After the performances by Thumbskull, Frightwig, and Acid Breath concluded, the three Circus Freaks slowly disappeared into the shadows, as if they had never existed at all.
People who hadn't originally planned to attend the circus now had high expectations after witnessing the trio's abilities, and began joining the queue to buy tickets.
In moments, a long line formed in front of the circus tent, with Asher, Max, and the others joining it.
"Asher, do you feel like something's off about those three?" Ben called out to Asher, who stood a few positions ahead in line. With so many people around, only Asher and his group could hear Ben's voice over the crowd noise.
"Yeah, definitely strange. Let's hope they don't cause any trouble, if they do, they won't like the consequences," Asher said, voicing his concerns.
"Asher, Ben, aren't you being a little too paranoid?" Max asked curiously, having overheard their conversation. "Those are just three ordinary people with abilities. It's not that unusual to find people like that in this world."
"Being paranoid is better than being oblivious, right? We can't afford to drop our guard!" Asher said sharply, immediately leaving Max speechless. The older man raised his hands in agreement with Asher's reasoning.
How could he argue when Asher made such a valid point?
"Asher, how about this, I watch from outside the circus, and you keep an eye on things inside, okay?" Ben proposed. "Consider it your vacation day!"
The word "vacation" made Asher momentarily waver, but his cautious nature ultimately won out. "No. It's too risky for you to handle alone."
"Come on, Asher! I can deal with those three weirdos if they try anything! I'll take them down! And besides, you'll be keeping an eye on Gwen and Grandpa Max inside the circus anyway."
Without giving Asher a chance to refuse, Ben patted him on the shoulder and slipped away from the line, disappearing into one of the shops at the rally.
The shop owner had left to watch the circus, leaving the place empty. Even if Ben stayed inside, no one would notice.
Asher sighed quietly. After a moment, his mood brightened again.
The three Circus Freaks outside were Ben's responsibility now. He could just stay inside and watch the performance in peace.
After waiting in line for several minutes, Asher and the others finally reached the front. Once they purchased their tickets, they entered the circus tent.
The interior space was massive. Asher and the others found three consecutive seats in the middle of the auditorium, each holding a soda and chatting as they waited for the performers to take the stage.
Then...
The circus lights dimmed.
From behind the stage curtain emerged the fat clown from the promotional poster, the one who looked gloomy rather than funny. His name was Zombozo. The performance officially began.
"Good evening, dear audience! Welcome... welcome to my performance tonight!" Zombozo slowly tipped his hat, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the crowd with an expression of barely contained excitement, as if eagerly anticipating something.
When his gaze passed over Asher, a wave of coldness washed over the young hero.
This clown made his skin crawl!
Can't let my guard down in this circus. This Zombozo character is definitely up to something, Asher thought, resisting the urge to transform and deal with the threat immediately. He sat quietly in his seat.
He wanted to see exactly what kind of scheme this circus was running!
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, welcoming Zombozo's arrival. Everyone seemed genuinely excited.
"Well then... let the show begin!"
Zombozo removed his magic hat, revealing a bald head ringed with tufts of red hair, a classic "Mediterranean" pattern. Combined with his pale complexion and old, ugly features, he looked less like a clown and more like some kind of aging, hair-loss vampire.
POOF!
A burst of smoke erupted from the magic hat in his hands. When it cleared, the hat had vanished, replaced by a fluttering flock of white doves that flew out over the audience!
"Hahaha! Isn't my head hilarious?" Zombozo pointed at his bald spot with an "innocent" smile.
"This... this is the circus? Is this supposed to be entertainment, or an insult to my intelligence?" Asher felt a surge of disbelief and nearly spit out his drink.
"Hahaha!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
To Asher's shock, both Gwen and Max beside him burst out laughing at the same time, their laughter uncontrollable and genuine.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Even the other audience members joined in, and the entire auditorium suddenly came alive with laughter. The place became incredibly lively!
It was as if Zombozo were actually some kind of comedy superstar!
"Heh heh..."
Zombozo's smile widened into something even more sinister. Two balls appeared in his hands, and he began tossing them back and forth, attempting to juggle. Throughout the entire routine, he only managed three or four balls, and he could barely catch them!
Most outrageously, when he could no longer catch the balls, they fell to the ground, and he kicked them away in frustration!
"Hahaha!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
And yet, the auditorium erupted with laughter once again at Zombozo's failed performance.
"This is ridiculous! Gwen? Grandpa? You're actually laughing at this? This Zombozo guy's act is obviously terrible!" Asher finally couldn't hold back anymore, turning to the two laughing people beside him with genuine confusion.
But it was as if they couldn't hear him at all. They just continued laughing to themselves.
It was like they couldn't control their own laughter!
Hmm? This kid's still unaffected? No matter, after a few more rounds, he'll be laughing out loud too! Zombozo's expression remained unchanged after seeing Asher, the only person in the entire audience who wasn't laughing. The clown thought confidently to himself.
And sure enough!
After Zombozo went through several more rounds of deliberately terrible performances, it wasn't just the other audience members who were laughing.
Even Asher felt a strange sensation building in his heart. An unconscious smile began creeping across his face, his eyes growing slightly unfocused, his mind teetering on the edge of falling into endless, uncontrollable laughter.
That's right! This kid's laughing too. Haha! I'm actually surprised he resisted my "joke" power for this long. His willpower is quite strong. Should make for an interesting subject to study later... Zombozo glanced at Asher with renewed interest before looking away.
Asher's smile grew wider and wider, becoming more and more enthusiastic, nearly matching Gwen and the others. He was mere moments away from bursting into laughter.
Then, from within the Omnitrix,
A domineering, powerful voice suddenly rang out, as if it could penetrate the watch itself and strike directly at Asher's heart!
"BOY! DON'T LET YOURSELF BE DECEIVED BY THAT PRETENTIOUS FOOL! HE'S PERFORMING A SPECIAL TYPE OF ILLUSION! WAKE UP! WHEN I WAS MASTERING ILLUSION TECHNIQUES, HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO WALK YET! YOU'RE MY VESSEL, YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE CONTROLLED BY HIS PATHETIC TRICKS!"
That voice crashed through Asher's consciousness like a sledgehammer!
Snap!
Suddenly!
The smile on Asher's face disappeared completely. His eyes cleared, looking at everything around him with sharp awareness, as if waking from a dream.
What just happened to me? It was like I lost control of myself!
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