Alston folds over with her hands on her knees, out of breath as she rubs her worn eyes.
"Agh… Wolf, I can't do it anymore. My eyes hurt, my Soul Fuel is draining fast and we've found nothing so far." Alston says with frustration in her voice. Phoenix gently places her hand on her back.
"Take a break Alston, it's alright." Phoenix says with her soft, caring voice.
"Yeah, sure, we'll figure something else out."
Wolf says with a cold, almost sarcastic tone before looking away. Alston and even Phoenix a bit, glare at her. Behind them, glintroses thrust their way but Cole and Tadashi quickly deflect them with their weapons.
"We can't stay here too long. We have to keep moving." Tadashi says.
"The longer we take to find the Hunter, the more likely she will defeat us." Cole says. Wolf perks up a bit.
"Hunter?" Wolf asks.
"Stupid mutt. Do you not know where we are?" Cole says.
"Can't say I do. I don't bother studying pointless things." Wolf says back aggressively.
"I see." A voice calls out. They hear her voice ring out through the trees. They look around trying to see her but can't find her. "I understand why your Frequency is so out of line with all the others. At least the demon boy knows to study his opponents." The Hunter Crystal says. Alston looks at Cole with a concerned look as Cole's eyes sharpen.
"Everyone else's Frequencies have begun to slowly harmonize over the course of your adventures, figuring out what to do and when to do it but you? You wouldn't be able to tell what's up from down." She says with a malicious giggle as Wolf growls.
"Shut up! This whole mission is pointless! I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what to do!" Wolf shouts, purple sparks bursting from her hands as Phoenix looks taken aback by her words.
"Then show me."
Crystal taunts. Wolf grunts before shouting frustratedly and blasting a bright lightning bolt out of her hands in a random direction through the forest, burning trees and brush alike. The others, excluding Cole, get shocked looks.
"Wolf! We aren't supposed to damage the forest!" Phoenix shouts.
"What the fuck was that, dude?!" Alston shouts angrily. Tadashi grabs Wolf by the shoulder and yanks her back to face him.
"I don't give a shit if you care or not but stop sabotaging our chances." Tadashi says sharply with anger in his eyes. Suddenly, Crystal starts laughing hysterically, her voice echoing around them.
"You really are the reason you all failed! AHHAHHAHA!"
"Shut! Up! I'm not-"
Wolf shouts back when The Stranger's attack on the mall flashes in her head as her eyes widen. She quickly shakes her head and growls.
"It's different now. I have the power, I have the control!"
Wolf shouts. Suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound rushes to Wolf and right up to her ear as Crystal whispers.
"you're failing, Wolf Anderson."
Wolf's eyes widen as Cole quickly reacts, whipping his Soul Shell around and wrapping it around Crystal's pastel yellow glowing ghostly form.
"Got you."
She appears as a woman in her mid 20's with a raggedy cloak around her, torn towards the bottom where her bare feet float above the ground. Her hair is sharp and jagged as her eyes beam a sharp red glow.
She giggles and kicks her feet, wrapped in his Soul Shell before exerting a pastel energy through Cole's Soul Shell and straight into his body, bursting out with a small shockwave. The force causes blood to spill from his nose, mouth, ears, even his eyes as he stumbles back, letting her go.
"Cole! You okay??"
Phoenix shouts as Cole grunts, focusing on trying to heal the damage just done to him, his Soul Shell retracting mostly but not entirely.
"A boy who regenerates, a girl with unrivaled flame energy and another who seemingly has two different powers. Your team is filled with talent and power yet none of you have what it takes." Crystal says while floating up into the air. "I will liberate you from your finite bodies and show you the true density of this world. Then, with your power, I will expand this rule to the farthest reaches of this planet and show everyone just how wrong they are to cling onto their pathetic, pointless lives." Crystal shouts while raising her hands to the sky.
"You were once a Hunter, a guardian of this world and all its people. You know this is wrong." Tadashi says back as she looks down at him.
"And what are you going to do? Stop me? Only the strong get that choice."
Crystal says back. Tadashi glares at her as she giggles and blips away with a sharp bolt of electricity into the forest. Alston steps next to Cole, placing her hand on his back as he picks up his glasses from the ground and puts them back on, his injuries healing.
"What now? We back to square one?" Alston asks.
"Not exactly." Tadashi says.
"She said she wants to liberate us of our finite bodies. That means she'll be coming for us, right?" Phoenix points out.
"Exactly." Cole says.
"Or the others." Tadashi brings up. Phoenix looks concerned at his words as Cole steps forward.
"Chances are, they are dealing with Abalm, her partner." Cole says.
"That's right. Cole told me all about the Okar Woods before we came here." Alston says. Phoenix looks over at Wolf, who stands quietly with her back facing the others.
"Wolf, you're being quiet. And not in the way we want." Phoenix says. Wolf turns and looks at them.
"I don't know much about anything going on here but I do know she's right about one thing." Wolf says.
"Only the strong get that choice." Cole says, completing her thought. They look at each other for a moment, not with the irritation or frustration like they usually do but, for once, a certain level of understanding. "A good hero is a strong one."
"One capable of beating the opposition." Wolf says too.
"One who can do it on their own." Cole says.
"And the rest…" Wolf says with sharp eyes as Cole and Wolf step next to each other.
"Are just in the way." They say in unison, preparing to fight as the others watch with looks of frustration and pain at their words.
"Is that so?" Crystal says softly, now appearing between the two of them.
"Watch out!"
Alston shouts as Cole and Wolf get stunned looks before getting blasted away from each other by her shockwave attack. Alston grits her teeth in frustration.
"Our Hunters aren't working right now. I'll just listen to you." Alston says while looking at Tadashi. Phoenix does the same. He nods.
"Right now, I'm the only one who can actually hit her. You two, do everything you can to try and line her up for me." Tadashi says.
"How exactly are we supposed to do that? My blood powers don't really work on something that doesn't have a body." Alston says.
"We'll find a way. Maybe direct attacks won't work but messing with the others might. She seems to like attacking them specifically." Phoenix points out.
"I see." Alston understands.
"Distract the target. Work around her. Go!"
Tadashi shouts as Crystal looks at them over her shoulder with a smirk. Alston and Phoenix rush towards her, Phoenix a bit faster, as she swings at Crystal with a flame energy covered fist but Crystal dodges to the side swiftly then dodges the uppercut Phoenix tries only for Crystal to blast a shockwave against Phoenix sending her tumbling back a bit. Phoenix straightens out and slides across the ground, coming to a stop just as Cole rushes past her.
"You cannot hurt her, just stay back." Cole says.
"No, Cole, we-"
He doesn't listen to her as she gets a frustrated look. Cole slams two tentacles at her but she swiftly dodges as he swings them around but she slips by, blasting her way towards him. He looks up to her with wide eyes as she places her hands around his head, blasting the pastel yellow lightning into his head, generating a consistent shockwave. He shouts in pain as his glasses shatter.
"Cole!"
Alston screams as he takes the attack. After a moment, she stops as Cole coughs up blood, it also leaking from his eyes and nose, and stumbling back a bit. He grunts as he focuses on healing.
"Damn… Why is it..?"
"You should really sit down."
He looks at her as she slaps him across the face, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground. From behind, a blood scythe is then slashed through Crystal's body but it phases through her without consequence. She turns and looks at Alston who just attacked.
"Eh, worth a shot."
Crystal snaps to attack but Tadashi intervenes by thrusting his blade at her face, pulling Alston back a bit and slightly cutting her cheek. She grins a wicked smile before blasting Tadashi back against Alston, sending them both flying. Cole lays on the ground thinking in pain.
'I.. see. She's attacking with her Frequency directly… That's why I'm not healing… So before, did I..?'
He thinks as Wolf charges Crystal. She swings punch after punch in quick succession but Crystal dodges and leans through each and every punch before slapping Wolf across the face with a shockwave.
Blood spills from her nose a bit but she quickly recovers and continues the assault but even faster this time. She misses again and again until one punch actually connects but it's only to Crystal's block. She then grabs onto Wolf's wrist tightly and yanks her close with an intense smile.
"Want to see something cool?"
She asks as Wolf tenses up only to be met by an extra strong, vibrant bolt of yellow energy. It jags around like lightning but not so extreme as Wolf is blasted back and into the ground. Cole sits up with a look of understanding.
'I healed because… Alston healed me…'
He thinks to moments ago when his partner approached him after the shockwave attack and placed her hand on his back.
'My partner… she..'
He thinks before his eyes grow wide. Wolf coughs as she sits up, Crystal hovering above her.
"Kozen. An advanced technique only more skilled agents can achieve. Channeling Soul Fuel into one narrowed, potent attack. You're lucky I'm so kind to students of the academy, otherwise you'd be ash by now."
Wolf, now on the ground in a burnt crater, growls at her with intense eyes. Crystal clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes.
"On second thought, I don't like you." She raises her palm towards her as it begins to glow.
"Wolf!" Phoenix shouts.
"Wolf, no!"
Tadashi shouts too as Cole's eyes widen. Crystal blasts another Kozen out but before it can hit Wolf, Alston suddenly jumps in the way and takes the attack head on. After a moment, the blast stops as Alston stands there smoking and burned.
"Wolf… You suck…"
She says before slowly falling over and onto the ground. Wolf stares at her friend for a moment with shocked eyes before Cole's tentacles quickly wrap around Crystal by the waist and neck. Cole looks enraged but Crystal smirks and blasts her Frequency through his Soul Shell again hitting Cole directly. He grunts but holds on tightly despite the pain.
Crystal looks a little surprised by this before causing roots to lift the ground beneath him and flip him over, smashing the small bit of ground upon him. He releases her as he struggles to get back up on his hands and knees, the dirt and rock crumbling around him. She stares at him for a moment as Phoenix rushes to his side and in that moment, Wolf leaps at Crystal with ferocity but before she can even swing, Crystal backhands Wolf with a shockwave, slamming her back into the ground.
She hits the ground hard against her back and flips a bit but quickly catches herself. She then tries to rush forward again but vines shoot her way and wrap around her neck. They snap instantly from the force of her dash but still manage to choke her and trip her onto her back. Cole bleeds from his mouth a bit as he struggles to get up.
"Cole, are you okay?" Phoenix asks.
"I'm… sorry…" He says. She looks surprised as Cole lifts his head a bit, his eyes narrowly focused on Alston. "I didn't… mean to get in the way… I just want to be…" He coughs up some blood as Phoenix gets a concerned but understanding look.
"It's okay. We can still do this." Phoenix says. She looks at Alston who breathes slowly but steadily. "I can feel her Frequency. It's steady and strong, she's gonna be okay. For now, we have to focus on beating Crystal. If she really turns on the rest of the world, who knows how many people she could hurt."
Phoenix says with concern on her face. Cole shakes his head at her words, weakly. Phoenix looks confused as Tadashi clashes against Crystal behind them.
"What is it?" Phoenix asks.
"Crystal.. doesn't need to be beaten.." Cole coughs out.
"What are you talking about?" Phoenix asks, not getting it.
"She needs to be.. put to sleep." Cole says with an intense look in his eyes. Phoenix looks shocked as she looks over at Crystal laughing hysterically.