaped after its master, bounding through the same broken opening.
Crashhopper looked up at the hole in the ceiling.
"Does this guy have anything besides bad jokes?" he muttered.
"SHAAA!" A sudden screech interrupted him.
The mutant hamster, which had recovered from the earlier hit, lunged at him from the side and tried to slash him with its oversized claws.
Crashhopper reacted instantly.
He leaned forward and planted both hands against the ground, kicking his legs backward with tremendous force.
His powerful insect legs struck the hamster squarely in the chest.
The oversized rodent flew backward like a launched projectile, crashing through a nearby wall before collapsing in a twitching heap on the other side.
Crashhopper slowly straightened and turned his head.
His gaze shifted toward Max, Ben, and Gwen, who were standing nearby along with the shop owner and several stunned civilians.
Even though Crashhopper looked like another giant monster, everyone had clearly seen him rush in and save them from the mutated animals.
The store owner cautiously approached him with a grateful smile.
But before the man could say anything, Crashhopper spoke first.
"I'll go after them."
Without waiting for a response, he bent his legs and launched himself through the broken ceiling window, leaping out of the store in pursuit of the fleeing mutant animals.
Max watched him disappear with a quiet nod of satisfaction. Then he turned toward his grandson, clearly hoping Ben had paid attention to what just happened.
"We have to hurry," Max said as he immediately started running toward the exit.
Gwen quickly followed after him.
Ben hesitated for a moment, his eyes briefly drifting toward the golden Sumo Slammer card still on display.
Then he clenched his fist and ran after his grandpa and cousin.
...
As the Rust Bucket sped through the streets in pursuit of the fleeing mutant animals, something suddenly dropped onto the roof of the RV with a heavy thump.
Max instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror. For a brief moment he caught the reflection of a familiar golden flash, and he immediately recognized who it was.
"Gwen, go open the exit hatch and let Evan in," Max said while keeping both hands firmly on the steering wheel.
"Got it."
Gwen nodded and hurried toward the back of the RV.
Meanwhile, Ben remained in the passenger seat with his arms crossed, clearly annoyed as he stared out the windshield. From the look on his face, it was obvious he wasn't thrilled about how things had played out back at the store.
A moment later the roof hatch opened, and Evan climbed down inside with Gwen right behind him.
"Ah, just like the good old days before I retired," Max said with a nostalgic smile when he saw Evan stepping into the main area of the Rust Bucket.
Evan sat down while Gwen leaned against the seat nearby, opening her laptop and began trying to search for any clues.
"So exactly what kind of Plumber were you, Grandpa?" Gwen asked curiously, clearly interested now that Max had mentioned it again.
Max's smile stiffened slightly.
Seeing the direction the conversation was heading, he immediately decided it was still far too early to explain his past with the Plumbers.
"Uh… a dam good one," Max replied quickly before clearing his throat and shifting the topic. "Ben, what's the matter?"
Ben didn't even turn around.
"I could have saved the entire Megamart without the help of someone," he muttered while glancing into the rearview mirror, where Evan's reflection was visible behind him.
The glare he sent toward the back seat made his feelings pretty obvious.
Max let out a small sigh.
"Ben, being a hero isn't a competition," he said calmly. "This isn't some kind of game with scores and points. What matters is helping people when they need it."
Before Ben could respond, Gwen suddenly clapped her hands.
"Bingo!"
She leaned forward between the seats, clearly excited that she had figured something out.
"Five years ago, Dr. Aloysius Animo was a promising researcher in veterinary science," she explained. "But it turned out he was secretly doing all kinds of twisted genetic experiments where he mutated animals. When he didn't win some big scientific prize called the Vernities Award, he completely lost it."
She raised an eyebrow and looked toward the passenger seat.
"Anything about that sound familiar, Ben?"
Ben glanced back briefly before turning forward again, clearly thinking about it.
Before he could answer, a loud screech echoed through the streets.
The massive mutated parrot they had been chasing cried out again as it suddenly swerved between several tall buildings ahead.
A second later it disappeared into the maze of city blocks.
Max slowed slightly, scanning the streets, but there was no sign of the creature anymore.
"We've lost him," Max said, shifting his focus back to the road. "He could be going anywhere in Washington, D.C."
Gwen folded her arms. "Or Washington, B.C."
Evan spoke up from the back seat, his voice completely flat. "I still don't find that joke funny."
For a moment the RV fell quiet.
Then suddenly Ben's eyes widened. "That's it! I know where he's going!"
...
"The natural history museum."
The Rust Bucket came to a stop near the entrance, and the group quickly stepped out. The building loomed over them, its stone exterior quiet and imposing, though the damage to one side made it clear something had already passed through here.
As they walked closer, Ben bent down and picked something up from the ground near a cracked section of the outer wall. He held up a large feather between his fingers.
"Something tells me we're on the right track."
Max glanced at the feather and smiled in approval. "Good thinking, Ben."
Gwen folded her arms but still gave a small smile as she looked at her cousin. "Guess even a doofus can surprise you once in a while."
Ben leaned back slightly, grinning right back at her. "And you should know."
"Nice," Evan said simply as he walked past and gave Ben a light pat on the back.
With that, the group headed inside the museum.
The interior was dim and quiet, filled with long halls and towering displays. Skeletons of ancient animals stretched across the room while glass cases displayed fossils and preserved remains from creatures that had disappeared thousands, or even millions, of years ago.
Their footsteps echoed faintly as they moved deeper inside, all four of them scanning the exhibits while searching for the scientist responsible for the chaos earlier.
Ben slowed down when he noticed an empty display case near one of the walls.
The glass was cracked, and the information plaque beneath it had been knocked sideways.
"Uh… guys?"
Before anyone could respond, movement caught their attention across the room.
Standing near one of the larger displays was Dr. Animo, hunched over the strange device mounted on his chest while adjusting it carefully.
The moment he noticed them approaching, he straightened and frowned.
"You are very persistent," Animo said with visible irritation. "I hate persistence."
Ben stepped forward slightly, his expression serious now.
"We all know about you and your freakazoid experiments, Dr. Animo," he said. "It's over."
Animo didn't look the least bit concerned.
Instead, he smirked.
"Oh, but it's only just begun," he replied calmly. "You see, I only needed a few components to push my work into phase two… the reanimation of dormant cells."
Ben blinked.
"Uh… does this guy come with subtitles?" he asked, clearly lost.
"He's saying he can revive the dead now," Evan said flatly.
Ben nodded immediately. "Oooh. He could've just said that."
Animo's smirk widened.
"Smart boy," he said while gesturing toward Evan. "That's right. Breathing life back into that which has long since been lifeless."
He raised a hand dramatically. "Observe!"
Twisting the circular device mounted on his chest, the horns on his helmet began to glow. Sparks of energy gathered between them before a bolt of crackling electricity shot outward.
The beam struck the corpse of a woolly mammoth standing beside him.
The entire corpse lit up as energy spread across the ancient frame.
For a brief moment nothing happened. Then the creature's eye sockets flared with an eerie red glow.
A deep, thunderous roar echoed through the museum as the massive beast began to move, its enormous frame shifting as though the long-dead beast had somehow returned to life.
The ground trembled slightly as it stepped forward. The group instinctively stepped back in shock.
"Behold the genius that is Dr. Animo!" he declared proudly.
Still laughing to himself, the mad scientist immediately turned and ran deeper into the museum, clearly satisfied with the chaos he had just unleashed.
Gwen stared up nervously at the towering mammoth as it let out another roar.
"Now would be a really good time for you hero boys to do something."
"No duh," Ben replied seriously.
He turned slightly toward Evan.
"Evan, I'll leave Animo to you and them," he said, gesturing toward the direction the scientist had run. "I'll take care of jumbo."
Before anyone could argue, Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.
A bright green flash filled the room.
When the light faded, the small boy had been replaced by a towering red alien with four massive arms and a powerful build.
Four Arms cracked his knuckles and grinned up at the revived mammoth.
"Let's wrestle!"
With a heavy stomp that shook the floor, Four Arms charged straight toward the enormous creature.