"Something's different about you," Jean observed, her fist clenched tight.

"Something tells me that if I don't take you seriously, I might not make it out alive," she added, the slow advance of lava covering her hands. 

" He-he-he-he You're right. You might die," I responded calmly. My eyes had turned blue, and an unexplained calmness enveloped me. My body pulsed with electrical energy, blood rushing through my veins. My consciousness reached new depths, and my focus surpassed anything I'd experienced before.

"What happened to me?" I pondered as I slowly raised my left hand, memories flooding my mind—strange, elusive memories hinting at a past encounter that I couldn't quite recall.

"My former self ? " I questioned myself.

"Agh, whatever. Let me deal with this first," I thought.

In a flash, Jean leaped toward me, her movements so fast that she blurred into a streak. Yet, in my eyes, she moved at a snail's pace. She threw a punch, and with a subtle tilt of my head to the left, I evaded it, leaving destruction in the wake behind me, impressing even Jane, who looked on in awe.

"Ah, no warning, I guess," I retorted with a smirk, my tone laced with irony.

"Is that really Tinashe?" Jane exclaimed aloud, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes, Jane, it's me. The real me," I reassured her, a smile playing on my lips.

"WRONG!" echoed the voice once again, reverberating in my mind with unsettling clarity.

"How is they that strong?" Jane wondered aloud, referring to Jean . Then, her gaze shifted to me, contemplating, "Was he really hiding his true power all this time ?

Raising my left hand, I channeled a surge of crackling electricity, enough power to lay waste to an entire city block.

 Jean blocked the attack but was forced back by its intensity. I leaned in, propelling myself toward her, every part of my being—eyes, legs, nerves, muscles—supercharged with energy.

"That was close," Jean thought, recognizing the unleashed destructive potential. "He's displaying more destructive power than in his arena fight. He was hiding his true ability! " she concluded. Landing gracefully on her feet, she sprinted toward my right side, her hands engulfed in searing hot lava, her eyes blazing with a fiery crimson hue.

"I'm using all my energy, so don't hold back," she declared as she charged straight toward me.

Suddenly, a strange sensation overcame Jean as she closed the distance, running toward me with an intense gaze. "What is this I feel?" she pondered, sensing a level of malice in my stare comparable to a formidable adversary. Nervousness crept through her body, fear erupting in her soul as a rising tide.

"I guess you sensed it," I remarked, my eyes closed, sparks of electricity beginning to dance around my body. Undeterred, Jean continued her assault, attempting to suppress the fear that had taken hold.

In that moment, my entire demeanor shifted. Fear and worry were stripped away, leaving me feeling liberated. Jean threw a punch, but it felt oddly sluggish. With a graceful lean to the side, I grabbed the exposed part of her arm, free from the covering of lava, and effortlessly pulled her toward me, delivering a powerful punch to her face.

The impact sent her flying, a surge of pain registering on her features. Confused and battered, Jean landed on the ground, blood streaming from her nose.

"What's going on? He's not just different in ability; his entire personality has changed. Is his power tied to a dual nature?" she wondered, brushing off the blood.

"Okay then, tell me who you are," Jean demanded, a serious expression etched across her face, while Jane observed, grappling with the same question.

As I smiled, subtle markings began to appear on my face near my eyes. "What do you mean by your question?" I replied, deflecting with a touch of mystery.

"Are you Tinashe, or someone else?" Jean pressed on.

Shaking my head, I looked at them and explained, "I'm still Tinashe, but this is my true self. This personality is the real me. My abilities activate automatically when I express myself like this."

Jean, perplexed, suggested, "Okay, I don't get it. Explain at our hideout."

As she emitted red, heat-filled energy, she charged toward me, darting around to confuse my senses. With a sudden turn, she faced me, unleashing a volcanic eruption with a shout. Lava surged towards me with incredible force.

Jane, concerned, closed her eyes, but even she recognized the power she witnessed was not enough to match what I had become. In a poised stance, I clenched my fist, electricity enveloping my hand. Uttering the words "Vanish from sight," I threw a punch at the approaching lava.

The shockwave pierced through her attack, surprising Jean. Seizing the opportunity, I leaped into the midst of the lava and attacked. Grasping her face, I propelled her to the ground, repeating the phrase "Vanish from sight" as I threw a punch that unleashed a shockwave, blowing her away.

She fell, a crater forming beneath her. Injured but conscious, she admitted, "I'm surprised. You took that well."

Walking toward her, I acknowledged, "You're strong, very strong. And yes, I was holding back."

As Jane slowly rose to her feet, I continued my approach toward Jean. Suddenly, Jane's alarmed voice pierced the air, warning me of an impending attack.

"Watch out! Someone's attacking you!" she screamed.

Reacting swiftly, I turned to my right, sensing a presence, and there stood a man in a peculiar mask, throwing a powerful punch at me. I moved to block the strike with my hand, but the force of the blow dislocated my hand, revealing the intensity of his ability.

Leaping back, I landed beside Jane, casting a questioning glance at Jean.

"A friend of yours?" I inquired.

Jean nodded in confirmation with a smile on her face, and the masked man addressed us, "We're done here. We've got most of what we wanted."

Jean agreed, expressing regret, "Too bad we couldn't get these guys. They're strong."

The masked man and Jean began to fade, a subtle effect triggered by the masked man's ability.

"Let's have our rematch next time," Jean declared as they disappeared.

Jane remained silent, a weighty atmosphere lingering after witnessing my confrontation with Jean.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She cast her gaze downward, responding hesitantly, "Y-YES."

Putting my hands in my pockets, I motioned for her to follow, and she complied without probing for more details.

"Is that really you, Tinashe?" she inquired.

I halted, taking a moment before responding, "No, I am your great-grandfather. I've taken this body to save you." I looked at her, awaiting her reaction.

"You've been hiding a lot of things," Jane remarked, a smile playing on her lips.

"I'd prefer to keep them hidden," I replied, and she nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for saving me," she expressed with a bright smile.

"It's okay. Let's go," I said, and we walked together towards the arena, leaving behind the enigmatic encounter with Jean and her masked ally.

"That guy was able to break my hand with a simple punch, and I don't get how he did it. Very few people should be able to do that, people with very high amounts of explosive energy and force-affecting abilities. He didn't seem to have force-related abilities," I mused to myself, a perplexed expression crossing my face.

"Mmmm, strange indeed," I thought, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips as I pondered the mystery as my eyes turned normal.