Across the gym, Kendra was locked in her own fight with the alpha gobdog. She'd been holding her own, tanking its claws with her armored skin, but then she glanced over at Nox. Big mistake. Seeing him get his face turned into a punching bag threw her off.
"Nox, you idiot, do something!" she shouted, her voice sharp with worry.
That split-second distraction was all the alpha needed. It lunged, slamming its full weight into her. She went flying, crashing into the wall with a grunt. She slid down, dazed, shaking her head.
"Ow, damn it," she muttered, rubbing her side. "That's gonna leave a mark."
Vasa yelled over at her, "Kendra, focus! We've got our own problem here!" She was still trying to freeze the alpha's legs, ice creeping up its fur, but it wasn't slowing down enough.
"I'm trying!" She snapped back, pushing herself up. "But look at him—he's getting wrecked!"
Nox barely registered their voices. His head was ringing, and the monster wasn't letting up. Another punch landed, dropping his HP to 50.
'Okay, this is bad. Really bad,' he thought. He tried to twist out of its grip, but the thing's hold on his hair was like iron.
"Let go, you overgrown mutt," he rasped, voice weak but still pissed.
The monster just laughed, low and nasty. "Not a chance, little insect. I'm enjoying this too much."
Just when it looked like he was done for, a tiny figure darted in from the side. Yeda—out of nowhere—ran up and swung her small fist at the monster's leg. It was a pathetic little punch, barely a tap against the creature's thick fur. Did zero damage, obviously. But it was enough to make the monster pause and look down at her.
"What the hell?" it said, tilting its head. "Who's this?"
Yeda froze, her fist still hovering near its leg.
"Uh, sorry?" she squeaked, her voice small and shaky. She immediately regretted it, stepping back like she'd just realized what a dumb move that was.
The monster stared at her for a second, then let out a booming laugh. "Sorry? That's all you've got, kid? You think that tickle's going to save your buddy here?"
Nox, still dangling by his hair, coughed and managed a weak grin.
"Hey, don't knock it. She's got spirit." His face was a mess—bruised, bloody, one eye half-swollen shut—but he couldn't help mouthing off. "Better than you've done all day."
"Shut it," the monster snapped, shaking him by the hair like a disobedient puppy. It turned its attention back to Yeda. "You're next, little girl. Soon as I'm done with this one."
She gulped, clutching her fists tighter. 'Oh crap, oh crap, what did I just do?' she thought, her heart pounding.
She kept thinking, 'Am I about to die? Like, actually die?' Her chest felt tight, and her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She had run in to help Nox, but now she was stuck, staring up at this massive furry freak that could probably squash her without blinking.
She wanted to help him. No, she 'needed' to help him. All her life, she had been the quiet one, the girl who faded into the background while everyone else did the cool stuff. She was sick of it. Sick of being useless. But what could she do? She didn't have powers like the others. Just a dumb little punch that didn't even make the monster flinch.
The boss monster was still holding Nox up by his hair, pounding his face like it was a punching bag. He looked bad—blood all over, one eye swelling shut. Yeda's stomach twisted. She couldn't just watch this.
Across the gym, Kendra yelled, "Yeda, get the hell out of there! You're gonna get yourself killed!"
"I'm helping!" Yeda shouted back, her voice cracking. She sounded way less confident than she wanted to. "He's gonna die if we don't do something!"
"Yeah, and you're next if you don't move!" Kendra snapped, slamming her armored fist into the alpha gobdog's snout to keep it off Vasa.
Yeda ignored her. She locked eyes with Nox, who was dangling there, barely conscious. He coughed, spitting blood, and managed to rasp out, "Hey, don't knock it. She's got spirit."
The monster shook him hard. "Shut it, you little shit. I'm not done with you yet."
That's when a blue window popped up in front of his blurry vision.
[Yeda's potential is shaking.]
[She needs a little push, and she expects that motivation from you.]
He squinted at it, his head pounding.
'Crap, really? I'm not good with this motivational shit.'
He wasn't the pep-talk type. Never had been. But then he saw Yeda staring at him—those big, desperate eyes, like he was the only one who could pull her out of this mess. He knew that look. He had felt it himself way too many times: wanting to be more, to do something, but feeling stuck.
He took a deep breath, wincing as his busted ribs screamed at him. "Yeda," he said, his voice rough and scratchy. "Listen up."
She blinked, surprised he was even talking with a monster's fist in his face.
"Huh?"
"I know what it's like to feel useless," he started, forcing the words out between gritted teeth. The monster tightened its grip on his hair, but he kept going. "My whole life was shit. Lonely as hell. Weak. Got my ass kicked every day, and nobody gave a damn. I wanted to do something, anything, but I didn't know how."
Yeda just stared, her mouth half-open. The monster growled, "You're wasting your breath, insect," but he didn't stop.
"You're standing here, though," he said. "You ran in, punched that thing, even though you don't have powers or any of that fancy crap. That's more than I ever did back then. More than most people would do."
Her eyes got wider, and she clenched her fists tighter.
"So don't give up now," he finished, locking eyes with her. "You can do this. I believe in you."
The monster laughed, loud and mocking. "What's this? A little therapy session? Cute. Won't save you."
But Yeda didn't flinch this time. Something clicked in her head. She wasn't sure what—maybe it was Nox's words, maybe it was just her finally snapping—but she felt it. A spark. She straightened up, nodding once, hard.
"Okay. I won't let you down."
Another blue window flashed in front of Nox.
[Trust in you has reached 100%.]
[Soul link created.]
'The hell is that?' he thought, but he didn't have time to figure it out. Yeda started glowing—straight-up glowing, like someone flipped a switch.
A silver aura wrapped around her, bright and sharp. She didn't say anything, just stepped back and dropped into a stance. Legs apart, arms up, like a swordsman ready to swing. Except, uh, she didn't have a sword.
The monster noticed and tilted its head. "What's this now? Another trick?"
Yeda didn't answer. She charged forward, fast—way faster than she'd ever moved before. Her empty hand swung down in a clean arc, and the air itself seemed to ripple. The boss monster's eyes widened. It dropped Nox and leaped back just in time.
A split second later, a massive slash mark tore into the floor where it had been standing. Concrete split open, leaving a gash at least ten feet long.