Joyce lunged forward without hesitation, the massive hammer in her hands cutting through the air with terrifying speed. At the very last moment Johnson raised his fist, blocking the strike. The impact exploded outward like a cannon, throwing him sideways at impossible velocity until his body slammed against the ground with a bone-rattling crash.
"Oh… fuck…" Johnson coughed, blood spilling from his lips. His chest heaved as he whispered, "Jake…?"
Inside his mind, Jake's calm and detached voice answered, "What do you want to do, Johnny?"
Johnson grit his teeth, struggling to rise. "If I release my power to fifty percent… can I be as fast as she is?"
"Not as fast," Jake replied casually, "but fast enough to keep up for a while. Avoid the top hammer she's wielding for it can cause catastrophic damage."
"I don't care…" Johnson growled.
But before he could steady himself, Joyce appeared in front of him, her boot driving into his stomach with brutal force. Johnson doubled over as her laughter rang out, sharp and playful.
"You should pay attention to who you're fighting, Johnny!" she taunted, her crimson hair flaring around her as she lunged at him once more, moving faster than his eyes could follow.
Releasing limiters to fifty percent… user can now move at Mach forty-five without strain. Boosting strength. User's strength increased to one hundred percent. Healing fractures.
Johnson's body transformed before Joyce's eyes. His chest glowed with stored energy, his frame bulking with muscle. His sneakers ignited, fusing seamlessly into the design of his multicolored suit.
"I see," Joyce murmured, a dangerous smile curving her lips. "So you've finally decided to take this training seriously. Then I won't hold back against you." She reached up, pulling the lock of hair from her face. As her long crimson hair spilled free, it began to glow faintly, alive with energy.
"Johnson," Jake said firmly in his head. "I'm going to assist you, but you have to let me."
"No problem," Johnson replied under his breath, shifting his stance. He bounced lightly side to side, his movements sharp and precise, like a seasoned martial artist preparing for battle.
Joyce launched at him again, her hammer arcing downward with devastating force. Johnson bent low at the last second, the weapon slicing over his head with a whisper of displaced air.
"On your posterior left!" Jake barked.
Johnson spun just as Joyce's heel came flying at him. He barely dodged, the kick grazing past his jaw. She followed instantly, condensing air into lethal spears and hurling them like missiles. Johnson ducked, weaved, and then surged forward, his fist slamming into her stomach.
Joyce only laughed, her voice rich and mocking. "Too slow." She cracked her knuckles and drove a savage kick into his face, her knee connecting with a sickening crunch.
Johnson seized her leg with a grunt, spinning her around at hyperspeed before flinging her away.
"Hahaha!" Joyce's laughter filled the air, wild and teasing. "You know you can do better than that!" She grasped at the empty air, bending it to her will until it wrapped around Johnson's legs like ropes. With a snap of her wrist she flung him upward.
Johnson's body blurred as he phased through the bindings, reappearing above her in a flash of lightning. His kick landed hard against her face, the impact breaking her frontal teeth.
"Ouch!" Joyce spat blood and staggered back, her eyes blazing. "Now you've done it."
Johnson pressed his advantage, his fist slamming into her stomach with earth-shaking force. But she caught his punch, twisted his arm, and hurled him skyward. Her follow-up strike hit with light-speed ferocity, sending him crashing back down. She snatched his body mid-fall, swirled him violently through the air, and then smashed him into the earth with a storm-breaking slam.
"User stamina depleted. Refilling stamina. Regenerating user," Jake intoned calmly inside Johnson's head.
Johnson roared, his eyes fierce. "I will definitely beat you!" Lightning erupted from his body, wrapping him in a storm of multicolored arcs. He phased through her grip, reappeared in the air, and unleashed a flurry of kicks to her neck with impossible speed.
Joyce blocked with a shimmering crimson shield, forged from a fragment of nearby plywood. She bit her lip, her thoughts racing. How is he still strong? He should be getting weaker… exhausted… but instead he's accelerating…
More spears materialized around her, hurtling toward Johnson like a rain of death.
"Behind you," Jake warned. "Not all of the attacks are real. Use Aura Sensors to identify the genuine ones."
"Yes," Johnson replied between clenched teeth, still pounding at the barrier with a stolen spear. "And check my stats while you're at it."
"Updating stats. Activating Aura Sensors," Jake confirmed.
Johnson twisted, dodging the barrage of spears, snatching one from the air and driving it like a drill against Joyce's shield at hyperspeed.