Shade: Unbound

Finn knew that showing any signs of recognition here would be detrimental, but Jack held no such reservations.

“The princess came to cheer you on,” he laughed over the comms.

“What are you talking about?” Lyra asked him. “Is that…?” She didn’t know what Casey Wardell looked like.

Frameshot clearly did, though. “l didn't receive notice of your arrival,” he said.

“It’s not a planned visit,” Casey clarified.

She went to stand next to Azur, just outside their field, watching with arms crossed.

Finn needed to sell the act here, and he had just the question for that. “Who are you?” He asked.

Casey rolled her eyes. “Should be obvious. But I’m Casey. I’ll be overseeing your training from now on.”

Going by the look Azur was giving her, that decision had not been approved by anyone else.

Frameshot stared for a while, then continued like nothing happened. “So first up is a frequency test—”

“Boooooring,” Casey interjected. “Let them fight.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” the hero said.

She looked at Finn and Lyra in turn. “These two. Shade and Calliope? Let them fight each other.”

The training hall was silent for a moment.

“Their regimen doesn’t require anything of the sort, miss,” said Frameshot.

Cyrus’ daughter scoffed. “Like they're not curious. And come on, isn't this a smarter way to test them? The damage mitigation feature is still active, regardless.”

“Damage mitigation!? What. The fuck,” Jack’s voice spoke in Finn’s ear.

“It’s up to them,” Frameshot said. “I figured doing the standard introductory lesson could give us a good baseline, but if they want to, they have permission.”

“Please, please, please. It’s just one round,” Jack was saying. “But wait until I get my chips.”

A fight? Against Lyra? Finn rarely contemplated it. For his purposes, she was a complement to his toolset, not a grindstone to sharpen his skills against.

Whenever they trained with Jack, they never did full contact sparring. She was a girl; Finn would destroy her just based on the physicality difference alone. That was why they kept it to demonstrations, repetitive movement drills and obstacle courses.

With powers and gadgets involved? There was too much risk of getting hurt to even try. He’d always regarded it as an impossibility not worth entertaining. So now that the opportunity was in front of him, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“This sounds dangerous to me,” Lyra said. “We just received healing, so I don’t know if…”

“You’re not gonna get hurt if you spar here,” Frameshot assured her. “But that only matters if you want to do it. Do you?”

“Uhm, if Shade wants to.”

As expected, she passed the final decision onto him. He was used to that responsibility by now, and it wasn’t one he usually stopped to think about. But the circumstances were far from usual.

Did he want to fight Lyra? Not really. He had no inclination to punch his friend in the face.

But was it valuable for his goal? Almost certainly.

Ultimately, the more one-on-one combat experience he had, the better prepared he would be for Omega.

“We’ll do it,” Finn decided.

“Yes! Shade, I swear I’ll treasure this moment for years to come,” Jack promised through a mouthful of chips.

“You can go stand on the red circles and wait for the countdown,” Frameshot indicated the two spots which had just now lit up with red rings at opposite ends of the field. A red glow encompassed them, then faded. “Oh, and you can start testing the damage mitigation if you don’t trust it yet.”

Finn took his starting position and turned to face Lyra, who was fidgeting in place. Her gaze darted back and forth between Azur and Frameshot.

“But won’t Shade be at a disadvantage if we fight on flat ground?” She tried.

Frameshot stepped off the field, and Casey said something to Azur that Finn didn’t catch. The woman tapped on her glass pad a few times, and red-and-black pillars of varying height started rising all around them, interspersed around the field.

Would it really work? Testing the waters, Finn slammed his staff into the floor, and wasn’t surprised to find that it did absolutely nothing other than create a loud noise. Then he started tapping it on his arm with increasing intensity, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn’t feel any pain. Though he did manage to lose his grip on the staff when he activated the kinetic buildup function.

Inwardly, he marveled at the seemingly magical protection field around them. He tried his electric glove, but found that, though it was still debilitating, there was no pain or lingering damage from that, either.

Lyra was much the same, trying out her shock waves to see if they were really safe to use.

“Ready?” Frameshot asked.

They both nodded and faced each other.

As the red countdown lights flickered, Finn tried to push down the rising tension. The prospect of fighting Lyra felt like traversing uncharted territory. It was a mental hurdle he would have to get past.

“I’m not sure about this,” Lyra said over the comms.

“Cal, don’t hold back. Just imagine Shade as an enemy right now. Treat him like he just hurt your parents,” Gridlock advised her.

Lyra stiffened. Then, a second later, her whole air changed.

She got into a combat stance, one they had drilled extensively. Knees slightly bent, one leg facing him, her hands poised to strike. This must have been the Calliope their enemies saw.

The sight gave way to a budding sense of anticipation. Finn couldn’t say he didn’t want to find out what Lyra was capable of in an all-out fight. He repositioned his grappling hooks—the second of which he had replaced—and gripped his staff.

Frameshot spoke one more time. “First to hit the damage threshold or surrender loses. Begin!”

The countdown hit zero.

Finn simply disappeared from view with his camouflage, sneaking around the pillars on the field.

Of course, he was aware of the futility of this tactic. He could see Calliope’s sparrow mask following him everywhere he went. She didn’t need to see him to know exactly where he was.

And therein lay the difficulty of this matchup. Lyra’s power hard-countered most applications of Finn’s, which revolved around catching the opponent by surprise through optical deception.

However, he wouldn’t let that discourage him. He needed to accomplish one of two things. Either he had to rush her down and overwhelm her despite her awareness of his position, which was a reckless approach. Or he had to find a way to outmaneuver her acute senses.

He began by testing her defenses. Since she had lost her sonic shield gadget, she was forced to sidestep the grappling hook he shot at her. She did so effortlessly.

With a flick of his wrist, he retracted the cable and continued circling her. She was going to play this reactively, realizing that Finn approaching for an attack also meant exposing himself. She knew his tricks. But the opposite was also true.

Standing behind a shorter pillar, he considered his options. He knew that her ability utilized echolocation to provide her with a picture of the surrounding area. She could sense everything on the field, including him. That meant there was no avoiding detection, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t still mislead her.

Diving forward, he shot one of his grappling hooks with his charged staff attached. Predictably, Lyra dodged again, but Finn didn’t stop there. He shot his second hook at the cable of the first, and immediately retracted it as soon as it connected, causing the first one to get pulled back for another swing.

Seeing the weapon coming back to hit her again, she jumped high in the air with a shock wave at her feet to avoid it entirely. The staff collided with one of the pillars, releasing its heavy impact. A loud clang resounded, and Finn used the opening to close in as his hooks slipped back into place.

Lyra had only just landed when Finn was right behind her. He swung his staff and managed to hit one of her hands. Her other hand threw a shock wave, but Finn yanked himself away with a hook. He landed on top of a pillar, looking down on his adversary.

Finn perched on the pillar, taking a moment to evaluate the situation. Landing a single hit wasn’t enough, especially when neither of them could feel pain. And Lyra wasn’t going to fall for the same move twice, but he had more to show.

The seconds ticked by, and Finn decided on his next move. With a swift leap, he descended from the pillar, creating a burst of color as he landed. At the same time, he launched both grappling hooks at different pillars, swinging himself around the arena. This rapid movement wasn’t just about attacking; it was a strategic probe, a continuous test of Lyra's ability to keep up.

Doubling back to her, he swiped his staff again and was met with a shock wave in answer. He leaned slightly to the side, and the weapon fell out of his hands. He let it, sailing past her until he came to a stop once more.

He shot his grappling hook at her. She dodged upward again, and Finn’s hook connected with his staff, but he didn’t try to make it hit her this time. Instead, he reeled it back in. He extended his other arm, as if to shoot his other hook, prompting Lyra to brace herself in midair with a shock wave to counter. It was a feint.

Without warning, he deactivated his camouflage. It seemed to catch her off guard, as her posture changed in response to his sudden visibility upon coming down. He kept up the momentum, sprinting around her.

She spun with him, but he reactivated his camouflage and turned the entire field white. Though she had visual protection from the brightness, the split second of disorientation allowed him to shoot a hook at her legs. She still narrowly avoided it.

Extending the cable of his hook, he looped it around her body and pulled it taut. Constricted, Lyra couldn’t stop him from going for her exposed back. In order to stun her and end the fight, he readied an electric shock and thrust his glove at her…

His arm was blown back the moment it made contact.

Stumbling, Finn couldn’t react in time to the shock wave Lyra threw at him. It took him right in the gut, sending him flying back.

Seizing the momentum, Lyra stamped one foot down, and then launched herself into the air again. Finn tried to regain control with his hook, but Lyra had already disentangled herself. His other hook flew towards another pillar, only to be shot off course by yet another shock wave.

He bounced right off the vibrating pillar behind him, into another. And another. Until he was tumbling head over heels, unable to find his bearings as the field blurred around him.

By the time his hook found purchase and pulled him down again, it was too late. He rolled to a stop on his back, just in time to see Calliope’s form rocketing down, leading with her shock absorbent boots that caught him straight in the chest.

Due to the settings of the field, there was no pain or injury on impact. Lyra just hopped off of him and landed on both feet, but the blinking red field was a clear enough sign.

He had lost.

“And the match goes to Calliope. Well done, kid,” Frameshot clapped, walking over.

“What a performance,” Casey commented with a tilt of her head.

“I’m so sorry!” Lyra called out, taking a hesitant step forward.

Finn didn’t move, staring up at the ceiling lights. Underneath his mask, he grimaced. It was over. Even after giving it his all, he wasn’t able to defeat Lyra. She had certainly surpassed his expectations. She had surpassed him. If she wasn’t already stronger from the start.

He had thought that, really, there was never any competition between them. Finn would get stronger on his own, and his teammate’s progress would just benefit him. It would never bother him if she happened to be stronger.

He was wrong.

Clenching his fists, he tried to push the bitterness down. Was this it? Was this all he had to offer? Some flashy colors with two ropes and a stick? What a joke. Forget about avenging his father, he could barely lead a team as he was now.

Had he ever gotten a real win since getting his powers, against anyone that mattered? One that didn’t rely on the help of other, more competent people? Maybe he was the weakest link all along. And a delusional weak link, at that. He sighed.

Jack was far more enthusiastic over their earphones. “Dude, what the shit!? That was insane, Cal! I know I said not to hold back, but you just turned into some kinda angel of death. What even was that combo you pulled? I’ve never seen you do anything like that on the field,” he said, sounding slightly out of breath. “And Shade! You damn near secured the win even with a bad matchup. I have the footage saved and everything. Were you trying to break your personal record for most trickshots? Then you decided to use your grappling hook as a lasso? I need to see more of this.”

Finn didn’t feel like responding, and Lyra was conversing with their instructor.

“Do you mind explaining what you did at the end there? You know, because we don’t have any baselines. Courtesy of a certain someone,” the man said, throwing a sidelong glance at the other girl.

“It’s, uh, nothing special. I just pushed a sound wave through my body and made the surrounding area reverberate,” Lyra replied. “I mean, not that it wasn’t hard, but, I only tried that because I knew I wouldn’t get hurt and, yeah…”

“You’ll have plenty of time to practice that,” Frameshot assured, snapping his fingers. “As for what you did wrong, I’d say it’s not ending the fight sooner. Shouldn’t’ve let your enemy disengage after that first exchange. It’s fine to feel out your opponent sometimes, but you can’t get so comfortable with jabs that you can’t follow them up with a hook when you have to.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Great. Now, go pick up your colleague so I can give him some tips as well,” Frameshot gestured at Finn, even though he was standing close enough for him to have heard everything they said.

He heard Lyra’s footsteps on the hard floor as she approached him. When she stood over him, she asked, “Do you need a hand?”

“No,” Finn replied in a flat tone, getting up and promptly heading to Frameshot to receive some advice. Arriving in front of the significantly taller man, he looked up, waiting.

“I’ve got a lot to say, but first I’m going to ask you a question,” Frameshot began. “What do you want to specialize in? You have adequate stealth techniques, and I understand Calliope counters you, but is your plan to rely on your gadgets forever?”

“What do you mean?”

“Based on what I know about you, you’re focused on mostly combat missions, and you’ll continue to pursue those. Is that right?”

Finn nodded. “It is.”

Frameshot considered Finn for a moment, as if gauging his commitment. "Alright, here's the deal. You've got potential, but you need to expand your skill set. Combat isn't just about relying on flashy moves and surprise attacks. You need to be adaptable. Gadgets and camouflage are tools, not crutches. What happens when you're in a situation where they're compromised or ineffective?"

Finn listened attentively. It was a perspective he hadn't given much thought to. The part about reliance on surprise attacks rang especially true.

"You should consider broader training—hand-to-hand combat, strategy, and maybe even some communication skills. You're leading a team, after all. Your success depends on more than just your individual prowess."

Sure, but he was going solo eventually. Although hand-to-hand combat was an avenue he hadn’t utilized much as Shade. Whenever he was on the field, he usually snuck up on his opponents to catch them by surprise, given that he wasn’t particularly large and couldn’t bet on winning head-on confrontations most of the time.

But… he would need to be able to, when the time came.

“Hand-to-hand combat?” he asked.

“Uh-huh. There’s a slot for that in your schedule already, but if you want to prioritize it, you’ll be fighting me soon. Or somebody else. We’ve got a lot of capable fighters that could kick your ass across the training field. But that’s for later,” Frameshot pointed to the pillars around them. “During the match itself, you were too hasty, so you overextended. You wanted to end it fast. That's not a bad instinct, but you have to balance it with patience. Understand your opponent, study their movements, and exploit their weaknesses. You tried to trip her up, but you let yourself get baited into a trap. The speed your gadget affords you can be an advantage, but only if you use it wisely."

And if the terrain happened to be to his advantage, Finn thought. If Lyra hadn’t asked for that, it probably would have been over sooner. “I understand,” he responded.

"One more thing," Frameshot continued. "Don't get too hung up on losing. Everyone faces defeats. It's how you respond and learn from them that determines your growth. Now let’s go see about those parameter tests.”

Finn could have laughed. Everyone faced defeats?

If only the world were that fair.