Russell's words made perfect sense. They were grounded in objective fact, reasoned and convincing.
Russell Two and Three had once considered the same plan: win over the weaker one, defeat the stronger enemy, then eliminate the weaker one and become the final Russell, ending the time loop.
But when those words actually came from Russell's mouth, the two of them felt especially awkward, as if he had somehow schemed against them.
A scheme was a scheme. It was exactly what I needed!
Russell Two and Three treated it as a dying struggle. While staying on guard, they smiled and proposed forming a team.
"Brother, pick me. I'm weaker than him. The two of us can take him out, and afterward, you'll have a better chance of turning things around."
"Nonsense. I'm weaker!"
"..."
The contest over who was weaker began. The two Silly Birds each made their case, insisting that they were the correct choice.
Russell waved a hand. "Stop talking nonsense. Be practical. Whoever gives me some Dark Energy, I'll team up with him."
"You must be dreaming!"
"Your piss is yellow. You go first!"
Hearing that Russell wanted benefits before teaming up, Two and Three immediately gave him hostile looks. They considered taking him out first, then having a fair duel, lest they truly capsize in a ditch.
His opponents were smart, so Russell could not fool them as easily as before. He decisively chose Russell Two as his teammate. "It doesn't matter which one I choose, but our uniforms match. We won't accidentally attack each other later."
Through their dark demonic bodies, both Russell and Russell Two wore the work uniforms they had snatched from Jessie. They could barely be called team uniforms.
Whoosh!
The instant Russell made his choice, Russell Three used telepathy and Soul Control