Euro-Jericho: It's not the Magic Kingdom.

[Stern]

Stern clenched his jaw and responded to the blast out of reflex. His glow intensified as he made the transition into light. Then he was back to normal. He hadn't moved.

Stern had apparently dodged the blast by phasing into light and back again. It was new on him, but he'd take it.

His next light transformation went somewhere. Stern materialized in front of Ricky and aimed two solid punches into his gut. None of this clubbing people on the back of the head. Stern wanted to rock someone's jaw.

[Ricky Rider]

Ricky looked stunned as his opponent became a pillar of light and then human again, and he remained so until Stern hit him twice in the span of a second. Ricky reeled back, wishing so badly for combat training, and then decided that he didn't need it. He began to absorb light unceasingly, ready at any moment to fire. Ricky punched back with an angry cry.

[Stern]

Stern felt something leaving him. It was strange, but he felt like light was being pulled out of him. Not good. Stern phased just in time to dodge the punch. This was going to be tricky.

Stern flared and used the light's intensity to hide his right hook to Ricky's face.

[Ricky Rider]

The flare wasn't nearly as bright as it should've been. Squinting was enough to protect Ricky from the worst of it, and he managed to get an arm between himself and Stern's fist. He shot a small burst from his fist as he retracted it from the earlier attack and kicked out at Stern's knee.

[Stern]

Stern phased to avoid the laser but took the kick in the knee just as he materialized. He turned his leg so it bent naturally and shoulder checked Ricky in the chest.

He followed through, moving with Ricky's body and swept his leg behind the other mutant so Ricky kept moving backwards, but his foot could not follow.

[Ricky Rider]

The boy stumbled backward, flipping over to his feet and rising with a punch and a laserbolt. He advanced a step and did it again with the other hand. Punch, blast. Punch, blast. Tee-dum, tee-dum. The darklight around him strengthened with each attack, even as Stern's true light diminished.

[Stern]

Stern phased and took a graze on his shoulder. He phased and found his side burning. After the third try he learned to block and then phase out. But it was getting harder to do.

He wasn't going to lose he had somewhere to be.

Stern blocked the next punch and trapped Ricky's arm so he couldn't get away. He rammed his knee into Ricky's side and followed with a palm strike up into Ricky's chin.

Ricky was absorbing his light. That's what it was all about.

"You need light? Well, go ahead and soak up the sun!"

Stern flared. Brighter and brighter. Three city blocks were lit up like daylight as Stern attempted to overload Ricky's powers. He was burning brightly enough, he could feel the edge of his light-jump.

Just a few moments more and then he'd jump out.

[Ricky Rider]

He fell to the roof under the weight of Stern's attacks, panting and trying to get a grip. He wasn't going to lose; he needed his freedom! Ricky's body was hidden in black light as he absorbed Stern's output. He could feel heat within his body as the energy he stored grew stronger, and it made him feel nauseous. Apparently, he had a limit to the amount he could have before needing to fire.

"Thanks for that, sunshine," he gritted, pointing both fists and unleashing a focused beam from each of them, not caring if he hit Stern, only that he bleed off this energy so he could take more. "Let's see how long it takes you to become a dwarf star."

[Stern]

Stern twisted his body to make a narrower profile as the two red beams lanced towards him. They dug into his chest and his back as they whizzed by, searing his flesh but at the same time cauterizing the wounds.

Now it was a simple battle of wills. Stern would continue to bring the sun and Ricky would continue absorbing the light and firing in his general direction. Eventually Ricky would tire and leave or Stern would jump out at the last second if he didn't pass out from fatigue first.

[Ricky Rider]

By now Ricky was entirely blinded. He started sweeping the lasers in case Stern had moved, shooting a third laser from his chest to bleed off the energy faster and give him a 3rd chance at hitting the light-maker. He felt foolish, but what else could he do?

[Stern]

Stern found himself suddenly accosted by a third beam. Where was it coming from? There was no avoiding it. Stern phased and willed himself forward.

The light shot over Ricky's shoulder and into the horizon. Stern was gone.