Ashton jerked away from the wall as spikes tore through the surface, dripping with purple ooze that bubbled ominously against the ground. The Purple Tortoise calmly approached the place where he had Ashton completely trapped, moving through obstacles as if they were never there in the first place. It was a familiar situation, one Ashton had experienced countless times during his training at SI. Even now, it seemed the Purple Tortoise was the most professional of villains.

  “You waited for me? How kind,” he commented once he arrived.

  “You didn’t leave me much choice,” Ashton pointed out, “There’s no point in pretending we don’t know one another.”

  Since running and hiding were out, Ashton figured he was left with stalling and, if it became absolutely necessary, fighting. He would like to avoid fighting if at all possible since it was clear he was terribly outmatched. His foe’s first moves had been to split the team up so they could neither communicate nor assist each other in any way.

  “I suppose there is not,” the Purple Tortoise agreed, casually adjusting the scrap of purple cloth tied around his head that he used as a mask, “Then, I will get right to it. I am incredibly disappointed with your performance today. Have you forgotten everything you learned as Shadow Phoenix?”

  "I am not Shadow Phoenix anymore," Ashton countered with a frown, "The rules are different now."

  "Rules? And what exactly are these rules you speak of?" the old man demanded, "Have you not considered that Shadow Phoenix is the only reason you were scouted?"

  He had. Ashton had thought about that possibility endlessly when debating whether to accept the position. However, Shadow Phoenix was a part of himself he wanted gone for good. He was determined to prove himself without taking on the mantle of the sarcastic false villain again.

  "Society runs on rules. Everyone has to follow them," Ashton answered, "Everyone has to follow them, especially those of us with more dangerous powers who want to have any chance of freedom."

  "That may be true, but are you certain the rules you are bound by and the ones you are describing are the same?" The Purple Tortoise continued, unbothered by any of Ashton's comebacks, "Since you don't seem to get it, let me tell you where you messed up. You had the phone in your hands, and the power to destroy it and eliminate the threat before it began. Why didn't you do it?"

  "It was clearly her personal cell, not a throwaway meant for training. If I had broken it I would be held responsible. Unlike you, I don't have the money to replace it," Ashton explained.

  "Ah, that's it. Money. Your weakness and the rules that tie you down are all to do with money, aren't they, Ashton?"

  That was what he was going to hold this to? "Some of us actually have to think about that when we make our decisions," Ashton snapped, "That is how society works. If you run out of money you lose everything. If you can't buy food you starve. If you can't pay the doctor you die. Of course I am concerned about destroying someone else's property carelessly."

  "You were never concerned as Shadow Phoenix," the Purple Tortoise pointed out.

  "Everything I destroyed as Shadow Phoenix was in an abandoned city and carefully prepared for my specific demolition. It belonged to no one," Ashton retorted, "Did you trap me in this corner just to scold me?"

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "Not to scold but to give you permission," he corrected, "Society is as you say, but you are no longer one of the bottom feeders. You have to be willing to risk things in the moment so that you don't risk lives instead. When that moment comes, it will not be you, but Gale Research that gives the repayment. The same would have held true for my daughter's phone. She's been dying to get a new one, you know."

  All of the seriousness of the moment seemed to fade as the Purple Tortoise's words sunk in. That whole game had been designed to break the phone, so the company would fund a replacement? That kind of thing wouldn't have flown in SI, but the old man was right. This wasn't SI. He was following rules that no longer applied. However, none of that had anything to do with Shadow Phoenix.

  "Fine, I will take your advice," Ashton relented, "but I will never bring back Shadow Phoenix."

  "Is that so?" the Purple Tortoise asked, taking a step closer, "Then I will have to do what I can to change your mind."

  Ashton barely dodged his attack in time. For an old man, he was incredibly limber. That said, he was still an old man. If he fought back, there was a chance he could severely injure the ex-villain. He wasn't willing to risk that on some training. It was hard to pay attention to his opponent as well as all of the dangers in his surroundings. The last thing he needed was to spear himself on a spike.

  Speaking of spikes, they seemed to be getting longer. Not only longer, but sharper, and the purple pools grew in size leaving only the smallest patches of ground safe and unscathed. The Purple Tortoise was leaving him no choice. His options were to fail the training, fight, or pull off some miracle escape. Miracle being the effective word. Just as Ashton was about to charge a zap between his fingertips, he heard Summer’s voice through the obstacle course.

  “An illusion.”

  Her voice was soft, but it carried through the silence. She must be close, but what did she mean by illusion? Unless… Ashton reached out to lightly touch the side of a spike only for his hand to pass right through. He looked back to Purple Phoenix, ready to face him on a more even playing field, but his opponent was gone.

  Where did he go? Ashton stumbled through the illusion to try and find him. Even though he knew none of it was real, it was still incredibly annoying to try to make his way through an obstacle course he couldn’t see. Judging by the fact he could barely hear anything, Ashton was convinced he was going the wrong way and had to make his way all the way back.

  Once he did, he noticed a wall that was very out of place. The path had been right in front of him this whole time. As he carefully approached, he heard Summer and the Purple Tortoise talking.

  “Ashton’s smarter than you people anyway,” Summer declared with a confidence that both surprised and embarrassed Ashton to hear, “He is the one who showed me the true nature of my power, and how to grow. Maybe I can never make illusions like you, but I can still play tricks with the light.”

  “At least he seems to have gained the respect of his team,” the Purple Tortoise mused.

  At least? Fine. Ashton walked through the wall with careful, silent footsteps. He wanted him to use his skills as Shadow Phoenix? Then he would, but only those he actually found useful and approved of. He had never thought the classes on silent steps would actually come in handy. Ashton locked eyes with Summer as he snuck up behind the Purple Tortoise. Her eyes widened and then darted around wildly. Ashton braced for his foe to turn around, but Summer surprised him.

  “What was Harper’s power?’ she blurted, “The one she got from Kayla.”

  “Now you are just being nosey,” the old man scolded, “A temporary power granted based on desire. Doesn’t that sound incredibly personal?”

  “You both got to see mine,” Summer pointed out.

  Ashton could see her obvious efforts to look in every other direction but his. It was somewhat painful and a miracle he hadn’t been caught yet. He didn’t like the Purple Tortoise’s silence. It was time to act. He lunged forward and gave the old man a solid zap. Enough to sting, but not knock out or seriously injure him in any way.

  “Old man, I’ve learned something,” Ashton announced, “Now end this farce or I will treat you like a real enemy, just like you wanted.”

  The Purple Tortoise slowly raised his arms into the air. “I yield. You win.”