Alex’s sinister smile returned. He raised the knife in his hand. “You walked right into my trap. Once you’re out of the way, Rosebelle will take your pce, and Shadowcroft will see my potential once again.”

  Risebelle gred at him. “The only thing happening here, Alex, is that I’m going to put the litter back where it belongs,” Risebelle decred.

  Risebelle performed a swift leg sweep, attempting to knock Alex off bance, but Alex mao sidestep just in time.

  Spotting a puter cord lying on the floor, Risebelle deftly grabbed it and swung it toward Alex’s wrist, attempting to disarm him. She mao catch his wrist, but he g tightly to the knife.

  Alex retaliated with a series of rapid and calcuted strikes. He sshed the knife in calcuted arding cuts on Risebelle’s arms and legs, all the while maintaining a wicked grin.

  “You’re not as good as you think, Risebelle,” he taunted. “Shadowcroft will finally see what I’m capable of.”

  The pain seared through Risebelle, but just then something happened.

  Despite the searing pain, somethiraordinary began to happen. As Alex’s knife came at her again, Risebelle noticed something shifting in her vision. It wasly reality, but an outline—a strange aura that outlihe path of Alex’s attacks before they happened

  Risebelle’s eyes widened in amazement. “I see it ing,” she murmured to herself.

  With this newfound perception, Risebelle deftly avoided Alex’s attacks. Each strike meant to nd on her was anticipated and evaded with grace. Alex’s frustration grew, His strikes met nothing but air. His grin faltered and was repced by a scowl of growing irritation.

  Summoning every ounce of her strength, Risebelle shouted and delivered a powerful punch that ected with Alex’s chest. The force of the blow sent him staggering backward. The on from his hand dropped and cttered onto the ground.

  Gasping for breath, Risebelle quickly moved to Jess’s side and tried to free her from the ropes bindio the chair. In a matter of moments, Jess was finally free.

  With a grateful smile and a look of relief, Jess excimed, “Risebelle, you saved me!”

  Risebelle’s triumph was short-lived as Alex slowly rose to his feet. His eyes bore into Risebelle with a renewed sense of purpose.

  “You’re more like Rosebelle than you think,” Alex said with a grin. “Shadowcroft told me about your acute awareness, the ohat only triggers when you’re in bat. They’ve beeing you for years... That’s how they created Rosebelle.”

  Risebelle’s curiosity iqued by Alex’s revetion. “I didn’t even know I had this ability,” she said while keeping a sharp focus on Alex. “And what do you meaing me for years?”

  Alex’s shoulders slumped slightly, “I’ve said too much,” he muttered while averting his gaze. “But they wao replicate your ability, Risebelle. To create the perfect rept for both you and Roselle, bining your awareness and Roselle’s visionary power. That’s what Rosebelle was meant to be.”

  Risebelle’s eyes widened in shock. “And I was just a test subject to them? When did they even have time to test me...?”

  Iense moment, just as Alex picked up the knife and was about to make his move, a brash and fident persoered the room. It was Rosebelle. She casually twirled a strand of her long, golden hair with her finger with a smirk pying on her lips. “Like, oh my gosh, what is even happening here?” She threw her hands up in the air.

  Alex’s face torted with frustration. “What the hell are you doing here?! This wasn’t part of the pn!”

  Rosebelle shrugged nontly. “I mean, like, I heard there arty, so I just, like, had to show up. And here I thought I was the life of the party.” She paused, her gaze finally settling on Alex. “Seriously, what’s with the khat’s, like, super uncool.”

  Alex’s frustration turo fusion. “Uncool? What are you talking about?”

  Rosebelle made a face of disgust. “Like, we’re supposed to be skilled, use our fists and all. It’s not fun when ons are involved. It’s totally ‘uncool.’”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed in anger. “You’ve got to be kiddihis is a serious situation!”

  Rosebelle tilted her head. She wore a smirk on her face. “And I’m, like, seriously unimpressed. You should know by now, I don’t do ‘ons.’ Now, why don’t you drop the knife a’s settle this like real fighters, okay?”

  Alex’s frustration deepened. “You’re not even supposed to be here,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

  Rosebelle responded with a sarcastie. “Aw, like, did I, like, ruin your secret party? Sorry, not sorry.”

  Rosebelle and Risebelle locked eyes, their gazes meeting for the first time since Risebelle’s fi in the Silver Star Arcade’s secret room. The resembweewo was uny. With a pyful yet fident grin, Rosebelle spoke up, “Oh, like, I see we have ourselves a real party here. Don’t you think, Risebelle? And I thought I was the life of the party.”

  Rosebelle tilted her head with a hint of amusement. “Of course, I’m not them. I’m just ‘in my character’ for now. First, I o get rid of you and Roselle.” She raised her fists with flourish.

  Risebelle raised her own fists with a look of seriousness. “You don’t have to try aher Roselle or me, Rosebelle. Just be yourself. If you’re here to fight, the’s get this over with.”

  Rosebelle adopted a boxer’s stance. “It’s time to show Alex that we don’t need ons to deal with this nonsense. Like, are you totes ready for a sisterly showdown?”

  Risebelle sighed, “I ’t believe this is happening…”

  Risebelle and Rosebelle engaged in a blistering exge of punches, moving with remarkable speed and agility that left Alex and Jess bewildered. Their fists cshed in a high-speed exge that defied the ws of normal bat.

  They were evenly matched. Rosebelle stepped back while avoiding a punch of Risebelle to try and ter with a punch of her own. Risebelle tried to block it, but the impact was so powerful that she could feel the sting in her hand. It seemed like it could draw blood. With a surge of strength, she gripped Rosebelle’s arm, using the momentum to toss her back with a swift maneuver.

  “No matter how this looks, I know... your fists are... lethal,” Risebelle said.“If I let up... for even a sed... I’m done for.”

  Rosebelle nded with a graceful roll, immediately boung back to her feet. “Like, don’t worry, sis. We’ll just have to see who’s faster.”

  Risebelle surged forward and attempted at nding a decisive blow. Rosebelle tried to dodge, but a gng hit nded on her side, causio stumble slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Risebelle unleashed a rapid barrage of punches aimed at Rosebelle’s stomach.

  Rosebelle grunted with each hit but quickly regained her posure. With a defiant sneer, she retaliated with a series of powerful strikes to Risebelle’s midse.The flurry of attacks eventually subsided and both disengaged, stepping back to catch their breath. Risebelle’s face was flushed with pain, her breaths ing in ragged gasps.

  Risebelle thought to herself, ‘Rosebelle’s fists are like deadly bdes. I’m not sure if it’s due to Shadowcroft’s experiments or something natural within her. But I ’t afford to let my guard down for even a moment. If I do, I might not get another ce...’

  Rosebelle lunged forward, attempting to grapple Risebelle and pin her down. Her golden hair swayed with her movements. She ed around Risebelle’s arms. Risebelle tried to twist her body to break free, but Rosebelle’s grip was unyielding. Risebelle attempted a sharp elbow strike to Rosebelle’s side, but she expertly shifted to avoid the hit.

  Risebelle’s movements grew more frenzied. She pnted a swift ko Rosebelle’s abdomen, but her twin absorbed the impact without faltering.

  Rosebelle tightehe grip on Risebelle’s arm.“You know, I just love grapples. They’re my specialty! Nothing quite like pinning someone down and showing them whose boss.”

  She shifted her weight, adjusting her hold to make it even more difficult for Risebelle to break free. Despite Risebelle’s frantic efforts and sharp elbow strikes, Rosebelle’s stance remained firm.

  “I’ve been honing these skills for years,” Rosebelle tinued with pride. “It’s all about leverage and trol. You’ve got to appreciate the art of it.”

  Risebelle, her mind rag, quickly assessed her predit. She realized that brute force alone wouldn’t suffice; she needed a strategic approach to escape Rosebelle’s ironcd hold. With her arms pinned and her movements restricted, she focused on leveraging her enviroo her advantage.

  Taking a deep breath, Risebelle twisted her body slightly, creating just enough s Rosebelle’s grip to maneuver her left arm. She then shifted her weight to use her right elbow for support and pushed against Rosebelle’s torso with a sudden, forceful shove.

  Rosebelle’s grip faltered for a brief moment, giving Risebelle the opportunity she needed. In that split sed, Risebelle used her remaining free arm to hook around Rosebelle’s waist. With a swift, calcuted move, she attempted to throw Rosebelle off bance.

  Rosebelle stumbled slightly from Risebelle’s sudden movements. Risebelle seized the d twisted out of the hold, breaking free. While Rosebelle was disoriented, Risebelle nded a solid hit to her face.

  Risebelle, believing she had gaihe upper hand, advanced with a series of precise strikes, aiming to push Rosebelle back. But Rosebelle, with a sudden burst of strength, caught both of Risebelle’s arms, using her momentum to sm her hard onto the ground. The impact was jarring, and Risebelle coughed, spitting blood.

  Rosebelle immediately took advantage of her position, sitting atop Risebelle and preparing to unload a barrage of blows. Risebelle, breathless and struggling, mao speak through her pain.

  “Why are you letting Shadowcroft trol you like this?” Risebelle asked with strain. “Do you even have your own life? Why do you want to be like me and Roselle?”

  Rosebelle shrugged casually. “And why do you choose to be ‘Risebelle’?” she retorted with a smirk ing to her lips. “Why not just be someone else? It’s not like you have to be stu this role, right?”

  Rosebelle held up one of her fists and began to focus her strength into it. “I have people to see, you know, and I’d hate to keep them waiting. So, like, could you, please, die from this hit? It would be super helpful.”

  Jess, who had been silently watg the intetle, shouted out,“No, Rosebelle, you ’t do this! Please don’t do this! “Jess turned her eyes to Alex. “Call her off, Al-- Ryan!”

  As Jess pleaded, everyone present suddenly noticed that Alex had vanished from the room, leaving behind only an outline of where he was before.

  Rosebelle blinked in surprise. “Hey, like, where did Alex go?” she muttered.

  Risebelle’s eyes darted around the room. “He... he’s gone,” she murmured

  The sound of approag police sirens was suddenly was heard filling the air.

  “Like, oh my gosh, I have to go!” Rosebelle excimed in a frenzied panic. “That jerk left me here like a total idiot!”

  Rosebelle pushed herself off Risebelle and made a hasty dash for the window. With a crash, she shattered the gss and scrambled out onto the outside.

  Risebelle pushed herself up despite her injuries and followed Rosebelle to the window. She reached it just in time to see her doppelganger disappearing oside.

  “Stop, Rosebelle!” she called out. Risebelle doubted she could go after her with the injuries she’s suffered.

  With a heavy heart and the sound of approag police officers, Risebelle had no choice but to return to Jess’s side.

  Jess g onto Risebelle, but she could see the toll of the intetle and the injuries sustained. Risebelle’s eyes were now losing their focus. Her breathing became shallow, and a pallan to spread across her features.

  “Risebelle? R-Risebelle no! Stay with me,” Jess urged. “Help is on the way.”

  Risebelle’s words struggled to escape her weakening body. “Jess... I don’t think I ... hang on much longer...I…am I….dying..?”

  Tears welled up in Jess’s eyes. She held onto her friend. Risebelle’s injuries had takeoll. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she fell limp in Jess’s arms.

  “Risebelle?” Jess’s face showed fusion, but quickly grew in realization. “Risebelle….” Jess, with desperation, Jess cried out, “RISEBELLE!!!!”