-Mentally Trapped-UnOrdinary-

Chapter Twenty Seven: Forgetful...

!!CRASH!!

The room shook as Keon's last wave of energy blasted through the shattered cell walls. Rubble cracked beneath John's shoes as he stood firm, his body humming with energy. His eyes burned a bright amber, and his fists clenched tight at his sides.

"You just don't quit, do you?," Keon spat, rising to his feet, blood trailing down the side of his face. He staggered for a second but smiled wickedly. "Those drugs should've kept you down. Maybe even dead!,"

John didn't answer. He only narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. The air between them grew thick. Sparks of static danced across John's skin, echoing traces of Remi's lightning, while blue pulses of sound wove through it, Isen's frequency manipulation pulsing just beneath.

Then Keon charged.

John's muscles moved instinctively. He raised his hand and aimed to redirect the energy. But something was off. A flash of panic hit him, he hesitated.

(What's the motion again?)

His body froze for just a second too long.

!!CRACK!!

Keon's fist slammed into John's jaw, sending him skidding across the floor and smashing into a broken support beam. Blood dripped from his mouth as he groaned, one hand digging into the concrete to lift himself up. Keon laughed, voice sharp and cruel. "You don't even remember how to fight, do you? You're pathetic. A shell,"

John winced, coughing up dust. He reached for that ability again. It slipped through his fingers like smoke. (Think. THINK.)

He focused on Keon, on the threads of ability twisting off his body. Not just strength and tentacle mutations. There was something else. Subtle...twisting...like warped perception. Like he was slowing everything around him.

John's eyes widened.

(There. That was it.)

In one sharp motion, he forced his ability to shift. A surge of energy cracked through his skin. His amber aura flared with new force, distorted and vibrating, mirroring Keon's own power.

Keon's next punch came fast, but to John, it felt like it was crawling. John ducked under it and slammed his elbow into Keon's ribs.

!!CRACK!!

Keon's breath caught in his throat. "I may not remember everything...," John growled, spinning and kicking Keon square in the chest, sending him flying back. "But I don't need perfect memory to beat you," Keon tumbled across the room, crashing through debris, his tentacle-like limbs lashing out to stabilize him.

John exhaled hard. His limbs ached, and his mind was foggy, but something new sparked in his eyes. Determination. Clarity. And something Keon hadn't expected-

Control.

He adjusted his stance, energy swirling around him again, now a strange mix of borrowed powers and something entirely his own. His aura pulsed, no longer flickering, but steady. Strong.

The others, Seraphina, Blyke, Arlo still layed recovering near the back of the cell chamber. Remi and Elaine crouched behind rubble, watching in awe and fear. None of them had seen John like this before.

Keon got to his feet again, eyes dark, snarling. "I'll break you all over again, John. Like I did before. You'll forget everything, your friends, your power, yourself,"

John wiped the blood from his lip and met his glare.

"Then I'll just have to remember how to win,"