“ Well done Idi, it seems you exceeded expectations,” Severus’ cool voice rang out over the video call. Idi had paused his attack, none of Park’s agents had attempted to attack him; and why should they? He had taken down their champion and thanks to the Dolorian ship above jamming communications to and from the planet, external reinforcements were out of the question.

He savoured the moment, his muscles relaxing as he slumped back in his chair, thinking about the hero's welcome they would throw him when he touched down on Doloria. The adoring fans, once spitting on his family’s name would sing a different tune. He felt light headed, the dizzying thought of being to hold his head up high when walking through the dark, dimly lit subterranean streets of Doloria getting to him.

  They would throw a parade for him, he could see all of Doloria out there and while he was tempted to spit on them for being so fickle minded, he would let it go. After all, why ruin a good thing? He’d milk it for what it was worth. He’d probably be a top soldier for them and given the lack of ongoing wars, they’d probably keep him somewhere comfy and with a fat pension.

“ The prisoner, she’ll be dealt with according to Dolorian law?” Idi asked, barely containing his excitement.

“ Of course,” Severus assured him. There would likely be a trial , Severus had to at least guarantee. Jessica would be declared guilty, that was also assured. How else would they get the leaders of Doloria to hand over such a high value prisoner if they didn’t to milk her trial for maximum political points. Oh and Severus supposed it would be good if Idi got some gain out of it, he had been a useful soldier in it.

 “ I cannot wait to be there, to see her get what she deserved. I am sure you too will be rewarded for your involvement in this,” Idi proudly stated.

 Severus chuckled on the other end, lightly but sincerely, “That is certain, good work should not go unrewarded. Just like you, Idi. Based on what I have seen, you will go far.”

*******

By the time Dawn got there, Jessica was long gone but the mecha wasn’t, it's metallic head tilted down.

“ You, you hand over my mom now!” Dawn commanded it unconvincingly.

At first, it did nothing but Dawn watched as it's head tilted up to her, cold lifeless eyes staring up at her.

“ Or what?” Idi replied, looking up at her. She was tall, taller than her mother and next to her, he looked like a child. He glanced at her arms, bony and lacking the muscle tone of Jessica; it was a relief. If she had that, he would have been overwhelmed.

 “ I will fight you,” Dawn answered, holding her fists up in front of her face. She was shaking, Idi was nothing like the bullies she protected Graham from. He couldn’t be defeated with one finger, he was too strong for that.

Idi chuckled, loudly and dismissively at Dawn’s threat.

“ I have no quarrel with you,” he said as turned away from her. Dawn didn’t like it and ran at him, barging him into with her shoulder. Idi stumbled but caught himself in time.

“ I really don’t wish to fight you, little girl.”

He shoved Dawn in the chest, hard enough to throw the teenager back on her butt. The impact made the nearby buildings shake.

“ I know your story,” Idi remarked, sounding almost pitiful in his acknowledgement.

“ Born to a mother worshiped by all, you have failed to come close to any of that. You moved from one school to the next, unable to fit in. You’re like me, an outcast.”

Dawn shuffled away, standing up to face Idi.

“I-I am nothing like you. I don’t beat up people, I don’t do that,” Dawn bent her knees, following a stance she saw her mother do.

“ You should, they would respect you; or at least fear you,” Idi smiled back at her.

“Instead of mocking you. I know a little of that, my family suffered because of your mother. I never had the childhood a hatchling deserved,” Idi’s voice cracked as he told this to Dawn.

Dawn relaxed her stance, wondering what was going on?  

“ I don’t know what she did, but it doesn’t excuse whatever you’re doing here. How many people died because of you?”

“ How many people died because of her!” Idi charged Dawn and slammed his fist into her gut, sending her crashing against a building, collapsing it as if it were a bookshelf.

“ You dare to compare me to her?” Idi walked over calmly, this was no fight but he had no wish to end it quickly.

“ Any casualties incurred by me were in the pursuit of a dangerous criminal. Her? She didn’t have to kill anyone but she did. Doloria lost many brave soldiers that day.”

Idi kicked Dawn in the chest flipping her on to her back. For Dawn, she felt a couple of ribs cracks as she lay on her back, gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of her.

 Idi raised his foot up and slammed it down but Dawn caught it in her hands, trying to push back through gritted teeth. Idi increased the power and her hands were pushed down but Dawn did not yield, she could not. If she did, Idi would take her mother and go; that would tear her family apart and she once risked the entire universe to reunite them. She wouldn’t let that stop her.

“ You’re stronger than I expected. You lack the muscle which defines strength, not like your mother.”

“P-people can find strength when they need it,” Dawn answered through gritted teeth. It was a saying her father once imparted to her, when she was feeling down. Right now, she needed it.

Pushing harder, Dawn felt the foot lift before she pushed with all her strength, throwing Idi off balance and toppling him like a house of cards. She got to her feet, her biceps feeling the strain of her exertion; the result of a largely sedentary lifestyle.

Dawn thought Idi’s mecha was bulky and that would imply a lumbering opponent but he got to his feet surprisingly fast, practically leaping with greater agility than his build suggested.

“ I don’t doubt that, people do find strength when they need it,” Idi punched Dawn in the gut, making her bend forward. Even bent over, her chin wasn’t even level with his eyes. Idi smiled, his fear of Dawn was unfounded, there wasn’t much to suggest she’d be a real threat to her.

**********

All around him, people gasped at the fight unfolding in front of their eyes. Graham was too transfixed on his phone, footage of the fight being broadcast all across the planet by every news network worth it's salt.

 He winced every time Dawn took a hit from Idi, seeing his friend take a beating in the name of protecting her family. No, not just her family; Graham didn’t think Dawn knew it but she was defending all of Home from this monster.

“ You look worried,” George spoke up. He plopped himself down next to Graham, looking just as concerned as Graham was. Graham knew why, he’d been harbouring a secret crush on Dawn. He wasn’t the only one but he seemed to be the first one to act on his feelings.

 “ Dawn’s not a fighter,” Graham looked away as Idi threw another punch into Dawn, hitting her on the cheek.It was brutal but Graham could see the spirit in her, unwilling to back down. It was more than the mousy girl in school, trying her best to keep her head down; Graham saw a fight in her , even if her actual fighting skills left a lot to be desired.

 “She looks like she is,” George observed; wearing an equally worried look as Graham.

“ I mean she isn’t like her mother, Mrs. Martel is the warrior;Dawn’s a pacifist,” he replied; setting the phone down on his lap

 “ She once dropped Edmund and I in a fountain, she ain’t that peaceful,” George joked; not about the incident, that part was true. Edmund actually caught a cold from that and spent a couple of days at home for it. George recalled it as being a couple of lonely days while his friend fought off the virus.

“ That was as far as she ever went,” Graham to an agreeing nod from George.

“She could have used us as toys…” George commented.

“But she didn’t,” Graham answered while his eyes were glued to the phone.

*******

Dawn wanted to give up, a part of her mind shouting at her to let it go, to let Idi pass and the pain would stop. She didn’t know how long she had been fighting him at this point, her mind saturated with adrenaline.

Every punch from Idi sent a new wave of pain rippling through her body and Idi did not hold back.

 She threw punches back at Idi but he seemed to read her mind, every punch or blocked or if she did land a hit, it didn’t seem to  do much.

 “It seems I overestimated you, Dawn,” Idi commented as he drove a fist into her right thigh, cracking her femur. Dawn screamed as she felt the pain coarse through her body, falling to her knees. She leaned onto her left to take the pain off Idi wasn’t done; he slammed another fist into her cheek, sending Dawn on to her side.

She coughed, spitting out dark red globs of blood mixed with saliva, feeling the fight ebb away from her. Idi was too strong, too smart for her.

 “It's been nice meeting you Dawn, as I said I don’t wish to kill you; you’re not deserving of a warrior’s death.”

 “T-take me instead,” Dawn begged him. She reached out, trying to grab his leg but when it was beyond her reach, she crawled to him, dragging her knees; each step only increased the pain she felt but Dawn wasn’t going to just let him walk away.

  “ What would I gain from taking you?” Idi sneered.

   “ You want a prisoner, take me instead. Don’t take my mother, I’ll take her punishment, whatever it is. Just let her go.”

 Tears ran down her damp cheeks, the thought of being a prisoner on Doloria for the rest of her life was enough to make her wish for death but she’d accept whatever entailed if it meant saving her parents.

   Idi bent down on one knee, feeling some sense of pity for her, to be reduced to begging when the fight had long been lost was the absolute lowest in Dolorian culture. You did not beg, you merely accepted the result of the battle and moved on.

 “ You’re not a criminal, you’re just a foolish little girl who doesn’t know when to stop-”

    A hiss sound stopped Idi and he turned around to see Lucky, leaning forward with his hind legs up in the air, hissing and growling at Idi.His beaked clicked furiously at what he identified to be Dawn’s attacker.

 “ What is this? Is it yours?” Idi asked Dawn who nodded, her face in a grimace.

   “ D-don’t hurt him please, he’s just trying to protect me.”

   Idi stood to his full height and took a single earth shaking step to Lucky, his body bobbing up and down but Lucky stood his ground, tensing his thigh muscles, his tiny blunt claws pointed at Idi.

 “ Now there’s someone who deserves a warrior’s death,” Idi moved closer, his shadow falling over the little reptile.

Realising the scale of Dawn’s attacker far outstriped his own,Lucky whimpered and retreated a few steps. His eyes fell on Dawn, her bleeding face reminding him why he was here. He’d fight to defend his mother and charged forward.

 “Oh this is wonderful,”

“PLEASE!” Dawn cried out, she couldn’t bear to see her family fall apart again, not this time.

  “SPARE HIM!”

  She crawled forward, her mind repeating how weak she was and how tired she was of it. She was tired of being too weak to stand up for herself, always not being smart enough to pass the class;too weak to even defend her family.

 Dawn knew she was bigger than her mother but she wasn’t even bigger, her tiny arms; her lack of self-esteem. It all made her mad. Idi was a bully, she thought to herself; and she didn’t like bullies one bit.

 “Y-you’re not...going to…” Dawn said through gritted teeth, her anger rising. Within her, something stirred, almost like a monster inside of her waiting to be unleashed. Dawn didn’t notice it but as she imagined Idi stepping on Lucky, something in her broke.

 It was as if the chains had slipped, adrenaline flooding her nerves and veins. Her vision began to blur and her ears rang as she felt her skin bubble.

 “W-what’s happening to me?” Dawn said , Idi by now had noticed and turned.

 “What’s that?” he approached Dawn but before he could, she let out a piercing scream, shattering nearby windows.

 Dawn felt like she was on fire as her body kicked into overdrive, her cells identifying the most battered parts of her and they rushed to the area like paramedics heading into a disaster.

 Platelets bound themselves to torn muscles, broken bones and healed them in seconds, exceeding that of her mother. Dawn felt the pain subside and sensation return to her leg; she felt strong to stand but her body wasn’t done yet.

  Her muscles began to inflate, biceps thickening as they doubled in size, approaching Jessica’s own toned look. All around, she gained muscle which stretched the clothes she wore, causing her top to tear just a bit. The same happened with her legs, thickening in all the right places.

 Idi watched, stunned at the transformation taking place.

 Then, Dawn began to grow, her body stretching up like putty but also to the side to maintain her proportions as she rose like a pitcher being filled; slowly. When it stopped, Dawn looked down at Idi, who seemed even smaller than before.

 “ I-I….” Dawn paused to look at her body, she guessed she was had gained another twenty feet or so based on how small Idi was to her. Her pupils widened as she saw the muscle tone in her arms, they seemed so different from the sticks she had before this. She felt powerful, Dawn imagined she could jump a mile up in the air based on how great she felt.

 She saw Idi and a flash of red at the sight of him, she felt mad; and he was the source. A part of egged her on, calling for her to

 “This isn’t over,” Dawn said to him.

 “So you’re bigger,” Idi grunted. He wasn’t going to waste anymore time, he would end this fight right now.

 Summoning all the strength his mecha could, he threw a punch far stronger than he had ever used on Dawn.

  Dawn could see the fist coming, it seemed to move much slower than before, like a limb moving through water. She instinctively moved her fist to block; expecting to be knocked down to it. To both their surprise, Idi’s fist was stopped by Dawn.

 “Oh goodness,” Dawn exclaimed. Now they were finally equal, and as she turned to Idi, she expected him to be quaking in his boots right. He should be, she thought, now she had real power.