5 minutes prior, Dion and Kingsley fight.
"Alright, you two here are the rules. Don't get in my way, and don't lose your fights. Got that?" Apollo said hopping from building to building.
"Okay fine, don't get your tail in a bunch," Aza said following Apollo's movements.
"Guys, if we finish this fight fast enough, can we see the New Year Fireworks?" I said right behind the both of them.
"Fireworks? Sure, that means we have to finish our job fast then!" Apollo said backflipping onto another building.
"We're reaching the end of the city, from here it's not too far away. Get ready and keep your guard up, we don't know who can attack us at any time. Other than that I want to kill some son-of-bitches! I can say that because Alfred isn't here, Heh!" Apollo said while jumping off the final building and heading outside the city, me and Aza following right behind.
"Guys I see it! I see it! I see it! It's time for a good old fashion beat down, I can't wait to suck their blood." While Apollo was saying this he started to change into a wolf and started to run on all four.
"I can smell them too, the smell of blood and weakness. That has to be them it has to be!" Apollo said before seeing a bullet get shot right past his head.
"Missed, get better aim when you're going against me because I can guarantee you're not getting an extra shot!" Apollo said before jumping on one and biting on their throat before lunging at another and kicking him in the chin and making him pass out on impact.
Although he is annoying, Apollo is in a different league than where we are. He moves like a reckless animal but still is smart and tactical. We're behind, I'm behind but I'll catch up!
"Z stop thinking about boobs and start paying attention. Apollo already went in. Our plan is ruined we can't sneak attack in. So our second option is just following through and getting ready for anything." Aza said running in and then screaming. I followed after and saw Apollo's arm cut off.
CHAPTER 10: Inner Resolve
"Apollo you're arm! What the hell happened while we were out there!?" Aza screamed,
"Seriously are you an idiot or something? How the hell did you lose an arm!?" I screamed right after.
"Wait does that mean-" Aza started before Aza and I both screamed at the same time
"We're next!? Nooooo!"
"Shut up! I didn't actually lose my arm, It has just temporarily taken off."
"Eh?" We both said confused at Apollo's recent statement. Apollo took a deep breath and then started to explain.
"Guys, be careful that's his ability. He can take one limb off anybody. I'm guessing it's only one and he can only do it to so many people if not just one person. Just from the fact he hasn't used it on anyone else. Also, tell your friend to stop hiding on the rooftop. I can sense his presence and it makes me wanna puke." Apollo said to the man holding his arm.
"Man, you're stronger than you seem. Well, it doesn't matter, since we're going to kill you." The man then threw Apollo's arm to the floor and tried to stomp on it. That's when Aza kicked him in the face before doing so.
"Too slow," Aza said picking up Apollo's hand and throwing it back to Apollo.
"Apollo, put your arm where it originally was. I have reason to believe that his ability works like a snap-on, snap-off ideal. If you put it together correctly, I think it will snap back on!" Aza said before jumping backward.
That's when the man from the top of the roof jumped down and grabbed Aza.
"I let my guard down, don't worry about me I won't lose to this man. I can tell, but if one of you dies before I get back I'll personally find your spirit and beat it down, you hear me!?" Aza said struggling to get loose from the man's grasp.
"Okay! We won't" We said with determined faces before we saw Aza and the random man jumped down a hole. Then out of nowhere Apollo screamed the words
"Z dodge right!" When Apollo said that another boy came from the roof.
Someone that was able to conceal themselves so I couldn't even notice. Z could have gotten hurt from that, I need to think and be more careful, this is his first mission.
"I didn't know our guests are here so early. Alright, let's get down to business. I want to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich buffet by the end of this. Oh, where my manners I'm Ray, and coming here was a big mistake." The boy that jumped from the roof said with a smirky face that told them he was ready for blood to be shed.
"Z, I'm going to fight the cocky one. You fight the one who took my arm. This is your first real test. Come back alive and not that damaged, unless you want Aza to beat down your ghost." Apollo said smiling at that last sentence.
"Alright, Apollo!" I said with a menacing smirk on his face. With that Apollo lunged at the man and hit him so hard they flew outside of the warehouse.
"Well, that leaves you and me," I said before channeling my element. "Hot Gatling!" I said putting out a lot of punches tipped with fire on them.
"That's cute, let me show you real power. Arm Prison!" That's when the dirt underneath them went around my arms and trapped me there. I was in a position as if I was bowing with his hands out. Needless to say, my neck was vulnerable and his body felt unconformable.
"Now that you're trapped in my refined earth Arm prison, how about I just kill you? One blow to the neck for a weakling like you, Die!" With that, I started to breathe, closed my eyes to remain calm, and focused all the energy from his body on just his hands, specifically Zoe. Then I pushed it out and slipped out of the arm prison and grabbed the boy's fists and threw him against the wall.
"It's good, I'm not weak enough to lose to you, because then I would actually would be worried," I said out loud.
That was so lucky, he has a stronger Zoe than me as well. If I wasn't on the break of death I would be dead. Too scary, way too scary!
"You're stronger than I thought. Alright, let's cha-cha"
From there it was a lot of exchange blows and hits until they both started to get creative.
"Arm removal and hard-knock Gatling!" I tried to dodge but got caught in the gating and was suffering a lot from the damage. Before I even had time to react the boy was behind me again and started to punch the shit out of me again with the same move.
"What's your name?" I asked out of nowhere, I didn't even know I said it until I did.
"My name? That doesn't even matter at all. How about you focus on living before I give you any information about myself."
"Please I just want to know, what's your name?"
"As I said, show me some strength and maybe I'll give it to you." He said again laughing at me looking pathetic with blood dripping and barely being able to move.
"Alright, have it your way." I don't know why I want his name so bad, I can't stop this urge to ask, however. I need to punch as hard as I can, square in the gut. "Flaming Hot Punch!"
"Striking Hell!"
"Just because you got a few lucky hits in, doesn't mean you got any stronger." The boy said to me while dashing at me with a full-speed sprint.
"You were beating me down, I'll give you that. But this move will slow you down. Twisting Rocks!" With that, the rocks bend and twisted around me making it hard for me to get out or leave as he kept adding more and more rocks.
It hurt like hell! My bones are cracking, my ribs are cracking. He still has my arm as well, I know he's going to make my arm feel like hell! I need to grab it!
Now you seem to be in pain again. How much I love to see you struggle, I love it, I love it!" The boy said to a dying Z. "Let's see with your arm here. Oh, your hand seems untouched, let's break each finger one by one. Starting with this one right here." The boy said grabbing my pointer finger.
SNAP
"Ahh!"
"That's right screa-"
"Burning Matches, Flaming Explosion!" I'll make him pay for breaking my finger. I didn't even know I was so angry, I didn't know why I wanted his name so bad, I don't know anything anymore. However, if he wants to break my fingers then, I'll make him pay with his eye. An eye for an eye right?
"My eye! My eye! My eye! Fuck you! I had it with you, it's time to do my trump card, retract arm." He's giving me my arm back? What is he planning?
"Well since you pushed your luck a little too far, I guess I'm just going to kill you then. Ultimate Technique, Clone!" When he said that a clone version of himself stepped outside of his body. "So, what's your ultimate technique?" The clone and the boy said.
"It's so powerful, it could kill you in five seconds. I don't want our fight to end that fast." I said out loud looking at them with an evil smirk.
Apollo, you bastard. Why didn't you tell me about an Ultimate Technique? Does he think... I'm too weak? Still! Even if that's the case he at least would have informed me about an ultimate!
"Well, It's over for you anyways, Double Arm Prison!" That's when the earth below grabbed my arm only this time I couldn't get out. Dammit! He has me this time, dammit! What can I do to get out of this one, think Z. What can you do? The more I thought of it, the more I can't come to an idea. No matter how hard, without a trump card of my own, I can't fight back.
"I want to put his head over the kitchen counter." "Same here." The boy said talking with his clone.
Dammit, dammit, dammit! There's nothing I can do. No, there's is a way to get out.
"Well, I would say I enjoy your stay, but I wasn't there for your whole life so I wouldn't know." The boy said striking down on and hitting the back of my head, with full force.
"This should be the final blow right here, this time die!" I need to breathe and reverse the situation. Breathe and wait for the right moment... Now! Use all your Zoe into breaking into the prison.
"That actually worked. Using the force you gave me from kicking down on my neck the first time, I was able to get out since the rocks were weak enough for me to escape. Knowing you had a clone I knew you would go for two hits instead of one to make it useful." I laughed in his face after saying that to make him mad. Why am I making him mad? Why do I feel stronger from explaining my thought process? Why does Zoe feel simpler than before?
The boy and his clone jumped to either side and started to use the ground below them to launch themselves upwards. Then to follow through they attached enough rocks onto their back to make them into spider legs.
"You didn't think that was our only trick now did you?" They said looking at me with menacing faces, laughing harder than I was before.
"I was kind of hoping on it." What to do in this situation? Run! tried to outrun them but it was difficult. The fact he had a broken rib, a screwed-up arm, and a messed-up leg. I didn't have a lot going for him in this fight, he also hasn't done enough damage for a fair trade.
That's when it happened. One of my legs got yanked from the back and then pulled back. I don't know how I didn't realize it before but there was a giant boulder in the sky. Either the clone or the the man himself was creating it while the other was holding me down.
It was so big it broke the roof of the warehouse and started to float right over my body.
Then they made a giant ball from the ground below, so much it broke the roof of the warehouse they were in and it wasn't a small warehouse. I started to panic, what can I do here? To make matters worse my breathing was starting to weaken due to my ribs being pressed down and slowly breaking due to the force of the clone. He can move the clone whenever he wants as well, I can tell from the way he uses it. I can't move out of this... This is the end for me, isn't it?
Meanwhile
"Let go of me, you creep!" Aza said as she was dragged into a deep hole filled with water.
"My brothers are up there fighting your friends, they'll die. I can make an exception for you though, be my wife and I'll let you leave unharmed. What do you say, my pretty princess?"
"How about... No to the ugly creep who dragged me down into a giant pool of water." Aza said before slapping him across the face.
"That's unfortunate, I thought you would be different from the others. I guess girls are always the same huh?" The man said before pointing to an array of dead girls or their skeletons hanging on his wall.
"I'll put you in that center space right there, a pretty girl deserves all eyes!" The man said before freezing Aza in the water around her.
"I'll let you have a slow, frozen death so your body doesn't rot so fast, a beauty like you can't be rotting like the other muts on the wall." The man said again, laughing, rubbing the ice part where Aza's ass would be.
That's when the water around Aza became liquid again and froze the man's legs.
"Did I forget to tell you my Elemental Zoe, is water!" Aza said before starting her attack. "Freezing Cold!" Aza said by punching the life out of the perverted man making his blood dance around the room.
"Ice skates!" Aza then used her move Ice skates to make a pathway up and try to skate all the up from the hole.
"Not so fast, darling." That is all Aza heard before the ice under her became liquid again and fell right into his arms.
That's when he was holding an Ice spike and stabbed her arm.
"Now, I'll give you another chance. Will you be my wife? Me, handsome John. to be your husband?" John said before trying to steal a kiss.
"Ice nails!" Was all he heard and was met with sharp Ice nails on his lips. In pain, he threw Aza to the floor letting her run back and take a battle stance.
"You've done it now bitch! First, I'm going to kill you, then I'll use your dead body for my uses, lastly, I'll put you in the center of my wall. Prepare to be a centerpiece bitch!" John said before dashing towards Aza.
"I already am the centerpiece. That's why I can't stoop myself to such a low-life perverted loser!" Aza said before dashing at John.
Their hits were in-sync. They counter sometimes but other than that the water and ice were being used to their potential. Each of them was well skilled in the craft of Zoe and how to fight with it, with the different switches between all forms of water to them simply hitting each other needless to say the fight was stunning. Until John started getting angry.
"Alright fine, you don't deserve to be on my wall. In fact, I don't want to see your flat ass anymore! Impossible Breathing!" Was all John said before Aza put into a ball of water and couldn't change the currents.
"I made sure to have the current go in a random order but still flow into each other so even if you try to move them with your Zoe, you can't leave this bubble!" John said laughing as Aza was starting to lose oxygen.
"What now? I could try to change the currents. No, it'll just funnel into another current. I need a way to leave this situation alive, but what can I do when I can't use my element? I don't have much time what do I do?"
"Aza, I see you're improving super well! Although it seems like something is taking its toll on you. Every time something random happens that you can't prevent you freeze up and don't know what to do, even though you're more than capable of doing whatever it is. What's making you do that?" Alfred said to me, looking at me with kind eyes.
"Well, ever since the incident with Koji, I haven't been able to anticipate or help myself when it comes to unanticipated events. It just makes me anxious and ends with me losing."
"I see. You're scared you don't have control and can't predict the spontaneous." Alfred said walking up to me.
"Yeah," Was all I could say. He's right.
"I have a solution for one of those issues, the randomness. Nothing can truly be random, even when trying to be random humans have to think about a random pattern to go in. Everyone has a pattern, that is something even the strongest fighters have It's just they hide it better than everyone else. think Apollo. He a wild wolf hybrid, but when he actually fights he gets surprisingly calm. Then he'll get wild again when he feels like he isn't getting challenged by someone. It is not him being crazy but his brain making a pattern for when and how to use his power, from crazy to calm. It is to make his own pattern, yes, but at the same time makes it random. I can't say that every pattern is simple and easy to catch, but with enough concentration, you should be able to find it." Alfred said like a wise old man.
"As for the control part. No one can control what race, age, and upbringing they had. What they can control is their decision and conclusion on the different issues that will be brought to their everyday lives. You said you're scared of not having control when you didn't have control from the start. Why worry when It wasn't an issue before?
He's right. We never had control from the very start. But we're given choices to help us gain control. Things may be out of our control sometimes however, that doesn't mean we need to fall and fail.
You're a strong-willed person Aza just like Koji. Think about what Koji would say to you seeing you get weaker from something out of your guy's control? Would he want you to blame yourself for it? Think about it." With that Alfred left the room leaving Aza there with her introspections.
"That's it! I know how to get out of this water bubble. Focus Aza! Focus!" Aza focused on everything she had and nothing was happening. She needed to hurry and get out of the bubble fast.
"Why can't I do this? Why am I struggling so damn hard? I hate this! I hate this! Aza none of this would happen if you weren't so weak to not notice the bullet in the first place. Koji would be here on the mission and be more help than you ever would. I'll never let you live this down!" Aza thought to herself while trying her best to focus. T
hen she started to breathe and think about what she just told herself. Alfred was right, she can't focus and win battles while she is too busy screwing herself over. She needed to let go of the past and focus on the present. Like Alfred said,
"Would he want you to blame yourself for it?" At the time Aza couldn't answer the question but now she can,
"No, he wouldn't," she said in a whisper. "No, he wouldn't!" Aza screamed to herself as she closed her eyes and started to focus.
"I can see it now, the pattern I can see it now!" Aza said in her brain before finally getting out of the bubble. Aza then took a long deep breath as her eyes were completely red and her lungs were nearly filled with water.
She then coughed up a lot of water and mucus on the ice platform she made for herself. "
You're alive? How did you get out? No one can't escape or manipulate my water bubble. It's too random to figure out a way to move the currents to move in a way for you. There's no way! There's no way!" John said stepping back into the water as Aza stood up and had a fire in her eyes.
Thanks, Alfred. I'll make it up to Koji, I'll save him instead of him saving me but for right now...
"Nothing is truly random when a human is trying to make something random. Has for your life, you better pray, beating your ass is the only thing I do to you." Aza said with a cold, mean, fed-up voice for her last few words.
===============EXTRA SCENCE==================
"Aza, can you make me a hat!?"
"Sure, what type of hat do you want?"
"A hat that makes me, me."
"Alright, Koji give me a second!"
"Alright!"
...
"Here you go Koji a sword hat!"
"Thank you Aza!"
"That should last a wh-"
"Aza I broke it."
"Uh- I'll just make another one."