Disclaimer: No I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

Five Elements: The American Mews

Chapter 8: Rival's Retribution (Part 1)

A cold wind blew through the empty Johnson Junior High school's football field, biting into anything that wasn't properly protected against its icy chill.

Roger dead-panned right at the puff of his own black hair that was now dangling right in his eyes. To help keep the cold off of him he wore a heavy winter coat and a normal pair of jeans. ("It's sooo early. Doesn't Bruce think that maybe this can all wait?") He had been having such a nice dream too, but then he'd received a call from Bruce at about five in the morning, challenging him to a fight at the school's football field in one hour. ("Does he actually think a fight between me and him will last an hour and a half? Psh…")

As he sat on the ice-cold metal of the football stands, his mind wandered back to the events of yesterday afternoon. ("Mew Terra…that's what Caitlyn said his name was. But if he is a Mew Mew, then why did he suddenly pull a gun on her? And more importantly, who does he work for?")

Glancing down at the newspaper he had grabbed on the way to the school, he chuckled at the title. It was a camera shot of Mew Sonic and Mew Terra facing off, with Caitlyn right behind Mew Sonic. "Mysterious Costumed Pair Stop Robbers." It was funny how the newspapers thought that he and the other guy was just a pair of good Samaritans who liked to dress up. ("And Caitlyn just keeps referring to Mew Sonic as a superhero too, dumb girl.") Crumpling up the paper, he threw it aside and crossed his legs, trying to keep himself from freezing over while he waited for Bruce to arrive.

"I've been hoping to find you here as soon as I had arrived." The loud voice of Bruce came from the top of the stands, instantly bringing Roger to his feet so he was facing his rival. "It's good to see you, Grant. This will be our last fight."

Yawning, Roger didn't notice anything special about Bruce. It was the same overly honorable fool as always, except that he was wearing a white and gold kung fu shirt and pants, which was surprising because he normally didn't wear those things to school. There was one other thing that was surprising, and that was that Bruce's eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't slept a wink last night. "Wow, what were you doing all night?"

"Closing and surpassing the line set by you." The boy slowly walked down the steps towards Roger, his tired smile strangely calm. "Let's begin, before Caitlyn or anyone else interferes. This fight won't be half-assed. By the end of it, one of us will be down."

Roger hopped over the chain-link fence that separated the stands from the field and walked out to the middle of it, stripping off his jacket and cracking his knuckles. "That's fine with me. So you don't want me to hold back then?"

"Right." Bruce hopped over the fence and followed, stopping when there was about ten feet of distance between the two of them. "The rules are simple. There are no rules beyond fight as you must." His voice held a malice that Roger had never heard before.

("This should be quick.") Roger flexed his arm muscles to wake them up, his gray t-shirt stretching as his whole body seemed to awaken at once. "I'm ready if you are."

"Good." Then Bruce attacked, flying at the other boy like a rocket with one of his Flying Dragon Kicks. Roger side-stepped and got ready to kick his hip, but Bruce immediately slammed his foot into the ground and slid away, leaving them exactly where they had started.

Roger sighed quietly. "I'd be impressed if not for the fact that your attack wouldn't have hit me unless I made a mistake. Try again."

Bruce slowly turned his head to face his opponent directly, eyes cold. "Very well! I come!" Then he was moving, unleashing a flurry of punches nearly too fast for the normal person to see.

But Roger wasn't the normal person. He continued to skip backwards to avoid getting pummeled, though his eyes were now showing he was completely awake. ("Why is he so serious about ending this now? I thought we'd do a little build-up before the big climax came.") For a split second his mind pondered the possibility of turning into Mew Sonic, but then he immediately chastised himself for it. ("What's the matter with me? I might not have much of an honor code, but that's just screwed up if I did transform and beat his face in.")

Bruce immediately switched from punch to kick, trying to obliterate Roger in one full-force blow. But no matter how hard he kicked, there wasn't even a slight chance he would connect. ("I'm too tired…I didn't get any sleep last night, and therefore my strength and skill levels aren't enough to even challenge.") Grimacing, he back-flipped about fifty feet back. "Grant!"

"What?" Roger stuck his hands into his pockets, still not taking this completely seriously. He knew that Bruce was drained already. "Seriously, just go get some sleep and we'll do it tommorow."

"Never! You have insulted my code, so now we end this here!" Bruce snapped up his hand rapidly and pointed right at Roger's face. "I must see the truth…which of us can be the strongest."

Roger glanced around the area to make sure no was watching, and then he held up something that looked a little bit like a wrist-watch. "I think this little device lets me become stronger than you could possibly be." He had gotten it from Excelsior on request for something that wasn't as girly as that silly transformation amulet. With it, he could transform to Mew Sonic with the push of a button.

Bruce's lips lifted into a cold smile. "Show me…prove to me that you are stronger! I won't accept anything but your best, Grant!"

Roger scoffed and shook his head. "I refuse to beat you to half-death. Instead, I'll beat you to a quarter dead."

Bruce frowned and held up a finger. "No. I refuse to have any warm up with you. We'll go at it with all of our power right now."

"No, we won't. I refuse to kill you." Roger snarled, trying to appear calm. "Do you just want to die that badly?"

"Yes…yes I do." Bruce held up something he had taken out of his pants pocket. It was some kind of black coin. "However, I don't think I'll lose to you this time!"

Roger's eyes narrowed slowly. "What is that?"

"It is my future…and yours as well!" Bruce flipped the item into the air, light catching off of the dark surface and blinding Roger momentarily. "Mew Mew Pyro, METAMORPHISIS!"

("What?") Roger's eyes snapped open and then shut slightly as an explosion of fire erupted from the ground around Bruce's feet, consuming the boy. ("That can only mean…")

From within the fire, Bruce's clothing seemed to dissolve for a moment…and then it was replaced by a similar set-up of martial artist's clothing, except this set-up was inferno-red. "You see…" Lifting up his hands, he bared his new fangs as a pair of inferno-red wristbands appeared on him. "…I have come across the power to…" As he spoke his hair and eyes both turned a strange white-silver color. "…destroy you!" His ears shifted into a strange pair of orange rounded feline ones, and then the fire exploded to full life, removing him from sight.

Roger just stood there, sweat sliding down his face from the heat of the flames. ("This is just beautiful…")

The fire suddenly disappeared, leaving Mew Pyro standing there with his silver hair being blown about in the wind. "Well, are you going to become Mew Sonic?" His lips lifted to reveal his new fangs again. "Or do you think you can handle this tiger without the help of your other form?"

Roger grimaced and held up his wrist-device, flicking open the cover on the button that triggered the transformation and pressing it down roughly. "Fine, let's do this! Mew Mew Sonic, METAPMORPHOSIS!" There was an explosion of sound that shook the field. It tore away at Roger's clothing for a moment, and then he was wearing a pair of black leather pants and a black sleeveless leather vest. His eyes locked onto Mew Pyro's and then they changed to a sand color. His hair followed, dropping across his shoulders as it instantly straightened. "I don't know how you got that power, but I won't let you use it as you please!" A pair of dull red wolf ears popped up from his head and the sound ball cleared, leaving Mew Sonic standing across Mew Pyro.

Mew Pyro licked his lips and cracked his knuckles once more. "How lovely it is to be on equal grounds with you again. I spent all night training in this form to get used to it, so now I'll be ready to face you as if nothing were different at all."

"So we should just disregard the superpowers and all, huh?" Mew Sonic sighed. "You're an idiot, Bruce."

"Silence, Grant!" The Asian boy slowly slid into a fighting stance. "The battle between us begins in full right now. Are you ready to give it your all?"

"Shut up and fight!" Mew Sonic flashed out of sight and appeared directly behind Mew Pyro. ("Now I'll try a one hit KO so that we don't…")

Mew Pyro smiled slightly and faded away. "Not good enough." Then he was behind Mew Sonic, landing a head kick that sent the other boy flying away at rapid speed. "Nowhere near good enough!"

Mew Sonic bounced along the ground rapidly, grunting in pain as he tore up hunks of grass with his body. ("Okay…he's just as fast as me. Right…don't forget that.") Then he continued to go into an insane roll backwards until he slammed back-first into the goal post at his end of the field.

Mew Pyro calmly approached, his hands flexing over and over again. "Now then…" A calm smile crossed his face at the satisfying grunt he heard from Mew Sonic. "I want you to stand up and actually make me try. Don't look down on me, you know it."

"Shut up already, loud-mouthed punk." Mew Sonic stood up and cracked his back a couple of times. "Now then, I'll tear you apart!" Roaring, he charged right at his longtime rival. ("It doesn't matter whether or not you think you can beat him. You've done it before, and you've been a Mew Mew longer than he…") His thoughts were shattered as a blow strong enough to bend steel hit his neck. There was a loud pop as his neck twisted sharply and his entire body was sent flying back into the goal post again.

Mew Pyro just stood there and crossed his arms across his chest. "Hm…very stupid of you to run at me like that…or is it possible…" He looked very surprised now. ("Could it be possible that I am actually stronger than he is? Amazing…in just one night…")

Mew Sonic slowly stood up, a huge bruise on his right cheek. ("God damn, what kind of hit was that?") Cracking his knuckles, he growled from deep within his throat. "I'll beat you…bastard…"

"Really?" Mew Pyro flashed out of sight and appeared directly behind Mew Sonic, his arms locking his rival's neck in a choke-hold. "Can you actually keep up with my movements? Or perhaps you're just not quite as strong as you wished?"

"Shut you mouth…" Mew Sonic struggled, but only succeeded in causing his damaged neck to pop again. ("What's wrong with me? Why can't I fight him?")

"Heh…it's said that when one surpasses their enemies, they will become sloppy." Mew Pyro released his enemy from the chokehold and punched him right in the spine. "I, however, don't believe in such a possibility."

Letting out an angered gasp of pain, Mew Sonic stumbled forward and collapsed face-first to the dirt.

"Let's end this now, shall we?" Mew Pyro's fists started to glow. "Inferno…"

("Why can't I keep up with him? Was there really such a power difference between Bruce and I when we were normal human beings?") Mew Sonic's eyes slowly cracked open and he thought hard as to what this all meant. ("Why am I so afraid?")

Mew Pyro stopped his building energy as he heard something that he had never heard before from his rival. It sounded a little bit like crying, but he couldn't tell because he couldn't see Mew Sonic's face. "Stand up and cleanse your tears. If you surrender then…"

Mew Sonic's legs spun around and he came to his feet, eye locked on Mew Pyro's. "I've had enough." His entire body seemed to flicker with an energy that quickly budded into a weak aura that covered him. It was golden, and it shimmered like it was alive. "If you want my best, then take it!"

Mew Pyro felt his entire body shudder as the fact he was dead tired caught up to him. ("What's…") Then he saw Mew Sonic move, but it was too fast to counter. ("…this energy?")

"You just…" Mew Sonic slammed blow after blow to Mew Pyro's face. "…couldn't stop yourself, could you?" Then he was moving, locking Mew Pyro's head under one arm and running right at the goal post. "I'll show you why your stupid honor code means nothing to a street fighter!" Then he drove Mew Pyro's head right into the goal post, the whole metal pole denting. He did it again and again, until it finally collapsed and crashed to the grass.

Mew Pyro felt blood in his eyes, but something about this energy was tool violent…too strong…

Mew Sonic released his opponent's head and upper-cutted him, forcing him to stand. "Here's another serving of that best you wanted!" Then he pounded away at Mew Pyro's stomach like it was a punching bag, landing blow after stone-breaking blow. "Come on, what's the matter? I thought you wanted more!"

Mew Pyro dropped to his knees and clutched at his stomach, unable to find words. ("What is this? How is he suddenly so much stronger than me?")

Mew Sonic's foot kicked up and crashed into Mew Pyro's chin, forcing him straight again. "I didn't say that I was done!" He pummeled away again, using his fists and striking that same already tenderized stomach.

("This isn't the Roger I remember…even when he was violent…") Mew Pyro barely caught a blur of color right before the Sonic Jammer was slammed into the side of his head.

Mew Sonic knew that he could have used the Sonic Jammer's attack to finish this, but that wasn't an option right now. So he just struck away with the instrument, surprised at how durable it was. He was using it like a baseball bat and it was working fine at the task of beating Bruce's head in.

Mew Pyro stumbled backwards as quickly as he could, knowing that his chances of fighting back were zero until he could get away from this berserk version of Roger.

But Mew Sonic followed, striking away until his own hands were bleeding from the Sonic Jammer's strings cutting into his palms. "I never said that I was done!"

Blinded by the blood in his eyes, Mew Pyro knew there was only one way to stop his enemy. "Inferno Punch!" Then his right hand exploded into flame.

("What's that?") Mew Sonic faltered at the sight of the glowing hand, and that was his downfall because that same hand slammed right into his left cheek, snapping his head to the side and sending him flying into the stands.

Mew Pyro stood there, his entire body shuddering as it recovered from suddenly no longer being under attack. ("Such violent force…how did he create it from out of nothing at all?")

("What was that?") Roger sat up and pressed a hand to his cheek, pulling the hand back blackened. ("He created fire on his hand and hit me…it nearly knocked me out.") Then his eyes widened and he felt his ears. They felt normal… ("He hit me so hard I changed back to normal?")

Mew Pyro slowly approached Roger, flexing his hand a couple of times. "I discovered that a Mew Mew, if their fighting skill is up to par, can create special attacks without their weapon on hand. It's quite a handy skill. But you seemed surprised by it, as if…" He smiled calmly. "Ah, you didn't know that you could do that, did you?"

"Shut up!" Roger leapt to his feet and tried to ignore the burning pain in his cheek. That attack had nearly stolen his consciousness in its single hit. "I'll beat you…I know I can!"

"You can, but the question is will you treat this seriously enough?"

"What?" Roger gritted his teeth and wished he was within punching range at the moment.

"I won't take you seriously until you take me seriously. That last rage-filled burst of yours was a fluke, so show me the real you or I'll tear you to shreds." Mew Pyro lifted up his hands and revealed his nails, which had lengthened to the point that they looked like claws. "Fight me, Mew Sonic. I don't want to fight Roger Grant, I want to fight you."

To be continued…

And so Roger finds himself locked in a fight he cannot run away from or end easily. His power, regardless of how tough it might appear to be, may not be enough against this opponent. Can he figure out how to use his full power soon, or will Mew Pyro follow up on his threat and tear the boy to shreds?