Chapter 19: "Dying Isn't The Worst Thing"

"RRRUUAAHHH!" PB yelled launching himself at Axel.

Axel front flipped over him, soaring through the air as Jeff threw liquorice at him.

Dodging through the air, Axel landed next to 619 with a torrent of water rushing behind him.

"I can't control the water that well yet" He said, gathering a pulse of water in his hands "So let's go for the weaker one first! Water… Cannon!" He yelled blasting out a cone of water at Jeff.

"Heh, how do you like" Axel began.

When the cone of water finished spraying, he saw Pb standing in front of Jeff blocking the attack. His body, fully coated in lead, gleamed in the sun, without he smallest trace of a mark.

"Th thanks Pb" Jeff said

"No need to thank me" He said strutting towards Axel

"Let me handle this" He said slowly, striding towards Axel.

"He took no damage… what do I... what do I do?" Axel said panicking

As Pb flexed muscles another layer of lead began to cover the first. He was huge. At least 3 inches taller now and at least several inches thicker.

"Damnit!" Axel said cursing. "I've, I've come this far! I can't run now!" He began building a huge buildup of water in his hands.

Pb continued on without blinking an eye, his dark eyes fixated on Axel, yearning for his blood.

"Take this!" Axel said running towards him

"Water Knuckle!" He yelled.

Axel blasted the torrent of water into Pb's stomach sending him sliding across the ground. The metal plating of Pb's stomach bent, dented from the impact of the punch. Pb fell over grabbing his belly.

"Pb!" Jeff yelled.

"Was that enough?" Axel said viewing the dent in Pb's stomach.

"He" PB said looking up into Axel's eyes. "Is that all you've got?"

He smiled from ear to ear laughing quietly to himself. Pounding his fist on his stomach, PB removed the dent, covering his stomach with a new fresh layer of Lead. He continued walking on as if nothing had happened.

"Your mine" He said walking towards Axel.

Axels hearing began to dampen as the sound of his heartbeat drowned out his surroundings. His instincts were telling him to run but for some reason, he couldn't move.

"Axel get out of there! What are you doing?" 6 yelled.

Axel hung his head, hiding his face.

"Ax! Get out of there!" He said once again pleading. "He's… he's going to kill you!"

Axel continued to stay perfectly still as Pb's menacing grasp got closer and closer.

"Ax... If you don't get out of here now you're actually going to die! Do you hear me you're actually going to die?"

As 6 continued to get no response, PB jumped over a stream of water, landing only a few yards away from Axel's position.

"So this is what it means to be on the verge of death, and this time it's for real. The adrenaline rush is gone…. All I feel is hopelessness" Axel thought.

"AXEEEL!"

"An opponent making his approach with every intent... not to hurt not to belittle not to injure but to kill! To destroy! To completely eradicate every trace of your existence…. This is ….."

"AXEL!!!"

"If I run he will catch me… he's faster... If I fight back I'll be destroyed... He's stronger... In either case neither is going to help me here….. I have to look deeper than that."

"Axel!"

"This…. This truly is a hopeless situation….. I've never felt this way….. I've felt depression…. I've felt sadness. I've felt scared, but this is a different feeling…. Something is telling me these are my last moments….. It looks like it's finally time to meet you mother Soon we'll be…"

AXEEELLLL!

Axel came back to reality, and looked at 6 and then PB.

That's right…. I can't be afraid now…. after how far I've come…. Have forgotten what I was fighting In the first place!

"Axel… your scaring me man… what are you doing?" 6 asked

"I'm glad that I've got to experience all of this…. All I can do now is…"

Axel turned to 6, his best friend, the one who is sharing his fate. Watching him die would be more painful than anything that PB could ever do to him. And there was little he could do to stop it from happening.

He looked back at his arm remembering the promise he made to Lance

"So... this is despair…. this is what you were talking about. There's no place to run, there's no place to hide, in this moment I know you wanted to teach me that I have to be strong…. I wished I could have showed you myself…" He mumbled

"Axel who are you talking to?" 6 asked

Suddenly he grabbed 6 by the shoulder,

"What's going on man let's get out of here?" 6 said tearing up

Axel turned around looking him in his eyes.

6 could see Axel's white pale face had gone away and he was smiling now.

"6... Thank you for showing me what it means to live…. For that you have my thanks"

"Axel… don't!" 6 pleaded…. "If you continue to fight... You're going to die."

"Hahaa…. HAhahaha" Axel laughed.

"How is any of this funny?" 6 asked

"I didn't realize it until I saw you strapped to that tree 6… but… dying…" Axel said trembling "Dying isn't the worst thing"

'WAI-"

Axel collected the last bit of water that he could, using the same shockwave he had used to blast Pb, but created a lighter version that blasted the tree 6 was in away.

"AXXXXXXXEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" 6 screamed as the current took him away.

"Watching the person you care about most die… That... That is much worse than dying" Axel said

"Well PB… it's just you an-"

Axel was immediately lifted off the ground leaning over his stomach in pain. Pb delivered a devastating blow to his stomach that had knocked him into the air. Axel coughed spewing out blood as he fell to the floor writhing in pain.

"The only sound I wanna hear from your mouth now ARE SCREAMS FOR MERCY!"

Boom!

Axel was hit again with a fully lead blow to his stomach this time with PB's foot.

"Eckk!" He said coughing up another portion of blood.

"You know I really get tired of you running," PB said pacing around Axel. I've got to make sure you don't run away from this one!"

He stood over Axel raising his foot over Axel's knee cap.

"No…. please "Axle begged

A grin spread across PB's face as he raised up his right leg.

"Crack"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Axel's leg began to bend upwards in a V as the sound of his shattered knee cap erupted through the valley.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "GOOOOD PLLEASEE Have mercy!" Axel shouted as he began to cry.

"Hehehehhe, HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!" Pb laughed

"AHHHHH GODAMNIT! HELPPP SOMEONEE HELPPP!!!" He screamed

"Somebody HELP ME! SOMEBODY FUCKING HELP ME He's gonna he's gonna kill me!"

"You know your voice is really annoying too…" Pb grimaced.

"PLEASEE SOME ONE ANYONEEE YOUV GOTTA HELP ME HES CRAZYY!!! HES CRAZY!"

Lifting Axel up on his shoulders he turned back into his normal self

"You know by altering between my lead body and my normal body I can use the momentum I gain to propel me further."

"Please Pb… I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm an outsider..." Axel begged.

"Why am I telling you this? Hahaha because we're going High! High into the sky and when I land I won't be able to hear your annoying voice ask me!"

PB turned into his metal body form and started to squat, building up elasticity in his legs. When he took off reaching the tips of his toes he turned back into his normal form, losing the heavy weight he had originally left the ground with. After a brief shift in momentum he catapulted into the sky carrying Axel on his shoulders. After reaching the Apex of his jump he turned back into his metal form falling towards the ground

As he fell through the air he yelled to Axel.

"Well... these will be your last words! Do you have anything to say? Not that it matters anyway hahahahaha!"

Axel eyes flooded with tears as he began to catapult towards the ground.

"Mother…." He cried

"Boooom!"

Axel landed splintered across PB's back.

He was laying on the ground now, completely motionless. His legs didn't hurt anymore, nor did his arms… Everything was numb.

"What's wrong aren't you in pain?" PB laughed

As Axel struggled to use his voice only thing that came out was "heeerrrr". The same sound Pb had always mad him say forcefully.

"Hahahaha" "See you really are a retard I knew it!" " This is so satisfying, you literally can't do anything back." PB said taking a seat beside Axel.

"I wish I could leave you like this forever..." "But I can't turn back now you've caused too much trouble... Letting you live would be a huge mistake."

"With my next attack I'll crush your skull… " Lifting up his leg he raised it over Axel's head.

"No one will care anyway… Just another outsider who disappeared."

Axel laid motionless unable to respond.

"Those who are too weak to fight are trash! Now begone!"

PB dropped his heel causing a giant Shockwave to pulse through the area. When the dust cleared he saw his foot had made a whole in the ground.

"Huh?" he said confused.

There was no trace of Axel.

"Hate to burst your bubble but there are some folks who would be really pissed if he died!"