Of Heroes and Villains

The Chapter With the Team Battle

As the water came pouring forward, Jordan activated her vapor and went underground.

Don couldn't react on time, which Sean noticed. Grabbing the younger esper, he jumped away, then landed safely next to the mines.

John Brody whistled, standing beside the container. "Nice reflexes on you, mister boss. Maybe we asked the wrong one to join us."

"Doesn't matter which one you ask, the answer will be the same."

"You really do trust your men that much, huh?" John smirked. "Same here."

The water he had spilled froze, then started rising as it took the shape of several icicles.

Gesturing behind the container, John spoke, "Big fella here is shy. Don't hold it against him; You might hurt his feelings."

The ice flew forward, but Sean, still holding Don in his hands, managed to dodge all of it. "You're not used to fighting someone who can keep up, are you? Your attacks are predictable. You won't beat me like this."

John threw his hands in the air, and more water flowed from the container, then went to surround him. "I guess we'll just have to see about that."

Sean frowned, setting Don down. "If we do this, I'll be aiming to kill you. Wouldn't you rather come quietly?"

Brody laughed. "You say that as though you've already won!" He threw his fist forward as Sean took his first pill. Water spiraled as it surged toward the two, but they managed to dodge it. Sean ran straight for John, while Don moved around to get a clear view of Dimitri, who was still hidden.

A shadow fell over Sean, and he jumped to the side. A giant block of ice slammed into the ground where he had stood moments before. Then a blast of water hit him and knocked him back. The quantity wasn't enough to do major harm, but it hurt enough to be a threat in the long run.

"We've fought together many times, actually! Not only are we perfectly synced, but our vapors are a good match, too. You can't beat us alone, pal." John realized how stupid he was being as soon as the words left his mouth; The enemy wasn't alone.

He realized it too late, however, and still took a knife to the upper arm. Cursing, he pulled the blade out, then whirled on Don, who was ready to throw a second one.

This time, John dodged, drawing more water. "We'll need to split up!"

Sean went to follow him, but some more icicles got in his way. Dimitri finally stopped hiding, and stepped out. He was wearing the same dark blue parka, and had a white mask on, only allowing bits of blond hair to be seen.

Hoping his employee would be fine on his own, Sean went for Dimitri, running in a circle around him. Once he was ready, he started pressing forward. The assassin pointed a finger gun at him with his left hand, and icicle after icicle went flying forward. Sean dodged all of them, and was slowly closing the distance.

Dimitri noticed, and started taking steps back. He switched his finger gun to his right hand, then pointed it at the pipeline. The metal containing the water broke as massive amounts of ice came out. It was too much for Sean to handle, so he took another pill and kept coming for the ice esper.

John, in the meantime, was waving his arms around, using small bits of water as whips to tire his opponent out. "Your vapor won't let you do shit in this fight, will it?"

Don threw a knife forward, but water smacked it out of the way. "Like I need it for the likes of you."

John frowned, then threw a larger amount forward. It was less accurate and controlled, which made dodging easier.