The Practice Tournament Begins Part Three

Night One Hundred And Twenty Eight

Age 1991

Hero threw the man off of him blood still pouring from his stomach wounds as he spat out a glob of blood. "Okay... Alright... I'll admit this looks bad..." He said groaning in pain.

'Pretty sure you're dying.'

"Shut up Row..."

'Hey I don't like this any more than you do. That's my body you're getting the snot beaten out of. Why not let me back in control so I can beat this guy-'

"No."

The Mystery let out a small sigh shaking his head. "Alright kid... You still want to play... Let's play then." He raised his hands up as more green mist formed out seeming to be thousands of grains of green sand or something. They swarmed Hero as they all lit up and began to smoke making Hero's eyes go wide. "Let's see just how far you can push that body of yours! Emerald Blast! Ignite." He announced as the green mist exploded around Hero in a series of chain blasts that made Hero scream out in pain as the blasts carried him up higher and higher and he slammed into the roof.''

Hero collapsed back down landing head first into the stone floor as he let out a painful groan his body still smoking and hissing. "Why... Why did it explode..." He groaned.

Mystery let out a small snort as more and more green mist was formed. "I've hidden my true powers from even the Enforcers you see... My Cursed Power allows me to generate billions of tiny particles each one the size of a grain of sand. Each of these particles I have pure control of, able to make it have the density, and weight, of a boulder lining so many of them up they're basically unbreakable. Further more I can cool, or heat them off nearly instantly making them like mini bombs. Even as we've been fighting I've been attacking your body from the inside out with these things. Your body is tough though. It's been fighting off my particles... I can do anything with these particles. Even change their colors. That's likely why you don't recognize them."

"That is..."

'Super busted!' Row hissed.

"I agree with Row..." Hero groaned.

"I see well..." Mystery fired forward slamming both his elbows down on Hero's back and pinning him back down. His foot came out and he slammed it into the head of Hero throwing the boy back to his feet. He slammed his palms into Hero's chest as the green mist poured out and lit back up sending a large explosives' blast into Hero's gut wound. As Hero flew back Mystery had large more mist form around his elbow seemingly forming a large green mist blade which he slashed out slashing Hero across the gut and opening his wound up even more.

Hero gasped stumbling back as more and more blood poured out of his wound. His right arm shifted back as he collapsed back to his knees as he placed his hands over his stomach wound which was just leaking blood now.

'Hero! We are going to die. Switch.'

"No..."

'Hero!'

"Never..."

'Oh my God you idiot!'

"F##k you Row... Down with the sinking ship-"

'We aren't a boat Hero!'

"Sinking... Ship..."

Mystery let out a heavy sigh as he raised his hands up forming more and more mist. "You know what... I've groan bored. I don't care how strong Row is anymore. If this is your max power, than his couldn't be much better. I'm ending this now... Goodbye foolish Enforcer." The mist bubbled out forming a massive green Missile that began to pour out green flames that wrapped around the Missile. "Final Strike. Emerald Nuke. Begone."

"Oh crap-"

The green Missile exploded forward at speeds far to fast for Hero to react to.

'Idiot!'

The Missile exploded and Mystery's eyes widened for a moment as the floor they were on collapsed and the entire floor they were on exploded causing them to fall to the floor below, as they entire tower itself shook and was ignited with green flames. When the smoke cleared Mystery saw Hero was standing perfectly fine, only injury from the blast being his left arm. Hero had a confused look on his face looking around in shock.

"I'm alive?"

'Your welcome...'

"Did I see that right..." Mystery hummed. "At the last second as the Missile reached him his arm flew out and he smacked it down... No... Not him. Row... I'm sure for a single second Row was able to take back control... But... In one second he was actually fast enough to react to my attack, block it, with his left arm, his weaker one, all while doing this in a damaged body? Perhaps I was wrong when I thought Row wouldn't be impressive... He may even be stronger than me... Is this why you are so terrified of him Hero..."

"It's coming from over there!"

"That voice..." Mystery frowned as he looked past Hero and he saw three people run out of the smoke. Shelly, Ken, and Max. "Ahh... Of course..."

"Hero!" Ken yelled in a panic when she saw Hero. His body was covered in various wounds... His nose was broken, one of his eyes was sealed shut. His shoulder was split open and his left arm was badly burnt. And his stomach was just a fountain of blood from where it had bee split open. If he was a normal human he'd have bleed out in moments.

"Let me see him." Shelly said pushing Ken away. She pressed both her hands to Hero's stomach as she closed her eyes. A faint reddish aura seemed to cover her and Hero for a moment as her pink flames flowed over the boys wounds and they began to heal.

Hero's good eye went wide for a moment as he felt the sensation. 'This is...' He thought.

'It's the same energy we use when we're using a Crest...' Row's voice said equally as shocked. 'This girl... Who is she?'

"You can heal?" Ken asked with wide eyes.

"Uh yeah?" Shelly said frowning. "I healed when me and you fought for the first time? Honestly I thought everyone could heal because it's so easy."

"That aura..." Ken and Shelly were stopped as they turned to look back at the man in all black. Large green blades formed on his elbows as he fired forward. "Are you a member of that Clan! The Dragons! No... You're something else. What ever it is my body won't stop shaking. I was wrong to think Row's the threat. It's you!" He yelled moving so fast he exploded past Ken knocking her down as he slashed his green blades down Shelly's eyes going wide.

"Shelly look out-"

Ken was stopped when Max fired forward slamming Mystery into a wall. Lava was pouring out of Max's feet forming around the slab of hot rock he was on as it worked like some kind of surf board. "You're pretty strong right?" Max asked lava covering his arms and forming large magma fists. "Well so am I... Shelly keep healing Hero. Ken guard Shelly... Leave this one to me."

"Now I'm taking orders from him..." Ken mumbled but still moved in front of Shelly guarding the pink haired girl. "Alright hurry up and heal Hero!"

"I'm working on it." Shelly hissed.

"Please don't fight..." Hero sighed shaking his head.

Mystery pulled himself out of the wall he had been thrown into as he reached up and began to dust himself off. "You are... Max no Last Name? Many people consider you to be one of the best recruits in the history of the Enforcers."

"That is correct." Max smirked. "I've worked my entire life... I've worked more than anyone... Starting at the bottom I climbed my way out of hell, clawing and hissing, at all those who got in my way. I practiced day in, and day out. More, and more. It was never enough. It's never enough. But yet here I am. And I'm going to show the world that someone like me, someone with no parents, who got lucky and got a random Equation, someone, with no last name, a street rat, can be strong to. I'm Max, and I'm the future Emperor!" He announced.

"I see... I have great respect for you Max. We are not so different. For I to have a dream. I'm going... To save this world!" Mystery announced raising his voice for the first time since he had got there.

They both launched at each other, a wave of green blasts, exploding out, and mixing with the bright white lava that flowed out of Max like melted iron, crashing together and forming more and more heat. Most of the wooden tower they were in was set ablaze by their clash. Max spun on his hills creating a large lava glove as he threw out a powerful punch but Mystery was faster covering his arms in his mist as he caught Max's arm.

"Flash freeze..." The mist cooled down in an instant...

Max's eyes widened as his left arm was frozen over by the ice. He yanked it out of Mystery's arm already thawing it out with his lava. "A new approach..." Max jumped into the air being carried by a pillar of lava flipping his body around and kicking off of the roof launching him at the man at a fast speed as he let out a loud yell. The lava covered his left leg and he began to spin becoming an orange blur. "Eventful Impact!" He yelled slamming the foot down into the head of Mystery.

The kick exploded out with a loud sonic boom slamming Mystery's head down.

"Hey what the hell that's my move!" Hero shouted.

"I do it better." Max shrugged.

Mystery jumped back up to his feet slamming a fist into Max's face. His black helmet was covered in various cracks which began to grow. He fired forward flying past Max as the green mist formed a large scythe which he slashed out at Shelly. "You have to die!" He screamed stabbing it out. Shelly stared in horror as the scythe stabbed down towards her, but this time Ken was fast enough allowing the scythe to stab into her chest. Ken gasped out spitting up a large glob of blood as she stopped the scythe.

"Ken!" Shelly cried out.

"Relax she can heal..." Hero said as his stomach wound closed and he slammed his fist up forming it into his clawed hand. He wrapped it around the Mystery's mask and yanked the man off of Ken as he slammed his body into the floor. "Now..." He began to run dragging the man in the ground. "Let's see who's under that mask!" He screamed as he squeezed down. "Who are you." Hero yelled. Mystery slashed up with his hand hitting Hero's head and making the boy let go.

He flipped back his mask covered in large cracks and dents. They kept getting larger, and larger. Like any second his mask would shatter. He looked at the now mostly healed Hero, the pumped up Max, Shelly who had her arms wrapped around Ken healing her, bring the Seraphin back up. Seconds later a large shadow formed over them as a tentacle beast crashed down carrying Lucy, and Emma.

"You're late..." Max said flatly.

"Uh what's going on?" Emma asked with wide eyes.

"He's evil we're all ganging up on him." Max nodded.

Lucy hummed her suit case opening as several tentacle beasts climbs out. "So we take him out?"

"Oh good we don't have to fight each other." Emma nodded her chainsaw roaring to life which she pointed at the man.

Mystery watched the six recruits before he slowly reached up and clapped. "I'm done..." He nodded. "I could likely beat you all, but my mask is beginning to shatter and no doubt the others are starting to wonder what's going on... Before I leave I have a gift for you Row."

"What-"

Mystery flashed over fast than anyone could react as he threw his arm over Hero's shoulder and leaned down whispering something to the boy. Hero's eyes went wide with shock when he heard the words. Mystery pulled away and jumped back. "Goodbye. I'll see you all again." He said more mist seeping out of him. "You know... If you survive the tower collapsing." He announced as he sent out a massive blast out and the tower was blown to bits as it began to fall over.

"What did you mean by that!" Hero yelled staring at the man.

More cracks appeared on the man's helmet as he backed up. "You'll have to learn for yourself... Goodbye Row..." Green mist covered his body he seemed to simply disperse.

The tower shook again as it continued to fall over and the flames got brighter...

"What did he tell you!" Max yelled.

"I... It's not important... Let's go..."