Two Strands of Fortune

Season 3 Episode 23 - My First Fusion

[MARTHA'S POV]

Dylan and I stood there in awkward silence. 

"Do you know what to d-"

"Yes, I know what to do!" Dylan grunted and cut me off. They sighed and dropped their shoulders. "Sorry." They muttered.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just that after watching everyone do it perfectly on their first tries, I'm worried that I might not be able to do it right."

"I get it. When I first fused with Alya near Everest, I was scared too. But, that's when I realised I had to live in the moment to make it work. What really helped me was knowing that I wasn't alone and that someone else was always there for me in the process."

A small smile creeped among Dylan's lips. "Thank you." 

"One last hug before we start?"

"Sure." They embraced me one last time. As their body was pressed up against mine, I felt how fast their heart was beating.

We pulled away and looked each other in the eyes. "Hey, look at me. You've got this. If you feel overwhelmed at any time, I'll know and we can stop."

After I had scarfed down my Onyx Berry, we took a few steps apart from each other and mimicked the routines that everyone else followed. 

"Searing Flames!"

"Surging Tides!"

"Unite!" After we'd roared that word together as one, my body started to tingle. The tingling started at my toes and then rapidly spread out through the rest of my body. After my whole body had been consumed with this energy, everything faded to black.

[???'S POV]

I'm here. My name is... What is my name? I looked down at my hands and saw copious amounts of steam coming from them. It felt like this power wasn't my own, like it's something inside me.

It's okay. You can do this. One voice says in my subconscious. 

I'm trying my best. Another speaks.

That's all that matters. We're in this together. The first one responded once again.  

That's when I realised who I am. What I am. I am Vaporos. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. When I opened my eyes again the steam that was encircling my body started to slow down and fizzle out. Feeling ready after taking some time to get used to this new body, I walked outside to find my teammates. As I arrived at the outdoor training grounds they looked at me with looks of shock and pride on their faces.

"It's about time." One of them folded their arms. 

"They actually did it." Another scoffed.

After introducing ourselves to one another, we got ready to start our sparring. Spreading my arms out around me, the steam scattered between all 7 of us. I stood there in silence and waited for someone to attack. As if it were instinctive, I felt a heat signature behind me and ducked down beneath their swinging arm. While I was still crouched, I stuck one leg out and swung my ankle behind theirs to knock them off their feet. After the first person was down, I noticed a dim light in the distance. I approached quietly and blasted a burgundy burst of energy towards the light and heard the wind knocked out of multiple people. I no longer sensed a threat, so I dispersed the steam, only to find 6 other people lying on the ground, scattered around me. I felt a smile grow across my face. As the tension started to leave my body, I felt myself start to black out once more.

[MARTHA'S POV]

I opened my eyes and found a smiling Dylan come into focus in front of me. I smiled back and leapt to give them a hug. "Dylan, you did it!"

"No, we did it. It wouldn't have worked if we didn't work together. Thank you. For being so patient with me."

"That's what friends are for." I shrugged. "If you ever need any practice again, just ask any of us and we'd be more than happy to help you."