As the chaotic fight raged on, Elliott and Joker struggled to land a blow on Bellatrix. Each time they lunged, she vanished in a blink, swapping places with one of the lifeless people around them, leaving them to take the hit instead.
Elliott, frustrated beyond measure, charged at her once again, his body crackling with yellow electricity as he aimed a devastating punch at her direction. But before his fist could even reach its target, Bellatrix snapped her fingers, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in her place, his fist slamming into one of the lifeless bodies. He recoiled in shock, and Bellatrix laughed, her voice high-pitched and teasing.
"Getting warmer, sweetheart," she taunted, flicking her fingers at him.
Before Elliott could recover, she swapped places with him once more, her heel connecting with Joker's side, sending him tumbling backward into the nearest table, the force cracking the wood. Bellatrix giggled in amusement, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "How cute, you thought you could corner me?"
Joker, scrambling to his feet, gritted his teeth. "She's playing with us. Don't let her get under your skin." He shot a quick glance at Elliott, who was clearly trying to suppress his anger.
Bellatrix, seemingly enjoying their frustration, continued her mind games. She disappeared again, only to reappear sitting casually on a nearby table, her legs crossed and a flower pot in her lap. "Oh, dear. You're still trying so hard. How entertaining." She leaned back, her head tilting to one side as she observed them.
Elliott's frustration was nearing its boiling point, his yellow electricity crackling even more violently as he moved to attack again. But before he could, Bellatrix snapped her fingers once more, and with a sudden rush of air, he found himself standing in the exact spot Joker had been moments ago.
Joker barely had time to react as Bellatrix appeared where he was and gave him a swift kick to the chest, sending him flying into a pillar. "Oops," she cooed, her voice full of mock innocence. "Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Elliott's anger was almost palpable as he turned to face her once more, his yellow electricity surging. "You're not getting away this time!"
She swapped places again—this time with a nearby flower vase—and landed lightly on a different table. She placed a hand to her chin thoughtfully, still grinning. "But darling, I am getting away. I'm everywhere... and nowhere at all."
Their patience wore thinner as the chase continued. Each time they thought they had her cornered, she swapped with yet another object or lifeless person, always staying one step ahead. Every swap was a mocking dance, every movement a reminder that they were merely players in her twisted game.
Joker, breathing heavily, wiped a trickle of blood from his lip as he turned to Elliott. "We need to get clever. She's too fast for brute force. Let's use her own game against her."
Bellatrix's laughter rang through the room as she disappeared again, this time swapping with a stack of plates on a nearby counter. When she reappeared, she was sitting atop a high shelf, swinging her legs with childish delight. "Are you even trying yet? I do hope you have a plan, darling, because I'm enjoying the show."
Elliott's eyes narrowed as he focused, the crackling electricity in his hands swirling with intent. "We'll see how much you laugh when we stop playing by your rules."
And the fight raged on, a twisted game of cat and mouse, where Bellatrix held all the cards, and Elliott and Joker were the players trapped in her maze.
Bellatrix's voice rang out with a mocking laugh as she vanished once more, her presence shifting so quickly it was nearly impossible to track. This time, she swapped places with Elliott in an instant, his body now occupying the spot she had just stood. As Joker lunged at the spot, swinging his marotte with precision, he didn't realize in time that it was now Elliott who was standing in his path.
With a loud crack, Joker's marotte collided with Elliott's chest, sending the shocked lightning-wielder crashing into a nearby wall. The impact caused the wall to splinter, but Bellatrix's laughter filled the room as she reappeared, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
"Oops! Looks like you two are a bit too slow on the uptake," she teased, grinning widely as she watched Joker scramble to his feet, horrified by what had just happened. "Don't worry, darling. I'm sure it was an honest mistake." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
Elliott, groaning as he pushed himself up from the rubble, shot a heated glare at Bellatrix. "You're playing a dangerous game," he growled, sparks flying from his body as his electricity surged.
"Am I?" she quipped, snapping her fingers again. This time, she disappeared, swapping with one of the prison bars nearby. When she reappeared, she was perched on top of a metal cage, one leg hanging down as if she were lounging on a throne. "It's funny how you think you're in control, but really, I am. The game is mine, darling."
Joker, his temper flaring, turned to Elliott with a frustrated expression. "We need to be smarter than this. She's manipulating the environment—each of these items is an opportunity for her to get away from us."
Bellatrix spun in mid-air, her body twisting like a dancer, and she vanished once more, swapping places with a pile of prison chains on the floor. The chains rattled as they clattered together, but Bellatrix reappeared again on the opposite side of the room, perched atop a wooden bench with a flourish. She leaned back casually, resting her elbow on the backrest as she gave a theatrical sigh.
"Honestly, I'd say you're both getting close, but not quite there yet," she mused, twirling a strand of her hair. "How much longer do you think you'll last before you get frustrated enough to break?"
Elliott's body crackled with a sharp electrical current, and he glared in her direction, every inch of him brimming with the urge to end the charade. "Enough with the games!" he shouted, charging at her with lightning speed.
But again, Bellatrix snapped her fingers.
This time, she swapped places with a bucket of water, which spilled over as she materialized in front of them, her feet landing lightly on the ground. She grinned, still holding a playful expression, as she danced backward out of Elliott's reach.
"How predictable," she taunted, her eyes gleaming. "You're simply too slow, my dear. But I do love the effort."
Joker, still frustrated, readied his marotte once more and lunged at her with precision, aiming to catch her off guard. But as he swung, she swapped places with a metal grate hanging from the ceiling, causing the marotte to crash into the stone floor. She reappeared beside the grate with a mocking smirk.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" she teased, then snapped her fingers again.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished and swapped places with one of the iron doors, which Elliott charged directly into, his body crashing with force into the heavy door. He staggered back, feeling a jolt of pain, but before he could even regain his stance, Bellatrix reappeared on the opposite side, now perched on a large stone column like a queen surveying her battlefield.
"Tell me, boys," she said with a wicked grin, "Do you truly think you can keep up? You're just as much a part of the game as everyone else here."
Her laughter echoed through the prison, a cruel reminder of how easily she controlled every move. She was a force of chaos in this confined space, and every piece of the environment was her puppet.
Bellatrix lazily stretched out on a nearby bench, her expression one of exaggerated boredom. "Honestly, this show could use a little more pizzazz," she said with a yawn, her voice dripping with mockery. "All I've seen so far are two boys smashing into each other and fighting nothing but the air."
Joker and Elliott kept their distance, both aware that any movement could trigger her next swap. They stayed alert, watching Bellatrix carefully for any sign of her next move, knowing that she could swap positions with them in an instant.
"You have no idea how much her laughter grates on my nerves," Elliott muttered under his breath, his fists clenched as sparks of electricity danced across his body. He could feel the tension building, knowing that any moment, Bellatrix would strike again.
His eyes flicked toward her as she languidly swirled her finger in the air, her laughter filling the space. Elliott's fingers twitched, his electric aura flaring as he prepared to move. He couldn't let her keep mocking them like this—not for much longer.
Elliott suddenly lunged forward, his body crackling with electricity, ready to end the game. But before he could close the distance, Bellatrix snapped her fingers, vanishing in an instant.
The world around him blurred, and the next thing he knew, he was facing Joker, who had been swapped into his spot. Elliott's electric aura collided with Joker's body in a stunning jolt, sending him skidding backward with a yelp.
Before Elliott could react, Bellatrix's laughter echoed around them. He turned just in time to see her reappear on top of a stack of crates, legs crossed and a mocking grin plastered across her face.
"Honestly, I should be the one getting bored of all this," she teased, her tone dripping with amusement. "But you two are making such a great comedy duo. Keep it up!"
Joker, now standing up again, his head slightly spinning from the shock, shot a glare at Bellatrix. "This isn't funny anymore," he muttered, but there was a spark of understanding in his eyes. "She's not just swapping with us—she's using our own momentum against us."
Elliott's eyes narrowed, his body humming with power. "Then we need to force her into a corner. Let's coordinate."
But as soon as they made the move to close in on her, Bellatrix snapped her fingers again, swapping places with a nearby chair. Elliott and Joker collided with each other, sending them crashing into a pile of discarded wooden planks.
Bellatrix's giggle echoed as she kicked her legs up, sitting comfortably atop the chair she had swapped into. "Better luck next time!" she called out. Then, with a swift motion, she swapped again, this time with a broomstick propped up against the wall. She was suddenly hovering just above their heads, arms wide in exaggerated theatrics.
"This game of tag is far too fun. Don't you want to play a bit longer?" she asked, floating effortlessly between objects with ease, her laughter never ceasing.
Bellatrix tilted her head with a playful smile, watching Joker and Elliott scramble to get back on their feet. "Aww, how cute," she teased, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Two big, strong boys, and yet you can't even handle one little girl like me. How disappointing."
She snapped her fingers again, swapping with a broom that hung from a hook on the wall. In an instant, she appeared just behind them, her feet barely touching the ground as she floated effortlessly.
"Such big muscles, yet so little coordination," she continued, her words light as air but biting. "Are you sure you're not just a couple of toys in this game of mine? Because right now, that's what it looks like."
Her laughter echoed around them as she snapped her fingers again, disappearing from their sight once more. They barely had a moment to register her absence before she appeared behind Elliott, the sound of her voice ringing in his ear.
"Maybe you two should go back to the basics," she said, nudging his shoulder with a teasing wink. "You know, try and catch me, if you can. But I won't hold my breath."
Before Elliott could even react, she snapped her fingers once more, vanishing and leaving him spinning to face Joker, his frustration growing.
"Can't even get close to her... damn it!" Elliott growled, his electricity crackling in frustration.
Bellatrix's voice danced from somewhere above them. "Oh, don't be too upset. It's just one little girl outplaying you both—nothing to be embarrassed about!"
Bellatrix's giggles echoed through the prison as she snapped her fingers again, and in an instant, she swapped with one of the lifeless prisoners standing near Joker. Her body now inhabiting the lifeless form, she swiftly reached out with one hand, grabbing Joker by the arm and slamming him into the nearby stone wall.
"Oh, poor Joker!" she cooed in mock sympathy, her voice dripping with false concern. "Did that hurt? Don't worry, we're just getting started!"
Before he could react, Bellatrix snapped her fingers again, vanishing from the prisoner's body and reappearing on the opposite side of the room, right next to Elliott. This time, she swapped with a shackled prisoner slumped against the wall, her leg coming up to land a swift kick to Elliott's side, sending him skidding across the floor with a surprised grunt.
"You're both so slow, how do you ever manage to catch anyone?" she teased, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "It's almost too easy!"
As Elliott struggled to get back to his feet, Bellatrix snapped her fingers again. This time, she swapped with a prisoner standing nearby, a tall, heavy-set man. With a grin, she used the extra height and strength to her advantage, delivering a solid punch to Joker's chest that sent him stumbling backward.
"Careful, Joker. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself," she taunted, looking over at him with a smirk.
She disappeared again, her laughter ringing out as she appeared behind Elliott, swapping with another prisoner. The lifeless figure fell limp, but Bellatrix's nimble form delivered another series of rapid strikes to his back, causing him to stagger forward.
Joker and Elliott were barely keeping up. Each time they thought they had her cornered, Bellatrix disappeared again, leaving them flailing at empty air.
"Isn't this fun?" she laughed from a new spot, now seated casually on a bench, her legs crossed, her hands resting on her lap. She had swapped with another prisoner, this time simply to relax while they struggled to catch up. "You boys make everything so entertaining. You might want to start thinking faster if you want to win."
With a wink and another snap of her fingers, she vanished again, only to reappear right behind them, swapping once more with a prisoner. In one fluid motion, she kicked Joker in the back, sending him flying into the nearest wall, before spinning around to land a quick strike on Elliott's chest.
She flicked her fingers with a laugh, as if she were playing with toys. "Come on, keep up! This isn't a one-on-one fight, this is a game, and right now, I'm winning."
As Elliott took a step forward, trying to shake off Bellatrix's latest series of attacks, one of the lifeless corpses suddenly lunged at him, its arms outstretched and mouth agape. But before Elliott could react, Bellatrix's signature snap echoed in the air, and the lifeless corpse's body vanished.
In its place, Bellatrix appeared, launching herself directly at Elliott. With a swift motion, she wrapped her legs around his body, securing herself against him. Before he could react, she twisted and used her momentum to slam him onto the cold, hard floor with a loud crash.
"You really thought you could keep up?" she whispered in his ear, her breath hot as she held him tightly, her body pressing against his. The teasing tone in her voice was playful but laced with a hint of danger. "You should have known better."
Just as Elliott's vision swirled from the sudden impact, Bellatrix snapped her fingers again, and with a sudden burst of energy, swapped places with the lifeless corpse nearby. In the blink of an eye, Elliott found himself crashing into the body of the lifeless figure, its cold, rigid form taking the brunt of the fall.
Bellatrix stood several feet away, her laughter ringing out as she gave a mock pout. "Oh, you poor thing! I was just starting to have fun," she cooed, twirling in place. "Don't worry though, we'll have plenty more chances for you to entertain me."
Elliott, still struggling to regain his bearings, felt the bitter sting of humiliation and frustration. "You're... you're playing with us!" he growled through gritted teeth, trying to push the lifeless body off of him.
Bellatrix tilted her head with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, I wouldn't say 'playing'… more like… performing for my audience. And you two are the main act." She snapped her fingers again, making her next move already.
To be continued...