FWOOOOSH!
A burst of pale green light flickered through the darkness!
Ghostfreak emerged from the woods like a phantom, his ethereal form hovering silently above the ground. His voice echoed with an otherworldly chill that made the air itself seem colder.
"Children... let me play with you."
"Is that a ghost?"
"Don't say it, just looking at that thing gives me the creeps."
Ben and Gwen couldn't help but shrink back slightly when they saw Ghostfreak floating out from the trees. Even though they knew Asher was usually gentle and level-headed, their bodies reacted instinctively to the ghost-like alien with primal fear!
"Ahhh... children who misbehave just need a good scare."
Ghostfreak's face twisted into a smile that would haunt nightmares. His form, seemingly without substance, drifted toward the electric alien that was terrorizing the park.
At that moment, the creature was riding high on its power trip, its entire body crackling with golden electricity!
It raised one finger slightly, pointing at an empty car in the parking lot.
TZZZZT!!
The finger suddenly released a golden beam of energy like a concentrated laser. When it struck the vehicle, there was an explosive BOOM, the entire car detonated instantly, engulfed in roaring flames!
"Hey, kid! That's enough!!"
A faint voice suddenly sounded from beside the electric alien.
The creature froze, then turned its head instinctively.
Ghostfreak's elusive form had appeared beside it at some unknown moment, his single eye swimming along the black lines of his body to stare directly at the startled alien.
Evil and unsettling, that gaze locked onto the creature.
"AHHHHHHH!!"
A piercing scream tore through the air!
The electric alien covered its head with both hands as if it had seen the devil himself. It screamed in terror and flew backwards, flailing wildly through the air! It careened dozens of meters away before finally stopping, still looking absolutely petrified as it stared at Ghostfreak in horrified surprise!
Much scarier than me!
"Wh-what is that thing?" The Happy Country owner was equally stunned. One electric alien was bad enough, why was there an even scarier monster here?
"Oh, so you do know how to be afraid..."
Ghostfreak sneered, his body continuing to float menacingly toward the trembling creature.
The electric alien raised one finger with a shaking hand and, TZZZZT, fired another bolt of electricity straight at Ghostfreak's body!
It was so frightened that it attacked on pure instinct, trying desperately to destroy this terrifying specter in one strike!
As the electric blast came hurtling toward him, Ghostfreak's form simply... disappeared. He vanished completely from that spot!
Complete invisibility!
His body phased to the side effortlessly, dodging the electric attack with ease!
BOOM!
The explosion of the missed shot spread out with dazzling golden light, creating the perfect ominous backdrop for Ghostfreak's reappearance!
"...?"
The electric alien looked around frantically, terror in its eyes. It couldn't see the ghost anywhere, as if the monster had never been there at all!
Or... had it left?
Just as that hopeful thought crossed its mind, a bone-chilling wind suddenly swept past the creature, so cold it felt like death itself. The alien shuddered violently!
"You..."
"Are you looking for me?"
Ghostfreak's freezing voice resonated from the right side of the electric alien once more.
In that moment, the creature felt its entire body turn to ice. An unspeakable cold gripped it as its head stiffly turned to the right.
The ghost... was floating right beside it, head turned to face it with that same "affectionate" gaze.
"AHHHHHHH!!"
The electric alien's soul nearly fled its body! Its fingers jerked up desperately, launching attack after attack in pure panic. One golden blast after another swept out like desperate strikes!
This time, Ghostfreak widened his eye mercilessly. A small amount of purple light condensed directly in front of his eye, forming an irregular energy sphere that slammed into the electric barrage head-on!
With Ghostfreak's enhanced combat power from the Sign-in System, even energy condensed in an instant was enough to overwhelm this terrified creature!
TZZZZT!!
The purple light and the golden electricity collided in midair! Ripples spread out like the Northern Lights, illuminating the entire area with spectacular prismatic colors!
In the end, that purple energy sphere tore through the electric attacks, slamming into the alien like a meteor!
CRASH!
The electric creature was blasted backwards by the bursting purple energy, turning into a blur as it smashed straight through a hardware store wall!
The entire store collapsed halfway in on itself with a cacophony of crashing sounds!
"Oops!"
Ghostfreak's expression shifted, and he scratched his head with an embarrassed look. "I held back as much as I could, but I still didn't expect to knock it out in one shot."
Even though this little troublemaker had caused significant property damage, at the end of the day, it was just a mischievous kid. Teaching it a lesson was fine, but actually killing it would be going too far.
Ghostfreak hurriedly floated to the ruined hardware store entrance. The interior was a complete disaster, with merchandise scattered everywhere in chaotic piles. Among the debris, a small mountain of screws, pliers, hammers, and batteries had formed, like something was buried underneath.
FWOOSH!!
Ghostfreak's claw flicked casually, and a powerful gust of wind lifted the pile of materials, revealing the electric alien pressed beneath...
The creature was absolutely terrified now, trembling violently where it lay. Worst of all, its square-shaped face was completely swollen, looking like a pig's head. It was a pitiful sight.
This was the same alien that had been recorded by the Omnitrix's DNA scanner just yesterday!
"Next time you come out to cause trouble, I'll be waiting for you!! You're lucky you didn't have any real intention of hurting innocent people, otherwise, even the gods couldn't save you!"
Ghostfreak's threat hung in the air like frost. He extended his claw and, using a practiced technique, picked up the electric alien with ease.
The creature thought: ?? This feeling seems... familiar.
Wait... this is exactly like last night!
When Ghostfreak floated out of the store carrying the now-docile electric alien, the few spectators standing outside were all visibly nervous. They held their breath, not because of the electric creature, but because of this ghost.
This thing is way scarier than that electric alien!
It was like watching someone subdue a monster, only to realize the hero is even more terrifying than the threat.
"Um, M-Mister... Monster!" The Happy Country owner walked forward with trembling steps, moving carefully as he watched Ghostfreak's every reaction, terrified the ghost might suddenly turn hostile.
"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm a reasonable person," Ghostfreak said with a dismissive shake of his head, trying to project an approachable demeanor.
"So we can... communicate?"
The Happy Country owner breathed a slight sigh of relief, though fear still lingered in his heart. He forced himself to continue despite his terror. "Although the creature in your hand was a bit naughty, its nature isn't truly bad. I can compensate for all the economic damages. I hope you can spare it this time."
This made Ghostfreak look at the man with newfound respect.
Throughout their entire journey, nearly everyone they'd met either wanted to persecute aliens or to capture Asher himself for the Omnitrix.
To suddenly encounter someone who wanted to protect an alien?
That's... unexpected!
"Don't worry, I'm here to help too. Here's what we'll do: you lead the way, and I'll help you send this little troublemaker home," Ghostfreak said with a light nod toward the Happy Country owner.
Hearing this, the man let out a deep sigh of relief. His expression returned to neutral as he cautiously began walking toward his cabin.
During this time, Ben and Gwen also followed along, constantly chatting with Ghostfreak as if he were just another alien friend. Of course, neither of them was foolish enough to reveal Ghostfreak's true identity as Asher.
This made the Happy Country owner break into a cold sweat.
The ghost in front just grabbed that electric alien with his bare hands... and now these two kids are casually chatting and laughing with the terrifying Mister Ghost like it's nothing!
Are kids these days really this brave?