Vilgax Wildmutt escape

Vilgax took that one second of opportunity to slap the Omnitrix once more, and he was already running and stumbling over himself as his body mutated. Burned-away skin turned to orange fur, his neck elongated, his eyes congealed over replaced by oversized nostrils. A Wildmutt transformation. Out of every single possible alien, he managed to roll one that was as useful to his escape as possible.

Tatsumaki couldn't even move to catch him. The moment he slipped out of her grasp, she couldn't undo it. It was like she disassociated. She was watching herself watch him run away and she had no control over the actions of that other selfish person in her skin.

She only snapped out of it when Mordred grabbed her shoulder and socked her jaw. It didn't really hurt, through her shielding. Not like Accelerator's blows or Fubuki's slap. But it was enough to shake her out of her shock.

"Now we're even," Mordred said, curtly. Her fist balled up the fabric of Tatsumaki's dress, lifting her up off the ground in case she needed to hit her a second time. "Are you going to help me now, or am I going to have to kick your ass first?!"

Mordred was really going to do it. She'd been sick of Tatsumaki's shit ever since she got here, and after all the abuse and all the beatings and stabbings she just wanted to let her have it. Her gauntlet only hesitated when she saw the look on Tatsumaki's face.

It was the first time Mordred saw her with tears in her eyes. It was the first time Tatsumaki had slipped enough for that to happen since she and Fubuki were taken from the laboratory, twenty years ago.

"I can't do it anymore," she said. "I've had enough. Kill me."

Tatsumaki slipped out of her grip and she didn't land on her feet. She just collapsed backwards. Mordred could only stand there flexing the hand she'd held Tatsumaki in feeling like an idiot.

Vilgax was a distant speck. Knuckles was nowhere. They were alone.

Shit.

- Round 5