PSIonic Gladiators part 12

"Recovery and TLC,"

"Well we all got messed up pretty good huh," Ness remarks looking his comrades over. All three of them were pretty beat up, bruised, and refused to move from their spot at the small table. Lucas had awoken by the time Ninten returned with Ness. He hadn't said anything to either of them. Which wasn't too abnormal, but they made sure he didn't try to worry about them when he was still injured. It was a bit surprising that he willingly chose to sit at the table with them though. Most likely to get a closer look at them to see if they were truly injured to be honest. This was only their first day of battles in this grotesque arena. They weren't sure how long they could survive if they had to participate in grueling battles like this all the time. The battles were done for the day as Ness was the closing act as MC had said. Now, it sounded like the crowd was merely leaving. No doubt chattering with excitement about the past matches and filled with speculation on what was in stored for them next time.

"Broken bones build character!" Ninten states proudly.

"Still hurts like hell…"

"Yeah, can't build character without some pain."

"Well glad you're looking at the glass half full here 'Ten, but we should come up with a few strategies to deal with what comes next."

"Well not like we have enough information to make an escape plan, so what else can we do?"

"Take care of each other, we have to do a better job of that."

"Well I did carry you back to our little hobble and we were allowed to heal serious injuries. I will say the medical attention we get is pretty amazing. I can feel my strength coming back to me, well as much as I can get with this stupid collar on."

"Well as beat up as we are I'm sure we won't have to worry about more matches for the day. MC says we're a rare commodity, having us die early wouldn't be ideal for his big plan."

"Whatever that is."

"Right, so taking care of each other and putting on a show may be our best bet at making sure we're set up with fights we can win. We're not familiar with the aliens we'll be fighting. That bounty hunter guy was tough…"

"Yeah, that battle was moving so quick I was struggling to keep up. Gotta admit Ness, you're pretty amazing."

"Yeah, but the way you went head to head with that thing was actually fucking awesome dude! You matched it blow for blow! From here it sounded like thunder! Just how strong are you?"

"I've never really tested the upper limits of my strength. I'm sure that wasn't my best back either. But if the battles continue I may find out soon enough."

"I didn't think psychic powers could increase your natural strength like that."

"Like I said I don't have offensive style PSI, so I had to figure out a different way of fighting. Took me a while, but I learned I have a large reserve of psychic energy. I didn't know could increase my physical strength with them for a while. I needed to find a way to use it, so I transfer that power to augment my physical strength. Kinda like what you do with your speed."

"Yeah, that's your PSI Passive Skill right?"

"Yep."

"So you mostly have defensive and support PSI?"

"Yep, you?"

"I have a mix. I don't have any elemental stuff, but I have healing and skills that can augment me."

"I see, so like you had said you're more balanced. I wasn't sure I understood it fully till I've seen you fight a few times," Ninten remarks before he turns his attention to the silent blonde. "From what I can tell Lucas is balanced too. Although he doesn't have as much versatility nor physical attributes, but with his one attack he can do a lot with it."

"Yeah I bet Lucas and I would make a lethal combination!" Ness celebrates with a soft nudge to the blonde. This actually earned a small smirk from Lucas. "And it seems like Lucas can manipulate his powers like no one I've ever seen like what he did with the Hentail Beast! Still can't believe he killed that thing on a cellular level."

"But hey I remember you used a guitar during that free-for-all, what was that?"

"Oh yeah, that's the sigma and omega version of the attack. Originally it was too chaotic for me to control, but I actually know how to play electric guitar. So I figured using my imagination and a guitar would help me control the energy burst based on the type of notes I play."

"Dude that is awesome!" Ninten exclaims.

Ness rubs the back of his head bashfully, "Well it wasn't all my idea. My friends gave suggestions that ended up being pretty helpful."

"Seeing you both in action has really helped me understand your powers. MC probably realizes how powerful we are together. Probably why he doesn't want all three of us out on the field. After that little free-for-all the other day. We barely had trouble with what was being thrown at us."

"…Ninten," Lucas finally speaks up suddenly. The two raven headed boys had started getting used to his long bouts of silence and are less surprised when he decides to speak.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for…everything you did before…"

Ninten's heart melts a little hearing Lucas actually thank him, "No problem lil buddy," Ninten says reaching out to ruffle Lucas' hair. Surprisingly Lucas didn't flinch away from the contact as he shyly looks down at the table. Suddenly, Ninten wraps his arm around Lucas' neck to administer a noogie. "But when I tell you to stay behind me, listen next time!"

Lucas laughs beside himself despite the noogie. "Okay, okay."

"Just be a bit more careful. When I say stay near me," Ninten states as he releases Lucas. "I'm the tank, which means it's my job to protect you guys from the big damage."

"You shouldn't rely on healing skills mid-combat,"

Ness nods in agreement, "Yeah, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but to me healing skills are best used when you're not under fire or outside of combat. It's not too useful while you're fighting. For aches or sprains but nothing serious like broken bones. It just takes unnecessary energy and barely heals anything while running around."

"Not necessarily," Lucas speaks up. "Healing broken bones isn't that hard once you understand how it works. Resetting a bone, healing the aches, and then nurturing the fractured part of the bone. It is entirely possible to do so if the situation does come up. It's just something that takes practice. It's almost like a puzzle, once you understand the secret to putting a puzzle together, it comes possible to solve most puzzles."

After this statement Lucas notices the air among the three of them goes stiff. He looks at Ness and Ninten confused at their stares. He didn't fully understand why they were looking at him like that. Ninten begin to say something but Ness was quick to reach out grabbing Lucas' wrist.

"What are you-,"

"Let me see your arms," Ness demands more so than questions. Ness forcefully lays out Lucas arm on the table to reveal the numerous bruises and faded scars. What stood out most though was the dark blue blotches on his arm. It was almost violet in color. "I was wondering how you fixed your arm up so quick…"

"It's not a big deal," Lucas states swatting at Ness' hand to release him.

"Not a-Lucas, that type of damage is too intricate to heal so fast and then jump back into a fight with! If anything, its dangerous to heal so quick without properly taking the time to focus on it. There are blood vessels, nerves, and all kinds of stuff to take in mind when you heal that type of damage. You should only accelerate the process not do a rush a job! No wonder your arms are all messed up…"

"It's fine," Lucas responds as he finally retracts his arms.

"That's what we're trying to say Lucas, it is not fine!"

"It's fine as long as I can function during combat, so what does it matter!?" At Lucas exclamation things grow quiet. Lucas looks at Ness and Ninten to see somber expressions. They weren't happy to hear that although it was something that did matter to them. If Lucas couldn't fight, then they couldn't continue to win or be successful in these battles as they are as strong as their weakest link. They have both said this numerous times. But at the same time, they despised the idea that Lucas had already been thinking this way. As if he knew he might be a burden or having such a low opinion about himself.

"It matters because you're destroying your body Lucas," Ness responds evenly. He is sure Lucas knows what he's about to say and understands what he's doing. However, Ness feels verbalizing the weight of the situation is best. "When you do a rush job of healing with your powers, you create a greater chance of either the bones healing improperly or becoming brittle. If it happens often enough, your bones will begin to fall apart and your body may start to fail. I didn't understand this until one my best friends explained this to me. But I'm sure you know all of this already because you're smarter than the two of us…"

"Ninten needed help…" Lucas responds glumly

"I know buddy…" Ness states reaching a hand out to rub Lucas' head gently. "But remember to take care of yourself okay. Ninten isn't the only person who is starting to warm up to ya."

Tears peaked out the edge of Lucas eyes. He swipes them away quickly before taking a breath. He actually found Ness' hand on his head comforting oddly enough. He notices that the two older boys enjoy ruffling his hair most likely because he's only one of the trio who doesn't wear a hat or have hat hair 24/7. When Ninten does it, it's to praise him, when Ness does it's to comfort him.

"You guys shouldn't-,"

"Like Ninten pointed out to me. You say we shouldn't be your friend, but you're just such an awesome guy. Kinda hard to be indifferent to someone who cares about literally everything with a pulse."

"I've done the most killing out of everyone here…"

"Yeah, but you at least made it quick and never tried to draw it out. You're not a monster man," Ness says a he takes his hand away from Lucas' head. "So as far as info, what do we got?"

"Not much honestly, at least from my end…"

"Before that," Lucas quickly wipes his eyes before motioning the two boys to come close. They both lean in before Lucas reaches out with his hand on each collar respectively. There was a quick cyan spark before he retracts his hand. "There now MC can't listen in on us."

"But he can read our minds, can't he?" Ness questions.

"No," both Ninten and Lucas respond at the same time. Lucas is a bit surprised Ninten caught on, but since he's the best telepath out of the three of them it makes sense he would note the difference the quickest.

"Basically, the long-and-short of it is he can't read our minds, only listen to our spoken words."

"I had time to study the collar. When MC speaks to us, it triggers a certain mechanism within the collars. I shorted out a circuit so he can only hear us when he contacts us. That way to him he only hears silence."

"Sweet!" Ness exclaims. "I was wondering how we'd cross that bridge, so good to know."

"I guess I'll let Lucas take the lead for this spill. I hadn't figured a way around the collars yet. Clearly he's a few steps ahead."

"It's just the first thing I considered," Lucas responds honestly. "I've noticed numerous things that go against nature here. Either we are in a space that doesn't adhere to the laws of physics, or we're in a constantly changing location, or it's all a ruse in some way."

"Well I don't know about physics, but I do know that the sky never looks the same when I look at it. I don't know if that's just me or what," Ninten adds.

"No, it aint just you. I was wondering about that, do you think this guy is creating stars?"

"No," Lucas states sternly. "He abides by the same laws as us. He's just able to bend those laws. I'm not sure how, but I'm sure that's how. After all for the most part he captures warriors or monsters bred for conflict. To capture creatures with self-preservation and actual intelligence doesn't serve him in the long run which is why he snuff out the hope and entices us. Eventually, he'll see to our destruction if we become too much trouble to keep on."

"Which is why you told us to play along…" Ness realizes with a look clarity. "Geez Lucas that's some scary foresight."

"So if we play along, he won't be inclined to tighten the leash he has on us. Giving us enough slack to figure things out and make our move. Then we can be a real headache for him in the end!"

"Right, the only thing that limits our moves is our lack of contact with the population. I'm sure not everyone sees these fights as entertainment."

"Ya think there may be sympathizers?" Ness asks.

"It stands to reason it's possible. After all, Gigue had come after him in the past. While I'm no fan of Gigues, he at least saw MC as a threat that needed to be handled. He was obviously keeping track of Gigue too making sure he stayed off his radar. The only way he could have heard about me and then in turn getting to you guys," Ninten explains.

"Well that's a great point…" Ness places his face in his hands. "So he wants to avoid causing a stir, but he kidnaps creatures from all over the universe?"

"Most likely creatures who he feels aren't powerful enough to cause trouble," Lucas points out. "Also, that these creatures are unable to travel through space. I'm sure if he had stolen those with high positions or at least familiar with space travel, they would end up being major thorns in MC's side. It a risk he would not be willing to take."

"Wow, when you point all that out MC is a total pushover!" Ninten exclaims with a chuckle.

"Some dogs are all bark and no bite. But doesn't change the fact he's powerful, just not as godlike as he wants us to believe. He clearly relies on technology a lot. If he had true confidence in his powers he'd welcome any challenge aimed his way,"

"True," Ness states. "Seems like we know him a lot better than he knows us…" Ness then smirks. "I think I have an idea."

"Well let's hear it," Ninten speaks up.

"Lucas is right, we don't know too much about what's outside this ring. But we have a powerful telepath here," Ness looks at Ninten. "And someone able to shut down his emotions to allow him to read others unlike anyone else." Ness looks at Lucas with a friendly smile while leaning an arm on the blonde boy. "Those things in combination we can make contact with someone in the crowd who would want to help us. If not, we move on to a different plan of action, mainly dealing with these collars. Seems like we can leave that to your Lucas," Ness says as he slaps the younger boy on the back.

"Uh…are you-,"

"We trust you," Ninten cuts in before Lucas could even try and put himself down.

Lucas eyes fall to the table top, "Even…even if we may end up fighting each other…?"

At this both boys grow silent. MC had already hinted at the idea early. It was something he clearly considered and had no problem doing. It was only a matter of when.

Ninten reaches out to place a hand on Lucas' head ruffling his blonde locks. This makes Lucas look up at Ninten, "If or when that happens. Like I said, I would never want to hurt you and anyone who does has to go through me."

"That goes ditto for me," Ness states firmly. "So if or when that happens that's the chance we need to make a move in a big way. In other words that may be our big chance to make a move. Unfortunately, we don't know when that is so we need to have some type of precautions in place before then."

"We'll set things in motion when we go out there next. No need to punish ourselves with what-ifs since we don't have anything concrete. But while we have a little break, its time we give Lucas some lessons."

"Uh, right now?"

"No time like the present!" Ninten exclaims with a smirk.

"Yeah not a bad idea, besides I'm sure you'll pick up the lessons quick. Since we're still healing we can't do a full demonstration or any sparring but I think we can make due," Ness says continently.

"Why do I need to know this stuff if you guys are gonna protect me?" Lucas questions.

"Well we can't always be out there with you, so in this way we will be protecting you even when we physically aren't."

"Can't we just relax and talk a little longer…" Lucas says with a downward gaze.

At this both hat wearing boys stare at Lucas before sharing a glance with each other. If Lucas' explanation on how he heals broken bones wasn't a clue, the blonde boy does a lot of fighting. Has been seriously injured and despite his killer instinct doesn't seem excited to fight. Also, this is the first that Lucas had asked if they could just talk. Finally, both boys look back to Lucas before leaning back on the small table catching Lucas' attention.

"Alright Lucas, we can relax a little longer. What do ya wanna talk about?"

"Well…I have to be honest with you guys. If you insist on caring about me and wanting to protect me. You should at least understand who it is you're putting your life on the line for."

"You gonna try and convince us you're a bad person?" Ninten questions.

"I know its hard to believe. But like I said, I was living with my emotions cut off. I couldn't feel anything…joy, sadness, rage, or remorse. I lived like that for months. In that time I took a lot lives. Some who honestly deserved it, but mostly those who didn't. My home was on its way to ruination, but I just sped things up. I didn't mean for things to turn out the way they did, but I decided to make the best of the situation."

"So MC destroying your world would actually be a favor for you?" Ness questions.

"Saves me a lot of trouble and broken bones…"

"Well I guess my first question is, why are you killing people?"

"For a better world, for everyone. It's something that is going to happen eventually."

"Cryptic…" Ninten mutters. "Doubt you'll give us more seeing as you're probably trying to create the worst possible picture for yourself. I don't doubt you've killed people, and its hard to not see that every death weighs on you. No matter how many times you do it, it hasn't gotten easier probably why you miss not feeling anything. At least than you don't have to deal with the emotional weight of your actions…"

"So hypothetically, if everyone is dead what happens next?"

"Nothing."

"What about you?" Ninten asks.

Lucas shrugs, "I don't know and I didn't care. Honestly, staying here doesn't seem like a bad option."

Ness' face twist as if physically hurt. Lucas actually believed he deserved everything that was happening to him. Granted he admitting to killing a bunch of people, but Ness doubts Lucas is telling the full story of why he's doing that. After all, every action Lucas has taken since they've arrived here has been for the benefit of Ness and Ninten. Everything he has done has been to help them. It stands to reason that Lucas values others a lot more than himself, and that's not helped by the astronomically low opinion he has of himself.

"I don't believe you're telling the whole story," Ninten announces after a few moments of silence. Lucas' head shoots toward Ninten clear shock on his face. "I'm not saying you're lying, but there are details of your story you aren't sharing."

"I don't know how else to explain to you guys I'm a bad person…I'm trash…I'm-,"

"Nope the M-word is banned in this household!" Ness quickly cuts in.

"Okay, now let's look at it from our perspective. You've vowed to see that Ness and I make it out of here. From what I can tell you aren't the least bit afraid of MC. Even when either Ness and I are supposed to cover you. You actively disagree with it and go out of your way to protect us. Ya saved me, and I bet if Ness was in a similar situation you'd do the same thing." Ninten looks at Lucas who doesn't seem to actively trying to negate anything Ninten has said.

"Sounds like a pretty mix bag…"

"Okay…" Lucas states with a sigh. "I just…" He wipes away his tears with the back of his hand before letting out a shaky sigh. "It's just…I haven't had anyone see me…as not a monster for a while."

"So are we friends now Lucas?" Ness asks.

Lucas lets out a small chuckle, "No, but when have you guys ever listened to me so far."