Chapter 2: Fantasy Raid
(3rd Person)
The panels in the room begin to shape shift, during the environment into a lush & green forest. The fans in the room began to blow, simulating natural, moist air flow. The speakers send out distant bird chirping and insect sounds. In the simulated sky, 2 beams of light rise from the ground. One in the East, one in the west. From their speculation, both teams know the lights represent the flags. From Z-Force's team, he begins to lay out a plan with his team.
"Alright, we'll go in teams of 2. Me & Osiris will go for the one in the East, while you 2 will go West. Osiris, keep an eye out for either Blue Siren or Minerva. Your Absorption powers will give us an edge whenever they fire shots at us. Plus, with me or Ember, we can make some interesting combinations with our powers."
Osiris nods in agreement while Ferra shifts into her feral cat form. She exhaled calmly, letting the transformation take over like a well-rehearsed routine. Her pupils elongated into vertical slits, her irises shifting to a striking greyish-green that seemed to glow with latent energy. Light grey fur emerged across her skin in a fine, smooth layer, soft yet hinting at the power beneath. Her fingers twitched as claws extended effortlessly, sharp and gleaming, while her teeth lengthened into fangs that she tested briefly with her tongue. Her ears reshaped into pointed tips, flicking as her heightened senses attuned to the world around her. The transformation was seamless, natural, and entirely hers—a display of power she no longer feared but embraced. When it was over, she rolled her shoulders, every inch of her feral form exuding control and confidence, as though daring the world to challenge her.
Z-Force looks towards the light in the West as he hands out an order for Ember & Ferra.
"You 2 watch each other's backs. If you're going up against Shaw & Minerva, remember that you 2 got them in speed. Regardless if they're stronger, power means nothing if they can't hit you."
Ferra & Ember nod their heads in agreement. Everyone turned on the communication radio attached to their gear. As the 2 pairs face towards the flag they will go far, they give each fist bumps before they head off. On the opposite side of the field, the Phantom Wolves have already started charging towards their designated flags without even speaken. For them, this is 2nd nature. Especially for a team with a skilled telepath like Echo. Whenever Echo is in battle, he establishes a mental link with his team, a telepathic communication channel that'll stay up as long as he wishes and is conscious.
"Everyone clear on their assignments?" Echo messaged his team.
"Loud an' clear. Mi an' Minerva wi' handle di West while you an' Blue Siren tek di East." Shaw responded back to Echo.
Echo sends a new order to the team.
"Good. Use this channel to communicate. Beyond that, radio silence."
With swiftness, both pairs of the Phantom Wolves disappear into the simulated forest.
On the Westside of the simulated island, Ember & Ferra are making way to the flag that spawned in this direction. Ferra is leading the charge, using her senses to guide the way and to keep watch for any dangers near them while Ember follows behind from a manageable distance. At their pace, all the trees and bushes that surround them are like blurs whizzing by them. The ground & soil can barely react to each step they take before they push off the ground. Astounding it is to know that Ferra herself can go faster than this, but she has to hold back so that Ember can keep up while they're grounded. As they're dashing through the forest, Ferra's nose twitches. Someone is within smelling range of her. Ferra lifts her hand, signaling Ember to stop. Ferra jumps backwards to Ember's position and converses with him.
"Alright, I just smelled Shaw and Minerva. I recommend that we hang back and maintain this distance until they get close enough to the flag. My senses are stronger than his. I can keep track of the distance as long as we don't get close enough to trigger his senses. Once they get close enough to the flag, we'll ambush them. Sounds good to you?"
"Good with me."
Further aside on their right confirms Ferra's smell as Shaw & Minerva sprint across the digital field. Just as Ferra was leading the charge, Shaw played the same role. As these 2 get closer to the flag spawn point, Shaw signals to Minerva to come to a stop. Minerva has a confused look in her face as she telepathically communicates with Shaw.
"Ok, what's up? You smell something, fido?"
"*tsk* Fi real? Look yah, di problem is mi nah smell nuttin'."
" What? How the hell is that a problem?"
"Yuh nuh tink mi shoulda smell somebody from Z-Force crew?"
" Wha- oh. I get what you mean."
" "Mi guess is Ferra deh close by. Wi both know her senses stronger than mine. Chances are dem planning fi ambush us."
"Hah! Ok. Let's see if they got what it takes then."
On the East side of the island, Z-Force & Osiris have almost made it towards their chosen flag while at the same time Echo & Blue Siren are in range to intercept them. The closer Z-Force & Osiris, the louder and more noticeable a certain sound can be heard. Z-Force halts his & Osiris's movements to assess the situation. Taking notice of what sound might be, he informs Osiris.
" Here's a good teaching moment. O, can you hear that?"
Osiris turns, not having a clue on what Z-Force is referring to, starts to look around in his part of the field.
" What are you talking about? All I hear is fake animal noises. "
"Try again. Pay attention and listen closely."
Osiris closes his eyes and listens more attentively. Amongst the simulated animal & wind noises there's a faint high pitched whine.
"Wait…I can hear it now. What is that?"
"Well that's definitely Blue Siren in her Trident power armor. She's closer to the spawn point than we are. With the equipment attached to her armor, she's probably already spotted us."
"Hmm… So what now?"
"We'll take to the trees. The branches and leaves will be our cover and it'll give us a better vantage point for Siren while she's in the air. Beyond that, get ready for a fight. Watch your surroundings for Echo."
"Got it."
Back on the Westside of the island, Shaw & Minerva have reached the spawn point of the flag. Embedded into a small rock formation lies a blue & black flag with a V shaped insignia on it. As they carefully step out of the forest, they keep a watchful eye of their surroundings, speculating how Ferra & Ember will ambush them.
"Minerva, yuh should go fi di flag first, an' mi wi deh behind yuh, ready fi strike at whatever come."
" Woooow…I'm the sacrificial lamb I see."
"....Woman…"
" I'm just playing."
Minerva coats her body with a soft and light field of V-force energy. With her abilities, she uses this field to softly carry herself to the flag, floating over the ground. As she lands, she surveys the battlefield, looking for any signs of an attack. She looks at Shaw, looking for approval to grab the flag. He gives her the nod to go for it. At that same time, his hands start to morph into claws and his teeth become more fanged and beastly, contrasting against his beautiful soft pink & grey skin & eyes. As she goes to grab the flag, a warm sensation comes over her, followed by an orange & red light from the sky. Minerva looks up and sees a fireball in the sky coming straight towards her. Reacting quickly, she sends a blast of V-force energy at the fireball, dispersing the flames. In the smoke of the collision, Ember blitzed through it, whole body inflamed, tackling Minerva. Luckily for her, she kept her v-force field up to protect herself and took the hit with minimal damage. She musters up the power from her field to cause an explosive force to come from the field, knocking Ember back. Ember quickly recovers with fireballs loaded up to be thrown at her. Minerva loads up her own energy blast while locking eyes with Ember.
"Boy, you think you're stronger than me?"
"Maybe, maybe not, but I ain't backing down."
"Ok then. Bring it on!"
Back on the ground, Shaw is following along while watching his back for whoever is with Ember to pop out, knowing that it's likely Ferra that's waiting in the wings for him. With claws readied, Shaw springs into action, sprinting towards Minerva's location, but he immediately stops in his tracks to claw in half a large boulder that was thrown at him. However, he wasn't prepared for Ferra's foot as she used the distraction to land a fast & powerful dropkick to Shaw's chest. The force of her kick sends him flying backwards for a few feet, bounced off the ground before he regained his footing. He grabs his chest and than looks up at Ferra, standing uphill from him smirking at her cunning tactic. Ferra takes a stance while she giggles at Shaw.
"You might wanna stay down, big guy—it's only downhill from here."
Shaw shakes his head, admiring Ferra's boldness but ready to take her down a peg. He extends his claws as he crosses his arms and bares his fangs.
"Hmm. Yuh get lucky deh, but a cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight, Ferra."
As Ferra chuckles at his retorts, they both take a step back before they both pounce at each other, claws ready to clash as they intersect.
Transitioning back to the East side, up in the trees, Z-Force & Osiris has reached the spawn point for the flag on this side of the forest. This flag is embedded into the grassy dirt and it has more of a red & black color scheme going on for itself with the same V-shaped insignia on it as well. As excited as they are to reach their objective, they know they have to be cautious on their next move, as their rivals should be nearby to intercept them. Osiris turns to Z-Force to figure out their next move.
"What should we do now? Are we trying to slide quietly or go loud?"
" Well, my idea is that we make the move first, but on a small and stealth-like scale. "
" How so?"
"I'm going to reach out and grab it by hand."
As Z-Force says that, Osiris takes a 2nd look at him with slight confusion in his demeanor. His confusion is somewhat alleviated when he notices a hand construct forming above Z-Force's hand.
"As you see, I'm gonna send this hand out to go grab the flag. I'll keep it low to the ground to help it blend in a little bit the greenery around here. I'll make it look like it fell and I'll drag it over here. Now, I expect either Echo or Siren to stop me. I just need you to watch my back. As soon as you see anything coming my way, let me know and then follow my lead."
Osiris nods his head in agreement as he readjust his position, keeping watch on the sky. Z-Force sends out the generated hand, keeping it low to the ground, hiding amongst the grass & bushes. The hand scuttles across the ground at high speeds, quickly closing the gap between Z-Force and the flag. As the hand grips the flag, the sensation of it touching the flag can be felt by Z-Force. On command, he makes the hand tip over the flag onto the ground, dragging the flag towards his direction.
As the flag gets closer to their position, the sound of jet propulsions can be heard. Osiris starts to look up and scan the simulated night sky. Despite his best efforts, he can't seem to see Blue Siren. Osiris begins to panic.
"Damn, Z! I can't see her!"
"Breathe and calm down. Remember her armor has a camouflage feature. If something looks funny, it's probably her."
"Ok."
Osiris takes a moment to breathe before he searches the sky again. As he takes another look, this time something catches his eye. From what it looks like to him, it looks like the stars and clouds are moving and displaying themselves before they settle back to their original position. It finally clicks for him.
"Found her!"
He reaches into his waist to arm himself with a sleek, high tech pistol-like firearm. With a flip of a switch on the weapon, the barrel extended for a few more inches as a scope came out. Osiris cocks the weapon as he aims at the camouflaged Siren. Once he felt comfortable to fire it, he pulls the trigger, launching an explosive round at Blue Siren. The round finds it mark, letting of a small scale explosion loud enough for everyone on the field to here and powerful enough to knock Blue Siren out of camouflage mode and it sends her flying backwards for a few feet before she stabilizes her armor. Osiris yelps in excitement for landing his shot.
" WOO-yeah! I got her."
Z-Force kind of smirks, proud of Osiris for trusting himself, but he has to get him to settle back down and focus on the mission.
" Good job, Osiris, but save the celebrations for when we win."
"Yeah- oh, you right."
Osiris regains his composure as Blue Siren sets her sights on him & Z-Force. Before Osiris let out another shot, Siren unleashes a powerful and condensed wrist mounted laser to cut down the trees they were in. In the cut trees themselves, Z-Force sets out new commands.
"Woah! Alright, time to hop off. Stay among the trees for cove… Why you looking at me like that?"
"Z, BEHIND YOU!"
As they were jumping off the falling tree, behind Z-Force is a large purple hand made out of V-force energy. Z-Force goes to turn to see what's behind him, but the energy hand slaps him away, smashing through multiple trees in his direction
"Z!"
Standing on top of a nearby tree is Echo, giggling & smirking at Z-Force & Osiris, his right hand glowing, corresponding with the floating energy hand color.
"Z, you make this too easy."
Down on the floor of the forest, Z-Force bounces back up in a force bubble, floating in the air, ready to respond back to Echo.
"Please. We've just gotten started. Let's go, Osiris!"
Osiris leaps to Z-Force's side as he keeps his eyes on Blue Siren rushing in from the south as Echo rushes in from the north.
Back on the other side of the battlefield, Ferra & Shaw continue to swipe at each other while Ember & Minerva continue to launch fire & energy energy blasts at each other. During Ferra & Shaw's exchange of blows, it becomes a test of might as they both gripped each other's claws. They both stand strong against the other, neither willing to back down. Shaw, larger and with brute strength on his side, pushed forward, trying to overpower Ferra. Her legs start to buckle from his power. Noticing this, Shaw smirks, using this time to boast to her.
"A wha' dis, gal? You cyaan ketch me off guard again. What you plannin' now?"
" Hmm, don't count me out yet."
As strong as Shaw is, Ferra is smaller, leaner, & quick and knows how to use these traits to her advantage. She used Shaw's weight against him, anticipating his movements and leveraging her lower center of gravity to counter his advance. Their claws, sharp as blades, scraped and sparked as they strained against each other. A low growl rumbled in Shaw's chest as he realized Ferra wasn't giving way. He pushed harder, muscles bulging, trying to force her back.
Ferra, sensing his desperation, twisted her body, using his momentum to throw him off balance. For a split second, Shaw stumbled, and Ferra seized the opportunity. With a swift kick, she sent him sprawling onto the padded & digitized forest floor. He landed with a thud, momentarily stunned. Ferra crouched, claws still extended, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
"All that power, but here you are flat on your ass."
Shaw takes a look back at her before he springs up from the ground, in a blur of motion. His body seemed to defy gravity as it spun backwards, landing with a light thud in a perfect fighting stance.
"Mi see you a tun up now! Mi respect da skill teh. But watch out, mi a go come back strong!"
"Bring it on!"
As the 2 feral warriors clash once again, Ember & Minerva are in the sky above them blasting each other. Both equally dodging each other's attack while trying to get the advantage over each other. Minerva lets off a strange & amusing cackle that kind of frightens Ember.
"Uh…why are you laughing like that?"
"HeHeHe…cuz you ain't ready for this!"
She launches another blast at Ember. As he was ready to defend himself, the blast shot past him.
"Wha? Minerva, what was that supposed to do?"
"What comes next, flame boy!"
" Wait, wuh?"
Right as he finishes that sentence, he was struck in the back by an energy blast.
"AH! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?"
While trying to regain his composer, he looks around and notices energy balls all around him.
"Huh….Shit."
With swift movements of Minerva's hands, many of the energy balls from all different directions start to rush towards Ember. Ember quickly tries to dodge each and every blast that was coming his way. He was doing well at first, weaving through each one that came his way. However, he didn't see one that was coming for his right hind leg and was struck. That hit opened the door for many other energy blasts to hit & overwhelm him. Each hit stinging & burning him, struggling to think about his next move.
Ow! ow! OWW! DAMN! UGGGHHH! ENOUGH OF THIS!
Fighting through the pain, Ember erupts, creating a fireball-like dome around himself, shielding himself from the rest of the blasts.
"HAH! How you like that?"
As the hail of energy blasts come to an end, Ember lets disperses the fire dome around himself. To his surprise, he can't find Minerva. Looking all-round himself, he's left in confusion about her whereabouts.
"Where did she go? How did she g-"
Before he finishes his sentence, an explosion goes off under him. Ember immediately looked towards the location of the explosion.
"What's even going on right now? Is she over there?"
As Ember goes to fly towards the explosion site, he is knocked of course by something he couldn't see. From the sensation, it was like a burning feet shaped object that landed directly into his back, sending him flying to the ground.
"Ahhhh! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
"It's 'Who', not 'What'."
Looking above into the sky, Ember saw his attacker. It was Minerva, floating in the air while laying down and juggling 2 energy balls in one hand, smiling at him. The gloating is starting to get to Ember.
" You're really getting a kick out of this, ain't ya? "
" Ooh, maliciously."
" Aight. Bet I can change that. "
" I'd like to see you try. "
Ember stands up and shoots up into the air like a flaming rocket, locked & loaded on his target. As their battle continues, we turn back to Ferra & Shaw squaring off. Ferra starts to rely more on her speed, running circles around him. Before he could really react and plan his next move, she suddenly stops and launches herself at him. Just before her claws can make contact, he reacts in time to block to lessen the damage. Just as Ferra left a nick on Shaw while passing by him, she immediately leaps to and off a nearby tree towards Shaw to strike again, this time landing the shot she wanted to make. She leaves a cut that leaves Shaw reeling, but appropriate for a sparring battle. Shaw tries to recover but Ferra has already struck back again with another claw swipe dashing past him in a different direction. Shaw fights through the pain to realize that Ferra is bouncing off of trees at blistering speed to land these attacks repeatedly.
Lawd! Dis gyal yah serious?! She really tryin' di maximum spider ting?! Nah man, dis ya thing fi stop!
Good. It's getting tiring to listen to you say 'OW!' in your head.
Cho, Minerva gal, hush up nuh and focus pon di fight.
As fast as she is, Shaw is perceptive enough to see her coming and plan a comeback.
"Eh, Ferra? Yuh really fi stop spammin'"
In one swift motion, Shaw turns to meet an incoming Ferra with his arm stretched out and swinging towards her, landing a fierce and strong lariat on her. The force of that attack sends Ferra to the ground stunned with the wind knocked out of her. Shaw approaches her as she's sprawled on the ground.
"See me tell yuh! Alright, a mi time fi tek di flag now. Sleep good, yuh hear."
As he sprints towards the direction of the flag, Ferra musters enough energy to radio into Ember.
"Em. eh. I need you to get the flag."
"Uh, A lil busy with Minerva's crazy ass right now."
"I wouldn't be asking you this if I wasn't fighting to breathe right now."
"Damn. I only promise to try."
As they end their conversation, Ember still has to watch his back as Minerva is still launching shots at him.
Damn! I can't shake her. Got to try something.
As he looks back at Minerva cackling & chasing him, an idea pops into his head.
Aight…Imma just wing it and see what happens next.
As he finishes his thought, Ember immediately stops in his tracks to turn around and fly towards Minerva at full speed while blasting a stream of fire at her.
WHAT?! OH SHIT!
With enough time, Minerva returned fire with a powerful blast to match Ember, however as their attacks clash, due to Ember rushing at her, his attack is pushing her back.
DAMN! I know he ain't trying to make a comeback. I'm about to….wait why does it feel so hot above my head right now?
As Minerva looks up, she realizes there's a bus sized fireball that will land on her.
Oh…shit…
The fireball slams down onto Minerva, breaking up her attack on Ember and burning & exploding on impact, knocking her down a bit from the air, scrambling to recover from the attack.
AHHH! Damn! That actually worked. Glad I had an energy field up to take some of the heat off that but damn it still burned.
So yuh soft, eh? Likkle heat and yuh melt down?
Oh, HA-HA, Shaw.
As Minerva recovers, she looks up to see where Ember is but he's not in sight.
Wuh? Where did he go-AUGH!
In that instant, Ember flew around Minerva to land a swift & powerful kick to her side that sent her flying to the ground.
"Sorry, Minnie. Got a task I need to do."
Ember flies off, racing towards the flag.
Agh…Shaw, Ember is coming up behind you.
Mi hear yuh…Minnie.
Oh shut up.
Ember quickly catches up to Shaw who's getting closer to the flag. He finds it laying on the digital ground covered in leaves & branches. Before he reaches it, he starts to inhale. As he inhales, his throat begins to glow. From a distance, Ember notices the glow rather faintly.
Wuh? The heck is tha…wait I remember!
As the glow from Shaw grows brighter, he jumps and flips over, shooting a powerful energy blast from his mouth, upside down, straight at Ember. The blast quickly closed the distance between it and Ember. Ember is barely able to dodge out the way. As the blast passes him, it explodes on contact with the training room itself. While the explosion itself is contained, the shockwaves from it is enough to rock the room. Ember loses his balance, struggling to maintain his flight. In the confusion, Shaw has grabbed the flag.
Alright. Mi secure di flag, a head back to base now
Good. I'm up now. I'll get Ember and than I'm right behind you
Ember regains his balance and notices Shaw taking off with the flag. With fireballs in hand, he yells out to Shaw.
"Uh uh, Get back here, Shaw!"
Right as starts to fly towards Shaw, a ball of energy shoots past him just to stop shortly in front of him.
"Wait, wuh?"
The energy balls rushes towards Ember, hitting him and shooting him out of the sky. As he's flipping in the air, trying to recover, he ends up getting sent to floor quicker after getting spiked like volleyball by Minerva.
"Sorry Em, but payback is a motherfucka."
A few tongue clicks and finger gun gestures are sent towards Ember before flying off. Licking his wounds, he turns on his comm radio to inform Ferra.
"They got the flag! I'm chasing them right now!"
"Aight! I'm back on my feet & I'm right behind ya."
Ember flies off into Shaw & Minerva's direction with Ferra charging in after him. As they give chase, Ferra calls in to Z-Force to update him on the situation
"Z, they got the flag over here. We'll try to take it back."
"Got it. Let us know if you need back up."
As they end the conversation, Z-Force gets back to dodging attacks from Echo while keeping Osiris close at his side as he shoots at Blue Siren but he can't seem to get the advantage over her.
"Z! She keeps flying around. I can't get a good shot on her."
"Stay calm! Keep your eyes on her and pick your spots!"
As they stay moving, anticipating their opponents attacks, a giant energy hand comes out the sky chopping at them. In their efforts to dodge, they ended up getting split up.
"Osiris! Stay close!"
" Got it!"
As Z-Force tries to keep his balance, a smaller energy hand with its fist balled up is approaching him at great speed. Reacting quickly, Z-Force creates his own hand construct to catch the opposing hand.
"Hah! Better try again, Echo."
"OK."
"Huh?"
Looking up, Z-Force sees Echo dropping from the sky with his right leg lit up like a purple LED. From his positioning, it looks like he's bringing that leg down as if he's doing an axe kick. Right above him, his a purple V-force energy leg-like construct is coming down in the same position, zeroing in on Z-Force.
"Oh…. brilliant."
Before the energy leg makes contact, Z-Force is able to block it with his own hand constructs. He makes the hands grab and pull down the leg, in which it pulls down Echo himself. Z-Force raises himself up to meet Echo in the air. They both prepare to strike each other, with hand constructs cocked and loaded. As they clash, a flurry of energy hands & fist colliding fills the air. As each fist collides with each other, the excitement & fury rises in both Z-Force & Echo.
"Is that all you got, Echo? You're putting me to sleep!"
"Please. I'm just getting started."
Behind Echo, another fist construct appeared, locked on to him, clearly created by Z-Force. The fist began to spin rapidly and then launched itself right at Echo. The spinning fist makes contact with Echo, abruptly ending his flurry of energy punches. Z-Force's attack sends Echo to the ground, kicking up dust in the area.
"Hah! 'Trained soldier', my ass. You didn't see that coming, did ya?"
"Actually, I did."
"Hmm?"
Out from the dust came 2 energy legs dropkicking Z-Force away from Echo. After getting knocked back a few feet, Z-Force bounced back up on his feet to witness Echo standing tall with his V-force Avatar surrounding him. Realizing how Echo is prepared to battle him, Z-Force stands in annoyed awe.
" Don't lose your fighting spirit now. I ain't satisfied yet."
With his boastful words, through his Avatar, gives Z-Force the two finger 'Bring it on" gesture.
"Hmm, ok. Let's go."
Z-Force summons the V-force energy around him to coat his body like armor as he takes a fighting stance and then leaps towards Echo. On the other side of the battlefield, Osiris is locked in a gunfight with Blue Siren.
"Damn! She got me locked down. I got to think of something."
While lost in thought, from the corner of his eye, he can see the flag in the distance.
There it is! But I can't get it with Siren hovering over me. How should I go about this?
As he carefully peer out from a tree to scout for Siren, he takes the time to check his gear.
Aight. A few stun grenades, a flash bang & tasers plus my pistol. Let's see if I can make this work. 1st things 1st.
He looks down at a jagged rock and goes to grab it. As he grips it, he starts to absorb it into his being, taking on its properties. However, Osiris forgot that the environment is holographic, so what he absorbed was holographic metal, not rock.
Oh…this is different. I wonder…
As his whole body is now coated in a blueish-gray metal, he changed his right hand's form, turning it into a blade.
Oh! I usually need to absorb a lot of something to do that. Hmm, this might go in my favor.
As the sounds of propulsion thrusters get closer to him, he reaches into his pouch to pull a stun grenade. He leans off the tree to see where Siren is. Once he sees her silhouette again, he tosses a stun grenade at the figure. The explosion knocks Siren back, disrupting her camouflage mode. While trying to stabilize herself, Osiris sprints towards her, with his right arm transformed as a hammer. As he gets close enough to swing at her, her suit recalibrates right on time for her to use her foot thrusters to get her out of the way.
She quick…but not quick enough.
He quickly reaches for the taser on his side and fires the Taser gun right at her back side. Just before the taser round can make contact, Siren turned to activate a small energy shield that blocked the darts.
"Cute trick, young man, but you gotta do better than that."
Damn she's good.
From her hands, Siren unleashes plasma blasts at Osiris that he's able to block with a shield he formed on his left hand. However, with each shot he blocks, the closer Siren gets to him. As she gets close enough, Osiris goes to spin around Siren and swing at her side with the hammer on his right hand. In a swift motion, Siren blocks his attack with her armored arm. Keeping his momentum going, Osiris flips over to land a kick onto Siren's faceplate, in which he succeeds surprisingly.
Damn! I got her.
Hm, not bad.
As he lands on the ground, Osiris quickly recovers, reform both hands their regular holographic metal state to decrease the weight on his hands and to increase his swinging speed to go for right & left crosses at Siren again with both hands. Siren is able to rebound from the kick to swap hands with Osiris. During their exchange of blows & blocks, Osiris seemingly goes for a left punch, causing Siren to bring up her left arm to block the upcoming strike. However, Osiris immediately switched to his right hand, going in for a cross to the faceplate, landing that shot perfectly. That strike left the door open for Osiris to land a combo of punches & knee strikes before he finishes with a blast from his pistol that sends Siren flying backwards.
Yes! I got her!
While being sent backwards, Siren lights up her left foot thruster to flash & blast Osiris, disorienting him.
Damn! I can't see shit!
While trying to gather his bearings, Siren flips over to fire bolas at him, sending him to a nearby tree and bounding him to it.
"Ahh. Damn. What's going on?"
As his vision comes to, he sees Siren floating in front of him.
"You're doing good, rookie, but I'm better."
Osiris starts wiggle and move around, hoping to break free from his binds. As he tries, he gets back into his own head, letting his mind race.
Damn! I'm still trailing behind the rest of them. Feels like I'm still moving like the young dumbass I used to be.
As these thoughts of self-doubt flow in, another part of his conscience remembers Z-Force's words:
"Fight for yourself. Fight for the man you want to be, not the man you were. And remember: your past didn't just take from you—it gave you something, too."
Osiris inhales and takes a deep breath. He looks up at Siren and chuckles.
" Heh, you maybe right this time, but I got you in round 2, Iron Barbie."
"Hah! I like your spirit. See ya."
Siren flies off to grab the flag and goes to bring it to her base.
I got the other flag. Flying back to base.
Witnessing Siren flying away, Osiris starts to sweat and panic a little.
Damn! I got radio Z, but how the hell am I getting out of this?
He takes a good look at his body, thinking about the ways he can use the holographic metal to his advantage.
Hmm. I haven't done this before, but let's see if this works.
He closes his eyes and begins to put his focus on directing the metal outwards, forming hardened metal spikes all over his torso. The spikes start to tear into the bolas like paper. With some added physical effort from him flexing, the restraints snapped apart. The force sends shattered pieces clattering on the ground. Osiris drops to the ground, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. Once he got himself situated, he calls into Z-Force.
"Aye Z. Siren got the other flag. "
Back with Z-Force & Echo, they're locked in a power struggle as Z-Force is receiving the news from Osiris.
"Ok. Follow her."
" Wait, for real? I ain't that fast."
"That's fine. I got you. I'll wrap things up here and we'll chase her down."
" Aight, I got ya."
Osiris sprints towards the direction Siren flew towards as Z-Force refocuses his attention on Echo.
"Z, you got a face and head screaming for indigo coloring on that hair right now."
" Please. That's just a fantasy you have about me."
" Boy, don't make me throw up."
"Well forgive me if you got motion sickness."
"Excuse me?"
In that instant, Z-Force had wrapped Echo's feet in a block of V-force energy. With his control of it, Z-Force lifted & flipped Echo upside down.
"See ya later and watch your head on the landing."
"What?!"
With a swift flick of the wrist, Z-Force sends the block holding Echo's feet flying backwards into the forest. As Echo disappears behind the trees, Z-Force coats himself and field of energy and lifts himself into the air and flies towards Osiris's direction.
Rushing through the forest, Z-Force finally stumbled onto Osiris running towards Blue Siren's direction.
"HEY! NEED A LIFT?"
From the ground, Osiris hears Z-Force and stops in his tracks and reaches out his hand. Z-Force creates a hand construct to grab Osiris and places him on Z-Force's platform.
"Thanks for the lift. What's the plan?"
"We're still going after Siren. We'll take the flag from her and then we'll go help Ferra & Ember to take their flag back. Once we do that, all 4 of us will take them back to our base."
"Ok. I'm wit it."
"Cool. I see her. Let's take her do-"
"NOT SO FAST!"
That shout scared both of them. While maintaining their flight, they turned around to see where it came from. Right behind them appears to be a giant blue-ish purple humanoid titan, seemingly made out of V-force energy. The size of this titan tower over the trees. In the center of the titan is Echo, controlling it. Each step Echo takes, the titan takes that same step. Every step gets him closer and closer to Z-Force & Osiris despite how fast they're flying.
"Damn! I didn't know his Avatar can get that big."
" It's actually a bit bigger than the last time I saw it."
"WHAT?!"
"Don't worry about it. The plan is the same except you shoot at Echo and warn me if I need to move."
" Ok."
" Aim at the center where Echo's at to do some real damage."
As they give each other a head nod in agreement, Osiris loaded & charged his pistol before he turned to aim at Echo. As he got ready to shoot, Z-Force uses his powers to restrain Osiris's feet on the platform they're flying on to help keep him steady for the shot and to not fall off. Osiris starts to fire shots at Echo. Each shot radiating with plasma energy, flying with great force & strength slamming into Echo's massive form.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shots slowed Echo down, forcing him to raise an arm in defense. The massive titan form flickered, momentarily destabilized by the impact.
Echo growled through the hail of gunfire:
"You really think that's enough to stop me?"
Osiris cursed under his breath.
"Shit! He's still coming, Z!"
"Don't stop shooting! We still got this!"
As Z-Force shouted, he adjusted their trajectory, keeping his mind on calculating the best route.
Echo grinned inside his V-Force Titan Avatar, watching as Osiris unloaded round after round of plasma fire in his direction. His massive energy-forged form barely flinched—each shot dispersing against his dense aura.
Nice try, rook. You might be packing heat, but I've tanked worse. This is just a distraction.
Ahead, Blue Siren veered left, she checks to see where Z-Force & Osiris is. She twisted her body mid-flight and unleashed a burst of plasma bolts from her armor's wrist cannons. Z-Force smirks as his right hand begins to glow a light greenish color
"Right back at ya, Siren!"
Z-Force threw up a light green, curved, but rigid force field, the bolts deflecting off and scattering across the battlefield. One blast was sent to the ground, but the other was sent back towards Blue Siren. In a swift motion, Siren rolls out of the way, letting the reflected shot ugly past her. Under her armor, she smiles, acknowledging Z-Force's effort.
Hmm, he gotten better at that, I see
Osiris observes what's happening before he takes a knee to recharge his pistol.
" She's stalling us."
"Doesn't matter, because she's running out of room to run."
Z-Force has his eyes locked on Siren while flying closer towards her. Ahead, the Phantom Wolves' base loomed in the distance—their time was running out. One move. One shot. One chance. On the left side of the field, it looks like Ferra & Ember have almost caught up to Shaw & Minerva. Their chase looks like they will meet and clash with Siren. Z-Force turns around to plan an attack with Osiris.
"Hey, what do you have on you right now?"
"I still got a stun grenade & flash bang left."
"Cool. It's time for a comeback"
Z-Force turns on his comm radio to contact Ferra & Ember.
"Hey, y'all can hear me?"
"Yeah, Z. What's up?"
"Alright. We're about to meet you guys. it'll be all 8 of us in one spot. The plan is to distract anyone who doesn't have a flag and dogpile anyone with a flag. Once any of us get a flag, give them to Ferra & Ember and me & Osiris will defend you 2 from there."
Osiris stops shooting at Echo for a second out of shock before he goes back to shooting.
"Wait, Z. You sure about having me defend the team with you?"
"Yup. We play this right, it'll be easy as cake. Everyone, we all in on this?"
"Yup."
"Roger."
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's go wild! Osiris, while Echo is blocking shots from us, toss the flash bang at him and than hit'em with a charged shot. I got Siren."
"Got ya."
Echo, in his titan avatar form, starts to close the distance between him and Z-Force & Osiris. As he blocks shots from Osiris, he's thinking to himself, he feels victory is almost assured.
Nice try, rook. You might be packing heat, but I've tanked worse. This is just a distraction.
His telepathic senses buzzed, letting him feel the ebb and flow of their emotions. Z-Force was confident, but too confident—his aura was always like a steady pulse of controlled chaos. Osiris, on the other hand? His emotions spiked wildly, shifting between determination and self-doubt.
Z's setting me up for something, but I already know what it is
Then, he felt it—Z-Force's V-energy charging up. His gut instinct kicked in.
There it is. Right on cue.
As Osiris unleashes another barrage of shots at Echo, Osiris uses his free hand to activate his flash bang. Right after activating it, Z-Force sends out a vertical wave of v-force energy with a flick of his finger and sends it to Echo at great speed. It catches both Echo & Osiris off guard. From the looks of it, it has the same blue colored look that Z-Force uses in his force fields, but at the crest of the wave it has a shiny brown glowing hue. After seeing the wave, it finally clicks for Osiris.
That's what he meant when he said 'us'. And he was able to add some of his chi to that attack. Ok, it's time to follow up.
Well, well. You think you're clever, Z. These shots are nothing to me, but I can't block the chi enhanced wave. I can dodge it though.
As the last shot from Osiris gets blocked, the chi enhanced wave is about to make contact, Echo is able to make the avatar step out of the way from the attack.
Please. I can read people, Z. You gotta do better than th-
BOOM!
Right as Echo was about to continue the chase, Osiris had thrown the flash bang while Echo was dodging the wave and it went off, white hot light blinding Echo. His entire Titan Avatar flinched, its towering form staggering backward from the detonation at point-blank range.
—AHH! DAMN!
His mind reeled, the sudden sensory overload scrambling his concentration. His mental link flickered, his emotional radar distorted—for the first time in this match, he was completely blind.
Heh. Z, you sneaky bastard.
As the mental link between the Phantom Wolves starts to waver, Siren checks in with Echo.
Echo, are you alright?
I'll be fine, but they're planning something. All of you, keep your guard up!
Roger!
Ok!
Got it!
Back with Z-Force & Osiris, they both seem ready to strike with their individual attacks.
"You ready, Osiris?"
Osiris responds with his pistol flashing from the charged plasma shot primed & readied.
"Yup."
"Alright! Fire!"
At that moment, Osiris unleashed a powerful plasma charged shot from his pistol while Z-Force, with a finger gun gesture, unleashed a bullet shaped projectile construct, in which he also added his chi to the tip. The charged plasma shot quickly rages across the field, fiercely striking Echo & his titan avatar. The shit causes Echo's avatar to flicker, phasing in and out of existence, as it rumbles onto the ground. As it crashes to the ground, the titan disperses as Echo lies on the ground dazed. During his fall, the mental link with his team breaks as his titan disperses.
As the mental link breaks, the rest of the Phantom Wolves are left in shock as they all try to return to their base. For Blue Siren, she stopped her flight for a moment to look back for Echo. Despite her soldier training, she can't disregard her concern for teammate & life partner. However, it proves to be a mistake as the bullet construct that Z-Force shot at her has struck her left armored foot, damaging the thrusters on that foot.
"DAMN IT!"
Siren's flight immediately becomes unstable and she immediately starts to lose altitude. Taking quick action, Siren immediately activated her team's comm radios to brief them on the situation.
"Come in. Shaw? Minerva?"
"Wi hear yuh, Siren."
"What's going on?"
"I'm hit and I can't stay in the air. I'll send you guys my location. You 2 will bring the flags to the base now."
"Got it! We'll meet up with ya."
As Siren starts to descend, she releases a coolant foam from her right hand to cool down the heat on the broken foot armor while balancing other thrusters in her armor to slow and control her descent. The ground rushed toward her—trees, rocks, and uneven terrain blurring together. With a burst from her remaining thruster, she managed to angle herself upright, slamming her armored legs forward to absorb the impact.
She hit the ground hard. A loud boom echoed through the battlefield as dirt and debris exploded in all directions. Her boots carved deep trenches into the earth, the sheer force of her landing sending shockwaves through her suit. Metal groaned, her knees buckled, and for a moment, she skidded backward, her armor scraping against jagged rocks before finally grinding to a halt.
Smoke hissed from her damaged thruster, and for a second, everything was still. Then, with a sharp exhale, she straightened up, rolling her shoulders as diagnostics flooded her HUD.
"Tch… Not my smoothest landing. Ok. OS, send location to Shaw & Minerva."
On her HUD display, she sees her coordinates be shown to her as the message reads 'Sending to Agent(s) Shaw, Minerva'. As a green check mark flashes on the screen, it signals the message was sent out to her teammates. With that taken care of, she switched her mindset to the battle at hand.
"OS, Armor Off!"
In an instant, a faint blue light pulsed across the segmented plating. A series of mechanical hisses and clicks followed as the suit's magnetic locks disengaged. The chest plate split open slightly before retracting into a compact form along her back, while her gauntlets and greaves loosened, detaching with a smooth hydraulic shift.
With a final hiss, the armor pieces slid away, revealing her secondary battle suit—a sleeker, reinforced bodysuit designed for agility without sacrificing protection. The undersuit, woven with kinetic-absorbing fibers and reinforced plating at key points, automatically adjusted to her movements as the heavier plating retracted.
But she wasn't defenseless.
Even without the full armor, modular components remained active. The forearm gauntlets reconfigured, extending reinforced plating along her wrists and knuckles, optimizing for close-quarters combat. The boot stabilizers adjusted, shifting into a more compact mode that still provided enhanced agility and traction. The visor from her helmet remained intact, now operating as a retractable HUD system attached to a streamlined earpiece, feeding her tactical data in real time.
Flexing her fingers, she felt the subtle hum of the v-cores powered battery power still coursing through the integrated suit, powered by the v-core battery pack resting on her chest plate.
She rolled her shoulders, hoping on her feet as she took a fighter's stance, feeling lighter on her feet.
"Much better. Now then, let's have something ready for them."
She goes into her pouch compartments around her waist to reach for some small devices. She throws them a short distance away from herself and in a triangular format
"Alright. We'll start here and see where we'll go from there."
"My bad! Hope that landing wasn't too rough for ya."
From the digital heavens arrives Z-Force & Osiris, ready to take the flag from her.
"I'm still standing, ain't I?"
Osiris steps up, in front of Z-Force with a determined look on his face.
"Good. Cuz Imma need that round 2 from you."
Z-Force & Siren had a shocked, but pleasant look on their faces, admiring his boldness.
"I like this one, Z. Show me what you got."
"Go ahead, Osiris. I'll back you up."
With a head nod from Z-Force, he and Osiris charge at Siren. As they got closer, Z-Force noticed something on the ground.
Hol up…OH!
"OSIRIS BAC-"
The devices that Siren threw on the ground began to glow green as Osiris stepped inside the triangular perimeter that was set up. As they activate, they send an electric shock straight to Osiris. The shock stopped him in his tracks while maintaining the attack on him.
"Hold up. I got ya."
Z-Force leaps towards him and uses a hand construct to remove Osiris from the electric field. As Z-Force turns to Siren, he immediately puts a field up to block a plasma shot from Siren who seemingly disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
Figures she would go the Batman route, though he doesn't need a smoke bomb to disappear off screen…sometimes. Let's see what she does, especially since she knows about my sensory field. What is she going to do to get around it?
Ah, yes. A special technique that Z-Force developed a few years after he got his powers. This sensory field is an ultra-thin, nearly imperceptible layer of force that spreads through the environment, seeping through walls, brushing against the terrain, and skimming over anything within its radius. Quite handy, yet demanding quite a bit of his focus, especially if he wants to observe a large radius.
This technique wasn't something he could just throw out like a regular shield—it required deliberate control, a level of precision that never came easy, even after years of refining it. The field wove through the space around him, brushing against trees, skimming over the ground, wrapping through the air like unseen threads of awareness. Anything that moved, anything that disturbed the delicate flow of his field, would register like a ripple in a still pond.
But even as he maintained it, Zavier kept another layer of protection active—a skintight force field, a last line of defense that clung to his body like an invisible exoskeleton. It was his own version of a technique he picked up from watching anime, specifically Naruto, a failsafe against anything fast, sharp, or overwhelming. It wasn't impenetrable, and keeping it up alongside the Sensory Field meant splitting his concentration in ways that were still mentally draining.
And Blue Siren knew this.
This field has been extended for a few feet around him, covering most of the observable field around. Unfortunately for him, Siren wasn't in range. She had enough time & wherewithal to go further out to hide from Z-Force.
Hmm…just out of range. Not gonna risk more energy & effort to extend it. What is she going to do?
Hope you don't mind the little surprise I left for ya.
Siren reaches into her pouch to reach for a remote control device. With a press of a button, a flash bang that hidden on the ground when she threw the other devices goes off and blinds Z-Force.
"AAAH! THAT WAS PETTY!"
From her position, Siren just smirks and laughs.
You're not wrong, but I got a mission to complete.
Siren turns on her comms to converse with Shaw & Minerva?
"Hey. What's your ETA on my position?"
"We're almost there, but we still got Ember & Ferra right behind us."
"Fine by me. Approve your phones to track me & vice versa.
"Got ya."
As they put out the permissions through, Siren sprints towards their location to meet them with the flag in row.
As Siren runs off, Z-Force & Osiris have recovered from Siren's distraction tactic.
" Damn. Not what I was expecting when I said I wanted round 2."
" No problem. it's not over yet."
Z-Force turns on his comms to contact Ferra & Ember.
"Hey. Let us track location. Siren's headed your way with her flag, but on foot. She's in her battle suit."
"Ok. Sending it to you now"
As they send their location to Z-Force & Osiris, Ember laments on the possibility of a 3v2 battle.
"Isn't that beautiful
"Great! Like chasing down 2 of them wasn't already a pain."
"No time to complain now. They're still in our eyesight. We have to block them off from her."
"How? Everytime we tried something, Minerva blocked it with her blasts."
"This time you'll block them off with a big attack and I'll follow up with a Chōten blast."
" Wait! You sure you try that mouth blast here? You can't fire them off like Shaw can. It takes more out of you to do them."
"Trust me, Ember."
"Ok."
"Alright, get ready to strike them."
As she finishes that sentence, Ember gathers his strength, making a large fireball that continues to grow in size right above his head. At the same time, Ferra's mouth & neck begins to glow, just like Shaw's. She gathers quite a bit of power and force from her being, confining it in one point. Ferra lets out a loud grunt, signaling to Ember to begin their attack. Ember unleashes his large & powerful fireball, aiming it to land right in front of Shaw & Minerva.
Lawd, wah happen? Why it so hot like fire now?
Flameboy is at it again.
As the large fireball looms over them, Minerva looks up to see what Ember had in store for them.
Please. I got this.
As both her hands light up to blast away the fireball, a flash of light catches her attention. Following the flash, she looks behind her to find the source.
That flash, it coming right up under Ember…wait. The hell is Ferra about to do!?
Dem tryin' fi trap wi. Dem want hit wi wid one a dem ting deh while one a dem attack deh distract wi. Break lef' an' mek mi deal wid Ferra.
Aight. Get ready.
As Shaw prepares another one of his own Chōten wave, they began to halt their forward momentum. Shaw prepares to turn around and fire a shot at Ferra, however, in that moment, Ferra unleashes her Chōten wave. The beam shoots out fast and fierce. Despite thinking the blast was meant for them, the beam itself actually wasn't aimed at them. It shot past and above them, striking the fireball.
WHAT?!
Wah kinda foolishness dis gyal a get up to?!
As the beam struck the fireball, it caused it to explode. The air shimmered, then erupted. A monstrous fireball, a miniature, earthbound sun, blossomed outward. Unlike the distant, majestic flares of a stellar explosion, this was raw, but contained & controlled devastation. The heat, a tangible wave, washed over everything, threatening to ignite the very air itself. The force of the blast, though confined, mimicked the violent birth of a star, a shockwave that rattled bones and sent debris flying like shrapnel, knocking back Shaw & Minerva. From a short distance away, an inbound Blue Siren stops in her tracks as the heat and light of the explosion give her pause. She goes for her comm radio to contact her teammates.
"Shaw? Minerva? Echo? Respond!"
As she waits a few seconds for someone to answer her, it goes silent for a few seconds. Nothing but simulated forest sounds ringing in her ear.
Siren?
Echo? You're ok?
I'm up and back in Titan form, but I'm keeping it small enough to hide among the trees. I'm rushing towards Shaw & Minerva's location. Whatever Ember & Ferra did, it worked and they're down for now. Sprint towards me now. I just sent you my location.
Alight. Heads up, Z-Force & Osiris should be heading my way right now.
That's fine. We'll finish this out and bring our team to victory.
Roger. Heading your way now.
With this new development, Siren changes course and sprints towards Echo, who's quickly closing the distance between them. Back towards Ember & Ferra, Ember collects the west flag from them as it was blown out of their possession and left on the ground. Ferra does a quick check on both of her opponents to make sure they were alright. Ember smirked, arms crossed as he eyed Ferra with an amused glint in his eyes.
"You know, I gotta hand it to you. That was some quick thinking back there. Not sure I would've had the guts to try something that bold."
Ferra scoffed, giving him a sideways glance.
"Oh, please. You saying you wouldn't take a risk?"
Ember shrugged, his grin widening.
"Not saying that. Just saying you make reckless look damn good when it actually works."
Ferra felt the heat rise to her face but masked it with a smirk.
"Careful, Ember. That almost sounded like a compliment."
He chuckled, feigning innocence.
"Who, me? Nah, just making an observation."
She arched a brow, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"Uh-huh. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting."
For half a second, Ember's smirk faltered before he quickly recovered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Pfft. Flirting? Me? Nah, I'm just giving credit where it's due… but if you wanted it to be flirting—"
Ferra rolled her eyes, but the small, genuine smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
"Don't start something you're too scared to finish, Ember."
He clicked his tongue, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Please. I don't start anything I can't handle."
Their eyes met, lingering just a moment too long. A tension unspoken but undeniable hung between them before Ferra turned away, shaking her head.
"Keep telling yourself that, fire boy."
Ember chuckled under his breath as he watched her turn her head and sniff, his smirk softening for just a second.
"Ok, if you say so."
"Now, come on. I smell Siren. I'll update Z-Force.
"Right behind ya."
"Hmm, they're moving, but they're moving away from the Wolves' base."
Z-Force and Osiris's comms goes off, both of them answering it to find out what has happened.
"Hey, guys. Me & Ember got the flag back from Shaw & Minerva. They're down for now. Right now, we're pursuing Siren. It looks like she's changed course away from her base."
"Alright. Chances are that Echo is up and running the ship. We'll convene on them. It maybe a 4-v-2, but don't take them lightly."
As Ferra takes account of her own stamina, she notices Ember's flame form is flickering
"Whatever we do, we gotta make it count. Me & Ember are starting to reach our limits."
"Got it. We gotta go in hard and fast and we gotta watch each other's backs. Once we got the flags, leave it up to me & Osiris. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
As Siren is making her way through the digital forest, she starts to hear relatively strong and loud footsteps. However, she can notice an incoming light heading her way from behind her.
Get ready, Echo. Ferra & Ember are right behind me.
Got it!
From her pouch, Siren reaches into it and pulls her last stun grenade. She pulls the pin as she continues to rush forward, waiting for Ember & Ferra to come into view. Down to the last second, Siren jumps & turns. Ember & Ferra finally catch up to her. Siren throws the grenade with all her might and precision. In an instant, the grenade goes off with Ember & Ferra being close enough in range to feel the effects, but not to its fullest extent. As the 2 of them slow to a momentary crawl, Echo finally arrives in time to grab Siren, placing her on his titan avatar's shoulder.
I got them Echo. They should have the last flag.
Good. I got them. Be ready for Z-Force & Osiris.
As Echo rushes towards Ember & Ferra and Siren charges her hand gauntlets, Ferra radios in Z-Force as she and Ember scramble for cover.
"Hey, Z! She got us stunned, but it's wearing off. Her & Echo are right on top of us."
"Got it! We coming in hot!"
Echo jumps towards Ember & Ferra, reaching for them. However, Echo pulls back his avatar's hands as plasma shots rain down upon them. He & Siren look to the sky and see Z-Force in his own titan construct with its right fist cocked back.
"IT'S GAME TIME, ECHO!"
Hmm. We'll have to change course.
Alright. I'm ready.
Z-Force's titan slams its right fist down onto Echo's titan with Echo matching it with a left fist. The 2 titans began to swap left & right punches with each other, battling each other to a stand still. During their exchange, Siren begins her assault on Ferra & Ember, blasting at them with her v-force powered gauntlets from a vantage point among the tree. The 2 of them ran behind trees to get some cover away from Siren, plotting on what to do.
"Hey, Em. can you get into a fire fight with her?"
"Not really. I'm good for a few shots and maybe flying if I take it easy. You?"
"She's a little too good for me to even try hand to hand combat and I only got 1 Chõten wave left in me."
"Hmm. We gotta make what we got last."
As they try to make a decision, their comm radio goes off as a new transmission comes to them.
"Hey, it's Osiris. I got Siren in my sights, but I know she'll dodge or block my shot before it reaches her. Can y'all lock her down?"
Ferra & Ember take a look at each other and give one another a head nod in confirmation.
"We got you. "
"Alright, let's do this."
"Ok. Ferra, I'll draw her fire and keep her eyes off you & Osiris."
"Ok. Be careful."
Ember smirks at Ferra, revealing his blushed cheeks from her comment.
"Aw. Glad to know you care."
Ferra takes a slight annoyed look at Ember, trying to hide her smile, but fails to do so.
"Boy, stop and Focus."
" Ok. Watch my back."
Finding his opportunity from the hail of energy blast from Siren, Ember turns on his flame form and flies in a small circle around her. Using minimal effort, he fires small fireballs at her, making Siren respond back her gauntlets and dodging where she needs to. She bounces around the area splitting her attention between Ember & Ferra, expecting her to try and strike while she's defending herself. Further back in the forest, Osiris has a charged plasma blast readied for Siren. While her & Ember are exchanging blasts at each other, Ferra makes her move. Using her speed, she closes the gap between her & Siren and goes for a claw swipe Siren. Siren was able to defend herself by blocking the claw swipe with one of her gauntlets and using the force to bounce off of her. Ember tries to blast her with another fireball, thinking she's vulnerable while jumping away from Ferra. He would be proven wrong as she was resourceful enough to use one of her gauntlets to fire a concussive blast that she used to assist her mobility in the air and blew herself backwards, dodging the fireball. Unfortunately for her, she did leave herself vulnerable for Osiris who now sees his best opportunity to shoot her laid out in front of him. He unleashes his charged shot from his position. The plasma shot races towards Siren at great speed, too fast for her to react to. That shot strikes her in the back of her shoulder, damaging her battle suit and throwing her to the ground.
"AHH! DAMN! Heh, good shot, Osiris."
He pops up from the bushes he was hiding in to respond back to her.
"Hah. Appreciate it, Ms. Siren."
Siren smirks and throws her hands up, signalling her defeat.
"I know when I'm beaten. Y'all got me this time.
Ferra & Ember breathe a sigh of relief together as they stand by Siren.
"That's nice to know. My fire been ready to go out."
Ferra laughs in agreement.
"Truth be told, this easily could've gone your way if things played out differently."
"Could've, but not today. That being said, y'all still got Echo to deal with. Y'all ready for that?."
Ferra & Ember just laugh with each other as Ferra responds back to Siren
"Nah I think the both of us wouldn't be much help. That's up to Osiris now."
Osiris's ears perked up when he heard that.
"Wha- who me?"
Ember just shakes his head and giggles.
"Yea. Go back up Z-Force. This isn't over yet."
"Alright. On my way."
Osiris runs towards Z-Force & Echo's location to, feeling inspired to continue his efforts to help his team win. As he runs off, Ferra & Ember sits down next to Siren, feeling the exhaustion of the battle weighing on them. Siren extends her arms and wraps them around both of them.
"Hell of a fight from you two. Y'all really brought the heat—literally, in your case, Ember."
Sure smirked at Ember, glancing at his still-flickering flames. He exhaled, letting the last of his fire sputter out as he ran a hand through his damp hair.
"What can I say? I like to keep things hot."
Ferra playfully rolled her eyes.
"That was awful."
Siren smirked but quickly shifted to something more sincere.
"In all seriousness, you two should be proud. I've seen a lot of Apostles come and go, but you two? You've fought tooth and nail to be here. And you're not just surviving—you're excelling."
Ferra and Ember exchanged a glance. Neither of them spoke for a moment, but the weight of Siren's words settled deep. They had spent years clawing their way out of their pasts—Ferra, from a life of pain she never asked for, and Ember, from the chains of his own mistakes. To hear recognition from someone as seasoned as Siren meant more than they were willing to admit.
Ferra cleared her throat, shifting her stance.
"Thanks. That… actually means a lot."
Ember nodded, his usual bravado dimmed just a bit.
"Yeah. We, uh… appreciate that."
Siren smirked as she looked forward at Z-Force & Echo's titan battle continuing in the distance.
"Your leader? Z-Force. \n "It's something else, watching him embrace the role he has in this world. Not just as an Apostles member, but as a leader—your leader."
Ferra and Ember followed her gaze, watching Z-Force & Echo battle each other as Siren continued to speak.
"It's rare to see someone step into that kind of responsibility as fully as he has. And even rarer to see someone carry it well—maturely, appropriately, most of the time. It's impressive."
Ferra chuckled, reminiscing about her journey with Z-Force.
"Yeah, he's got his moments."
Ember scoffed, resting his arms on his knees and his hands grasped in each other.
"Sometimes he acts like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders… but I guess that's because he kind of does."
Siren nods as she glances towards where Osiris had run off.
"And yet, he still makes time to build people up—like you two. And now, Osiris. That kid has potential. He's still caught up in his own head, but he's got all the pieces to be something great. He just has to stop letting his past drag him down."
Ferra frowned, knowing that statement holds very true for him.
"Yeah. He's got a lot to prove—to himself more than anyone."
"And Z-Force?" Siren smirked.
"He's exactly the kind of mentor Osiris needs. Someone who understands what it means to be buried under the weight of your own mistakes… but refuses to let them define you."
Ember rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah. Z's stubborn like that. Once he believes in someone, he doesn't let go."
Siren grinned.
"Which means Osiris is in good hands."
Ferra and Ember exchanged another look, something unspoken passing between them. Z-Force had been that kind of mentor for them, too. He never let them sink, never let them believe they were anything less than capable. And now, it was Osiris's turn.
Siren dusted herself off, smiling at Ferra & Ember.
"Now, if you two could stop flirting mid-battle, maybe you'd be even better."
Ferra and Ember stiffened at once.
"What?—"
"I wasn't—"
Siren laughed, waving them off as she walked away.
"Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Ferra scowled, arms crossed, while Ember rubbed his temples.
"I hate all of you," Ember muttered.
Siren's laughter echoed as she disappeared into the trees, leaving them flustered and frustrated. But even through the teasing, her words stuck. They had earned their place here. And now, they had to help Osiris do the same.
Turning back to Z-Force & Echo, their 2 towering titans continue to clash with tremendous force. Z-Force, in his force field titan, moved with precision, each strike calculated, his footwork flawless despite the enormity of the avatar. Across from him, Echo's V-Force Titan stood just as strong, shifting and adapting with every blow, its spectral energy pulsating like a living heartbeat.
Both titans locked hands, pushing against each other in a test of sheer strength. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield, bending trees and kicking up debris.
They had been fighting for what felt like forever, and neither was giving an inch, but that's how they like it. Z-Force and Echo had always been like this—locked in an endless battle of wits and willpower. Neither one could stand to lose, but it was never about winning. It was about pushing each other, testing their limits, proving to the other—and to themselves—that they could always be better.
A friendship built on competition. A rivalry built on respect.
Echo grinned from within his avatar, his voice carrying through the battlefield.
"You tired yet, Z?"
Inside his force construct, Z-Force smirked.
"You wish."
But the slight burn in his muscles, the creeping fatigue in his mind, betrayed him. He knew Echo felt it too. They had been going at this for a while now, and while exhaustion hadn't set in fully, it was there. Lingering. Testing them.
Still, neither would stop. Not until the other fell.
Not until one of them won.
Z-Force shifted his stance, his force titan mirroring his movement.
"Let's finish this."
Echo's grin widened.
"Thought you'd never say it."
With a burst of energy, both titans surged forward—ready to see who would break first. As they collide into each other once again, the battlefield shakes from the impact. Each clash of their titanic constructs sent shockwaves through the simulated terrain, trees bending, dust rising, the very air vibrating from the intensity of their blows.
Z-Force's titan continues its precise assault onto Echo's avatar while blocking and countering his relentless onslaught. But Echo wasn't just strong—he was skilled. His Titan moved with practiced efficiency, every strike honed by years of discipline. Where Z-Force relied on adaptability, Echo had technique. Where Z-Force had creativity, Echo had mastery.
And it was starting to show.
Z-Force gritted his teeth as he narrowly dodged a crushing hook, his force construct shimmering from the near-impact.
He's reading me too well.
Echo had fought him enough times to anticipate his usual tactics, adapting just as quickly as Z-Force could innovate.
"You're good, Z, but you're getting predictable."
Z-Force barely had time to block as Echo's fist collided with his construct's arm, sending him skidding back. The ground cracked beneath the force. He could feel the energy drain, the strain of keeping his construct solid against Echo's power.
His eyes flicked up, calculating. He wasn't going to win in a straight fight—not against Echo. If he played by Echo's rules, he'd lose.
Then I just won't play by his rules.
A grin spread across his face.
"You think you've got me figured out?"
Echo smirked.
"I know I do."
He surged forward again, his Titan's arm swinging in a wide arc.
Z-Force didn't block.
Instead, he turned into the blow, letting Echo's own momentum carry through.
In that split second, he twisted his construct's body, shifting his weight and launching himself upward with the force of Echo's swing. His force titan folded into a ball, backflipping as he shot into the air like a bullet.
Echo's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
Z-Force flipped over to face Echo in midair, with his force titan cracking & shattering into pieces. Echo continued to look dumbfounded.
What is he doing?
Awww, he looks confused now. Well the, I just have to stick the landing.
This was it. The final move.
The one that would win him the fight.
And Echo was right where he needed him to be.
In that instant, Z-Force breaks his titan into 4 large pieces.
Uh…where the hell is this going?
With the shattered pieces of his titan construct, Z-Force molds all 4 pieces
of energy condensed and twisted into a new shape. The construct started as a swirling sphere, its edges sharpening with each passing second. He willed it to expand, the structure morphing into a massive, four-bladed shuriken, each blade humming with raw kinetic energy. The translucent edges pulsed with a faint glow, shifting in color as they stabilized, giving off an eerie, almost ethereal presence. From the ground, Echo just shakes his head.
"Heh, It's always Naruto with you. You really think you could get me with those?"⁵
Z-Force just laughs & smile.
"Bet I can. Just watch this."
With a flick of the wrist, all 4 shurikens begin to spin rapidly, angling them towards Echo. As Z- Force points his finger at Echo, each shuriken shoots at Echo one at a time. As the shurikens race towards him, Echo stands his ground and prepares his titan avatar to dodge each one. With each one, a simple sway of his upper torso & shoulders proves to do the trick. From swaying left to right, each shuriken misses its mark. Echo laughs at Z-Force's efforts.
"After all that bravado and you miss? You slipping, Z?"
Despite missing each shot, Z-Force hovers above Echo with a smile on his face.
"Well of course I missed. I was just distracting you, foo!"
Echo tilts his in confusion.
What? The hell is he talking abo-WAIT! SOMETHING HAS MY AVATAR'S LEG!
Echo quickly turns his down to his Avatar's right leg and discovers what Z-Force was distracting him from. It was Osiris, absorbing his Avatar's leg.
"I appreciate the energy, Echo!"
The avatar's leg begins to fade from the absorption. As it's doing that, The absorption itself begins to spread past the leg. From the Absorption, Osiris's body began to take on the look of Echo's energy Avatar, glowing a purple like color radiating from his skin. Echo fights through the strain the absorption is putting on him.
Damn it! I got to- WAIT, OH SHI-
Before he could complete his thought, Z-Force wrapped a force field around the leg of Echo's avatar and lifted him up into the air. While Echo is off-balanced, Z-Force shouts an order at Osiris while creating and shaping a round and circular force field construct in his hand.
"OSIRIS! SEND HIM UP FOR ME!"
"GOT YA!"
Understanding the assignment, Osiris takes a mighty leap into the air, clenching his right fist and readying the power and energy he absorbed from Echo's titan avatar to enhance. Letting out a mighty yell, Osiris strikes at Echo's back while it's still covered in his avatar form. From Osiris's punch, not only does it send Echo flying into the air, it leaves cracks on the back of the avatar, its energy fading and getting lighter even more than it was before. Echo is trying to regain control of himself, but is struggling.
Damn it! I didn't think Osiris's absorption powers had that much of an effect on me. I gotta recover somehow. Wait, what is Z doing?
From the sky, Z-Force launches himself downwards at Echo. In his right hand he has the newly formed construct sitting firmly in his hand spinning with great force. It has a brown glow around the rim of the construct, signaling that he has added his chi to empower it.
OK, whatever that is, cannot hit me, but I can't dodge right now. I gotta block- wuh? MY ARMS!
Right before he could block, Z-Force has already sent out a force field that binded the avatar's arms.
DAMN! WHEN DID HE - SHIT!
"GAME OVER, ECHO! RASEN-"
Before he finished his battle cry, Z-Force had a change of heart and a quick thought about his next move.
You know, I probably can't say that cuz copyright… I'll use a different name.
With his mind made up, Z-Force spins himself in the air to add a little bit of flair and force to his big attack. As he gets close enough to Echo, he spins and goes to slam down his right hand onto the midsection of Echo's avatar as he shouts the name of his attack.
"ULTIMATE SWIRLING POWER STRIKE!"
The swirling force struck like a drill, the rotational energy grinding into the V-Force avatar's frame, destabilizing its form. The attack sent ripples of energy through the avatar's body, making its surface shimmer and distort. Echo's pained face grimaces as he gritted his teeth, feeling his own power struggle to hold itself together under the pressure. The attack wasn't just hurting him—it was grinding his avatar until it shattered, forcing the energy to unravel. As the avatar breaks apart, the force sends Echo spinning down into the ground, sounding with a loud thud. Z-Force slows his descent on the ground, landing safely next to Osiris
"Damn, Z. You & Echo really be on that anime rival shit?"
Z- Force just goes wide-eyed and has a fake surprised and offended look on his face.
"What? Never. This is strictly professional. Behave yourself."
"Wow, really, Z- huh?"
Before Osiris could say anything else, cracks on Z-Force's face appear.
"Z, what's up with your face?"
"Oh, this? This is from my skin tight armor I put on whenever I'm in a battle. I'm running low on energy right now so it's falling apart. I'm fine though. This battle is definitely over. Ain't that right, Echo?"
On the ground, Echo, sprawled out on the ground, begrudgingly responds to Z-Force.
"Eh…shut up, Z."
Echo slowly rises up, aching with pain. As he sits up, the rest of their teams walk towards him as they all rest alongside him. In that group, both flags are being carried by them. The realization of the training hits
Osiris.
"Hol up, Z? Do you have enough energy to fly the flags back to our base?"
"Honestly…nope. But I know another way."
"Well, what is it?"
"You."
Osiris just shakes his head in disbelief.
"Ok, how & why me?"
"Well, you can still absorb, right?"
"Yeah. what of it?"
"Well than stick your hand out and absorb some of my power."
Z-Force coates his right hand in V-force energy, extending it out to Osiris. Looking confused, he cautiously grabs Z-Force's hand, with his absorption power activated. As he takes in & absorb some of his powers, Osiris's body began to look more like a force field Z-Force made. Looking at his body, Osiris is left in amazement.
"Whoa? This feels weird. What do I do now?"
"Well you've seen me mess with the properties of my force fields? Like, anytime I make them super hard or super soft or even super bouncy & rubbery.
"Yea, what about it? "
"Well, you remember how fun it was to play with those super balls."
"Yeah…"
"Well, now you're a superball now."
"N***a, wu-"
Before Osiris could protest, Z-Force crouched, summoned a force field platform beneath him, and launched him into the air like a cannonball.
"WHAT THE FUUUU—!!"
Osiris's words trailed off as he soared upward, flailing before instinct kicked in. As he reached the peak of his ascent, he realized what Z-Force had done—his body wasn't just absorbing the force field properties, it was reacting to them. As he descended, his legs hit the ground, but instead of landing normally, he bounced.
And not just a little bounce. A huge one.
"OH, HELL NO—!"
Osiris shot up again, this time angling himself toward the base. Each rebound propelled him further, his mind scrambling to adjust as he flung himself forward like a human pinball.
Back on the ground, the rest of his team and the Phantom Wolves just watched in stunned silence until Ferra spoke up.
"...You…you just had to do that with giving him a heads up? "
Z-Force shrugged, grinning & laughing at her question.
"Where's the fun in that?"
They all turned to watch Osiris make his final, soaring leap toward the base, his momentum carrying him straight to victory. As he makes his last leap, the arena flashes green. The PA speaker turns on to announce the results.
"Simulation Ending. Winner: Team
Z-Force."