With the Sorcerer Scientist's magic arm restrained by Anansewa's magic silken threads for the moment, and her cybernetic gauntlet arm exploded by Cyberteen, this left the violet verifier vulnerable and open to physical attack. Ken, after ensuring Jack and Ethan were safely behind him, Ken went in with his signature jumping spinning back kick which sent the mad scientist to the floor with an oomph as he winded her.
"Error... error..." muttered the Sorcerer Scientist
"Quick! Magically bind her!" called out Cyberteen. Anansewa began to spin her threads around the Sorcerer Scientist's torso, only to be distracted with a cackle from across the room that drew everyone's attention.
"Is this how the Blue Boxer and his ilk taught you three how to treat a lady?" asked the Sorcerer Scientist's voice from across the room.
Ken looked confused to see the Sorcerer Scientist standing on a platform next to a hunched over old woman who leaned on a cane.
But that can't... be!
Ken looked back at the Sorcerer Scientist that he had just taken down with Anansewa just to see a robot drone twitching and beeping "error" repeatedly.
"Did you think I'd be so easily taken down by three teenagers when I've given the Blue Boxer, Wonder Witch, and Flash Circuit more than enough trouble over the years? You puny... pathetic children thought you could take on me, the Sorcerer Scientist and actually win?
She was right... what were they thinking? How could they have been so cocky?
"It's a trick, Khaki! Look between the two!" called out Jack from behind.
"What are you talking about Stealthy Scout?" asked CT, who looked about as dejected as Ken felt.
"He's right! If you look between the two---one's the shadow of the other!" called out Ethan.
What?
Ken focused on the space between the old woman and the Sorcerer Scientist on the raised platform--and the kids were right. The Sorcerer Scientist was just the old woman's shadow transfigured to look like the Sorcerer Scientist.
But that means...
"Ahh!" screamed Anansewa as she was thrown across the room as what had appeared to have been a robot moments earlier instead turned back into the Sorcerer Scientist, who had had time to recover thanks to the distraction from the old woman.
"Anansewa!" called out Ken as he went over to check on her, followed quickly by Stealthy Scout and Ethan.
"While you certainly caught me off guard with that little explosive, and I may be down my robotic half, but that has only delayed matters, not changed them. Nothing's changed kids, except that my patience is running thin."
"And you do not want to see her unleashed rage," commented the old woman quietly from the raised platform. She had ceased to cast the illusion, but remained where she was, indifferent to what was happening down below.
"You okay Anansewa?" asked Ken as he rolled her from the side which she'd landed on so she could face up. She groaned, her costume glowed orange and yellow for a moment before she got up as if nothing was wrong.
"Don't tell Wonder Witch, but I cast self-healing charms into my suit when I made it," said Anansewa with a charming smirk that Ken had to admit he admired the cheek of in that moment.
"A clever little spider, aren't you? Well no matter, we can play squash the spider all night if we have to, but can all the boys around you last as long?"
And suddenly CT, Ethan, Jack, and Ken found themselves floating in the air, held by what felt to be a tightening grip, and they were bulging eye dolls just waiting to pop if you squeezed hard enough. Soon all four of them found themselves being squeezed and coughing for air.
"Well, Annie? Or is it Nancy?" asked the Sorcerer Scientist.
"Anansewa!"
"Whatever. What's the choice, girl?"
Anansewa looked up at them, and Ken met her eyes. He could see she was far more nervous than she was letting on. Especially compared to when she called out confidently, "You'd never harm the Kickboxing Kid or Stealthy Scout, not when you have a ritual to perform."
"Perhaps not, but as for your other friends, I don't need them... question is, do you want them alive, or atomized?"