Nico’s heart pounded in his chest as the chaos of the fight unfolded around him. His fists were clenched, and his muscles screamed with fatigue, but the rush of battle kept him sharp. He had only a few seconds left of the super speed he’d copied, and he needed to make it count.
The brute with enhanced strength charged at him again, his massive fists glowing as he swung a powerful punch. Nico sidestepped just in time, his vision blurring as his speed pushed his body to its limit. Without hesitation, Nico countered, throwing a quick combination of jabs to the brute’s ribs and following up with a right hook aimed at his jaw. The impact was enough to stagger the guy, but it wasn’t enough to bring him down.
In the corner of his eye, Nico saw Danny locked in his own struggle, his enhanced IQ working overtime to calculate every movement and attack. Danny’s opponent, the force manipulator, was sending out waves of invisible pressure, but Danny was already two steps ahead, dodging and countering in a way that seemed almost impossible. His IQ boost gave him an edge, but even with that, the fight wasn’t easy.
“Nico!” Danny’s voice rang out over the sounds of battle. “Focus on the super-speed guy! I’ll deal with the brute!”
Nico nodded, even though the idea of leaving the brute to Danny made him nervous. But Danny had a plan, and right now, it was their only shot. He shifted his attention to the speedster, who had circled back around, grinning as he prepared to launch another blitz of punches.
Nico’s speed boost was fading fast, but he still had just enough to counter the speedster’s next move. As the guy rushed in, moving in a blur, Nico ducked low, feeling the air whip past his face as the punch missed by inches. He swung upwards with a left hook, landing a solid blow to the guy’s chin. The speedster’s grin faltered as he staggered back, stunned.
Nico didn’t give him time to recover. With a quick shift, he delivered a textbook one-two combination: jab, cross, uppercut. Each hit connected, and the speedster went down hard, his body collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.
Nico gasped for air, his body aching from the strain. His copied speed had run out, and now every movement felt heavy. But the super-speed guy was down. That was one less threat to deal with.
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On the other side of the fight, Danny was still fending off the brute and the force manipulator. His enhanced IQ was keeping him one step ahead, but the strain was starting to show. The brute’s strength was overwhelming, and even with his smarts, Danny was struggling to dodge the guy’s heavy hits.
Just as the brute was about to land a crushing blow, Nico saw his opening. He sprinted forward, ignoring the pain in his legs, and launched a hard right hook to the brute’s temple. The impact was enough to knock him off balance, and with Danny’s quick thinking, the force manipulator was distracted long enough for Danny to close the distance.
Nico followed up with a series of boxing moves he’d been practicing—quick jabs and a devastating right cross. The brute wobbled under the assault, his enhanced strength unable to save him from Nico’s relentless attack. With one final uppercut, Nico sent the brute crashing to the ground, unconscious.
The force manipulator, seeing both his allies down, hesitated for a moment. Danny’s eyes were sharp, his IQ boost still active, and he didn’t waste time. “Force manipulation only works when you focus, right?” Danny said, his voice cold and calculating. “Too bad I’ve already figured out your range.”
Before the guy could react, Danny moved in with calculated precision. A single punch to the side of the force manipulator’s head was enough to knock him off balance. Nico joined in, throwing a quick series of punches, and within seconds, the last of their opponents was down.
Panting and bruised, Nico and Danny stood over their defeated enemies, the adrenaline slowly fading. Jenna, who had stayed clear of the fight, rushed over.
“Are you guys okay?” she asked, her eyes wide with worry.
Nico wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded. “We’re fine. But we need to get out of here before more show up.”
As they turned to leave, Danny suddenly froze, his face going pale. He had been rifling through the pocket of one of the unconscious attackers and pulled out a small device, a communication tool. His enhanced IQ was still active, and his brain processed the information in a split second.
“Nico,” Danny said, his voice tense. “You need to see this.”
Nico frowned and stepped closer. The device in Danny’s hand displayed a message—a message that sent a chill down Nico’s spine.
“Target: Nico. Bounty: $10,000. Dead or alive.”
Nico’s blood ran cold. He stared at the message, his heart pounding in his chest. “A bounty? On me?”
Danny’s eyes were serious as he looked up. “This isn’t just random fighters looking for a thrill. Someone put a price on your head, and these guys were just the beginning.”
Jenna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Nico… why would someone want to kill you?”
Nico didn’t have an answer. His mind raced as he tried to make sense of it all. The underground fights, the tournament, the valley… had all of that led to this? Who could have set this bounty? And why?
Danny’s voice cut through his thoughts. “We need to figure this out. Fast. If there’s a bounty on you, it won’t stop with these guys.”
Nico clenched his fists, his mind swirling with questions and fear. But beneath it all, a new resolve was forming. Whoever had put this bounty on him, they wouldn’t get what they wanted. Nico wasn’t going down without a fight.
“We’ll find out who’s behind this,” Nico said, his voice steady. “But first, we need to stay alive.”
Danny nodded, his IQ boost still giving him clarity. “We’ll need a plan.”
And as they hurried away from the scene, Nico knew this was only the beginning of a much bigger fight.