"RRRAAAARRRGH!" A wave of black clones surged into existence and Alex found himself frozen. The black wave moved forward, only to fall apart like a house of cards.

"... heheHAHAHA" Alex's nervous laugh crescendoed into full-belly laughter. "Did you really think you could just copy my ability? Do you have any idea how hard it is to control an entirely different body with its own eyes and limbs?!" He doubled over laughing and wiped a tear away.

The black wave disappeared like it had never existed."Rrrgh!" John just growled and launched himself up and forward to Alex.

"HAHAHAA!" Alex laughed and launched into battle as well with his two clones.

He met John's flying punch with his first clone with a *CRACK*, causing the two to tumble out of the air, having lost all momentum. His second clone and he lined up on either side of John's landing position with their arms reared back. They both charged forward, ready to crush John before his feet ever reached the ground.

John saw this and quickly spun midair, landing with a rolling thunder kick on Two but unable to avoid the clothesline from Alex he was sent flying. Two fell to the ground with *THUD*, cracks spreading on the hard ground.

"Argh!" John landed on the floor in a tangled mess but quickly scrambled back on his feet and charged in like an animal. Two wrenched itself out of the dirt and charged with Alex behind him, while One jumped in the air for another flying attack.

A black dome formed around John, Two, and Alex with One outside. One crashed into it facefirst, not expecting a wall to appear in the air. At the same time, John hit Two with a devastating punch that sent the clone flying past him upside down from its own running momentum. But the punch left him wide open and Alex hit him in the face with a punch as well, knocking him back.

One stood up outside the black barrier and began punching it furiously. Alex and John engaged in a flurry of blows. John completely disregarded defense and simply tanked each hit that Alex was giving him, hitting him back harder and harder, pressing him. Two rushed to help Alex stumbling along the way.

Sensing more than seeing another opponent coming John pushed Alex away with a big hit which he blocked and ran towards the barrier wall. Alex looked on, confused, he realized too late. The barrier disappeared to show One, still trying to break it open, its punch swinging through the now empty air, leaving it off-balance. John punched One with no mercy and it flew through air, tumbling in motion like an unsteady frisbee and landed in a heap.

John rushed after the fallen clone, with Two and Alex right behind him. John jumped through the air with both of his hands together, and raised up like an executioner's axe. Alex grit his teeth. He wouldn't make it in time. Could the clone take the hit? If it could, then he could have him grab John, that way when he and Two came up they could attack him without having to worry about retaliation. No! Fear shot through Alex as he remembered John's fists rampaging on his body when he was in the barrier.

One rolled out of the way and John's attack landed on the ground creating a dust cloud. Alex and Two stopped as the dust cloud expanded to engulf the two of them as well. Alex stopped and honed his senses, focusing through his three bodies.

He didn't need to focus for long because John, with no regard to stealth, was running directly towards him. He smirked. John, since the beginning of the fight, was going crazy with rage and with his passive aura sense was able to pinpoint Alex's location much like the student with the explosion ability he had beat before. So, he had sprinted full tilt towards him as soon as he lost his vision.

John was quickly punished for his reckless abandon as One tripped him with a low kick. John fell right into Two's uppercut. John flew out of the smoke and landed squarely on his back. But John simply stood up and charged in again. Like a homing missile, he was locked onto his target.

Alex and his two clones rushed out of the dust obscuring them as well, sticking closer together this time, as to not be separated by a surprise barrier. John simply made a barrier around them anyways forcing them to stop running and instead back away to ready themselves for John's attack. To their surprise, the barrier started to shrink, squeezing them together. Too late did they notice this however, they had been too focused on John who had been running towards them. Unable to move they were forced to watch helplessly as John held up his hand, arched like an animal's claw.

Seamlessly, while running to the side of the barrier, his hand moved through the barrier wall, grabbing a clone by the throat and pulled it out the other side all without stopping.

"RRAH!" He roared as he ripped the lone clone out of the barrier much to the surprise of Alex. In fact, he didn't even have time to process what had happened before John threw the clone to the ground and began a rain of blows on the single, helpless clone. Alex and Two immediately used the extra room in the barrier to try and break out but it was too late.

John's blows rocked the very earth beneath the clone, the sound only eclipsed by his beastly screams. Inevitably, the clone dissipated, and John stood up, breathing heavily.

Alex cursed internally, normally he could just make another clone, especially since he was only using two but ever since John had activated his ability he had felt his own aura being clamped down on, like a river being held back by an overwhelming force. Was he going to lose? No! He wouldn't! He couldn't! Alex and Two reared back their fists for a final devastating blow and broke through the barrier.

"Ugh!" John groaned and fell to a knee. The battlefield fell in a lull as both fighters took stock of their injuries. John's laboured breathing rang like an alarm in Alex's ears. He grinned. That hit he had taken in ribs at the beginning - before he powered up - it was hindering him. He could win this! He was going to win!

Alex and Two stomped their feet into the ground and lifted it up, forcing the ground to become boulders. Alex charged towards John and Two lifted up a boulder, straining to lift it up above its head.

Two threw the gigantic rock towards John, it's shadow quickly passed by Alex and John just grimaced. He spread his feet apart and bent his knees. He caught it. For a moment, Alex's breath caught in his throat.

"RARGH!" John screamed and threw it back but his own throw didn't make it far enough and landed between Two and Alex. Alex continued his charge and met John fist for fist. Alex grinned and instead of trying to hit John in the face like before, he hit him in the ribs.

"Krgh!" John choked as Alex's knuckles made contact and he fell to his knees. Alex hit John again and again without mercy.

"Hehe, ha! HAHA - ACK!" Alex laughed, about to gloat over his victory when John shot up off the floor and headbutt him directly in the jaw. How was he still able to fight?

John yelled and punched Alex so hard he flew backwards. Two ran towards them, running up and off of the fallen boulder for a flying attack. John ran forward and jumped up eager to meet Two for a head-on collision. Alex grinned. It was game over. John and Two would collide midair and fall where he would be waiting for the follow-up.

Was it instinct? Was it a battle sense cultivated through years and years of fighting? Or was it his mind, still working in the haze of anger that clouded John? Either way, when he met Two midair, he grabbed him instead.

Alex hardly had time to be surprised when John grabbed Two and twisted midair, throwing his own clone at him. Being hit by Two, Alex fell to the ground.

"RRAAAARRRGH!" as Alex listened to the cry of his opponent, rapidly descending upon his fallen form. He felt panic, fear, and worst of all he thought, "I'm going to lose to him again". That was the last thing on his mind before his world became a landslide of painful blows.