CHAPTER 20 - STICKS AND STONES

Rodney stood in front of Kathryn. They stared at each other, their eyes remained locked for ten seconds and then he spoke, "I'm going to be borrowing Tom's technique, I don't want to be associated with you and your team. Tom, if you don't mind..... And Volta, try to keep up."

"So you remember everything? How did you get....".

"I don't remember everything and you shouldn't be surprised that I got in. It's something you should have expected."

"I'm not surprised," she said, "So what now... Do you want to surrender or should I surrender. Either way, I will still get my three victories without a problem."

"That's boring, I want to see what you can do."

"What's the point? I'm going to lose."

She said it with conviction. She had already accepted her defeat.

That was not what Rodney wanted so he decided to give her something to fight for, a little motivation.

"If you fight seriously, I'll answer all your questions later and if you win, I'll also do one thing, anything you ask as long as I can do it."

"You just love to prove your superiority everytime. I don't lose anything and I gain something even if I don't win and if I win I also get a reward", she looked at the sky for a moment then looked at him, "Fine. But don't expect me to hold back, I'll attack like I want to kill you."

That's what I want.

But can you really do that?

Rodney blinked and she was in front of him. He wasn't surprised because he already knew how fast she was. Her fist was already at his jaw. It moved swiftly but barely did any harm on impact. However Rodney also knew that was how she had killed many Savants.

He freed his body and let it move through the air. He flew high above arena. His view of the city widened and eventually it began to shrink until it was barely visible in the desert sand. Soon he saw the edge of the desert marked with tiny shrubs and short trees. To the other side was the ocean and a continuously widening horizon.

He teleported to the floor when he noticed that it was getting a bit chilly. He felt disoriented and was about to speak when his body was launched in the air again.

How is she so strong?

And I'm certain she's holding back.

He wasn't hit again. His body still moved from the effect of the first hit. He couldn't fight against the force pushing him upwards because his body would take considerable amounts of damage. He had to assume that he could be flattened like a pancake in the worst case scenario.

However, he could use any ability and there were still other options beyond brute force.

Vector reversal?  No.

Energy absorption....

He had to teleport again before he absorbed the kinetic energy to a range safe enough for him to counter it and regain stability.

Only eight seconds have passed.

That means I was moving at four kilometers per second... minimum.

If I didn't use my ability to absorb all effects of the motion I'd have died just from moving at that speed.

"Wow, that was.....".

She interrupted him, ready to punch him again but he teleported to another place because he was expecting it. He wasn't safe for long, she was already close to him again and he had to stop time.

When he did, he noticed that he was out of breath. He caught his breath and his legs seemed to stop working. He sat on the floor and took in his inanimate surrounding.

I should have planned this.

It's probably best to assume that I can't harm her with any projectile and I can't touch her even if she's not moving.

Perhaps I should just settle it now, it might be boring but I guess it shows how......

The f.....

He teleported again. He had his guard down and none of his sensory abilities were active when her fist came close to him. The only reason he was still alive was because she was moving slowly. He understood the implications of the situation.

I can't freeze time.

I'm accelerating my body. Everything is just moving faster than normal which means that she's moving without being able to think or make any quick decisions.

"Aer, how fast am I moving right now."

The parrot was nowhere to be seen and he made a mental note to punish it. He focused his attention on her again. She was still moving in the same direction. His chance to take her out was now.

Wait.

I can copy her ability.

Then since hers is weakened by the time difference, I can win.

He launched himself in the air and went straight for her. He was going to give her a drop kick with the force of ten adult blue whales stacked but he lost a great deal of his strength when he got close to her.

Even though time is moving so slowly.

Can she go as far as stopping light?

His left leg connected with her back. Then he froze there. In his confusion his ability was disabled and she spun around and grabbed his leg.

Oh shit.

She shook him like a rattle and smashed his small frame into the floor. He tried to teleport but he couldn't concentrate. He switched strategies and electrocuted her but she was only mildy disturbed by it.

She can stop the movement of electrons too?

He tried to heat up the air but it did not have any effect. She was nullifying all motion in her range.

Heat was in a sense a form of motion. On an atomic scale, it was nothing more than the vibration of particles.

I don't have a choice.

He used one of his trump cards. It was recently acquired from the girl on the fourth Level. All he needed to do was fire a jet of high frequency radiation, since he could see her he knew that she didn't affect the photons around her.

Whether it was done consciously, unconsciously or she simply couldn't affect them didn't matter. He shot it while she lifted him and watched the effect.

He remembered a little bit too late that the major damage received from radiation was due to the heat released when chemical bonds between atoms of the body are broken.

She'll absorb the heat again.

He soon realized that he overestimated her. Her skin was burnt badly and she passed out from the pain immediately. At least he hoped that the damage was superficial and that she passed out.

I guess it's was a bit too much.

I'll try to hold back next....

He collapsed beside her.

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Rodney woke up just in time for Tom's and Alcubierre's battle. As expected his name was green, followed by Isabel's. The twins must have surrendered to her but based on the time he was waking up, they must have tried to buy time for Nightingale to patch up Kathryn.

A green glow at the left verified his assumption.

Nightingale's treatments were exactly what he needed. He could use his full strength and not worry about the side effects as long as she was around.

"Let me guess, you think that you can beat me so you won't surrender."

"Maybe," Alcubierre's curt reply was followed by his fingers dancing in the air,"Maybe I just want revenge."

Tom sighed and gave his reply as he mimicked his opponent's movements, "Zimmerman did a number on Newton. I'd say we're even. If anyone should want to continue the cycle of revenge, it should be me."

He crouched and looked at the blood stains on the battlefield and then stood up after patting the floor.

Alcubierre had a thin, inky sword about half his height in his hand while Tom had an I.L.L Blade.

Alcubierre appraised his weapon slowly and tried to act unconcerned but Rodney saw the uneasiness through his façade. Despite their attempts to settle, they seemed ready for combat. Rodney glanced at Volta and wondered if she had been increasing the aggressiveness of the combatants. It would be a good explanation for Lapis' stubbornness.

They clashed.

Swinging their blades, they rushed at each other until the middle and separated while looking at their weapons as if they expected a different result from a draw.

"Your sword, where'd you get it?".

"My ability. If I explain mine, would you explain yours?".

Alcubierre took a normal stance and started talking without a reply from Tom but neither dropped his guard.

"This is a Level-up bonus. It can cut anything and can't be broken. It can cut even space-time".

"You've probably seen this before, but it's properties weren't stated then. It's not just a dumb imitation of a lightsaber in my hands, It's also supposed to be able to cut anything and I have the ability to control  electromagnetic waves".

"Since we both tried to 'cut' with the aid of our ability and nothing happened, our Strength is evenly matched. Then this will be fun."

He swung his sword quickly as he spoke and ripples of distorted space rushed at Tom. He easily avoided them and ran to his opponent.

Alcubierre seemed to teleport to his back from Rodney's perspective. His sword was aimed at Tom's chest but it never pierced his skin. A sudden burst of electricity forced him to withdraw and his skin was burnt. Alcubierre's wavy blond hair was also straightened by the close shave.

They were definitely evenly matched as he had said. Tom was probably too focused on protecting his back since he wasn't as fast as Alcubierre, so he couldn't use his electricity unless he was sure it would let him win and Alcubierre was forced to keep Tom on the defensive side else he'd retaliate with his electricity.

Actually, why didn't he start with that?

Does he have a short Range?

If he does, Alcubierre stands a chance at winning.

Alcubierre's strokes became faster. He was already moving twice as fast as Tom could block and it forced him to use his electricity. His sword was emitting his ripple attack with each swing giving Tom more things to worry about. It wasn't just about parrying, blocking or threatening with electricity. If he didn't dodge, he'd be severed by the ripples.

Slowly but surely he was pushed to the edge of the field.

Alcubierre figured it out.

Tom's dead.

Tom had his back against the wall as he scrambled to block and dodge but the ripples prevented him from moving left or right and he couldn't go back any further. His only option was a suicidal attack.

Alcubierre didn't stop moving forward and the distance between them reduced to less than a metre.

He moved and grabbed his opponent's neck. The spectators exclaimed softly and Rodney was just as  confused by his choice. If Alcubierre kept attacking, he'd have won but he chose to get close to his opponent.

Tom's blast of electricity came but it miraculous curved around Alcubierre and struck the wall harmlessly.

"You.... c... can do tha.... too?, " He struggled to speak as he choked.

"Of course, there are several ways to use space-time compression and stretching, " he brushed his hair with his left hand and replied with a smug look.

Then Tom smiled.

"Not... Bad, but... I... W.....".

His words were drowned by the roar of a barrage of thin beams of red light. They appeared from his starting position and pierced Alcubierre from behind.

The lights distorted when they approached Tom. He walked on Alcubierre's body and picked up something that no one could see. Rodney used his Sensory abilities, Spatial Awareness and Full Spectrum to look at his hands and saw a weapon straight out of a sci-fi movie. Sleek and curved with several thin barrels and a stand.

Jolly announced his victory and they were taken away from the field. The next battle was Lapis versus the twins, she surrendered immediately. Nightingale got to work on Alcubierre while the next battle was decided immediately again.

Kathryn surrendered to Isabel and Isabel to Rodney.

Alcubierre was still injured when he was called but he was conscious so he surrendered to Lapis immediately before he passed out and Nightingale resumed his treatment.

"You guys are making this game boring", Jolly said as the last two Savants were taken away,"Einstein versus Zimmerman".

"I've been waiting for this".

"I gi... I can surrender anytime, are you sure?".

"I doubt that you would, even if you wanted to Gabriel won't let you, would he?".

"Don't use...".

"Yes, yes... I'm scared so I won't anymore," Rodney interrupted Raphael with insincere words. He was eavesdropping, if it could be called eavesdropping. Everything they said in their mind was open to him.

Unlike Volta or Coulomb, he was using a real telepath's ability so he could see much more than them.

The twins stopped time and walked leisurely to him.

They have a healer on their side so losing a limb or two wouldn't be a problem.

Raphael placed his hand on Rodney's frozen body.

I was going to blow him up...

His brother was appalled. So he sighed and placed his hand on Rodney's body.

Alright, we'll break the pivot and hinge in both arms.

Sounds like a good idea.

I know, right?

That wasn't me.

Rodney grabbed the hands on his body and smirked. The twins looked like they had seen a ghost.

Now you know how I felt when Kathryn moved when I thought time had stopped.

"Are you trying to teleport?", he asked as he smacked the two against themselves, at first a barrier stopped them but when he tried again the barrier shattered easily and he continued hitting them.

Damn, Kathryn's a monster. And this is only a fragment of her strength.

"Even if you could concentrate, I would have the coordinates," he said as he lifted the twins and tossed them at the wall. The wall didn't take any damage from the impact which made Rodney believe that the twins took all the damage. Their limp bodies dropped and hit the floor.

Rodney watched Gabriel crawl to his brother dispassionately. He touched Raphael and then collapsed as if he had done what he wanted to do.

Immediately he collapsed, Raphael stood up unharmed and touched his brother. His thoughts revealed the secrets of Gabriel's move.

He changed his current body state to his past body state. Now, where have I seen that before?

The twins took out their guns strapped to their torso. They looked like toys but Rodney knew what they could do and their two weaknesses. They pointed their guns at Rodney and he raised an eyebrow.

But the light is distorted by ERs, what are they planning?

Oh, seeing that pose, I remember where I've seen this before...

ERs! ... Mine is weaker than normal!

Rodney began to prepare for a teleport then he realized that he could deflect the light instead.

He took a step back and waited patiently for the flash.

This is the kind of thing that I wanted.

Since it's light, once I see it, I'm marked.

So I have to predict it.

They're thinking about making my joints explode, I can't let that happen.

The flash never came. He didn't drop his guard but he felt an intense pain in his shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles.

He panicked as their trigger fingers contracted slowly.

What to do?

I can't move, I can't teleport.

Its going to require a lot of concentration to do anything...

He eventually came to a simple solution.

I'm thinking clearly right now even though I'm in pain.

No, because of the pain.

I can heal!

I can nullify the pain!

You're all powerful and don't forget it!

You're Rodney Zimmerman!

He nullified the pain by shutting down all receptors in his nody then teleported as high as he could while also making himself invisible. He immediately started healing his injuries but he the twins didn't remain surprised for long.

They already pointing their guns at him even though he was invisible.

Guess they can sense me.

Spatial Awareness, huh?

In that case, healing would have to wait.

Tch... All this problem stems from the fact that we both know that we can't kill each other.

If they wanted they could have killed me instead of busting my joints and I could have killed them instead of hitting them.

He teleported again then created a brilliant flash of light as he appeared. The twins blocked with a barrier but it was too late. They had to have seen the flash to block it and so they were blinded but they still had their sensory ability so they weren't worried.

Rodney had a counter for that. A cloning ability. He and his clones flew at the twins who immediately put up a barrier once they sensed several enemies.

The barrier was worthless compared to Kathryn's ability and he tore through it like a hot knife through butter. The barrier was recreated as he entered and he was unable to see in the darkness.

Guess my natural ES is that weak.

Dammit.

He switched all his senses to his perceptive skill and 'saw' two guns pointed at him.

He tried to teleport but it didn't work. He used telekinesis to move to the barrier but he was too slow. He had already wasted a few precious seconds trying to teleport. A dull blue and red glow illuminated the darkness and he felt his body heat up.

This...

This is too much to absorb. Did I lose to the...

Darwin!

He transformed into a giant grey blob and lost all his five senses. His body expanded but was contained by the barrier and the heat leaked out of him.

The twins couldn't see anything and tried to escape the explosion but Rodney could still hear their thoughts and moved to trap them in the blob. They were unable to breathe and gradually being heated.

He let them out when they became unconscious and then returned to his normal form after the heat dissipated completely.

He had stretched the limits of his body again. He lay on the floor breathing heavily, waiting for Jolly to announce his victory.

Dammit.

They stopped me from teleporting. I'm really too weak. They also never planned on shooting me. It wouldn't have been bright enough, it was a trap to bait me to come closer where they could set up a barrier and finish me off.

They did all that without thinking about it until the last moment.

Damn, I don't think I can play around anymore. Maintaining the memory manipulation on fifty savants while fighting isn't as easy as I thought.

He closed his eyes and wondered why Jolly still hadn't announced his victory.

Impossible...

He sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in his body as he did. His fears were ungrounded again for the second time in the same day. The twins lay unconscious on the floor with Jolly checking their pulse. He seemed like he did not want to stop the battle there.

He looked at Rodney with a smile but Rodney sensed the terror beneath the smile easily.

"Zimmerman wins."

Nightingale was beside him when he appeared and she silently got to work. None of them had anything to say to him after seeing him fight twice. The battles appeared to be close but they could all sense that the probability of him losing was almost zero.

"Coulomb versus Newton."

"I give up, " Tom shouted immediately to Jolly's displeasure.

"Lapis versus Zimmerman."

When Rodney was taken to the field he was still injured and he gave up. He could have taken her on while injured but he had no interest in fighting her.

"Nngh... Coulomb versus Schrodinger, and he's going to give up again so let's move on. Or is there a problem?".

"None at all," he shouted cheerfully and even though Rodney couldn't see him he knew that he would have a rare smile on his face. For some reason, Tom enjoyed the skeleton's discomfort and didn't care about showing it.

"Newton versus Einstein."

Newton dashed at the twins immediately they appeared but they calmly surrendered with both hands raised.

"Are you sure?", she asked as they were taken away.

She must have been expecting them to put up a fight but the twins battle lust seemed to be sated.

"For the love of quarks, someone do something!".

Jolly shouted.

"Don't get so riled up, it's bad for your skin. Oh, wait... You don't have any."

It could have been because it was a poor attempt from Tom or maybe the savants didn't want to infuriate him any further or maybe it was just a combination of both but only a few scattered laughs came from the spectators. Naturally, Rodney was one of them.

Jolly rushed through the remaining battles as it was clear that nobody wanted to fight anymore or so he'd thought.

One of the final combatants blew past him in a dazzling blue burst of electricity. The other responded with barriers and teleportation simultaneously.

Jolly took of his hat and scratched his skull, he sighed and returned to his viewing station above as the timer changed to two minutes and fifty-five seconds.

Tom's fist hit the barrier but he didn't stop moving. The twins were behind him and had their pistols out. They pulled the trigger just as his legs left the ground. He spun backwards with his fist as a pivot and ran on the barrier and leapt over it.

Why would he bother to dodge when the light would never reach him?

While Rodney was trying to understand the motive of his movements, he made another strange move.

He looked up and jumped back, the air around him shimmered and for the first time since the fight began, he was calm. It only lasted for a few seconds, he dashed towards the twins again.

A repeat of  Einstein VS Alcubierre.

The light was prevented from scattering by bending space! And he made it curve around the barrier.

He could have just destroyed it though.

The twins teleported close to Tom.

Too close.

He was only a little bit out of reach and it spoke volumes about how small Tom's range was.

The field was colored pale blue when he retaliated.

The twins ignored it and continued moving then stopped abruptly.

They shifted to a new position far away from him and watched him warily. He retrieved a gun from his storage and fired a yellow bolt of plasma.

The twins created another barrier. He fired more shots at the barrier and pushed a switch on the gun.

His volley changed into a stream.

He tossed two canisters at the barrier. A purple gas oozed out of both.

It surrounded the barrier and gradually turned red.

The floor around the barrier was scorched black and started to melt.

This proves it.

He planned this.

He must have watched that strange battle on the third floor and gotten weird ideas from it.

He faithfully replicated a strategy that required several Savants to execute.

Why didn't they just touch him when they had the chance?

Rodney's thoughts were shelved and his attention returned to the fight. He couldn't help it.

What he saw was something impossible.

The barrier the twins set up shattered. The compressed air suddenly expanded and ignited, the resulting explosion scattered the smoke and formed a tiny crater with two limp bodies at the centre.

WTF!

What is that smoke made from?

That's four wins for Tom and since everyone else had three, Gabriel and Raphael with two wins are eliminated.

The bodies of the twins appeared beside Tom.

Unscathed and pistols raised.

Unconsciously, everyone checked the crater and realized that the bodies were gone.

"You fired a beam just as the barrier shattered that was going to be deflected to your bodies incase you got injured."

Tom's defeated voice pierced through the spectators thoughts. He raised both hands.

"We're almost out of time. I can't do anything anymore. I surrender... Ah, what a letdown."

There was still almost a minute left, he was able to deflect their light and the twins couldn't touch him for some reason. His words were clearly a lie but Jolly descended and declared the first round over.

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