Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

40. Bumbleblades Forever!

"...I can't believe we're doing this."

Blades' pedes shifted in the sand, his optics looking to each of the others. They'd groundbridged out here to Oaken Crow Island once more, on an assignment Heatwave had given them; to practice their powers to the point that they lured their mysterious attacker out.

"I can't believe we're doing this." He repeated, waving his arms around as he spoke. "This is quite possibly the dumbest thing you've ever come up with, and I agreed to it!? What was I thinking!?"

"Chill, Blades." Heatwave assured, "Boulder was right, this thing doesn't want us using our powers. So we're going to use them to lure it out, and because I don't want to have to wait for our next unscheduled session with 'Mother...' we're going to figure this out ourselves."

"This is still stupid. I don't want to lure a monster from the darkness to me! What if this time we can't just scare it off? What if it grabs you and we can't catch you before it drags you down!?"

"Then let's not focus on the luring part," Boulder comforted, "We still need to learn how to use our powers, right? So that's what we're doing."

"Oh...!" Blades groaned, "...Fine!"

He didn't even give Heatwave a warning before throwing a gust at the firetruck. The eldest was sent backward and into the surf, but quickly rolled over onto his hands and knees with a chuckle. "Oh yeah...! Give me what you got!"

As the two of them became engaged in playful combat, Boulder and Chase looked at each other and shrugged. Chase's hands flickered with electricity, "Do you wish to also engage in defense training?"

"How about I just form stuff for you to hit that's not me?" Boulder suggested with a chuckle, "Alright...Think fast!"

Boulder moved his hands and stone pillars formed all around the policebot, and then moved towards him all at once. Chase's hands crackled and he threw a punch, breaking some of the pillars but getting knocked forward by the ones coming up behind him. "Oof!"

"Too fast for you?"

"Do not be concerned, Boulder..." Chase's brows furrowed in concentration, "...It simply means I must focus harder... Again!"

Boulder nodded, and then sent more pillars forward.

Heatwave pulled up walls and shields against Blades' repeated bursts of air, the gusts knocking splatters of water in all directions. He shoved them forward and Blades jumped up and dodged, watching them soak into the depths of the sand below.
The copter twisted in mid-air, firing another burst that knocked Heatwave down into the surf again.

Heatwave could see the copter's optics starting to glow, and his brows were deeply furrowed; he was entering that zone they did sometimes, the trance where their powers increased, but their awareness was nearly lost.
He was wondering if getting Blades to throw himself into his powers had been the best option now... But if Blades was going to hit hard, then so was he.

He jumped back up to his feet, forming tendrils of water around himself and lashing at Blades. Bolts of ice fired out of their ends.

Blades dodged, knocking the bolts back with only the wave of a hand and a solemn face.

The next thing Heatwave knew, something hot blasted between them. He was blown back further into the surf, coughing up water as he sat up. He saw Blades lying on the sandy shore, looking just as jostled.