The world didn't exactly shatter, of course.
A wave of force simply surged from 05's palm, vibrating the air with an intensity that almost made it visible, slamming against the spot that 02 had been standing in with a massive 'CRACK'. The ceramic floor shattered, sinking into a small depression with a spider web of cracks radiating from where the blast had landed.
02 himself had managed to dodge. He was an old hand at this, at avoiding the attacks of those who considered themselves his betters. The moment 05 had raised his hand, 02 had already been moving, rolling away from the attack that he knew was coming.
05 blinked as he stared at the vacated spot, as if he could not believe that 02 had possessed the gall to avoid his attack. His eyes sliced through the glaring bright room, immediately zeroing on 02, who was crouching and staring at him with absolute concentration, his muscles coiled and tense. 05 scoffed, then relaxed. His arms dropped to his side, releasing the tension that had held his body. 02 was too experienced to fall for the trick, however; 05 was always at his most dangerous when he appeared relaxed.
"Don't make this hard on yourself, 02," 05 drawled, his eyes narrowed in malice. "Just lie down and take it like the dog that you are. It'll save us both sometime."
"How about you shut your yapping and actually hit me, Red?" 02 finally spoke up, his tone mocking. "Are you so bad at this that I have to stand in place before…"
The room trembled, and 02's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he jumped to his feet and leapt to the side. A massive wave of pressure slammed down at the spot that he'd vacated, creating an invisible explosion that shattered the floor, creating a small crater in the process, and released a shockwave that caught 02 midair and flung him backwards. 02 caught his unmoored flight through the air by reaching to the ground and grabbing at it with his fingers, trying to find seams in the floor to hold on to. Unfortunately, it was far too smooth for that, so he continued to sail through the air till he slammed against the far wall with a heavy thud.
"Ack!" he gasped, spit spraying out of his mouth and his breath fleeing from his lungs. Breathless, he crumpled to the floor and barley managed to stop his face from kissing the durable ceramic by catching himself with his hands.
He didn't give himself any time to rest. He looked up and saw that 05 had his hands outstretched.
'Bastard,' 02 thought as he jumped to his feet and tried to run away.
He realized his error a second later, when the space in front of him trembled imperceptibly, before an explosion of force bloomed in front of him and slammed into him once again, sweeping him off of his feet.
'How!?' the thought rang through 02's mind as he slammed into the floor. His ribs screamed in protest, and a pained wheeze rushed out of his mouth with a ragged exhale. 'How did he do that? The only one who could do that –"
"Was that a remotely activated explosion, GX-05?" a voice spoke up through the speakers. "I see you're taking inspiration from your previous engagements."
Ah. So that's how he had gotten the move. He had copied the methods that 02's sister had used to kick his ass the last time that they fought. Cold sweat broke out in 02's nape and forehead. How the fuck was he supposed to beat 05 now? As if the boy wasn't overpowered enough already, he just had to take after the one person in the base that was basically untouchable.
This was just…so unfair.
05, who had been grinning with exultant pride for a second, scowled and glared at the ceiling.
"That girl didn't teach me anything!" he snarled. "This is all my hard work. You got that? Mine!"
"And yet, it is undeniable that Subject 01 was the first to use your abilities in such a manner," the voice retorted in callous disinterest. "So, in a roundabout way, she did teach you something. Good. Your session with 01 will be increased."
02 suppressed an amused snort. If he wasn't on the other end of 05's tantrum, he would've probably laughed at how the boy had been unceremoniously shut down. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky; 05's displeasure was his own dismay. With a groan, 02 rolled to his side and pushed himself up on all fours.
'I can do this,' he thought to himself, staring through eyes blurred by sweat at the white, cold floor. His tan arms, starkly contrasted against the brightness of the room were trembling slightly. With a grunt, 02 stopped the trembling with an effort of will. 'I can do this. I've survived him before,' – after gratuitously breaking his bones – 'and I'll do it again.'
05 practically seethed, clenching and unclenching his fists in impotent rage. As if he had heard 02's thoughts, he whirled around and fixed his gaze on 02, his eyes alight with renewed malice.
"Where do you think you're going?"
With a sharp gesture, he directed a wave of force at 02. 02 jumped out of the way, whirling like a spinning top in midair and landing on the balls of his feet. The instant he got his feet under him, he sprinted towards 05. The boy's eyes widened as he sliced his hand through the air once more, directing another wave of force.
02's eyes were trained on 05. 05's hand seemed to move in slow motion, slicing through the air like an ant through molasses. He saw the way the air trembled and compressed into a crescent-like shape, nearly invisible, but just noticeable enough that 02 was dodge it with a sharp pivot to the side. The wall behind him shattered with a large 'CRACK!'
"You –!" 05 snarled as 02 got within three long strides of him. When he noticed how close 02 was, his eyes widened in desperation as he raised both his arms, his fingers splayed wide.
02's eyes widened and he instantly flattened himself on the ground, his forehead slamming into the ceramic with the suddenness of the motion. 05's hands descended with a sharp, final gesture, and the world quaked with a sinister, heavy 'THUM!'
In that moment, it seemed like the gravity of the room was multiplied by a factor of a hundred. The weight of the world pressed down on 02, slamming against his bones and pressing him into the floor until he felt more like a human pancake than an actual human being. He couldn't even groan, yell, or gasp. Air rushed out of his lungs, his heart slammed wildly against his ribcage under the immense pressure, and his bones creaked as they strained against the force of the omnidirectional attack.
The pressure remained for several long seconds. 02's head almost seemed to swell, and he swore he could feel his brain touching his skull.
'How…is he doing this?' 02 thought desperately, his mind whirling in panic as he tried to make sense of what was happening. 05 had tried something like this before, against the fight with 01. It had been his trump card in that battle, but he'd barely been able to keep it up for more than a few seconds before he'd nearly collapsed in exhaustion, and 01 had decisively ended the fight with a remote explosion of force.
And yet, 05 was doing the same thing, except for far longer than he'd kept it up last time.
'This…fucking…bastard,' 02 thought faintly, deliriously, spots dancing in his vision. He couldn't help but feel a slight surge of respect. 05 was not the type to take a loss lying down. After 01 had beaten him, he'd trained, got better with his powers, with his weaknesses. 02 could respect that, almost.
Too bad 02 wasn't one to give up, either.
When the pressure began to lessen, 02 saw his chance. He remained prone, pretending that he had passed out. Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of 05 gasping raggedly. Then, footsteps echoed as the boy approached 02.
"Did you just fucking die?" 05 mocked derisively. "Of course you did. Normies like you will never amount to anythi…"
Tracking 05 by the sound of his voice, when 02 felt him standing right over him, he surged into motion and reached out, grabbing at 05's ankle and pulling him down to the floor.
"Ah!" 05 yelped as his back slammed onto the ceramic alloy. Before he could gather himself, 02 climbed on top of him and held up his fist. Blue eyes glared into startled green, one filled with vindictive rage, the other filled with fear.
"You couldn't even kill him," 02 laughed, his voice hoarse. "And you think you're somehow better? Let this Normie show you how it's…"
"That's enough!" a harsh voice barked out of the speakers, and 02 froze, his eyes widening. Right. The death threat.
"Unhand 05, 02. Failure to comply will result in immediate termination."
02's nape burned with the weight of that promise. He could almost feel it; the bomb planted right underneath his skull. If he even dreamed of exacting his revenge on 05; he wouldn't see Mira ever again.
Ignoring 05's smug expression, 02 let go of him and fell to the side. He stared at the smooth, white ceiling, a promise taking root in mind.
'One day. One day, I'll kill every one of you.'