Chapter 33:gravity games

The city skyline glimmered under the fading sunset, but the calm was deceptive. Derek’s Patagiums glided silently above the streets, eyes scanning the chaos below. Reports of a new threat had reached him: a man calling himself Gravitas, manipulating gravity to sow destruction.

On the ground, cars floated eerily, some pinned to the asphalt as if invisible hands pressed down, others lifted skyward, suspended midair. Derek clenched his fists. “Not on my watch,” he muttered, diving down, landing with a roll that barely grazed a floating sedan.

“Thunder,” a calm, cold voice echoed from a nearby rooftop. Gravitas stood, arms crossed, surveying the chaos. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“You’re causing havoc,” Derek shot back, standing tall. “Time to stop.”

Gravitas smirked. “Haven’t you learned? Force alone won’t win this. You’ll have to think.”

Before Derek could respond, the street beneath him shuddered. Gravity shifted violently; his feet were pinned to the ground as nearby lampposts fell toward him. He rolled out of the way just in time, landing in a heap.

“You’re strong,” Gravitas said, stepping closer. “But strength is useless when the ground betrays you.”

Derek sprang back to his feet, Patagiums flaring. “I adapt.”

He launched forward, trying to close the distance, but Gravitas flicked a hand. The air thickened; Derek felt an invisible weight pushing him backward. His momentum faltered, and he stumbled.

“Thought you could rush me?” Gravitas taunted. “You’ll have to earn every step.”

Derek gritted his teeth. “Every fight is earned.”

Using his Patagiums, he leapt high into the air, gliding over a levitating car. Gravitas raised both hands, and the car shot forward like a missile. Derek twisted midair, barely avoiding it, letting the car crash into a nearby building. Windows shattered, glass raining down.

“Clever,” Gravitas said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “But you’re predictable.”

Derek landed behind a concrete barrier, panting. “Predictable? You’ll see.”

Gravity shifted again; debris floated around him, some spinning dangerously. Derek dodged, using a lamppost as leverage, flipping over it to attack. But every strike seemed slowed, every step resisted by invisible force.

“You rely too much on brute force,” Gravitas said calmly, walking closer, levitating debris orbiting him like satellites. “Control is everything. Precision. Strategy. Patience.”

Derek smirked. “Then I’ll give you a lesson in strategy.” He darted forward, feinting left, then spinning right, aiming a precise kick at Gravitas’s midsection. Gravitas shifted gravity around him, redirecting the kick harmlessly into the air.

“Almost amusing,” Gravitas said. “Almost.”

Derek landed, his mind racing. He needed to disrupt Gravitas’s control, break his rhythm. Patagiums flared, and he leapt again, aiming for the rooftops, using height to his advantage. Gravitas’s gravitational pull tried to pin him midair, but Derek pushed harder, flipping onto a roof, landing silently.

“You’re clever,” Gravitas acknowledged. “But cleverness isn’t enough.”

Derek scanned the area, noticing the source of Gravitas’s localized gravity shifts: small, metallic spheres scattered around, amplifying his power. “So that’s the trick,” Derek muttered.

He darted, flipping between rooftops, evading sudden shifts. “Time to take the fight to you,” he whispered.

Gravitas spotted him, sending a wave of gravity toward the rooftop. Derek jumped, flipping off the edge, gliding around, and striking the nearest sphere with a calculated kick. It shattered, sending a shockwave through the area, gravity momentarily stabilizing.

“Clever,” Gravitas said, frowning. “But you’ve only begun.”

They clashed. Derek’s strikes were precise, rapid, mixing martial arts with acrobatic maneuvers. Gravitas countered with calculated waves of gravitational force, tossing Derek around, smashing debris into the streets.

“You think brute force will win?” Gravitas taunted. “It’s never brute force.”

“Watch me,” Derek replied, eyes narrowing.

He leapt high, using Patagiums to glide above Gravitas. Gravity tried to pull him down, but Derek adjusted midair, twisting to land a spinning kick directly to Gravitas’s chest. The villain staggered back, barely maintaining control.

“You adapt quickly,” Gravitas admitted, anger flashing. “But can you adapt faster than reality itself?”

Derek smirked. “Reality bends for no one. But I make it bend for me.”

He leapt again, targeting the remaining metallic spheres, smashing them one by one. Each destruction weakened Gravitas’s control. Debris fell, some spinning violently, some collapsing harmlessly.

Finally, Derek closed the distance, Patagiums flaring, launching a series of rapid, precise strikes. Gravitas countered with gravity bursts, but without the spheres, his control faltered.

“Impossible…” Gravitas muttered.

Derek delivered a final kick, sending Gravitas sprawling into a crumbling wall. He stood over him, panting, eyes fierce. “It’s over. Your control ends here.”

Gravitas struggled to rise, smirking weakly. “You… are remarkable… Thunder…”

Derek nodded, tension easing slightly. “It’s not about me. It’s about stopping people like you.”

Sirens wailed in the distance. Gravitas was apprehended, restrained, and taken into custody. Derek watched as the chaos of the city slowly returned to normal.

Patagiums retracted, Derek landing softly on the rooftop. He looked out at the streets below, neon lights reflecting off puddles. “One down,” he whispered. “And still so many to go.”