Bethany and Belinda still continued their fight against Wreker. For all his bulk, Wreker was fast and knew to keep his distance. He tore chunks out of the ground and threw them at the two women. \u201cI can\u2019t teleport to his location in time!\u201d grumbled Belinda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis guy really IS smart,\u201d muttered Bethany. \u201cSo why is he using his intelligence in this way?! It\u2019s an abuse of that intelligence!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called a lack of choice!\u201d replied Wreker as he chose that moment when Bethany was distracted to swing a punch. Bethany only just raised her shield in time to block the blow, but boy, she felt the reverberation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLack of choice?\u201d Bethany quizzed. \u201cWhat, did Lord Typhoon enslave you somehow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLady, my problems aren\u2019t your concern!\u201d snarled Wreker as he punched again. Belinda took the opportunity and used her scarf to tie him up. He thrashed against the scarf, but it was surprisingly strong and couldn\u2019t be broken easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s time for some answers, Wreker,\u201d said Bethany. \u201cWhat did you mean by lack of choice? I can infer that it means you know that what you\u2019re doing is wrong, but surely-.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKid, my whole life is one where I couldn\u2019t make a choice! I have to serve, even if my master is evil!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what they said about people of my skin tone,\u201d remarked Bethany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPardon? There was a period where those with darker skin tones-?\u201d asked Belinda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, and the fight\u2019s still ongoing, but conditions are better than they were for people like me,\u201d explained Bethany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow?!\u201d asked Wreker. \u201cThose in power won\u2019t listen!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we make them listen. Even if they don\u2019t believe in the message of protests, protests annoy them to no end that they\u2019re forced to give in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot how it works and you know it!\u201d Bethany could see that whatever hope was in Wreker was long squashed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t want to give you a beatdown, but I will if I have to,\u201d sighed Bethany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, you\u2019re gonna have to!\u201d snarled Wreker as he burst out of the scarf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a new one!\u201d gulped Belinda as she leapt out of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe gotta use physics against him somehow!\u201d grumbled Bethany as Wreker swung at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI rather think he knows how to keep physics working WITH him,\u201d replied Belinda. Bethany looked around\u2026and saw a dumpster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Belinda, how strong is your scarf?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s indestructible, why?\u201d asked Belinda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan it pick that up?\u201d asked Bethany as she pointed at the dumpster. Belinda saw Bethany\u2019s idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWatch!\u201d replied Belinda as her scarf wrapped around the dumpster. She then swung it like a wrecking ball at Wreker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYUH OH!\u201d yelped Wreker as he braced for impact. The dumpster buckled against him, but he still was buried under it. Wreker found the weakest spot in the dumpster and jabbed his hand through it, splitting it apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDang it!\u201d grumbled Bethany. \u201cWe need something to pierce his hide! We can\u2019t just resort to blunt force trauma!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNeither of our weapons are good for piercing blows,\u201d reminded Belinda. \u201cMy Thorn Attackers might do some damage, but I need another Rose\u2019s help!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThorn Attackers?\u201d asked Bethany. Before Belinda could explain, Bethany noticed a blue glow from her pocket. \u201c\u2026My Seed?\u201d she asked. She pulled it out and her Transformation Seed was glowing! Belinda goggled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBethany, focus on the feeling you first felt,\u201d she directed, \u201cand say \u2018Blue Lady Rose of Water, I desire to bloom!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, you think-?!\u201d asked Bethany, seeing where Belinda was coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTry it!\u201d insisted Belinda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNO YOU DON\u2019T!\u201d shouted Wreker. He charged with his fist pulled back for a haymaker!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBlue Lady Rose of Water, I desire to bloom!\u201d called Bethany. Just before Wreker\u2019s fist made contact with her, Bethany\u2019s Transformation Seed surrounded her and turned into a rosebud. Wreker hit the bud, but it hurt his hand. The bud then opened into a blue rose with Bethany leaping out of the center. Her outfit was similar to Ruby\u2019s but it was blue instead of red. Wreker goggled in surprise and Belinda smiled proudly. Bethany finally looked down at her outfit and gasped in happy surprise. She touched her new outfit, then her hair\u2026and felt the rose in it! \u201cIt\u2026it worked! Belinda, IT WORKED!\u201d she cheered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot gonna matter!\u201d shouted Wreker as he swung a fist. Bethany blocked with her shield, then punched him in the face. As her fist made contact, spikes appeared on her glove for a brief moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d she muttered. Wreker then performed a chopping motion with his hand towards Bethany\u2019s right, but Bethany blocked with her right hand and spikes appeared again, making Wreker recoil from the poking. \u201c\u2026Oh, Thorn Attackers!\u201d realized Bethany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more,\u201d said Belinda\u2019s voice. \u201cEnhanced speed, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, flight, and teammate telepathy like we\u2019re doing.\u201d Bethany finally clued in that Belinda\u2019s mouth wasn\u2019t moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Telepathy, huh?\u201d asked Bethany, using the same method as Belinda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou picked up quick!\u201d Belinda smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd flight? I think I have an idea on how to use physics against him!\u201d Bethany gave a wicked grin. As they workshopped the idea, they continued fighting Wreker. They gave him a hard time, but not hard enough to utterly beat him, not yet. Just then, Bethay boomeranged her shield at Wreker\u2019s feet, Belinda flew up into the air and wrapped her scarf around Wreker, then cartwheeled in the air, spinning Wreker around. She then released Wreker and sent him flying. Bethany then flew to Wreker\u2019s position and slammed her shield onto him, then she flew down, sending Wreker to the ground and hitting him hard against the pavement! Wreker groaned in pain. He couldn\u2019t get up. \u201c\u2026Wreker,\u201d Bethany said aloud, \u201cthe fight for us to be treated equally is NOT easy. It\u2019s long, brutal, it gets misconstrued a lot, but, to quote my favorite hymn, we SHALL overcome someday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I\u2019ll believe that when I see it!\u201d snarled Wreker. He vanished in a flash of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026He teleported away,\u201d said Belinda out loud. \u201cWhere to, I don\u2019t know. I just recognize that flash pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026So he didn\u2019t pick suicide,\u201d said Bethany. \u201cHe still has a small amount of hope keeping him alive. \u2026When next we meet, I hope I can help him increase that hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all will,\u201d promised Belinda. \u201cBecause with you as a Cosmic Rose, hope will get back up, ready for round two!\u201d Bethany and Belinda grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s meet back up with the others,\u201d suggested Bethany. \u201cI wonder who else is a Cosmic Rose now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s find out!\u201d agreed Belinda as the two headed off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bethany and Belinda still continued their fight against Wreker. For all his bulk, Wreker was fast and knew to keep his distance. He tore chunks out of the ground and threw them at the two women. \u201cI can\u2019t teleport to his location in time!\u201d grumbled Belinda. \u201cThis guy really IS smart,\u201d muttered Bethany. \u201cSo why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1061,1063],"tags":[1060],"class_list":["post-7804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cosmic-roses","category-stories","tag-magical-girl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7805,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7804\/revisions\/7805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}