The RV continued its journey toward the amusement park. This time, the drive was smooth and uneventful, with no more accidents or emergency stops.
"Is Stinkfly really the last alien hero you haven't transformed into yet?" Ben asked, glancing at the Omnitrix on Asher's wrist. The device's faceplate displayed its charging status as green light pulsed rhythmically.
"Yeah, I only have ten alien forms total right now," Asher confirmed with a nod.
"So is there any way to unlock new aliens?" Ben's eyes lit up with curiosity. "I mean, the more aliens you have, the better, right?"
"The Omnitrix seems to have stored information about tons of different aliens, but most of them are still locked." Asher frowned thoughtfully, remembering his previous attempts to access the device's full database. In the original timeline, Ben had occasionally unlocked new transformations through sheer accident or when the Omnitrix recalibrated itself at critical moments.
"There is one reliable way to get new aliens, though," Asher continued. "If I can collect DNA samples from other alien species, the Omnitrix can store them and let me transform into those aliens too."
This was the most dependable method he knew of expanding his arsenal. The Omnitrix was designed as a diplomatic tool, after all, meant to allow the wearer to literally walk in another species' shoes.
"More aliens mean more options in a fight," Asher mused aloud. "Different situations need different solutions."
An idea began forming in his mind. "Maybe I could try collecting DNA from that lake monster we fought, or even test samples from other Earth creatures. Who knows? The Omnitrix might accept them and create new transformation options."
With this new goal in mind, Asher spent the rest of the drive lost in thought. Before he knew it, Max was pulling into their destination's parking area.
Asher stepped out of the RV alongside everyone else, expecting to see a bustling modern amusement park filled with food stands, roller coasters, and crowds of excited visitors.
Instead, they found themselves standing before what looked like a small frontier town frozen in time. Large elk statues stood at intervals along the main street. The shops lining both sides appeared weathered and worn, their paint faded and wood warped from age.
A large wooden sign hung above the entrance gate, its bright red letters proclaiming, "WELCOME TO MIRAGE PARADISE."
"As long as there aren't any sea monsters or alien attacks, this place looks fine to me," Asher said calmly, hands clasped behind his head.
Ben's earlier excitement deflated instantly. His shoulders slumped as he stared at the dated attraction. "Grandpa, please tell me this isn't the amusement park you've been talking about all morning."
"Don't be disappointed, Ben," Max replied with a confident smile. "There's no place more interesting than Mirage Paradise. Once we go inside and experience it for ourselves, you'll understand what I mean."
With that reassurance, Max strode confidently through the entrance gate, clearly familiar with the place.
Asher shrugged and followed after him without complaint.
Ben trudged along behind them, muttering under his breath. "I should've known. This entire summer trip is basically just Grandpa's nostalgia tour through his greatest hits."
After entering Mirage Paradise, the group wandered around for about fifteen minutes. Eventually, Max excused himself and headed off to visit different shops on his own, apparently wanting to browse without holding up the rest of the group.
Asher had initially planned to accompany his grandfather, but Ben's persistent pleading and Gwen's encouraging looks eventually wore down his resistance. Reluctantly, he agreed to help his younger cousins search for something entertaining.
They walked aimlessly for quite a while without finding much of interest.
Eventually, the three of them stopped in front of a small wooden cabin bearing the sign "HAPPY COUNTRY." The interior was concealed behind a heavy curtain, creating an air of mystery. The ticket booth at the entrance stood empty except for a single red button mounted on the counter.
"Are you sure you want to check out this Happy Country thing?" Asher asked skeptically, eyeing the somewhat ominous-looking structure.
"Compared to all those other outdated attractions we've seen, at least this one looks kind of interesting," Ben replied decisively.
"Alright then, if that's what you want." Asher sighed in resignation, reaching out to press the button on the unmanned ticket booth.
DING! DING! DING!
The bell chimed with a clear, ringing sound that echoed through the quiet area.
A middle-aged man with a worn hat and stubbled chin pulled aside the curtain and stepped up to the ticket booth. His expression was completely deadpan, not hostile, just utterly blank, as if his face had forgotten how to show emotion decades ago.
"Kids," he said in a monotone voice, "Happy Country requires tickets to enter."
"Three tickets, please." Asher pulled out a small stack of bills from his pocket and handed them to the expressionless proprietor.
The Happy Country owner accepted the money with the same blank face, counted out Asher's change with mechanical precision, and handed it back. "Follow me inside. You three will have a wonderful time here."
To be honest, if Asher didn't already know for certain that all the Limax had left Earth by now, the owner's behavior alone would've made him suspicious. The man's complete lack of emotions was unsettling, like he was operating on autopilot. (TN: Limax are the Aliens who stole the identities of Vera and the others)
'He'd better just be weird and not actually an alien,' Asher thought warily as they followed the man through the cabin.
The Happy Country owner led them through what Asher had assumed would be the main attraction space. Instead, they passed completely through the wooden structure and emerged from a back door into what appeared to be an entirely different world.
Behind the humble cabin façade lay an expansive area filled with various recreational facilities. Multiple attractions spread out in different directions, and they could even see paths connecting back to some of the shops they'd passed earlier.
"As I said," the Happy Country owner intoned with his characteristic dead-fish expression, somehow managing to convey congratulations without any change in his features or voice, "you'll get your money's worth here. Now go ahead and enjoy yourselves."
"Well, I guess we might as well make the most of it," Asher muttered, the corners of his mouth twitching into a reluctant half-smile.
For the next hour, they threw themselves into experiencing every attraction Happy Country had to offer. Just as the owner had promised, it actually was worth the admission price.
After running through the various activities, Asher found himself drenched in sweat and completely exhausted. The summer heat made everything worse.
Despite his growing fatigue, the Happy Country owner showed no signs of stopping. He continued leading them toward yet another small wooden structure, different from all the other recreational facilities they'd experienced so far.
"Can I choose to go back and rest instead?" Asher asked, unable to hide his exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to find an air-conditioned space and collapse for a while. "It's way too hot out here, and I really need to cool down."
"You're not going to stay with us?" Ben asked, looking slightly disappointed.
"We've already done everything else, haven't we? That should be enough," Asher replied, his entire body language radiating his desire to be anywhere but in the oppressive heat. He genuinely couldn't understand how Ben and Gwen still had so much energy left.
"No, no, you can't leave now!" The Happy Country owner's monotone voice finally gained a spark of animation, though his expression remained as blank as ever. "This is the craziest, most explosive attraction in all of Mirage Paradise, the real highlight of the entire park!" He gestured enthusiastically toward the mysterious wooden structure behind him. "Just walk through that door and you'll see what I mean!"
"Is it a haunted house or something?" Asher asked skeptically. "Because I don't really believe in ghosts."
"I guarantee you'll regret it if you don't go in," the owner insisted with surprising intensity, finally showing something resembling genuine emotion, though his face still hadn't moved.
This kind of sales pitch might work on naive kids who'd beg their parents until they gave in, but Asher wasn't falling for it.
"I really don't, " Asher started to decline.
DING!
The sound seemed to come from inside his head rather than from any external source.
"Signable object detected: Unknown biological DNA inside the cabin!"
"Host can obtain the creature's DNA and successfully record it with the Omnitrix to complete the sign-in!"
Asher froze mid-sentence.
What?!
There was an alien DNA signature inside that cabin? And not just any alien, one that the Omnitrix could actually scan and record?
This meant Asher could potentially gain an entirely new alien transformation. And with the sign-in system's bonus, that transformation would almost certainly come with enhanced abilities beyond the standard version!
Asher's expression shifted instantly. The exhaustion and heat discomfort vanished from his features, replaced by genuine interest. He smiled broadly at the Happy Country owner.
"You know what? I just realized I really want to see what's inside there after all!"
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