“You apparently didn’t hear me. Who the hell are you?” asked Exp 8, pushing past the sheep as he marched up to the living shadow.

The shadowy figure’s eye holes lit up like a desk lamp. “I am NoOne.”

“No you’re not. You’re definitely someone…or something,” said Exp 8, tilting his head and squinting.

“I’m NoOne,” he said, sliding off of his sheep and standing tall.

“Cut the crap. Who the hell are you?” asked Exp 8, gripping the shadow man’s shoulder.

“I already told you, I am NoOne. NoOne! My name is NoOne!” He leaned face dangerously close to the newest living weapon.

Exp 8 backed up and covered his mouthpiece. “Pshh! Oh—you’re kidding, right? That can’t really be your name.”

“Unlike you, I have a name. I’ve never seen someone laugh out of jealousy before. How very interesting,” said NoOne as he circled around the enemy commander.

Atatasuki walked up to NoOne. “So you’re the one Devlin warned us about. See, Exp 8? We help each other out. We give Devlin a lift, and he gives us a heads up. It’s a perfect give-and-take relationship.”

“Do I know you?” asked Ada, looking at the shadow man precariously.

“I am the notoriously infamous NoOne.”

“Don’t talk to him, Ada. So, NoOne, Devlin sent you here to capture me, is that right?” asked Exp 8, rolling his wrists.

“Your arrogance is a nuisance,” said NoOne sinking into the ground. “Now all shall bear witness to the power of my sheep.” He popped up behind the sheep.

“Are they some kind of super sheep?” asked Atatasuki, poised for combat.

“No, they are just ordinary, everyday woolly sheep,” said NoOne, patting one on the head.

“They aren’t your slaves!” yelled Exp 8.

“I never claimed they were. These sheep are my flock. Now prepare to win!” yelled NoOne, dramatically pointing at Exp 8.

“What?”

NoOne seeped into the ground and then popped up behind Exp 8. “I said, ‘prepare to win.’ Must I repeat everything?” he asked, tapping his forehead.

“Why would you say something like— never mind. I’ve had enough stupid answers for one day. Now it’s time to make you pay for what you did to that sheep,” said Exp 8, cracking his neck and readying his fists.

“Do you really think you can beat me? Keh-heh-heh!”

“That’s more like it. We are going to kick your ass!” said Exp 8, hopping in place with his fists primed.

“I agree,” said NoOne deadpan.

“Huh?”

“I’m sure you will win, aren’t we all?” asked NoOne, turning to the faulty prototype.

“Would a muffin cheer you up?” asked Atatasuki, opening his chest up.

“Why would such a vile, nasty, putrid, disgusting, insignificant ball of dough have any effect on the void in my soul? Besides, I’d prefer a cupcake. If you must eat, you might as well eat something with a little flavor,” said NoOne, licking his lips with a pitch-black tongue.

“He’s trying to psych you out. Don’t listen to his garbage. Um…bro…are you okay?” asked Exp 8, tapping his shoulder.

Atatasuki’s head was down. He breathed in and out fiercely. Blood dripped from his knuckles. His head then sprung up. His burning eyes were fixed on NoOne. “Not only did you insult the muffins in a most terrible manner, but you would rather have a disgusting cupcake!” He shuddered and then shook away his disgust. “Cupcakes are the mortal enemies of muffins! Exp 8, stay out of this. He’s mine. Don’t worry, NoOne will die!” he yelled before slamming his chest closed.

“That’s a relief. It’s good to know you’re such a merciful bunch of—”

Atatasuki’s fist connected, hitting the shadowy blasphemer square in his stomach. His fist then went straight through his opponent as the shadow man’s body parted in half.

The two halves sunk to the ground and reconnected. The shadow then rushed behind a group of sheep. “That really burns, what is wrong with you? Why does your skin burn me?” asked NoOne, blowing on the searing wound.

“You have brought upon the wrath of the muffins. Their rage has set my body aflame. I am their guardian, and my incendiary might shall engulf you!” yelled Atatasuki, his whole body steaming.

“Keh-heh. I don’t stand a chance against you,” said NoOne as the prototype rushed toward him.

“That’s what I’m talking about. Kick his ass!” cheered Exp 8.

“Feel the wrath of muffins!” yelled Atatasuki, leaping off a tree stump. His chest opened up, revealing steamy muffins. After taking a whiff of their aroma, he tossed the muffins furiously at the blasphemer.

The projectile dough zoomed through the holes in NoOne’s body.

“How dare you deny their deliciousness!” yelled Atatasuki, swinging off a tree branch.

“Your attacks are as pathetic as your wretched existence. Just die already so that I can lose to your brother.” NoOne grabbed his arm and pulled it violently, elongating it rather than tearing it off.

Once Atatasuki landed, NoOne’s outstretched arm wiggled around the weakling’s legs.

Atatasuki fell to the muddy ground with a wet thud. He grabbed the shadow hand, but his hand just went right through it.

The shadow hand sprung up and wrapped around his neck, its grip tightening as he struggled.

“Stop choking me!” yelled Atatasuki, yanking at the arm in futility.

“Rage isn’t an ace in battle, it’s a crutch!” NoOne’s hand molded around the weakling’s neck, becoming a noose. He then lifted the opponent off the ground.

“There’s no shame in asking for a little help,” said Exp 8.

“This is my battle!” yelled Atatasuki as his arms flailed about.

“I’m going to enjoy this victory while it lasts.” NoOne stretched his other arm behind his back and punched it vigorously. The punches caused the front of his body to shoot forward and pummel the prototype.

“Ada, just what the hell is this guy?” asked Exp 8.

“He is Devlin’s very first Exp. I knew I recognized him. He has the ability to manipulate shadows.”

“That’s great and all, but what’s his weakness? Atatasuki is getting pummeled out there, and I’m not going to rush in without a plan!”

“No I’m not! I’m doing just fine!” hollered Atatasuki, lifted up by his legs while being repeatedly punched in the stomach.

“His weakness is his pessimistic personality. Problem is: he’s practically unbeatable otherwise. Good luck,” said Ada.

“If you interfere, I swear I will join Devlin!” yelled Atatasuki before the hazy figure kneed him in the gut.

“Empty words annoy me.” NoOne dropped the weakling to the ground. “Go, my fellow sheep, destroy him.”

Seven sheep piled onto Atatasuki.

NoOne pulled out a bomb trigger from his stomach. “Better to be a black sheep among white sheep than a sheep among wolves. Sheep Destruct!” he yelled, pressing the trigger.

The sheep surrounding Atatasuki exploded in a fiery blast, engulfing him in its wake.

“What the hell? You said they were normal sheep!” yelled Atatasuki, smoldering but still alive.

“They are…perfectly normal everyday sheep…with C4 strapped to the belly of each one of them. Sheep are gentle creatures with no fighting spirit whatsoever. That’s why I attached explosives to them. Face it, you will never win—I mean, I will never win!” exclaimed NoOne, flinging his arms up and twiddling his fingers.

“He’s right. Wait, what?”

“Well, I’m obviously going to lose,” said NoOne, picking Atatasuki off the ground. He tossed the smoldering Freedom Forcer into the bog behind him.

Exp 8 kneeled down to the bloody remains of the exploded sheep. “I will stop him,” he said, placing his hand on their remains and closing his eyes.

“Devlin was right. You are easy to upset,” said NoOne, popping up two feet behind the enemy leader.

Exp 8 rose slowly. He turned to the murderer and lunged his fist at him.

NoOne stretched back just beyond the fist’s reach.

Exp 8’s hand then opened up and released a black orb.

NoOne leaped backward as the orb zoomed forth. His stretchy arm recoiled. “Sheep Defense,” he said, lifting a sheep and using it as a shield.

The attack exploded the sheep into bloody pieces.

“Great job avenging them. Keh-heh. This entire area is ridden with explosive sheep. Face it, the only way you’ll win is if sheep become extinct. I don’t stand a chance!”

“You are twisted!” yelled Exp 8 as he pummeled the killer’s face.

“Why so angry?” asked NoOne, unaffected by the punches. His hand coiled around to where the sheep had exploded. “Sheep Regeneration.” He then placed the shadows together and reformed the sheep.

“Meheheheh,” said a very happy group of sheep.

“They’re perfectly fine, so you can just calm down now. The last thing I want is to awaken some latent power inside you that is conveniently unlocked by rage.”

“You can revive the dead?” asked Exp 8 with wide eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I merely put their pieces back together. So, what are you going to do next? You ought to know it’s hopeless by now. You’re going to win in the end no matter what I do. You’ll take an insurmountable amount of damage. And then, just when I think I’ve won, you’ll stand up with your last bit of strength. After that, you’ll somehow become more powerful than when you had no wounds at all. And to conclude, you’ll defeat me with one final powerful attack, ugh,” said NoOne, sinking deeper into the ground with each sentence.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The inevitability of my defeat. Wasn’t it obvious? You have already won. There is no way for me to win this battle. You will understand soon enough,” said NoOne, picking himself up.

“Ada, what do I do to beat him?”

“Nothing’s one hundred percent, but I have an idea. You can create an orb of much bigger size by combining the little orbs.”

“Sounds badass.”

“Wait, don’t push the button. Simply release your energy. If you concentrate, you can attack even if you are unable to move.”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot!” Exp 8 button-mashed his arm, shooting out numerous little orbs that combined until they were bigger than NoOne.

“How can you already use a super attack? I haven’t even hit you yet. No fair! You’re cheating!” yelled NoOne, making an X with his hands.

“You can’t block me now,” said Exp 8, stepping on his opponent’s shadow.

“Why would I bother trying something so stupid? Shadow Manipulation, Size Distortion.” Sketchy black hands branched out from NoOne’s shadow. They pushed against the massive orb’s shadow, condensing it. As a result, the orb itself was reduced to the size of a marble.

NoOne’s hand opened like a net and wrapped around the orb.

“How did you do that?” asked Exp 8, jumping back.

“Figure it out yourself. I won’t let anything lower my nonexistent chance of winning this fight. Shadow Manipulation, Self-Betrayal.”

Exp 8’s shadow sprung up suddenly. It wrapped around his body like bandages, constricting his movements.

“So many fights have been lost to arrogance. When I lose, I shall have no regrets,” said NoOne, sharpening his arm into a blade.

“You’re not a bad fighter, but you made one fatal error.”

NoOne stared at him blankly.

“What’s that, you ask? You made the mistake of standing in the way of my freedom!” Exp 8’s arm sprung up and pointed at NoOne. He then fired an orb directly at the shadow man, using only his willpower.

“Keh-heh-ha! Your shadow mimics your every action. When you shoot, your shadow-self shoots as well. And…it just so happens to be aiming at you right now. Your efforts are meaningless. But mine are still far more of a waste. Shadow Combination,” said NoOne, fusing with his own shadow just in time to dodge the orb.

Exp 8 was hit directly with the orb from his own shadow. The tiny explosion barely hurt him, but his movements were still restricted. His arm struggled as it aimed to the sky. He fired numerous orbs up as he stared into the opponent’s bright eyes. His shadow’s orbs hit him every time, yet he continued to fire.

The combination of dozens of little orbs created a massive black sphere, thus blocking out the sun’s rays from the surrounding area.

“You’ve become so desperate. Were you trying to cut us off from the sun so that our shadows would disappear? You miscalculated and have unwittingly created a giant shadow for me to control!” NoOne put his hands to the floor.

A chunk of the orb’s shadow was torn off and pulled toward the shadow man.

“Shadow Stretch.”

The chunk stretched as the shadow of it was elongated.

“I am the master of all shadows!”

The giant orb was soon molded into the shape of NoOne himself.

The explosive shadow clone rushed forward and crashed into Exp 8. It burst upon contact, taking the nearby trees along with it.

Exp 8 fell to the floor, a smoldering mess. He gasped before closing his eyes.

“Ugh! Don’t play this game with me. You’re just going to get up. Get it over with already,” said NoOne, tapping his foot.

Exp 8 didn’t move a muscle.

NoOne popped up in front of the downed hero. “Hello, wake up already,” he said, poking Exp 8’s face. He turned the freedom fighter over and stood on him proudly. “I…really have won,” he said, his eyes widening.

Just then, when NoOne least expected it, Exp 8 rose up. His whole body was coursing with inexplicable energy. His arm aimed directly at the shadow man. Energy gathered in his palm.

“I knew it. Here comes a super attack. I told you, didn’t I? I knew this was hopeless,” said NoOne, sitting down in a fit of protest.

Exp 8 then fell down unconscious.

“Alright! Don’t kill me. Hello? Ugh, I give up, okay? What are you waiting for?” NoOne turned around to see the hero’s motionless body. The frown on his face slowly flipped. It then widened until it reached the corners of his face. “I really won? I beat the Ultimate Exp without a scratch on me. I am awesome! I better bring him to Devlin before something goes wrong,” said NoOne, turning around and bumping into someone.

“Who dares—oh, hi Kawai. Good to see you. You made it just in time. By the way, thanks for leading them right to me. Can you believe these naive fools? They actually thought you would join them. They have no idea of the depth of loyalty we hold for Devlin. Keh-heh.”

Kawai looked down at her beloved. “Even big brother thought I betrayed Devlin,” she said softly.

“Yep, everything went according to plan. Devlin said I could win, but honestly I didn’t believe him. Anyway, the herd and I are going to go out grazing for a bit. Would you like to take Exp 8 to the master?” he asked, petting one of the sheep.

“Yeah, sure, but first I have to kill you,” she said with a sweet smile.

“Whaaaaaaaat?” screamed NoOne, jumping back.

“You see, unlike my darling Exp 8, I use sound waves. They don’t cast shadows. You have no way of hurting me, but there are just so many different ways I can hurt you.” Kawai’s nimble tail wrapped around the sheep and tossed it aside.

“So, I still lose?” asked NoOne, his shoulders drooping.

“No one hurts my beloved and gets away with it!” said Kawai in a deranged voice.

“That sure is a re—”

“Sound Shot…gun!” Multiple sound waves emitted from her hand, hitting the shadow man head on. The sound waves obliterated the one who hurt her brother, scattering his pieces throughout the grass.

NoOne pulled his fragments together and resembled his body, now covered with holes.

“How can you lie to me, you treacherous wench?” exclaimed NoOne.

“I said I was going to kill you. Who’s lying?”

“I thought you said I would get away with—oooh…never mind.”

“You’re such a slowpoke.”

“You forget, unlike you, I am a true Exp. I’m not a mere clone.” NoOne put his fingers together, causing them to become one. He then opened his hand, elongating his fingers. “Shadow Manipulation, Finger Cage.”

NoOne’s fingers wrapped around the defiant girl in a split second. They spread her arms and legs as they reeled her in.

“You will become one with the shadows as your body is engulfed!” yelled NoOne, yanking on the shadow threads to speed up the process.

“The only one I will become one with is Exp 8!” yelled Kawai as she struggled around.

“You’re just a prototype, you can’t stop me,” said NoOne, his prey now mere feet from him.

“I may not be a real Exp, but I am a prototype of the Ultimate Exp. You are just a trashy lesser Exp. Oh, and I don’t need sound waves to beat you.” Kawai’s tail smashed the shadow threads around her arms. She then wrapped her arms around the shadow jerk’s legs.

“What are you talking about?” asked NoOne, grabbing her head.

“Energy Embrace, Stop.” Kawai hugged the enemy tightly. Her body lit up from the inside as she cut off his connection to his energy supply.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I move? What is wrong with my body?” asked NoOne, only able to shake his fingers.

“I was created with the ability to drain or refill energy upon contact. I’ve refined it so that I can also stop the flow of energy as long as I’m connected to my victim. But I don’t want my prey to fall unconscious. Using Atatasuki as practice, I’ve taught myself how to sap just enough energy so only their mouth can move. That way, I can still hear my victim beg for mercy as I do what I please with their immobilized body. Isn’t that fun?” asked Kawai, savoring the fear as it took over her foe.

“Nooooo!”

“Well, I’ll still have fun. Feel free to scream,” said Kawai as she prepared to clap her hands.

“Release me, traitor!”

“I know you can do better than that. Come on, beg for mercy. Pretty please,” said Kawai, batting her eyelashes.

NoOne then burst out into laughter, scaring the treasonous cretin with his low-toned cackling. “Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heeeh.”

“Why are you so happy? I don’t like it,” whined Kawai, pulling her head as far back as she could.

“You truly have an amazing ability. On any normal opponent you would surely win. But I can move my shadow without moving my body. How’s that for last words?”

NoOne’s shadow jumped at the traitor. It rode up her body, finally wrapping around her neck.

“Even if one dies, their shadow carries on. Face it. I have actually won!” NoOne’s shadow strangled the traitor as it smothered her face in a murky puddle.

Exp 8 rose up. Power was coursing through his entire body. “Leave my sister alone, you shady freak.”

“Why were you keeping me waiting?” asked NoOne, massaging his temples.

“I don’t have to answer to you. Kawai, can you hold onto him for just a bit longer?” asked Exp 8, planting his feet in the ground.

“Of course, Brother.” Kawai bit into NoOne’s shadow with her teeth.

“What’s going on? I can’t move my shadow.”

“Even if you have a shadow when you die, you still need to be conscious to control it. I’m sorry, but you’re too much of a threat. You won’t even have a corpse once I’m done with you,” said Exp 8, continuously firing out little orbs.

“This victory proves nothing!” yelled NoOne.

Exp 8’s hand released an array of orbs in an instant. The orbs crashed into each other, fusing into a sphere the size of a beach ball.

“None of us are ever going back. Feel the power of our freedom! BIG ORB,” said Exp 8.

The orb slammed into the shadow man violently.

Kawai broke free of the shadow and ran toward her brother.

The orb exploded, obliterating NoOne.

“I sure hope I didn’t kill him. He’ll be fine, right?” asked Exp 8 nervously.

“Don’t worry. He’s really hard to kill,” said Kawai, sticking out her tongue at the enemy’s remains.

“You know, I really need to trust you more. I thought you betrayed us when you flew off with Devlin.” Exp 8 grabbed her and held her to his chest. “I’m so relieved that you’re on my side,” he said, petting her head lovingly.

“Ummm, big brother, I do work for Devlin. He told me if I lost the fight against you, I should join your team. I was just doing what I was ordered to do. Please don’t get upset.” Kawai’s eyes then watered up. “I feel really bad about all this. I know I don’t deserve your love, but I can’t stop loving you.” The small prototype broke out of his grip. She wiped away her tears and then turned around. “I’m going to have to bring you back to Devlin now.”