Leave in Pieces

Molecular Girl's eyes widened as she scanned the battlefield. "His power level shot up to 630," she said, tension coiling in her chest.

Peb's voice echoed, distorted and commanding. "There's no time for math." With a flick of his hand, pebbles appeared out of thin air, coalescing into a massive, monster-sized arm. It shot forward, grabbing Kira and Decibolt and slamming them into the floor with a deafening crash. The impact reverberated through the house, sending them tumbling down the stairs.

Peb's voice thundered again. "Let's see how you like being pounded into the ground." More arms formed from the floating pebbles, each a grotesque parody of human limbs. They rained blows down upon Kira and Decibolt, fists striking with brutal precision. Smoke curled around them, and when it cleared, both heroes lay sprawled on the floor, their shields absorbing much of the punishment.

"Can your shields withstand this?" Peb demanded, his tone mocking. He molded a huge stone pillar, pointed at its tip, and pushed it toward them. Kira scrambled to her feet just in time.

"Repulsion field," Molecular Girl muttered, pushing against the pillar. It shattered into fragments, scattering across the floor.

"Full body repulsion!" she shouted, leaping forward to attack, but Peb stopped himself midair. A wide grin spread across his face as he spun the pebbles around him at bullet speed, dashing toward her. His fist connected with her gut, and she shot through the wall of the house, wood splintering around her.

Decibolt slammed his fists together. "Sonic Storm!" he called, but two enormous dragon-like wings of stone materialized in Peb's hands, blocking the attack.

Peb's voice carried over the chaos. "Is that all?" He conjured a massive hammer of jagged rock, swinging it with terrifying force. Decibolt was sent flying, crashing into the far wall.

Outside, the alley echoed with the chaos inside. Molecular Girl shook her head. "I miss the days when these summons and their crazy transformations were on our side," she muttered as pebble spears erupted violently from the surrounding walls.

"Molecular Deci-Shield!" Molecular Girl and Decibolt shouted in unison. The barrier blocked most of the spears, but eventually shattered, hurling them to the ground. Peb emerged through the crumbling wall, floating toward them with an unyielding grin.

"This is almost too easy," he taunted.

"Don't count us out yet!" Decibolt roared, rushing forward with a flurry of kicks and punches. Peb's spinning pebbles formed miniature shields, blocking each strike. He laughed, then unleashed a barrage of pebbles that forced Decibolt back.

"Pebble gauntlets!" Peb shouted, forming jagged stone gloves on his hands. Each punch drove Decibolt further back, the last sending him flying into the alley wall.

Molecular Girl clenched her fists. "Gravitational Kinesis Attack IV — Cyclonic Gravity!" The vortex of energy roared to life, trapping Peb in its swirling pull. She leapt into a kinetic punch barrage, her fists a blur of light and motion. Peb compressed the surrounding pebbles into a solid dome, blocking the assault, then decompressed them with a smug smile.

"Ahhh!" Molecular Girl growled, aura flaring around her. She sprinted forward, leaped high, and delivered a spinning kick that slammed Peb into the ground. She dove immediately, striking him in the gut with the force of a battering ram.

Peb smirked, rising effortlessly. "My turn." He slammed a palm on the ground. Four enormous stone arms erupted, seizing Molecular Girl's limbs with brutal force and kicking her through the air. She hit the ground hard, and a ripple portal opened behind him. Supersonic Decibolt shot out, striking Peb midair.

"Deci-Cannon!" Decibolt shouted, but Peb's revolving pebbles absorbed the energy before a massive arm smashed him down.

"I can block and counter any of your attacks," Peb boasted, rising into the sky. "I doubt you can do the same."

"You've heard of a meteor shower?" Peb's voice was almost gleeful. "This, this is a pebble shower!" Hundreds of pebble clusters erupted and shot toward them, creating tiny explosions with every impact.

From the ruins of nearby abandoned houses, a familiar voice called. "That's it, Peb! Show them who's boss." Molecular Girl and Decibolt were pinned beneath the pebble onslaught, their shields barely holding.

Peb formed two immense walls of jagged rock, spikes jutting outward. The walls began to close, trapping the heroes. "Hurry up and open a portal," Molecular Girl muttered, slowing their advance with her molecular kinesis.

Decibolt slammed his hand to the ground. "Ripple portal!" A glowing circle appeared beneath them, and they slipped through, reappearing behind Peb.

"Kinetic punch barrage!" Molecular Girl yelled, striking from multiple angles.

"Sonic pulse blast!" Decibolt added, propelling Peb toward the ground. Two massive pebble arms shot up, catching him and holding him firm.

"How are we going to defeat him?" Molecular Girl asked, landing hard. "He's too powerful and has no temper we can exploit."

Peb's smirk widened. "Can't defeat me. I Construct," A curved pebble claw arched from behind his back and over his head. "Reconstruct, "Another formed to the left, " and deconstruct pebbles." and a third curved across his right. " I am Peb!"

The claws snapped into position, the ones on the sides striking the ground as legs, and the top claw hovering like a scorpion's tail. Peb charged, his claws turning the earth beneath them into loose pebbles. He swung the top claw, and the ground shattered under its force.

"You can't evade me forever," he warned, swinging again.

"Why didn't he use this transformation when he was on our side?" Molecular Girl cried. Kira tripped on a rock just as Peb's tail struck, flinging her into the air and turning part of her suit into stone.

"Join her, will you?" Peb's claws lashed out, sending Decibolt flying. Peb extended his claw into the sky, raining down strikes at blinding speed. Bits of their suits crumbled into pebbles, and they sank further into the ground.

"Had enough?" Peb taunted.

"Not even close," Molecular Girl spat, struggling.

Peb detached the claws, merging them into a massive pebble cluster that slammed into the ground, turning the surrounding area into quicksand-like rubble. Kira and Decibolt sank deeper.

"I can't move," Decibolt groaned.

"Full body repulsion," Molecular Girl tried, but the pebbles kept coming. "I need to use Repulsion Field."

"Then do it!" Decibolt shouted. "We're almost fully in."

Peb conjured two giant arms, punching them down to the bottom. Kira's Repulsion Field destroyed nearby pebbles, but only a small bubble protected her.

"I need a way to propel myself into the air," she muttered.

"Get on my shoulders," Decibolt said. "I can use my sonic blast to launch us out."

"No way," she objected.

"Like you said before, it's not exactly a walk in the park for me," he replied. "My sonic blast can counter your repulsion." Molecular Girl nodded, stopped repelling, and jumped onto his shoulders. Together, they launched skyward.

"Impossible!" Peb shouted, fury lacing his voice.

"Super kinetic punch!" Molecular Girl fired, aura swirling around her fist.

"Final—Supersonic Ripple Blast!" Decibolt added.

"I won't be defeated, Molten Pebble Storm!" Peb countered, unleashing blazing pebbles that collided with their attacks. Shockwaves rippled through the air as the forces clashed.

"His combat power is rapidly decreasing," Molecular Girl observed.

"Destiny, I'm almost out of energy," Peb called, voice strained. "My legendary form is about to wear off. You need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you," Destiny replied.

"As long as that shard is with you, so will I," Peb said. Destiny dashed from the house with the shard clutched tightly. Peb ceased his attacks, allowing himself to be blasted into a cloud of yellow smoke.

Decibolt exhaled heavily. "After all that, she gets away with the shard."

"Quit whining and check your tracker," Molecular Girl said.

"It's out of range," he muttered.

Peb had truly wreaked havoc.

"This place is a mess," Molecular Girl said.

"Yeah, but it's not our problem," Decibolt shrugged.

"It kind of is—we should clean up," she countered.

"You handle it," he said, smirking. "You're the moral compass. I'm the clueless alien." He opened a portal and stepped through.

"Ugh, useless," Molecular Girl groaned.

Meanwhile

Destiny sprinted through the shadows, heart hammering. A dark figure emerged.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Who I am is not important. What I want now—that's another matter. You possess a shard. Hand it over."

"Why should I?"

"Let's just say if you don't, I'm going to have to use these." Three iron claws extended from his wrist.

"Your little claws are no match for Peb!" Destiny shot back.

"Foolish girl," he said, voice cold. "Your summon used all its power. It cannot be resummoned until it recharges. Comply, or be sliced and diced." Reluctantly, Destiny tossed the shard. He caught it in a single motion.

"Nice doing business with you," he said, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. Destiny collapsed, tears streaming down her face.