Raindrops fell fast.

Bullets from Naomi, Kovak, Halle, the renegade Elite soldiers, Sky's friends, and Alistair's weapons cut the air even faster.

But none were fast enough to match Mrs Evergreen's swords and Sky's forefinger on the trigger of his sonic gun.

The sonic blast from Sky's weapon collided against the crossed blades protecting the evil CEO's face and chest. A deafening, loud clang reverberated in the air across miles. The swords went spiralling away from her grasp. The sonic wave changed course and split into different directions, hitting rocks and earth far away.

But by the time the blades reached the ground, Mrs Evergreen was already smirking and pushing her body into a contorted fantasy worth the praise of professional acrobatic dancers and circus performers to dodge the bullets which were soaring in the air towards her. Over two dozen bullets wheezed past her as her mind-bending moves allowed her to miss a premature death.

All faces but hers went paler. Jaws dropped in bafflement.

Sky scoffed and aimed at her once more as the woman bent forward and aimed her defying eyes at him. This is surreal! If she can move this fast, that means none of them can shoot and hit her. I'm not sure whether they can even see her moving at this mind-blowing speed. I can, with my drug-enhanced super vision. But that means I'm alone with her on the battlefield—except for...

When she started to sprint towards him, a massive body sprang right between them, casting a long shadow on his back.

"Not so fast, Evergreen," Alistair said in a grave voice.

"Dad!" Sky yelled, his eyes wide open in shock.

Her feet stopped abruptly on the muddy ground. "I knew it. You can't help it, can you?" She chuckled. "You must protect your hatchling at all costs. What makes you think you can pose a threat to me?"

"The Lifebringer you forced on me," he replied with venom in his voice. "I'll drop my shotgun. I want to prove how strong I can be. But you have to refuse to use any weapons. Let's fight, one on one, with our fists."

She giggled in a low, blood-chilling voice. "I don't need weapons to fight against you. You're as pathetic and insignificant as a fly. I'm the most powerful entity on Earth. You're no match for me. Your kid isn't either."

"Why?" Alistair asked as he dropped his shotgun on the mud.

She tilted her head to one side. "The version of the drug coursing through your veins is way older than mine." A wide smile appeared on her lips as she added in a funny and lusty tone, "The one I benefit from is far more advanced."

"I don't care if it makes you shit gold, Evergreen," he replied clenching his fists as drops of rain cascaded down his arms and hands. "A true warrior is more than their physical prowess."

She shifted her feet and swayed her hips with the pride of a cat. "We'll see about that."

In less than a blink of an eye, Mrs Evergreen's smile became the furious face of a bulldog and she sprang to him like a mad bull. Barely a second later, her fists collided against his belly with an unnerving thirst for blood.

Despite her mind-blowing speed, he eventually stopped her punches with his calloused palms. With a smirk, he glued his gaze to hers and said as if he wasn't hurt at all, "You'll have to try harder than that, bitch." Then, he smashed a fist on her shoulder, dislocating it.

A loud crack echoed. All witnesses gasped.

She suppressed a cry and smiled. "That's nothing." She pushed her chest forward and her shoulders back, making a louder crack of bones. Her smiling lips trembled, but she exhaled with a long sigh of relief. Cracking her neck left and right, it was clear she had already healed. Then, she lunged forward, her fists a blur as she aimed a flurry of punches at her opponent's chest.

But Alistair, agile and alert, dodged the blows with lightning reflexes, weaving and ducking to evade the onslaught. With a swift counterattack, he swung his leg in a sweeping arc, aiming a powerful kick at her midsection.

Unfortunately, she blocked the kick with a well-timed forearm block, her muscles tensing with the impact as she retaliated with a ferocious elbow strike aimed at his jaw.

Sky took a brief glimpse at his mother, aunt, and friends. Their eyes couldn't chase all the movements during that epic fight. Their brows furrowed, a sign of frustration and discomfort. Damn! Their fight takes place at such a speed that nobody else can appreciate the details as I can. He focused on following the duel once more.

Alistair staggered back, but quickly regained his balance, launching a series of rapid-fire punches towards Mrs Evergreen's face. Displaying his canines, he growled.

But she deflected the blows with deft movements of her arms, her eyes narrowed in determination as she launched a spinning back kick aimed at his ribs.

He twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the kick, and responded with a barrage of knee strikes aimed at her abdomen.

She gritted her teeth against the pain, countering with a powerful headbutt that sent him reeling backwards. Sensing an opportunity, she closed in, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks aimed at his torso and limbs, each blow delivered with stunning precision and force.

Alistair's feet caused small craters beneath his feet as he bore the attack. They soon filled with water as much as his mouth started to fill with blood. Tiny rivers of it tainted the corners of his lips and overflowed down to his chin and below.

Dad! Be careful! Sky, worried about his father's well-being, even stood and took a step forward as if he were about to take part in the fight himself.

"Sky, stay back!" Alistair refused to yield, his movements fluid and precise as he parried her attacks and launched his own counter-offensive. With a swift, well-timed manoeuvre, he swept her legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.

Mud splashed on their faces.

As she struggled to rise, he seized the opportunity to deliver a decisive blow, his fist connecting with her jaw in a final, crushing strike that left her sprawled on the ground. Her face was distorted, but her eyes were open and moving.

Her skull must be partially crushed, but she's still alive. Damn.

"It's over," Alistair told her in a husky voice and panting. The rain drenched his blond hair, now sticking to the sides of his face. He spat some blood aside like a cowboy. "Surrender."

"I envy this man so much," Kovak said in a whisper filled with awe.

A cringy melody of broken bones and readjusting muscles echoed in the air as her mouth went back to its original shape.

"Don't rush," Naomi whispered back to him.

"I'm not defeated yet," Mrs Evergreen whispered also in a husky voice and smirking.

"Damn," Kovak whispered, clenching his teeth.

She stood up as the Lifebringer swiftly put everything back into place, fixed her bleeding wounds all over her body, and restored her stamina. She cracked her neck left and right again with a groan of pleasure.

"Lovely. The moment I saw Sky fighting against Haywire one-on-one in the arena..." She made a brief pause to shake her head to clear it. With a widening smile, she went on with a satisfied, lusty voice, "I knew this drug was much better than I had planned it to be. This is far better than immortality."

Sky glared at her as much as Alistair and the others did. The latter, still bruised and panting, assumed a defensive pose and yelled, "Come on! Let's finish this!"

"You don't want me to wait for your Lifebringer to cure your wounds?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like I said, your version is older... slower... primitive... obsolete." She took a step forward quite leisurely with every word she said. "Like you'll soon be when I'm done with you."

She licked her lips after clearly enjoying saying those judgemental adjectives. A chuckle later, she launched herself forward with lightning speed, fists swinging in yet another flurry of blows aimed at Alistair's torso.

He deftly sidestepped her assault, countering with a swift jab to her ribs, his knuckles connecting with bone-jarring force.

Sky got distracted for a second when Endurance, still blind after Mrs Evergreen's direct attack at his eyes with her two swords a few minutes ago, accidentally hit three phoenixes who had been flying around him. A groan escaped from his mouth as if he cursed his blindness.

This fight can't last long, not if Endurance crushes all of us under his feet. We should either get rid of him fast—or Mrs Evergreen. And quickly.

He turned his gaze to his winged friend and frowned at his poor health. The Lifebringer is also slow in him, like my father's. Damn. I hope my father can distract Mrs Evergreen long enough for me to do something to stop this madness.

Sky turned to his phoenix friend, still lying on the ground. Let's start with Haywire. The noble beast whined in pain when their eyes met. "It's okay, big fella. You'll be okay—once I take this prong collar off and the drug restores your health. Be patient."

While the duel went on, he knelt beside his winged friend and unclasped the foul collar from his friend's neck. The skin beneath was sore. Red with blood... and purple due to the bruises he's caused on himself when he must've tried to take it off at some point. Damn. The Lifebringer should deal with this soon enough. In the meantime, I should check his brain and make sure he cannot be hacked again.

Opening the lid close to his ear, Sky sighed. Damn it. I need my tools! But maybe I could manage with...

"Hazel!" he yelled as he moved his hand beckoning her to come closer.

She rushed to him.

"What is it?" she asked, not daring to take her eyes off the duel.

"Can you lend me your Swiss army knife, please?" he whispered.

"My...? Sure." She fished it from a pocket and handed it to him.

"Thanks. I think it'll do." A nervous glimpse at the battlefield gave him the reassurance he needed to get on with it with mild ease.

Then, she whispered, "Sky, I don't think your father will be able to fight Mrs Evergreen for much longer. We should–"

"You remember I freed Haywire, don't you?" he interrupted her. "Do you think you could do what I did to any other phoenix you can find?"

"Hmmm..." Her eyes went open wide when he stared deeply into hers. After a gulp, she said, "I don't know."

"Look, search for a lid like this on their heads." He showed her, using Haywire's head as an example. "There must be one in every one of them. Look for it, open it, and cut these small cables: the blue and white ones, like these here, okay?" Sky pointed at the ones cut inside Haywire's brain. "Tell the others to do the same."

"I... I don't know, Sky..." Her wry face gave no doubt she didn't trust herself with that.

Sky's hand flew to her chin, forcing her to look at him in the eyes. His eyes glued to hers and he said with determination, "Rescue as many phoenixes as you can, from either side of this war. Get them out of here if they're too wounded, or try to make them help us fight against Endurance and Evergreen."

"I..." she hesitated.

"You got this, Hazel," he whispered, making her smile.

"Consider it done, Sky," Captain Alana said, standing behind them.

The rest of her soldiers, Sky's friends, Kovak, and Naomi, also standing nearby, nodded.

Endurance, the mechanical behemoth, still raged and shook his head left and right while it cried. A few careless steps of his shook the ground, but he soon stopped and groaned lowly.

"Endurance will regain his strength soon enough," Naomi said, smiling and putting a hand over Hazel's shoulder to reassure her. "We have to hurry."

The female teen looked at her teacher over her shoulder and matched her smile.

"Come on!" Naomi yelled to the team. "Our aim is to free these phoenixes from whoever is controlling them. Grab any knife or blade you have or may find to cut white and blue little cables. Let's get moving!"

The team split into different directions, looking for phoenixes to assess and release from mental slavery from either Endurance or Mrs Evergreen. They moved forward, navigating through the wreckage of war while Alistair and Mrs Evergreen raged on.

Then, a loud female groan echoed on the battlefield.

Alistair's punches had caused some real lasting damage to Mrs Evergreen's allegedly omnipotent body. She was holding her left arm while blood drooled from the corner of her smirking lips—and it didn't seem to stop flowing.

Undeterred, she retaliated with a fierce roundhouse kick, aiming for his head, but he ducked just in time, the blow grazing his cheek, which was already purplish with a recent bruise.

With a guttural growl, he lunged forward, aiming a powerful uppercut at her jaw, his fist propelled by sheer determination.

Both were panting with their mouths open, but Alistair seemed to be in a worse state by the way he repeatedly closed his eyes quickly, as if readjusting his sight with trouble. His head lolled a bit. His stance was still defiant but a bit hesitant.

Sweat mixed with raindrops coated both their bodies. Mud and blood were splashed on their faces and clothes.

Mrs Evergreen staggered back, but quickly regained her footing. Then, she launched a barrage of kicks aimed at his legs and abdomen.

He blocked the attack with precision, his arms forming a shield against her relentless onslaught. In a sudden burst of agility, she somersaulted backward, narrowly avoiding his fast retaliatory strike.

As they circled each other, their movements fluid and calculated, she feinted left before unleashing a devastating back kick, catching him off guard.

He stumbled, but recovered quickly, retaliating with a swift knee strike to her midsection. In a final display of determination, he unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick, his leg arcing through the air like a lethal weapon. With a resounding impact, his foot connected with her temple, sending her crashing to the muddy ground.

Breathless and bruised, she rose to her feet while staggering. Their eyes locked.

"I think I underestimated you, Alistair," Mrs Evergreen said. Her disappointment was evident in the venomous tone of her words.

She then whistled with her fingers in her mouth. As if on cue, the blue Sonic Echo Ranger dived onto her and landed right beside her. She jumped on its back, wincing, and the beast took her away into the sky.

Endurance belched a large fireball, which set his surroundings on fire.

"Come back here!" Alistair yelled at her. "We're not done yet!"

They soared through the fiery battlefield as the Blue Ranger's wings created gusts that only intensified the turmoil.

"Damn this evil woman!" Alistair muttered with clenched teeth and fists.

"We'll get her," Halle whispered as she stood beside him. "Don't worry."

Then, Mrs Evergreen, perched atop the Blue Ranger, brandished her enhanced whistle with a malevolent smirk.

Not again! "She wants to use the enhanced whistle on us!" Sky said, standing close to his father.

Sky was already aiming at her and the Blue Ranger with his sonic gun when Halle interrupted him.

"Here, put these on," Halle said while handing him two white round gadgets.

"What are these?" Sky asked.

"Enhanced earplugs," she replied, her eyes shying away from his. "From the HQ. I stole them before blowing up the building. Here," she added while handing two more to her husband. "Put these on. The sound wave won't hurt your ears, but you'll still be able to hear normal sounds. It filters the harmful ones out, promise."

Sky and Alistair took them and put them on. Halle put two in her ears, too.

"Have you got two more?" Sky asked. "For Haywire."

Halle handed him two more, which Sky rushed to put in his winged friend's ears.

Mrs Evergreen blew the enhanced whistle at them from above as the Blue Ranger flew fast over their heads, but they heard nothing. The subsequent gust of wind combed their hair harshly.

Endurance made a shrill cry, though, as many surviving phoenixes on the battlefield.

Sky put a hand over his ears to further test whether or not he could hear normal sounds. He had heard Endurance cry, for example, but not the whistle. Okay, these earplugs certainly did the trick. Thank God my mother stole them for... us.

The evil CEO glared at them and groaned as she flew away, circling around Endurance's massive body.

"I have something special for you, Sky, besides the earplugs," Halle said in a shy attitude. Her eyes still avoided his as much as possible.

Her hand fished a small box in her trousers' pocket. When she opened it, Sky's enhanced whistle appeared—the original one with its silver and green design.

Sky gasped with wide eyes. "My whistle!" He took it with a broad smile, making her smile shyly in return.

When Sky caught a glimpse of her smile, though small and timid, his joyful expression faded away instantly.

Halle's smile also disappeared, mirroring his colder reaction.

Alistair's eyes switched from wife to son and back a few times. An arched eyebrow displayed his lack of understanding.

"Son, she got you your whistle," he said. "You should thank her at least."

Sky looked from his father to his mother and whispered in a cold voice, "Thank you."

Should I trust her again? Giving me my precious enhanced whistle back was a nice gesture. The protective earplugs were a kind and smart gesture too.

She cleared her throat, then.

"Anyway, can we defeat her with this giant, angry beast here, trying to kill us too while we fight against her?" Halle asked. "I don't think we can take both down at the same time. We have to think something."

"Agreed," Alistair replied with a frustrated sigh.

Sky's grey matter started brainstorming ideas. The hand holding his whistle firmly grabbed the gadget. Then, he grabbed his sonic gun with the other hand and put both of them side to side before him. I've been meaning to merge them for some time now, but I never got to finish it before they got taken away from me. A smile dawned on his lips.

"I know what to do," Sky said with confidence. "Endurance is weak right now. If he's similar to Haywire... I can infiltrate his giant body and, before he notices it, kill him from within, with my whistle and my sonic gun, combined. You guys deal with Mrs Evergreen. Let's hope the others can free some phoenixes to help you out, as well."

"Are you sure, Sky?" Alistair asked with worry. "You could die in there. We have no clue what his insides look like."

"I do," he replied, his eyes aflame with passion. "Well, I think I do. If he's anything like Haywire, there must be some empty spaces inside him in the mechanical and electrical parts. Being this huge, I think I could fit in those. I bet I can sneak my way in, reach his brain, and melt it with my gadgets. Provide cover fire for me to distract Endurance. I'll be okay."

He stuffed his beloved two gadgets in the baggiest pockets of his trousers.

"If you say so, but..." Halle whispered lovingly, mildly discouraged, and softly biting her lower lip, "please, be careful."

Sky didn't look at his mother in the eyes, not even for a second. He clenched his fists until they trembled. My heart is vulnerable. I know myself and how badly I suck at trusting her. I don't want to fall into that trap again... and if I look at her eyes right now, I'll fall once more. Because deep down, I still want her to love me. But she'll disappoint me again. I know it! I can't let my stupid trust and love for her take over.

Endurance tried to hit Mrs Evergreen and the Blue Ranger with his fire belches, who were still circling around him, probably gaining some time for her to recover fully.

Then, Halle asked, "Are you sure these two gadgets of yours can work together?"

Sky turned away from her and replied with determination, "It's something I've been meaning to test for a long time."

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Did you enjoy the fight scene between Alistair and Evergreen?
Do you think Sky's heart can warm again in front of his mother?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar