CHAPTER: 22 (NIGHTTIME BRAWL III: ANTIHEROES VS. SUPERVILLAINS)
DIFFERENT FONT STYLES USED:
"STORYLINE" "'SPECIAL SKILLS OR MOVES'" "SPEAKER" "SPEECH" "THOUGHT"
SCENE:Somewhere in the streets of the evilzone.
Argent: You really think you can beat us alone? You're as dumb as you are handsome.
Owlperch: This ought to be good.
Neil: … (powers up) Quit blabbering. Unless you intend to insult me to death.
Owlperch: You've got a sharp tongue. Let's hear how smug you are once it's cut off. (shoots off at Neil like a rocket, only for Neil to do a massive sidestep to dodge him; Argent manifests a rope of white light from her hand that she extends at Neil, it wraps around his free arm)
Neil: … (Argent grins evilly and tries to pull him towards herself but he stands rigid causing her smile to fall and…) Nice try. (…grabs rope and pulls her towards himself instead)
Neil raises a leg as they she flies closer ready to extend for a face-first crash into his kick. However, just as she's almost within range, just as he extends his leg, his leg gets impaled by a quarter-dozen feathers while two more cut the light-bind; Argent flips midair and skids to a stop just in front of the teen with a bleeding leg. Argent flashes another evil grin as she tries to chop him into side of his neck but he suddenly vanishes from the spot; she looks around to see that Neil has backstepped several feet away to avoid it.
Argent: Well, you're fast.
Neil: (grabs a feather and yanks it out in one go, wincing in pain) Faster than you. Both of you. (throws the feather at Owlperch who creates a shield of feathers to block it) I really did hope I wouldn't have to fight any villains. (sighs in frustration as he pulled out the remaining two feathers) I don't supposed there's still a chance to end this amicably. (they respond in a silent evil smirk from her and him protruding a sharp, black, foot-long metal rod from up one of his sleeve) Didn't think so. (pulls out a round vial of blue liquid from his jacket and drinks it; his wounds rapidly – but not instantly – healing)
Owlperch lunges towards him at top speed, arm stretched out to slash him like a sword. Neil leaps into the air to dodge, Argent shoots out five binds from her left hand at him, he slashes through them effortlessly. He drops back to earth, his foot tapping the ground for a second before pogoing back into the sky and clashing weapons with Owlperch; dagger against rod. Owlperch throws out feathers at Neil who just does some fancy footwork, twirling around the battlefield to effortlessly dodge them. Neil then throws two knives; they both seem to miss him.
Owlperch: (chuckles cockily) You missed.
Neil: Did I?
The first one flies forward and the second ricochets off it, the second flies back to the owl villain, stabbing into his left arm, causing him to suddenly lose control and fall to the ground. He manages to get back up just in time to see Neil charging with his dagger outstretched, the villain reacts in time to block it with the metal rod which – fortunately for him – is on uninjured arm. They begin a successive clash of weapons, Owlperch attempts to stab Neil, who easily evades and grabs his wrist and attempts a swing at his head, a dark look on his face before he's completely bound by Argent's light binds.
Neil: …!
Meanwhile, Mavy's still got her own villain problems.
Mavy: (leaping from rooftop to rooftop as she thinks to herself) I've got to hurry and get to the others. Men, things are quickly turning into a mess. I knew we'd deal with trouble from confused and angry villains once the raid started but I didn't expect it to happen this quickly. Doesn't matter, I've just got meet back up with the others before anything else happens; luckily, I didn't need my skills to deal with those three earlier so I only used the bare minimum minergy amount*. That said… (glances back before turning midair and skidding to a stop, facing the direction she literally just came from) You can come out now; I'm not interested in playing this game of follow the leader. (out of the shadows came grinning man in a costume of mostly metal features)
Metal Grip: You noticed me? I'm impressed. Even though I'm not the stealthiest, not very many people can detect my approach.
Mavy: (puts a hand to her waist sassily…) It's easy if you have the skill for it. (…and points a finger at him) You've following me for while now, what do you want?
The man – Metal Grip – smirks in amazement that she'd even aware of his presence the whole time he was tailing her. The villain is a tall, hulking man, standing about twice her height, with a bulky frame with sandy skin and fiery-yellow eyes. His arms appear to be made of metal with iron mounds on his shoulders and clamp-like fingers; on the face of his left wrist, a double-line metamark. His costume being a white tank-top with a black 'X'-shape tracing from the shoulders to the waist, a pair of blue jeans fastened by a brownish-black belt with silver buckle and tan boots. On his head is a metal helmet that extends around his chin into a metal jaw and a row of three horns on either side, each on being longer than the one in front.
Metal Grip: Well. Here I was trying to get some sleep, but all of a sudden…PANDEMONIUM! (exclaims as he raises his arms) Then I see you beating up my subordinates? (lets out a burst of laughter that reduces after a minute to small chuckle and sigh; his hand on his face the whole time and speaks in a cold voice) Who do you think you are?
Mavy: I really don't want to deal with anymore of this, but I have to take care of this guy now or he might be a problem for Kyle and the others later.
Metal Grip: (slowly walks up to her) Your story better be good little girl.
Mavy: If you want to know, your evilzone's being attacked by a group of government officials and my friend got mixed up in it. So I've got to save him.
Metal Grip: (looks skeptical) I said it had to be good.
Mavy: Yeah, I thought so. (spreads out her eagle wings and takes off and Metal Grip leaps up to her in a single bound, shocking her…) Woah! He can jump! (…hand outstretched to grab her but she dodges him) Too slow.
Metal Grip: And you're too predictable. (his hand emit a mint-green and white glow and he claps, sending a shockwave that sends her flying backwards instead of forwards)
Mavy: (screams as she does a series of midair backflips into a lamppost, hitting it back first with an 'oof!'; she then falls to the ground) Was that a super clap? It's a lot lie Kyle's, but it's much weaker.
Metal Grip: (lands and walks slowly towards her) Now, are ready to talk?
Mavy: (gets back up) Not until you're ready to listen. (transforms her arm into a large purple monster arm and stretches it at him)
Metal Grip: (lets out a small laugh as he dashes forward, dodging her attack) Nothing can escape her iron grip. (tries to punch Mavy who transforms her other arm into a monstrous with a rock-like, scaly exterior which successfully blocks it)
Mavy then turns into a large metal snake like a boa constrictor with steel scales and wraps around Metal Grip, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggles to break free, gritting his teeth as Mavy coils more tightly around his body. Metal Grip grunts hard before managing to burst free with a roar, arms in the air. Mavy's sent flying into a nearby car, which gets heavily dented and lets out its alarm. She detransforms, getting back up, but before she can shake off the slight concussion, Metal Grip is on her; grabbing her by the neck. Mavy chokes and coughs, hands gripping the iron arm around her throat as her legs kick about helplessly.
Metal Grip: (grinning evilly) Don't bother trying, I told you nothing can escape my iron grip. Now for you to start talking, but first to make sure you can't cause anymore trouble. (grabs one of her arms with his free hand and then transfers the first from her neck to the other before pulling hard, Mavy screaming in pain until…)
POP!
Then second one, then Mavy stops screaming and just slumps; head dropped as she hangs there in the air by her now damaged arms. Metal Grip lets out another wicked chuckle.
Back with battle at the Spider Cartel warehouse.
Sound Wave dodges a fire-beam attack from a mobster, he fires a sonic blast at them. One charges at him with wolverine claws, they swing to slash him but Sound Wave grabs their wrist and punches them hard in the face. Calculette creates a barrier that blocks a blast wave attack, some then lunge towards the cube and begin pounding it enough to crack. Several rush towards Sound Wave, he propels himself forward with his sonic waves and deliver powerful blows on his way past. Some fire energy beams at him, which he dodges with his skill and raises his arm to block a punch which sends him flying back few feet.
Sound Wave: (winces in pain) …!
The mobster lunges for him to deliver more punches, Sound Wave attempts these attacks but he arms get heavily damaged by them; they then dish out a barrage of punches that totally ruin Sound Wave's arms. The Enforcer drops to his knees as he stares at his broken arms, the mobster attempts to deliver the finishing strike, but they'll suddenly hit by a giant energy hand. Sound Wave looks up to see Calculette running up towards him, she heals his injured arms and the two stand back-to-back as they face more mobsters.
Calculette: You okay?
Sound Wave: (nods, not she could see it from behind her own back) Yeah. But don't think something's strange here?
Calculette: You're right. These guys are far stronger than the info stated. These guys are supposed to be knight- to bishop-tier but they actually seem to be bishop- to queen-tier if anything.
Sound Wave: What's going on?
Crushhopper swings a kick at Lazarus' head which the enforcer dodges, Lazarus swings his blade at Crushhopper who blocks it with metal boot. The two engage in a dance of high kicks and sword swings. Lazarus delivers a spam of slashes which Crushhopper struggles to block and parry, getting slashed a few times. The rogue trots backwards, gritting his teeth in anger at Lazarus. The two charge at eachother again, Lazarus goes for a stab at the head which the rogue dodges before sending a flaming kick Lazarus' own head; the latter block it with a forcefield, but the force still sends him flying. Gravitator blocks Don Weaver's freeze ray beam with a gravity shield, all while in slightly deep thought.
Gravitator: … My dome's broken. How is that possible? Only someone as strong as or stronger than me can do that. Could there someone like that among Gogen's villains? (Don Weaver fires more ice beams, which Gravitator successfully blocks)
Don Weaver: (seeing the freeze ray isn't working, growls in anger before…) USELESS! (…yells aloud as he throws the ray gun to the ground and runs to another set of boxes and pulls out another ray gun, one with a wide barrel with a glass dome attached in the opening, which he aims and fires at Gravitator)
Gravitator: (reacts in surprise at a beam of kinetic energy waves heading his way) …! (creates a forcefield to protect himself, the power forcing him back as he tries to stay grounded)
Don Weaver: (laughs evilly) YEAH! HOW DO LIKE THAT, SPACE BOY?!
Manhandle: (rushes towards Gravitator) Gravitator, I've got you!
Gravitator: (yells back) Forget about me! Focus on the enemy behind you, not in front of me.
Manhandle: (halts before realizing what he means…) What?! (…turns around and ducks down in one go, just in time to dodge a sideways swing of Black Ant's hammer)
Black Ant delivers a second swing which goes through Manhandle's body. Manhandle then enlarges his fist as he punches Black Ant, sending him flying with his fist as he extends his arm. Three mobsters confront him, one summoning a storm of arrows that they sending them flying at sand elemental, but of course, the arrows just harmlessly fly through his body. Manhandle turns the giant arm into a long tentacle and swings it them, sending then flying and crashing into a stack of boxes.
Don Weaver: (gets mad) Those are important commodities. (fires a beam at Manhandle, the blast decimating his body)
Gravitator: And you should focus on the enemy in front of you. (fires a gravity force wave at Don Weaver, sending him flying) Alright, time to be serious! (casts a field of gravity unto the evil mafia boss; pushing him into the ground) '30X GRAVITY FIELD'.
Over with Neil's fight, the raven-haired teen struggles to break free, the two villains laugh evilly at him. Neil drops his dagger, only to kick it back up, the blade easily cutting through a rope like butter; freeing his hand. He extends his arm to catch it, before slashing the rest of the binds apart; the constructs disappear. Neil freefalls back to the ground, leaping instantaneously at the moment his foot touches solid asphalt towards the villains, Owlperch lunges at him, clashing weapons. Owlperch down U-turn, slowing down as he makes the curve before flying straight back to Neil, who's lands back on the ground.
Owlperch and Neil engage a successive clash of blade against rod, they perform a two-person battle dance, with Neil performing fancy footwork on the ground and Owlperch levitating around the air. Argent sends her binds at Neil from behind, but he notices and does a horizontal flip to dodge, Owlperch getting bound instead. Argent releases another five from her free hand, Neil leaps out the way to the top of a street lamp in a single bound and brings out three throwing knives that he sends her way, she ties the binds together to form a solid shield; successfully blocking them.
Neil: (leaps off the street lamp, sending a powerful punch to the shield…) 'MASSIVE PUNCH'. (…demolishing the shield and sending the villain flying backwards at top speed into a nearby car with the force of impact; its alarm going off)
Neil suddenly snaps his head backwards, just in time to dodge a stab from Owlperch, the villain slashes at his him, but Neil does a backflip to dodge, then grabs the wrist of the other hand as it also swings his way. He blocks the rod with his dagger, Owlperch shoots backwards to create distance then sends flurry of feathers Neil, who flips and twirls around the battlefield to dodge them.
Owlperch: Hmmm. This kid's better than I thought.
Owlperch pulls out what looks like two owl-man batterangs from his utility belt and throws them at the Neil, they at first seem to miss him, only for them suddenly explode; sending him flying backwards. The villain chuckles wickedly and pulls out an owl-themed grappling gun, shooting it at Neil who effortlessly dodges the cord and slices through it. Neil leaps forwards to slash him, Owlperch parries his blade, the two begin another clash of weapons, the villain does a backhand slash which the teen dodges and moves his hand to stabs the center of the rod just as the villain's hand swings back up the way it came; breaking it into two.
Owlperch face turns to one of shellshock, Neil takes the chance to grab the other rod and snaps it in two with his bare hand and tries to stab Owlperch with it, only to briefly wrapped up by Argent's binds and sent flying into the wall of a building off the side of the road; dropping in weapons in surprise form the sudden pull. Neil shakily gets back up, a few bruises and scratches and a drop of blood from his forehead aside, he's largely unharmed. He looks over at a similarly uninjured Argent glaring at him, then at the ground where his dagger is, and then back at his opponents.
Owlperch: (raises his hands to look at his rods in utter disbelief) He broke through my orichalcum* rods like it were nothing?
Argent: I'm getting tired off this. (to her partner) Get ready! (understanding what's about happen, Owlperch shuts his eyes…) 'BLINDING GLOW'! (…her purple skin turns a glowing midnight-blue before emitting a powerful white light that spreads throughout the entire battlefield like a bad rumor, blinding Neil who screams in pain, clutching his eyes shut with a groan as he stumbles backwards; the light fades, Argent and Owlperch grins wickedly at the blinded boy whom growls in anger)
At the same time, Metal Grip holds the seemingly unconscious Mavy by one of her arms.
Metal Grip: (chuckles evilly) This was even easier than I thought. (laughs coldly) Alright, time to held back to the guild and do some interrogation.
Mavy: No thanks…
Metal Grip: (shocked) What?! (looks down to see a reawakened Mavy glaring up at him)
Mavy: (turns her free arm into large, mechanical fist…) …now let…GO! (…and slams her fist into the villain's chest, sending him flying into a dumpster in the alley)
Metal Grip: (gets back up, rubbing the spot on his chest where he was hit) How? How broke your--
Mavy: (casually shrugs) I can heal, transformation isn't the other trick up my sleeve. (shoots him a straight glare) Now! Are you finally gonna listen to me?!
Metal Grip: …! (gets mad) You damn… (charges towards her with a punch but she shifts her transformed arm into large metal shield to block)
The punch connects, the shield successfully blocks the attack, partially at least, as she's still sent flying backwards, she lands on her feet and free hand; skidding backwards to a stop. Metal Grip leaps into the air and prepares to deliver a deadly punch from above, Mavy turns her legs into cheetah legs from the knees down and dashes out of the way; the punch creating an explosion of earth and leaving a large crater in the ground. Mavy crosses her arms in front of her face to shield herself from the flying rock.
Mavy: …
Metal Grip stands straight, facing Mavy with a furious glare. Metal Grip does another clap, sending a shockwave at her, which she mostly blocks by merging and transforming his hands into the shield; the construct deflects most of the brunt of the attack, but she's still pushed back a bit. Mavy protrudes big, slightly curved, razor-shaped blades from the backs of her hands.
Mavy: Oh yeah. Definitely weaker than Kyle's.
Using her still-transformed cheetah legs for increased superspeed, she bolts straight towards and right past him, slashing through the side of torso. Metal Grip holds on to the cut on his body, pressing her with his superior grip strength to stop the profuse bleeding. His face a mixture of shock and bewilderment as he barely saw Mavy move, only briefly seeing her turn into a blur before reappear feeling the cut to his side.
Metal Grip: She was from front straight to behind me before I even felt what she did? Her speed seems have increased in just the few-second interval between her last and previous movements. Just who the hell is this girl?
Mavy stares at him with a determinant expression, the kind that makes you know sh*t's about to get real. Channeling some more aura into her cheetah legs to boost the power further, she dashes straight at him and right past him, slashing him again and again as races around the battlefield in some obscene polygon; mercilessly slashing all over his body.
Mavy: 'DANCE OF COMMON CUTS'.
Mavy slashes him all over – front, back, sides, legs, torso – leaving cuts, deep enough to cause profuse bleeding and rapid loss of strength, not deep enough to be readily fatal, enough that he'd lose consciousness with just a few more. She lunges for him again, intending to slash his arms, only for a sudden clink to be heard as she runs past, the attack only lightly scratching the male villain's metal arm; dealing no worse damage than a messed-up paint job on a car. Mavy makes a second attempt and then a third and fourth, all ending in the same result. Even worse, she notices her blades beginning to chip from the repeated attempts.
Mavy: (grits her teeth in frustration) … Those metal arms of his are too tough to vcut through. Any more attempts will surely shatter my blades.
Metal Grip: (seeming to realize this as well, begins to taunt her; chuckling) What's wrong? These guns too tough to handle? (begins flexing as Mavy glares at the cocky villain before coating her blades in the tri-colored aura – a coat of sky-blue, sunlight-yellow and vibrant-pink; dashing at him with the aura-infused blades for another attempt, this time actually managing to do significant damage) … (glares at her but does nothing to stop her or retaliate as she begins another flurry of mad dash attacks, that is until a he suddenly manages to send her flying with a successfully timed and aimed punch to the jaw)
Mavy: (crashes into the side of a building heads first, gets back up with a stunned and heavily-bruised face) …! What the heck?!
Metal Grip: (lets out a laugh) How did I know where you were coming from? Simple. I noticed your movement was totally monotonous, you kept following the same pattern over and over again. I imagine that technique is something you came up with recently and haven't even perfected yet. Knowing that, figuring out your attack pattern and knowing where you're going wasn't anything too hard.
Mavy: … He's right. (a coat of aura wraps around her body, insta-healing her injuries completely) Dance of common cuts is still in the intermediate stage at best, I still haven't got a full handle on it. I can only move a set path continuously at the moment but…I didn't think he'd see through it though. I guess this guy's more than just dumb muscle.
Metal Grip: (pounding a fist into his other hand's palm) Seeing how you fight; I'm guessing you're a berserker. I'd have said you're a striker like me, but you fighting style's too erratic, your attacks lack the certain level of finesse and precision which strikers possess.
Mavy: … You're very perceptive, I'll give you that. (gets into a martial arts-running stance, dropping to a one-handed crouch with the other hand outstretched) But I'm not one to lose so easily. (dashes towards him and sends a kick his way, Metal Grip effortlessly catches her leg, only for her foot to extend a blade that cuts a slash across his face)
Metal Grip: (yells in pain and shock as he grabs his face) …! (he removes his hand to show scratch on the meal of his face, a bleeding cut along the path) Why you… (glares at her furiously and leaps into the air to deliver a drop-punch)
Mavy detransforms the foot-blade and dashes out of the way, the villain's punch creating a loud boom and large crater, four meters wide. He dashes at her, sending a punch that Mavy dodges, a second punch which she blocks with one hand and sends a bladed punch to Metal Grip's face which he stops with a grab to her wrist. Mavy opens her hand and shoots a grappling hook and chain out of her palm which Metal Grip barely dodges the sudden attack, his metal cheek getting scratched, the hook flying off into the distance. Mavy performs a diagonal slash across his chest, shocking him into letting her go, taking the chance, she retracts the grappling hook which has already latched unto something, making it pull her along instead.
Mavy: That guy's greatest asset seems to be his strength and holding grip, I can't break out of that on my own. This guy's tough, nothing I can't handle if I went all out but… (Metal Grip leaps towards her, catching her off-guard) What?!
Metal Grip delivers a powerful punch which she tries to block with her arm, but the attack totally destroys her blade and crushes her wrist, sending her flying with a small shockwave; the chain snaping in two. The broken chain and blade both fade out existence, Mavy regenerates her wrist as she growls at him in anger. Metal Grip eerily walks up to her with an angry glare on his face, bloodlust overflowing the entire scene; something Mavy senses in 4K.
Mavy: (detransforms her limbs back to normal, glaring with Metal Grip) This guy's really strong. He's more powerful than Wallace, but he doesn't seem that much stronger than me. I can definitely beat him, but I'll have to stop holding back. (puts her hands together, holding them out…) Alright, now! (…releases her battle aura, not the visible, tri-colored energy cloak, but a – mostly – transparent, pink-white burst of power with enough force that villain struggles to stand firm against)
Metal Grip: (slowly gets pushed back but struggles to stand still, hands over his face with one eye closed and the other struggling to stay open) … How can such a little girl hold this much power? I thought she was just some tier-knight who got overconfident in her skills and thought she cause a riot in an evilzone and get off scot-free, but then I realized she was actually stronger as we fought early but…this…this is…
Mavy: (sports a determined look) Okay. Let's do this.
Back with Neil, he stands upright, staring at his opponents – or at least he tries to – he squints his eyes at them, his entire field of vision nought but blurry mess. Neil turns his head left and right in a vain attempt to see something; anything.
Neil: Goddammit! I can't see shit. …!(pictures Argent's powerful light emission earlier)That's some skill. She can release a powerful wave of light that strong enough to completely blind anyone looking directly at her. She's like a living LED, this definitely won't last long but I certainly can't just sit here and wait for my vision to return.(glares at Argent, though he can't see her) Bitch! You think you can beat me by telling away my sight?
Owlperch: (sends several feathers at Neil) It's over kid. (sensing an attack is coming, Neil raises his arms up to his face, five feathers stabbing into them – three in his left and two in his right; Neil winces in pain from the attack, his arms dropping to his sides)
Neil: … Sonova-- I'm at a serious disadvantage like this. (closes his eyes, trying to re-envision the scene around him before going blind, trying to remember where his weapon is)First, I need to get out of here.(eyes still shut, Neil dashes forward at the villains, surprising them, he suddenly makes a beeline to the side for his weapon; performing a series of successive somersaults, Neil grabs his dagger and leaps up into the air)
Owlperch: (turns towards him) I don't think so buster! You're not going anywhere! (grabs a device like two silver-gold and grey-brown diamond-shaped objects attached together and throws it at him, it splits into two and each half sends out four curved segmented bars that attach to the free spots in either half; forming a spherical cage around Neil)
Neil: (surprised) …! (as the cage begins descending back to earth, he rips out two of the feathers stuck in his left arm with his teeth before gripping his blade through the pain and slashed the cage to shreds)
Now free, Neil steps at foot on a piece of the cage and leaps of it unto a nearby small building, landing unto the rooftop; back first that is. Neil lays on the roof for a while, taking a moment to catch his breath before sitting up and ripping out the remaining feathers from his arms and stagger to his feet; his arms once again left hanging at his sides. He looks around, or rather tries to, but still sees nothing but a blurry mess.
Neil: (manages to notice something) Huh!
Argent: (growls in anger) He got away!
Owlperch: (calmly) He's blind. He can't very far, let's go. (Argent grapples to the rooftop with her light binds while Owlperch takes to the sky, searching for him; Owlperch taps the side of his goggles, the orange lenses turning green as looks over the entire area and grins evilly) You can hide kid, but you should know: owls can see better than even metas at night; much less one who's completely as blind as a bat. (his field of vision fills with vivid-green and black as he looks around the evilzone, his partner however has a harder time looking for the boy; her eyes though being having better visual power than a normal human not on the level of an owl)
Argent: (annoyed) …! How so you lose someone who can't even see? (After a while, Owlperch finally manages to see something or someone moving along the rooftops, a few yards; in the opposite direction of the warehouse)
Owlperch: (grins ferally) Hey! I think I see something. (takes off in the direction)
Argent: (leaps after him) Hey! Wait up!
Owlperch makes it to the roofs but don't see anything, he looks around and sees the figure move further ahead along; this time on the other side of the path. Confused, Owlperch takes off after him again, only for him to once again not find anything; leaving him bewildered. He continues to look around for Neil and sees him jumping along rooftops, this time almost all the way on the other side of the district.
Owlperch: (flabbergasted) What the--?! (takes off towards the direction)
Argent: (veins popping from her forehead) Will you at least slow down, birdbrain?! Why'd you keep running back and forth?
Owlperch: (not replying, he just heads towards the spot, only to once again not find anything) What the…? (sees that Neil is already standing atop a building more fifty yards away, beads of sweat dropping down the sides of his head) How is he doing that?! (growls in frustration before launching off in that direction)
Argent: (stops on the rooftop she is running across and dropping to her knees in exhaustion, breathing hard) Seriously? Come on.
Owlperch: You're not getting away this time! (the figure however seems to just literally disappears just he reaches the building, leaving him stunned) What?! (looks around to see Neil leaping back and forth all around the district) What is going on?! (Owlperch looks around the district, his face a mixture of shock and confusion as watches the boy just appear to just teleport left and right like a ghost; he roars in frustration at this with his hands on the sides of his head, not able to understand what's happening) Sit still, already! How can he move like this when he can't even see?!
Argent: (sees this as well) What? Can this kid teleport? But how can he even find his way around? There's no way he got his vision back, is there? (Owlperch looks around, trying to find Neil's real location before the figures all disappear; he suddenly spots the teen climb in through the open window of a random building)
Owlperch: There you are?!
Argent: (extends her hand at him) Hey! Wait!
Owlperch: (smashes through the window, only to see a wide-open but pitch-black room; he begins looking around in the total darkness, using his goggles' night vision to try to find Neil) You can run, but you can't hide. Owl eyes are better than human eyes.
Neil: (from the shadows) That's what I'm countngon.(drops a what looks like a white Chinese lantern the size of a softball in front of the man…)
Owlperch: (surprised) A flash bomb?! (…which releases an explosion of light that completely blinds the villain who screams in shock and pain)
Neil: (hiding atop a horizontal attachment on a beam, lets out a sigh)Alright.
The scene fades to black as the chapter ends.
STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER: 23 (NIGHTTIME BRAWL IV: RUNNING IN BLIND)
*The minergy in the bodies of metas enhances their physical and mental characteristics, so metas with great minergy control can regulate how much minergy they use in regular physical attacks to either increase or reduce the potency of their attacks. Few metas, who have particularly exceptional control can even use the same level of power with far less minergy than usual.