The second round wasn't cleaner—but it was smarter.
You stopped thinking in terms of powers.
No more "what can I copy?"
Now it was: "How do I make you miss?"
You baited him. Let him graze your arm.
But in doing so, you saw how he shifted weight.
Center of mass forward. Right elbow always trails. Overconfidence in his right jab.
Every strike you absorbed, every dodge you failed—became information.
Data.
You remembered what Pulse said:
"Start learning from the gaps."
Copybreaker moved with military grace, but not superhuman speed.
And his arrogance left openings.
You pivoted—shifted your centerline—stopped throwing punches, and started redirecting.
Aikido. Judo. Red Guardian's takedown spiral.
You'd seen the footage. Trained with Echo's simulators.
But now?
You didn't need to copy Red Guardian's strength.
You just needed his technique.
You ducked low and twisted—slamming Copybreaker into the wall shoulder-first.
He grunted.
That was the first sound he'd made all fight.
You didn't let up.
You moved in, not with power—but precision. You targeted ligaments. Control joints.
He lashed out, but you kept distance.
You weren't trying to beat him.
You were trying to download him.
And then—you felt it.
The shift.
[GENETIC FRAME SCANNED]
[MUSCLE MEMORY PATTERNING: ACTIVE]
He clocked it instantly.
"You're adapting my body?" he said.
You smirked through the blood on your lips. "You don't need powers to be copied."
His eyes narrowed.
He attacked again—more vicious now, erratic. He was losing composure.
You twisted past, and this time you hit back with his own strike.
Same angle. Same elbow.
Crack.
His nose broke.
He staggered.
Then—he pulled a blade.
Your eyes locked on the metal.
You scanned it. Vibranium-tungsten alloy. Laced with something synthetic. Couldn't copy it. Couldn't even read it fully.
He lunged.
You dodged—narrowly. The blade sliced your side.
Pain flared.
But it focused you.
You pulled everything in. Every learned motion. Every strike. Every reaction.
And then—you stopped moving entirely.
Let him come.
He did.
And you dropped low, swept his feet, spun upward—and landed a knee under his chin.
He went flying back, dazed.
You limped forward, breathing ragged.
He wiped blood from his lip.
"...They won't stop sending people like me."
You didn't hesitate.
"You think I'm just reacting? That I'm stuck copying?"
You let the energy spark—just a flicker—your system flickering to life.
[ADAPTIVE COMBAT FORM: MIRROR-BREAK]
[SYNTHETIC MEMORY IMPRINT: COPYBREAKER - LIMITED ACCESS GRANTED]
"I'm not copying anymore," you said. "I'm becoming the countermeasure."
You launched forward—faster than he expected—and landed three precision strikes to his liver, solar plexus, and left leg tendon.
His body collapsed in on itself.
He fell—unconscious.
Your body collapsed right after, vision swimming.
⸻
You woke up in a secure medbay.
Pulse was there.
"Dumbest thing I've seen," he muttered. "Also the most impressive."
You smiled weakly. "He's not unreadable anymore."
Voss entered. For once, no scowl.
"You did more than survive," she said. "You adapted to someone built to kill you."
She tossed a file onto the bed.
"Copybreaker's tech was Echo-made. Black program. He was never supposed to go active."
You narrowed your eyes. "You sent me in knowing."
"I needed to know what your ceiling was."
You sat up, face cold. "And if I had died?"
Voss didn't blink. "Then we'd know your limits."
You clenched your fists.
But inside... you knew something had changed.
This fight wasn't just physical.
It was evolution.
You hadn't just survived.
You'd shifted your power set.
From mimicry to mastery.