The portal, smelling vaguely of creatine and pure, raw power, fully materialized with a final, resonant hum. Before Mike and Carl could even break their heroic poses, a barrage of black-clad figures leaped out, landing in perfect, silent ninja stances.
Mike, still mid-split, admired their form. "Now that's a tight core," he grunted, before finally releasing the pose with a groan of relief.
Carl, ever the pragmatist, was already flexing his biceps. "They've got good muscle tone. Respectable." He took off his sunglasses for a second, squinting at the ninjas, then put them back on. "But their skin is… a little gray. And they're not moving much. Just twitching."
Indeed, the ninjas stood perfectly still, their eyes glowing with a faint, sickly green light. They were zombies. Zombie ninjas. The concept was ridiculous, but the sight of their surprisingly well-defined abs was enough to keep Mike and Carl from running away in terror.
"They're a little… dead," Mike observed, his chest muscles dancing a celebratory jig. "But I have to say, their form is immaculate. We should ask them what their routine is."
One of the zombie ninjas suddenly sprang to life, a low, guttural growl escaping its decaying lips. It lunged at Mike with a rusty katana, a move so fast and fluid it was a shame the guy was, you know, a rotting corpse.
Mike, with a speed that defied his massive size, met the attack head-on. His muscles, now a swirling vortex of sheer, unadulterated strength, rippled.
BICEP BASH! Mike's fist connected with the zombie ninja's face, sending it flying backward. The sound wasn't just audible; it was visible, a shimmering, comic-book-style word cloud.
Carl, meanwhile, was facing a wave of his own. Three zombie ninjas, moving with unsettling synchronicity, swarmed him. He met them with a cool, practiced ease, his tattooed arms a blur of motion.
TRICEP SMASH! Carl delivered a blow to one ninja, sending it cartwheeling into the sand.
QUAD KICK! He followed up with a kick that launched another into the air.
DELTOID DUNK! And with a final, powerful uppercut, he sent the third ninja soaring.
The beachgoers, who had been hiding behind overturned umbrellas, stared in awe. The two heroes were a perfect mix of theatrical flair and brutal efficiency. They weren't just fighting; they were performing.
"Hey Carl!" Mike yelled, fending off a dozen ninjas with nothing but a series of impressive chest flexes. "They're pretty tough! Maybe we should… combo!"
Carl's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "You mean… like… a Double Fisted Mega Brawl!?"
The idea was so absurd, so over-the-top, it just might work. Mike and Carl slammed their backs together, a pose so iconic and cool it made the sun momentarily brighter.
"You take the left!" Carl shouted.
"And I'll take the right!" Mike replied, his voice a battle cry.
They unleashed a torrent of attacks, a whirlwind of muscle and might.
DOUBLE FISTED MEGA BRAWL!
Mike threw a punch that was a literal HULK SMASH! on the ninja's face, while Carl's fist delivered a CUMULO-NIMBUS CONCUSSION! to the ninja's torso. The two blows, combined into a single attack, sent the zombie ninja flying so high it disappeared into the clouds.
But their victory was short-lived. Just as the remaining zombie ninjas hesitated, they suddenly moved with a terrifying new speed, swarming the two bodybuilders. Mike and Carl, exhausted from their combo move, were overwhelmed. Strong, surprisingly firm hands grabbed them, their lifeless eyes fixed on the shimmering portal.
"Hey! Get off me!" Mike grunted, struggling against the surprisingly strong grip of the undead warriors.
"This is not a sanctioned wrestling match!" Carl complained, trying to maintain his cool demeanor as he was dragged toward the vortex.
The zombie ninjas didn't listen. They simply pulled and pushed, using the last of their decaying strength to force the two muscle-bound heroes into the glowing portal. With a final, agonizing pull, they both tumbled through, their last view of the beach being a swarm of gray-skinned, black-clad figures.
They landed with a thud on what felt like solid gold. They were in a completely new place, a sprawling kingdom that shimmered with an otherworldly light. A banner, large enough to be a sail, hung from a nearby pillar. Emblazoned on it, in bold, ridiculous letters, was a single word:
THE AWESOMENESS.
Mike and Carl, bruised and a little dazed, looked at each other. They had just been dragged into another dimension by zombies. But the light of adventure was already beginning to shine in their eyes. Mike's chest muscles danced a triumphant jig of their own accord.
"Well," Carl said, adjusting his sunglasses. "This is new. And look at that architecture! The columns are perfectly sculpted. The craftsmanship is… admirable."
Mike, for his part, was already surveying the landscape with the keen eye of a seasoned adventurer. "I wonder what the gym here is like," he mused, a wide, excited grin spreading across his face. "This place is… Awesome!"