Chapter 37 : It always starts with a training montage (A friendly spar)

 

The Mirror Dimension, image of Manhattan, the same day, 15:21

 

Flashocalypse titanic’s fist falls in Iris and I’s direction, a massive thing at least as tall as we are right now and easily five times our width.

 

We brace ourselves, legs coiled under us, as the multiple wings behind our back arches and the touch-TK surrounding them gets even brighter, white and purple lights shimmering even brighter.

 

I belatedly realize as our wings blur forwards that meeting a deadly force with more of the same doesn’t make us an immovable object in the least, especially if you consider the fact that we are standing on an already crumbling floor.

 

Seven of our feathery appendices, or maybe it is nine, it’s a bit hard to handle all the inputs our shared-mind is currently processing, meet several tons of metal and mechanical constructs shaped like a god’s fist striking a heathen down, and the world finds my defiance lacking.

 

Amid the shockwave, the floor, already battered by Jessica’s thrashing around in the building’s bowel earlier, finally gives in and our new Alabaster Battleform is sent crashing down.

 

Going through concrete, plaster and furniture alike, our course stops four floors down, in the middle of a living room where reflections of a human family is having a late lunch.

 

“That was a stupid idea.” We comment aloud, a little groan escaping the pearly white lips of our own construct of layered tiny feathers, as our form lay prone on the broken table.

 

“[Agreement, giddiness] : It was, but the exosuit-like layer and the defensive focused wings handled the load just fine !” Iris pepilly comment on our shared-mind as our wings stretch and bend around us to my mental prompt, straightening ourselves upward.

 

Between the makeshift full body armor covering her own skin that makes us look like a statue that had taken life and our aura surrounding us, we are only a little bit frazzled after that punch.

 

Who am I kidding ? I’m the weak link here, with my meaty brain and internal organs still vulnerable to the abrupt change of velocity that had just rattled me here.

 

Doesn’t matter that my composite healing factor already fixed the tiny tears that made the whole adventure a little more uncomfortable than it had any right to be if I can still fall unconscious due to a big impact.

 

Can still suffer from a concussion in this state, duly noted.

 

Above us, a second titanic hand has joined the first and starts tearing the building apart, Flashocalyspe’s ‘head’ looking downward, a massive eye squinted in our direction, leaking electric and metallic sparks continuously.

 

We bat our wings to disperse the little debris and dust still falling apart from the gaping maw we have drilled in the floors above us, clearing both of our lines of sight.

 

Our apparently pristine form makes the titanic figure pauses.

 

“IMPRESSIVE.” The offhand comment rumbles out of Flashocalypse’s mouth.

 

“We aim to amaze.” We answer lazily, wings coiling anew around us like so many deadly serpents ready to strike, “We have to return the compliment, though. That was one hell of a punch.”

 

A heavy chuckles flow out of the titanic figure, making everything rumble and shake around us.

 

Great, at least he’s not that mad after me.

 

We jump, our touch-TK helping us clear out a few stories in one go, destroying what was left of the rooftop on our way out to stop ourselves face to ‘face’ with our titanic sparring partner, as we hover in the sky.

 

“Do we really have to do this ?” We ask again as our eyes, pure white and emotionless things, and I have to wonder how we are truly seeing under layers of feathers, take another measure of the twelves stories tall gigantic amalgam of metal and mechanic parts.

 

The design is getting slicker as time goes on, Flash probably getting more in touch with his potential, constantly improving the inner machinery that was previously only held by will and the biomorphing mutant's version of duct tape.

 

“YOU STARTED IT FIRST.” Flashocalypse’s answer comes easily with another grumbling and tearing sound of metal, “WHY ARE YOU BALKING ? IT’S JUST A FRIENDLY SPAR.”

 

We refrain ourselves from groaning as an impressive mass of worm-cum-tentacles like constructs explode all around the titanic form, aiming to reach us.

 

“Fine, let’s make some sashimis out of that thing.” I grumble mentally to Iris’ benefits.

 

“[Amusement, giddiness].” She gratifies me as an answer.

 

As Flash aims to trap me with his infinite number of limbs once more, the maelstrom of metal finally quieting around him since he probably had pulled everything in his range already, we cross our arms and pull our legs under us, letting only the sliver of focus on our touch-TK handle our flying.

 

The trap closes around our fetal state, and as darkness and showers of sparks surround us, I lash out with the full weight of my mind all around us.

 

Like earlier, everything is shredded apart in almost an instant, the multiples tons of metal barely held together by his own will failing to contest the kinetic shockwave of raw mind-power.

 

As debris starts to fall in a cacophonic display, we reassert our focus, teleporting us closer to the titanic form.

 

We are both severely hampered here, Iris and I's joint state unable to pull out the plethora of moves we can theoretically output, and Flash is just the same.

 

Too many powers means we have to focus on one of them at times, and, until I manage to cheat my way around it, as Flash probably can too, what we’re launching ourselves into is just a scrap.

 

To put it short, we have only so much brain capacity to handle all the inputs we need to, and until we manage to have it, we’re just going to mess around inelegantly with our respective power sets.

 

Luckily, I have the potential of a high alpha telepath, possibly omega, and Flash only needs better components for him to accelerate his speed of thoughts and parallel processing.

 

The only thing we need is time to grow, and we’ll probably be unparalleled existences on earth for a long while.

 

The thought reassures me as we finally start to tear aparts Flashocalypse construct’s head, our wings blurring all around us in a wild display.

 

Around us, the tempest of metal picks up anew, collecting the debris we’ve shredded apart with our telekinetic pressure stunts earlier.

 

Sadly, we cannot evade his attacks and retaliate in kind while also sapping his own control with our cyberpathy, despite being the more gifted one with raw power in it. Again, not enough brain power at our disposal.

 

Reaching him telepathically will also be hard, since there’s just too much mechanical minds in his vicinity. It would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack, the fact that I wouldn’t want to do it in the first place because it is distasteful notwithstanding.

 

Besides, what could I really do ? Convince him that his twelves stories' tall current form is just here for funzies ? I’m fairly confident his own suspension of disbelief would give him a hairy eyeball and he’d be able to shrug off my attempt at pacification if I ever attempted it.

 

Another wave of mechanical limbs starts to gather our way as even more debris and sparks fall around us and we have to abandon our impersonation of a blender to teleport toward another spot, our assault starting anew.

 

I’ve realized it earlier while observing Jessica’s moves, but, while I'm able to follow them just fine while keyed on Iris’ inates battle instincts, I don’t know how to fight properly.

 

I only took a handful of self-defense classes in my previous life, and it isn’t going to be enough by a landslide if I want to impersonate a rather overpowered flying and invulnerable hero to the public eye.

 

That’s why we don’t even attempt to throw punches and kicks in our battle, as we start to methodically shred the titanic leg in front of us anew with our wings, blurring and clacking all around us in a wild display.

 

A few seconds later, as we are valiantly trying to shred his kneecap away, Flash’s titanic form stomps on the ground with all his weight.

 

Since we’re dedicating just enough brain power to hover in place amid the winds kicked up by the tempest of steel and machinery we’re in the middle of, the shockwave of an impact strong enough to rupture the asphalt ten feet deep sent us packing.

 

Our joined state is yeeted toward the building behind us, and we cave in its facade under our impact.

 

“This is not working.” We comment aloud as little stars dance in our vision and we shake our head trying to clear them.

 

“[Agreement, hesitation] : I may have an idea.” Iris proposes, a flicker of uncertainty dancing on our shared-mind.

 

“Well, I’d be happy to hear it, because he’s healing as fast as I’m damaging him.” I answer in kind.

 

“[Agreement, proposal] : What if we do the same thing we did to the traps he built around us, but on the inside ?” She elaborates mentally.

 

I pause, mulling over her proposition as another of Flashocalypse’s steps make everything rumble under my prone and sitting ass.

 

“You mean we go in and burrow ourselves inside before attempting to rupture it in one go ?” I ask to clarify.

 

“[Agreement, positive].” Iris’ answer is immediate.

 

Another titanic foot falls, and mechanical limbs start to assemble on our way once more amid the maelstrom of steel.

 

“That sounds suspiciously like a hail-mary.” I comment offhandedly aloud.

 

“[Agreement, awkwardness] : I mean, if you have a better idea...” Iris lamely answers.

 

I sigh, my frustration at the situation letting my control over my siren-like voice loose for a beat.

 

I absentmindedly note that it does not reach Flash’s ears or mind in any way since the writhing mass of steel aimed in our direction keeps moving.

 

Probably too much ruckus around him.

 

“Nah, I do not, let’s roll with it.” I answer to Iris on our mind-link.

 

I wait the last possible moment before teleporting upward as the mechanical limbs come crashing down.

 

Amid the center of the storm, Flashocalypse’s mouth had disappeared, but not his eyes.

 

I teleport promptly a second time just in front of one of his eyehole, flying inside under shower of sparks.

 

The heat in there is barely tolerable, and I realize that the whole construct is powered by the multiple motors he has ripped apart from the cars he crossed paths with. Which raises the question of where the exhaust fumes goes exactly for me not to have noticed earlier, but I’ll ask him once I finish breaking his toy.

 

It’s also no wonder he didn’t hear me sighing earlier if the cacophony surrounding us is the norm to him. He probably has a speaker somewhere that he used to relay our previous conversations.

 

Now alighted on something solid, even if the terrain remains unstable, Iris and I start to play the blender anew, aiming ever downward.

 

The retaliation comes swiftly, as multiples worm-like constructs starts getting in our way, but since we do not have to focus on staying afloat anymore, handling them isn’t as much as a chore as it was previously, and mechanic and metal parts starts raining all around us, oily substances and sparks flowing around us in a neverending violent display.

 

Multiple fires start around us, and I have to pause to release a few consecutive shockwaves of telekinetic might just to quench them, incidentally clearing the field around us of the ever growing pile of debris.

 

The assault of the mechanical worm-like constructs redouble as we delve ever deeper inside the titanic robot, our alabaster form still pristine despite us waddling through an increasing amount of dust, metal shaving and various liquid substances you'd find in machinery.

 

Inevitably, some of Flash’s mechanical defenses reach us, and we sustain a few hits that make us lose our strained focus.

 

We stumble, the treacherous terrain betraying our footing, and we start to get dogpiled by Flash’s mechanical limbs.

 

As we gather our wings around us in a defensive gesture, our touch-TK goes away, and we close our eyes once again.

 

The mechanical limbs grow ever heavier and numerous, trying to smother our will to fight under sheer weight, battering on our protective feathery appendices in an attempt to stop us.

 

I focus on the might of my telekinesis, forgoing all over sensations as our form is battered, Iris rebuilding the wings as they got shredded apart by the mass of writhing metal.

 

Then, as our defenses start to get breached by way too many teeth, our eyes snap open as we just let go of the trapped yet docile beast that is my telekinetic might in every direction around us once more.

 

Under the sheer brute force of my mind, the defensive construct and what I assume to be the upper torso of the titanic robot that Flash is controlling are ripped apart, and his own control flickers under the strain, the maelstrom halting suddenly.

 

Everything is suddenly falling apart around us as I assume a flying posture once more, a cacophony of metal falling and buildings around us getting shredded by multiple impacts deafening Iris and I all the while.

 

As the head of the construct crashes nearby with painful groans of way too much steel and weight meeting asphalt, our eyes land on Flash’s proper.

 

Arms crossed over his chest and the bottom half of his legs still encased in his gigantic construct, he is clad in a sort of metallic body armor, doubtlessly fashioned by his power, his face the only thing visible.

 

We alight ourselves once more next to him on his cleaved apart gigantic robot, wings receding and our Alabaster Battleform going away, my snow white curls blossoming away around my face as our shared-mind gives way with a last shudder of contentment to our normal state of being.

 

“You’re no fun.” He drawls, a smirk ghosting at the edge of his smile.

 

I roll my eyes theatrically at that, Iris snickering in my mind as she spawn herself in her favorite position in case she’s needed in the conversation.

 

I seriously doubt it, but my hand raises automatically to pat her head distractingly.

 

“This statement would have more weight in the mouth of someone who wasn’t attempting their hardest to reproduce sketchy scenes of a bad hentai flick with their sister.” I languidly answer.

 

Flash sputters, and I let out a light chuckle.

 

“I’m sorry for lashing out on you, it wasn’t fair and uncalled for, Flashy.” I tell him with as much seriousness I can muster before he can take his composure back.

 

His mouth flaps close as the wind blows around us, the silence stretching.

 

“I’ve overreacted because Jessica made me upset and my mental state isn’t as stable as I would like it to be.” I elaborate, getting uncomfortable, “I should have taken it into account and center myself better before all of this. Again, I’m sorry.”

 

Flash sighs heavily as the bottom half of his construct starts falling apart around us, his control relaxing.

 

Amid the thump-thump-thump sound of metric tons of metal falling apart, he locks his eyes with me before speaking.

 

“You know, that’s not really why I’m upset.” He starts with a bemused expression, “I’m upset because you take too much on your shoulders without giving yourself any time to relax.”

 

I want to answer his callback, but find myself unable to.

 

Hell, the only time I took for myself since the beginning of the week aside from my semi-permanent tendency at woolgathering was yesterday’s evening, and even that ended up poorly.

 

I made things for myself, sure, but I’ve run at full steam since the beginning of the week.

 

“Look at what it did,” Flash starts while gesturing around him, “Yes, the goal was to try out our abilities, and thank the gods we’re in some magical parallel dimension, because that kind of destruction, in the normal world ?” He shakes his head slowly, “We’re both walking murder-machines, and we are always going to be this close,” He carries on as he makes a tiny little gap between his index and his thumbs, “To snap and make a mistake.”

 

“I guess that the point I’m trying to make is that if you’re tense like that all the time, someday it won’t be lifeless reflections of living beings that are going to be caught in the middle of a kaiju battle.” Flash ends up, sighing anew.

 

“So, for fuck’s sake Aria, take a deep breath and relax a bit, the world isn’t ending tomorrow.”

 

My mouth flaps open and close a few times, my hand having stopped its usual patting motion on Iris’ head.

 

When it’s my turn to sigh, it’s because I realize that he is right, and that I should be taking it a bit easier.

 

“I get it.” I answer slowly, my statement coincidentally punctuated by the sound made by a particularly big impact, “I’ll try to relax…”

 

Flash slowly nods.

 

“I get that you’re trying desperately to distract yourself from other things,” He starts softly in turn, and I wince, “But it will all be for nothing if you lose yourself along the way due to the pressure you put yourself under.”

 

Once again, I open my mouth, feeling a tear pearl at the corner of my eyes, but my voice fails me as Iris grip tightens around me in a comforting manner.

 

He’s right.

 

I’ll have to let myself live.

 

That’s what Marie would’ve wanted me to do.

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