CHAPTER 43: MIRA’S FIGHT

Jelo paused, considering the question. What kind of name did he want? Should he go for something flashy? Something cool and intimidating? Something super heroic? Something mysterious and enigmatic?

He stood there thinking for several seconds, various options running through his mind, before he realized he was overthinking it completely.

"You know what?" he said. "It’s not worth this much deliberation."

He blurted out the first name that came to his mind: "Papabear."

Mira—The Purple Bandit—tilted her head slightly, clearly surprised by the choice. "Papabear?" she repeated. "Really? That’s what you’re going with?"

"Yeah," Jelo said, suddenly feeling a bit defensive about his impulsive choice. "Is there a problem with it?"

"I mean... it’s not terrible," Mira said slowly, clearly trying to be diplomatic. "It’s actually kind of cute. Disarming, even. People won’t expect much from someone named Papabear, which could work to your advantage."

"Good," Jelo said firmly. "Then that’s what I want."

He selected the name in the interface, and it was confirmed immediately. Above his head, the text changed from **[Player_2847]** to **[Papabear]**.

"Alright, Papabear," Mira said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Now let’s work on your appearance. You can customize literally everything—face, body, clothes, accessories. The system has thousands of options."

Jelo browsed through the menus for a moment, looking at all the possibilities. He could make himself look more muscular, change his facial features, add scars or tattoos, select from countless outfits and armor sets.

But as he looked through the options, one particular choice caught his eye and made him smile.

In the "Head Options" menu, there was a category for "Non-Human Heads." And within that category was an option for a teddy bear head.

"Perfect," Jelo muttered.

He selected it.

Instantly, his generic human head was replaced with the head of a teddy bear—complete with cute rounded ears, a small black nose, and gentle button eyes. But the rest of his body remained human, still wearing the default white clothes.

The contrast was absurd. Adorable bear head on a regular human body.

Jelo looked at his reflection again and felt genuine satisfaction. "Yeah," he said. "This is good. This works."

Mira stared at him in silence for a long moment. "You... you’re keeping the white clothes?" she finally asked.

"Why not?" Jelo replied. "They’re clean, simple, practical."

"And the bear head with the human body?"

"It’s memorable," Jelo said with a shrug. "You said I needed to not look bland. Well, nobody’s going to forget Papabear the teddy bear man."

Mira seemed to struggle with how to respond to that logic. Finally, she just laughed. "You know what? Fair enough. You do you, Papabear."

Jelo nodded with satisfaction and turned to face her fully. "Alright, I’m ready. Let’s fight. Let’s get stronger."

But Mira held up a hand. "Hold on," she said. "Before you jump into combat, you should watch a few fights first. Understand how the game really works, how the combat system functions, what strategies people use. Trust me, going in blind is just going to get you obliterated, and you won’t learn anything useful from that."

Jelo’s enthusiasm deflated slightly. "Really? I have to watch?"

"Just one or two fights," Mira promised. "Then you can jump in yourself. But observation is part of training. You need to study before you practice."

Jelo sighed but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. One fight."

"Good," Mira said. "Come on, there’s a spectator area where we can watch."

She led him to a section of the lobby where holographic screens floated in the air, each one displaying different ongoing matches. Players could browse through available opponents, watch recorded fights, or even spectate live battles in real-time.

Mira gestured to a comfortable-looking seat that materialized from nowhere. "Sit," she instructed.

Jelo sat, and Mira remained standing beside him as she began browsing through the interface, looking for an appropriate opponent for her demonstration.

She scrolled through several profiles, considering each one briefly before moving on. Finally, she seemed to find what she was looking for.

"This one," she said, selecting a profile.

A challenge notification appeared, and within seconds, it was accepted.

Mira took a few steps away from Jelo, moving into an open space in the lobby. Her stance shifted, becoming more focused, more ready. Her hands came up into a combat-ready position.

A countdown appeared floating in the air: **[Match Starting in 10 seconds]**

**[Opponent: Chainsaw Man]**

**[Arena: Urban Ruins]**

Jelo leaned forward in his seat, watching with interest as the countdown ticked down.

**[5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]**

The space around Mira shifted and transformed. Suddenly they were no longer in the lobby but in what looked like the remains of a destroyed city—broken buildings, crumbled streets, debris everywhere. The detail was astounding, every crack in the pavement rendered with perfect clarity.

And standing across from Mira was her opponent.

He was striking in appearance—completely black skin that looked almost like living shadow, long flowing hair that moved as if caught in a perpetual breeze, and clothes in various shades of green that contrasted sharply with his dark skin. Above his head, his username glowed: **[Chainsaw Man]**.

Jelo frowned slightly, wondering why he’d chosen that particular name. It seemed oddly specific.

Then the fight countdown began: **[3... 2... 1... FIGHT!]**

And Jelo immediately understood.

Chainsaw Man’s right arm suddenly began to shift and morph. The flesh and bone restructured itself rapidly, metal emerging from within, until his entire arm had transformed into a massive, roaring chainsaw. The teeth spun with terrifying speed, and the sound—perfectly rendered in the virtual environment—was deafening.

"Oh," Jelo said. "That’s why."

He watched, fascinated, as the battle unfolded. But he also realized something else—he didn’t actually know what Mira’s abilities were. Despite being in the same class for weeks now, despite all their recent interactions, he’d never seen her demonstrate her powers in any meaningful way.

He’d been so focused on his own problems, his own training, his own secrets, that he hadn’t really paid attention to Mira until she’d caught him during the Dabba field trip. And even since then, their interactions had been more about planning and scheming than actual combat.

Now, though, he found himself genuinely curious. What could she do? What were her abilities?

He was about to find out.

As Chainsaw Man’s arm completed its transformation, Mira stepped back slightly. She paused for just a moment, then closed her eyes. Her hands came up, and she touched the first two fingers of her left hand to the first two fingers of her right hand, creating a connection.

She held that position for just a second, eyes still closed, concentrating.

Then she split.

It happened smoothly, like watching a cell divide under a microscope. One moment there was one Mira—The Purple Bandit—standing in the ruins. The next moment, there were two, standing side by side, absolutely identical in every way.

Perfect clones.

Jelo’s eyes widened in awe. "Whoa," he breathed.

Her ability was duplication. She could create perfect copies of herself.

The implications for combat were immediately obvious. Two fighters instead of one. The ability to attack from multiple angles simultaneously. Confusion for the opponent about which one was the "real" version.

The countdown finished, and the match officially began.

Both versions of The Purple Bandit rushed forward together, moving in perfect synchronization, ready to engage Chainsaw Man from two different angles.

The fight had begun.