Little Fish, Big Apple, and Even Bigger Trouble! (Shadowoof)

Predictable, there were all predictable. To the being in the armored suit it was as if they didn’t even need their powers to win this battle. Just as they had hoped and half expected, the boy in red immediately jumped to the Atlantean’s aid. Though Chroma knew they could deal with Lorelei, the boy was an entirely unforeseen variable. To this point it had been everything the boy did that had caught the metal fiend off guard thus far, perhaps it was time to change focus after all. Chroma pondered the different approaches they could take in engaging with Zaap. The mystical energy they had used to this point had proven useless and physical confrontation would only go so far.

A strategy for the boy would have to be devised later. Chroma had done right in turning to face Zaap. As soon as the boy got close enough, The suit flicked its wrist and flared its emerald green cloak. With a quick tug on the edge of the tattered green cloth, the suit was enveloped by it and suddenly vanished from sight before reappearing in the spot that Zaap had started his dash from, thus leaving the boy in the direct path of the swarm of shrapnel Lorelei had been controlling.

Once they were repositioned, Chroma would unleash another torrent of vile green mystical energy at the little Atlantean. Instead of connecting with the target however, the energy was met by a blockade of rubble debris. Though the run-down building materials didn’t serve as a good barrier against the energy, it was the amount of said items that prevented the beam from connecting with Lorelei. Much like the swarm of shrapnel she had been firing, the makeshift barrier was being formed from the environment in real time. It took the sound of the beam being fired from the palm of the armored suit, for Lorelei to realize Chroma had moved and that her attacks were headed towards Zaap.

She quickly rotated her body with all of her might in an attempt to swerve the shrapnel barrage back on target. Amidst the motion Lorelei unknowingly ripped up several pieces of the earth and caused a large tremor to ripple through the area. The large slabs of stone were assimilated into the flood of debris that were once again now cascading towards the armored individual.

Jake knew he made a mistake, he knew it. He just hadn't realized it just yet, the jump was so.. straight forward, towards a target that was... no longer there. Jake didn't have time to curse himself or look around for Chroma, instead, he continued forward at the ever fast shrapnel that loomed towards him at amazing speed. Raising his arms to protect his head and eyes, he tried twisting his body so that his side took the brunt of the spikes but as he turned that's when they stuck, however not as many as there could have been.. should have been, he felt sharp pings of pain though his arms, his chest, side and legs, his durability not quite withstanding the speed and force of which the shards of metal went at but enough at there slowed pace they didn't fully penetrate inside his body.

Continuing forward, Jake would land, trying to strike a landing but ultimately falling to his side. With shaky breaths, Jake would raise to his knees, looking around, he saw that Lorelei kept up her attack, however now she added more to her arsenal, large slabs of stone that make the ground shake upon leaving. Knowing he should stay down, remove the shrapnel that remained in his skin but he also couldn't just sit there. He was open to the metal villains ranged attacks and after that last mistake, Jake didn't want to make any more, he needed to be better, smarter. Quickly raising to his feet, Jake ran forward, ignoring the pain the stuck across him with each movement he would jump up to the large slab's that flew mid air, however he was not going to wait there, not only would it make Lorelei have to worry about not hitting him with the merging  shrapnel, he would get no where. Climbing to the top, Jake looked to the area above Chroma and angled his body, if he could get above the metal villain, he could slam down on his head before he realized it and even if he did.. he couldn't protect from two angles.

Jumping upwards, Jake flew in an arc and soon enough, gravity took hold and began to send him downwards, feeling the wind resistance, Jake noticed he could feel it, hear it near his mouth, grabbing at his mask, Jake felt a piece of metal had lodged it way inside his mask, ripping it out and feeling the rushing wind across his cheek and lips, Jake aimed downwards at Chroma, legs aimed to crush his head, hand prepared to slash the shrapnel on those stupid robes of his.

Misdirection was always a major part of Chroma’s arsenal, and it had paid off as they would have expected. Upon moving, the boy was left in the path of the razor sharp debris, which in turn dug into his skin. The little blue Atlantean had proven to be a bit more alert than Chroma would have expected, though this was most likely due to the state of anger she was in. Her powers fired off uncontrollably. At this point it was almost hard to tell which was being manipulated, the earth or the girl. As powerful as Chroma was, their mystical energy didn’t seem to be making any headway here. Clover was the least durable of the bunch and as such, was easy to bring down with a single blast, Lorelei and Jake were another story however.

The boy appeared to be highly resistant to the energy, and Lorelei was making it hard for Chroma’s attacks to even hit her. There was no telling how durable the little blue girl was, unlike the boy who not only survived a direct hit from a blast earlier, but was now simply shrugging off the shrapnel that had pierced his body. Chroma would have to abandon the ranged game soon and eventually get more physical. That time seemed to be now, as the boy was back on his feet and once again attempted a blindsided attack.

With the shrapnel and the beam not making any progress against one another, Chroma was able to keep their undivided attention on Zaap, tracking his every single move. Lorelei’s eyes tracked Jake as well, doing her best to curb her powers as to not harm her friend as he launched his offensive. She continued to focus the shrapnel in Chroma’s direction, using her powers to the best of her abilities to manipulate the shards of stone and metal around Jake to avoid impaling him. The warehouse continued to shake, rattle, roll, and groan as its insides and outsides were gutted and ripped to shreds by the little Atlantean’s fury.

When The boy leapt up into the air, Chroma’s head snapped up to greet him. Just moments before the diving kick would collide, Chroma canceled out their wave of energy, allowing the flood of shrapnel to propel forward unhindered. At the same time, they raised their arm above their head to somewhat defend against the boy’s legs and even went so far as to start leaning back, almost as if they knew the drop kick was coming. The air filled with a loud thud as the metal suit of armor was knocked to the ground. Once there the ribbons around Chroma’s armor sprung to life and lashed out at Jake, in an effort to seize him and hold him in the path of the oncoming shrapnel. Chroma also reached down for the golden sash around the suits waist and gave it a tug, causing it to unravel and glow before transforming into a handheld lightning bolt. “This might sting a little!” they said before thrusting the bolt towards the boys torso.

As Jake's feet landed, he kept his eyes on Chroma, his attack not quite landing where he wanted it but at least he still got the guy to the ground, doe he was stuck with him which was not the best place to be. Jake watched as the ribbons that had blocked.. bullets sprung to life and went right at him, Jake aimed the shard of metal and tried to stab at one of the ribbon, doing nothing but delaying the snake like grip that now  held onto his leg from another, keeping him in place... Jake realized the man's intent as he felt ping after ping of pain strike his back, his head instinctively lowering to avoid being turned into a pin cushion and that is where Jake saw his doom.

Pinned to the metal body, shrapnel in his back and now a lighting bolt aimed right at him, Jake's mind blanked, he didn't know what to do.. so he just moved, defending the only thing he could. Throwing his hand out, he would intercept the lighting bolt taking it all into his right hand with a blood-curdling call of pain, his arm felt afire, his body felt it. Thrashing about, Jake kept raising his free foot to slam down onto Chroma's head as he tried to escape, escape anywhere, his good arm cradling his now damaged right hand.

Maniacal metallic laughter filled the air as the boy lashed out in pain, the repeated stomps to the suits head were merely blocked by Chroma’s forearm. The whole display was quite amusing “Just what one would expect from a child.” they said before throwing their feet square at the boys chest in an attempt to knock him backward. Chroma then rolled back a bit before rising to their feet. The neon green eyes of the suit trailed away from Jake and Lorelei and down to the left arm of the armor. Chroma opened and closed their right hand several times, testing the responsiveness of the suits mechanics. The barrage of kicks from the boy on top of the blocked dive kick had definitely knocked something loose, but nothing that would hinder Chroma further.

Lorelei’s onslaught of debris had been dwindling down little by little. Though no one was really paying attention, no matter how hard the young girl was exerting herself, the warehouse had ceased being ripped to shreds minutes ago. In her blind anger Lorelei had overexerted herself and was completely oblivious to the steady stream of blood leaking from her nose or the aching of her muscles. At this point the little blue Atlantean was on the verge of collapsing, even now, after she had stopped her attack when Jake had let out his scream of pain. Chroma had done it again, they had somehow managed to swap places with Zaap, putting the boy in the path of Lorelei’s furry.

Lorelei always knew in the back of her mind how destructive her power was, but she never realized how damaging it could be until she saw Jake standing there with several shards of steel sticking out of his back. She began to tremble a bit as she thought of the terrible thing she had just done. She had been so wrapped up in getting revenger for Clover that she wasn’t able to control her power, let alone stop herself from harming someone she cared about.

The damage done to the boy was enough to make him a nonfactor for the moment. This allowed Chroma to focus on Lorelei, who by the looks of it was on the verge of collapsing. *All the better for me.* Chroma thought to themself as they approached the blue girl, completely ignoring the red leather clad boy for the moment.

Lorelei looked on in fear and anger as Chroma slowly marched toward her. Her mind was telling her body to move, but her muscles refused to answer the call. On top of this, her vision was slowly starting to fade as her eye lids grew heavy from the amount of stress she had just put on her small body. The metal footsteps had never seemed more menacing than in this very moment. Lorelei was filled to panic as the silver suit marched forward. Eventually Lorelei would collapse to her knees and the metal menace known as Chroma would loom over her, palm outstretched and bringing with that ever so ominous greenish blue hue. “History was not on your side today. As I said. You had no chance of winning.”

A loud bang rang out within the tattered remains of the warehouse as a neon green blast rocketed out of nowhere. The blast connected with Chroma’s shoulder and caused them to stagger back several feet from the force. To their surprise the blast came from the one person they had expected no to have to deal with by this point in the fight. There, standing several feet away, slightly hunched over and palm outstretched was the severely wounded Clover. She huffed and puffed as she struggled to catcher her breath against the several broken ribs she had sustained from Chroma’s earlier blast. “The…Day is….Not over yet!” she managed to mutter. Her emerald green eyes locked in a nasty scowl with the glowing eyes of Chroma’s suit.

Jake felt the kick of the metal boots slamming into him and he didn't really resist, hurt a little sure but it got him away from that... thing. On the ground, Jake cradled his right arm, he could... move it.. it stung to move however, like every muscle was aching and shaking, maybe the after affects of getting a lighting bolt, magic or not, hitting his hand head on. Crawling away from Chroma, Jake would sit himself up, pain afflicted his entire body, his chest, arms, back. All struck with metal shards he just didn't have the time or care to try and pull out, even with the tickle of blood that warmly dripped along his body. Standing to his feet, he watched as Chroma went to Lorelei and he wanted to attack him but his legs didn't want to move, they wanted to rest. Managing to convince them to walk, Jake used the fact Chroma forgot about him to start walking around, waiting for an opportunity and that was when one came. Clover, who Jake had worried the worst for was not only alive but able, knocking Chroma back with her own power.

Jake knew he wouldn't get another chance, not while Chroma still considered him a threat. So, Jake began to walk around and forward after Chroma's back, focusing on his damaged right arm, a red, erratic energy began to form along it, lashing out around it as it fully enveloped his hand, keeping a simple pace he looked to Lorelei and Clover, hoping they might notice him, how he rose his left hand to his broken mask, a single figure raised, a silent gesture that asked them to be silent, Jake wanted to use this attack before the green eyed villain got a chance to hurt anyone else, if it stuck, then... Well, the attack had made buildings crumble just by glancing the barest amount of the buildings wall, the ground, would crackle and break apart just from the force. He kinda realized he never actually hit anyone with it full force, would it completely destroy the armor? Would it Kill them? or would it make them go flying high into the sky.. and what of his arm, his arm that broke just from a glance.. would it snap, already damaged as it was.. would it kill him? Jake knew at this point if he didn't stop this, all three of them could die.. so if he just.. Jake shook his head, he was closing in on Chroma, he couldn't think like that. Not when he was this close.

Wanting to make Chroma truly feel it, as Jake closed on behind him. He stated five words Chroma had said before. "This.. Might sting a little." Jake would bark out before lunging at Chroma with his right hand, the red energy fist aimed right for his metal chest.

A tingling sensation rippled through Chroma’s mind. This was just one of several that had streaked through the mysterious villain’s brain during this entire encounter. While most of the glimpses Chroma had felt to this point only involved Lorelei, Clover, and White Skull, this one included the boy. The fact that they were feeling this now only meant one thing. Beneath the suits helmet, Chroma’s eyes shifted to the side as if to look behind them. Clover’s unexpected blast had caught the mechanized suit of guard and caused Chroma to lose their balance momentarily. The sought to use this as an opening to strike with everything they had.

Chroma’s hand trailed down to the golden sash that lay dormant around their waist and pulled it free. Using their own unbalance to their advantage, Chroma rotated their body to they were facing the boy who was mid wind up. The neon green eyes took note of the curious red energy pent up around the boy’s fist. Just as Jake’s arm flew forward, so did Chroma’s. The collision between the godly bolt and destructive red energy sent out a nearly cataclysmic shockwave through the entire dockyard, peeling back the roof of the warehouse like the lid to a sardine can and leveling what was left of the walls after Lorelei’s tantrum.

The resulting force of the blast sent Chroma’s heavy metal suit careening through the air. The heavy suit flew several meters and crashed through a nearby warehouse wall, before colliding with the ground and skidding several more feet before coming to a stop at the bottom of a pile of crates. Clover had seen Chroma reach for the sash before turning to meet Jakes blow and could only assume she knew what was about to happen. She tried to erect a barrier around her and Lorelei to protect themselves from the shockwave, but the green bubble only served to dampen the blow.

Lorelei’s unconscious body was lifted of the ground and launched into Clover’s midsection, sending a sharp sting of pain through the young girls body as her ribs were already broken. To add insult to injury, the collision between the two sisters caused Clover to lose her balance and resulted in her back slamming into what little remained of the wall behind her. This second shock of pain hurt much more and caused the raven haired girl to pass out once more from the pain.

Over in the other hanger, Chroma let out an audible sigh that reverberated through the inside of their helmet. It seemed like the energy released in the blast had wrecked the suits systems, causing it to no longer function. On top of the suit being knocked out of commission, various parts had sustained a heavy amount of damage, none more so than the right arm that had been wielding the thunderbolt. The metal was mangled and twisted into Chroma’s flesh, its bright mirror-like finish now stained red with the villain’s own blood.

The winding of machinery filled the air as the suit loosened up for Chroma to slip out. The armor had luckily been designed modularly and allowed Chroma to slip out of the suit with the arm armor intact. There was no way they could have gotten out of the suit otherwise. Without the assistance of the suits hydraulics, Chroma’s right arm was very heavy and with all the nerve damage done to it, there was no way they could move or lift it. Stepping away from the suit, Chroma massaged their right shoulder a bit and proceeded to walked back over to the warehouse that the battle had taken place in, to investigate the rest of the aftermath of the blast.

Jake saw the lighting bolt, the thing that had hurt like nothing else. This hurt more. Jake couldn't imagine how he still had conscious thought, he still felt.. His right arm was mangled, the leather suit completely torn, his arm, he couldn't feel it, he could only feel pain. He had been flung back by the collision, he didn't know where he was, just that he could see the sky, the night sky, tinged with red and white spots. Using his left hand, Jake would take his mask off, his hood falling back. Throwing it to the side, Jake tried to lift himself up but couldn't.. he didn't want too. Cause doing so meant he would feel more pain.. what if he just slept..

Alarms rung though his mind, Lorelei, Clover. Far but close, close to the blast, he had to know.. he had to know if they were alright.. he had to know... Slowly rising from the ground, Jake would get to his feet but immediately he felt sick and fell to his knees to vomit sick onto the ground, leaving a sour taste along his mouth.  Raising from the ground, Jake walked forward, unsure of how far away he was from the destroyed warehouse, just knowing he would reach it.. and he did.

The hanger coming into site, Jake's eyes went to the ground were he had stood mere moments ago, the ground all around it was cracked and broken.. The surrounding floor shared it's appearance, and the walls.. were no more. This was utter carnage, that he and the metal villain had created. Destruction on a scale that could... could have been so much worse. Looking to the other side of the warehouse, Jake saw them, a person he could not see clearly, but could see that his entire right arm had been mangled by the metal from the suit they wore. Jake looked to his own right arm, hanging limp, blood tickled down it and reminded him that his entire body was damp with sweat and blood, metal shards that had remained in his body continuing to do damage.. damage that would have killed a normal person. Looking back to Chroma, Jake simply stared unable to do anything else, hoping someone would come.. Lorelei.. Clover.. Crossbones.. Heck, Clovers body guard.. He just wished someone.. would knock the person before him down.. before they got a chance to do anything else..

The silhouette Jake saw of Chroma would eventually become clearer as they drew closer to the derelict warehouse. A feminine figure would come into view of Jake and the rundown warehouse. She clutched her metal encased arm as she did her best to step over debris and survey the area. As she continued forward, the ribbons that had been wrapped around the armored suit slithered across the ground like a pair of lively snakes. They slowly climbed up Chroma’s legs and wrapped loosely around her body in a similar manor to how they had been wrapped around the suit of armor. The green tattered cloak would also materialize out of thin air around the woman’s shoulders. Eventually a pair of emerald green eyes would lock with the boys and a smile would creep onto the woman’s face. Before approaching Zaap, Chroma made her way over to the two unconscious Sinclair girls. She knelt before them and used her left hand to check for a pulse. Luckily, they were both still alive. Chroma would have hated to waste such potential so soon.

A gleaming light brought her attention to a bronze ornate necklace around Clover’s neck. Instinctively, Chroma attempted to reach up with her right arm, prompting a grunt of pain to escape the mysterious female’s lips. She shook her head and clinched her left hand into a fist all while shaking her head in disappointment. Chroma seized the necklace from around Clover’s neck and brought her hand down to her side where the necklace would disappear from site.

The mysterious woman would then rise up and turn to face the barely conscious boy. He had proved to be such a pain in the ass and turned her whole plan upside down, but it was a welcomed challenge. Instead of just wiping the group of kids out of existence, Chroma rather looked forward to running into them again. It was a message she would relay to Jake. She approached the injured boy and knelt down before him, she bared a striking resemblance to Clover in terms of looks, but she was definitely older. “Well now, this was certainly an unexpected turn of events. It’s like I said earlier though. You weren’t going to win here today, it just wasn’t in the cards for ya’ll.”

Chroma let out a bashful chuckle as she looked Jake deep in the eyes. “Do me a favor kid. Get stronger will ya? I think I’ve finally found something to keep my busy while I’m stuck in this dreadful universe.” there was a moment of silence before the woman gave the boy a playful slap on the cheek. “Don’t go getting yourselves killed now. Would be a shame if we never got to play again.” she said before rising to her feet. Chroma gave a small tug on the edge of her cloak causing it to envelop her. In the blink of an eye she was gone, vanished without a trace.

Jake's knees buckled as Chroma walked to Lorelei and Clover, unstopped. He tried taking a step forward but his strength no longer agreed with him, causing the boy to fall to his knees with a grunt, pain coursed though him again. Looking up, he watched as the woman reached for something near Clover that Jake could not see, his eye sight beginning to blur, he stayed awake, till she came closer. She, for some reason, looked like Clover, an older Clover. Jake wasn't sure to chalk it up to his mind playing games because of blood lost or if what he saw was real.

He remained silent, not cause it felt stoic but because he was too tired to retort, to argue. He simply stared into the woman's eyes, trying his best to just keep his eyes wide and open, his face straight and and his mouth closed. To appear strong, cause he felt that if he didn't... He didn't know, he just felt like he needed to keep the appearance, maybe it was the words she said, the favor she asked. Like he didn't want to disappoint her in case she tried to kill him. He also listened to her other words, about being in this universe, a sign that explained the resemblance between the two woman that made little and enough sense.

After she left, Jake looked to where Lorelei and Clover where, and he tried to move forward, only to find his muscles didn't listen and he fell forwards, his face hit the ground and Jake almost wanted to laugh despite the pain because of how little it hurt compared to the broken arm and many metal shards that stuck to his flesh. Using his good hand, Jake began to drag himself forward, hoping to get as close as he could to the two sisters. However, his body would give out sooner then he wanted and as his conscious began to fade, Jake's last thoughts were something that he felt he should be ashamed of yet he didn't care. Rather then think, how he broke his promise to Anita, how he wasn't going to make it back to the gym, his last thoughts were on Lorelei, hoping the small girl was alright and that when he awoke, it was somewhere safer then here.