Chetachi vs. Reagan

A chill ran down Che’s spine. What was he thinking? This guy was made of metal, and he just watched the dude send someone flying with one punch. Yes, he had an advantage over him, but what was he supposed to do?

He hated fighting. He’d always despised it.

Nikki scoffed. “How? You can’t fight, and I’m weaker than both of them!”

Che shook his head. “No, you’re not. I don’t believe that at all.”

Nikki sighed. “So what’s the plan then?”

Che rubbed his chin as he looked over at Reagan and Vista. Reagan was doing some strange victory dance that looked like something he’d seen in an old 90s music video, while Vista remained completely still, waiting for Che or Nikki to act.

“You are a Flame Type,” Che explained, keeping his eyes on their two opponents. “You have an advantage over Flora, Ice, and Metal types. That means you can take on Vista and win if you use fire-based moves.”

From his peripheral, he saw Nikki’s eyes widen.

“You’re sure?” she asked.

Che nodded.

“But what about the other one?” she pointed at Reagan.

Che turned to face the soldier, whose grin hadn’t left his face, as he began to feel cold and prickly. Dread was setting in, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before his opponent would attack. Would he even be able to throw a punch, dodge an attack, or run away? He looked down at his hands; they were trembling, and soon he felt his entire body shaking.

“I guess…” Che’s voice fell to a whisper. “I guess I’ll take him on.”

“What?” Nikki shouted. “You can’t even fight, and you don’t sound very confident! How are you going to beat someone like him?”

Che sighed, clasping his hands together and hoping they’d stop shaking. “I’ll have to manage, but if something happens to me, I’ll need you to step in after you beat Vista.”

Nikki’s face switched back and forth between disbelief and despair. Finally, she stood up and faced Vista.

“Fine,” she said. “We’ve got nothing left to lose anyway.”

Che nodded. “You’re absolutely right about that.”

Nikki stepped forward, facing Vista, who was still clutching her purple thorn whip.

“Another fighter,” she said in a monotonous tone. “Interesting.”

“Whatever,” Nikki grumbled. She took a deep breath and prepared to attack. Vista sent her whip flying in Nikki’s direction, but Nikki dodged it just in time.

“Flame Wisp!” a small orb of fire appeared in Nikki’s hand, but Che noticed she didn’t send it flying right away. Vista unleashed her whip again, and Che was certain it was going to hit Nikki head-on. However, Nikki dodged at the last moment, but the orb remained. It caught on fire, and the flames swept across the whip until it reached Vista. She cried out as her body was covered in flames, but they quickly extinguished themselves.

Before Vista could move again, Nikki had already appeared behind her with another fire orb. The flames engulfed Vista’s body once more, extinguishing just as quickly. Except this time, once they vanished, she dropped to the ground, now unconscious. Che watched as Nikki gazed down at Vista in shock before looking up at him. Che nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

He didn’t have time to notice Reagan’s fist before it collided with his jaw, sending him flying back. He landed on the ground with a thud, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

“Ya little friend pulled that cheap move with the tulip earlier,” Reagan smirked as he looked down at Che. “I’m returning the favor.”

Che sprawled to his feet. He hadn’t been expecting Reagan to attack him so quickly. Still, he had to act fast. Reagan was certain this would be an easy victory. He’d watched Bella and Kim go down without any trouble, and he seemed confident his new opponent presented zero challenge. Still, Che took on a battle stance, surprised at how easy it came to him.

“Ole girl kept saying you can’t fight,” Reagan chuckled. “With them square ass clothes you got on, I believe her. Where you from anyway?”

Che swallowed, noticing how dry his mouth was, before responding. “Beat me, and I’ll tell you.”

“Alright then,” Reagan charged again, but this time Che was able to dodge as he recalled what the status menu display had shown him. He had two moves: Ace Punch and Meditate. Both were Brawl Type moves, but Ace Punch was the only one that functioned as an offensive move. Meditate would only raise his defensive stats. Plus, now wasn’t the time to use a move like that. He’d need to be quick and decisive.

Reagan recovered from his miss, turning and charging once more. He jumped into the air before shooting his foot out as he prepared a new attack.

“Mach Kick!” he cried out as he soared towards Che, who realized he was holding his breath. He couldn’t delay any longer. He needed to do something now. Time felt like it had slowed nearly to a complete stop as Reagan drew closer. This was it. He had to decide what action he’d take next.

He could dodge Reagan’s attack and run, taking Nikki with him. Being a soldier, his opponent likely couldn’t abandon Vista, while Bella and Kim had been nothing but schoolyard bullies since he’d woken up. They wouldn’t have hesitated to leave them behind if the tables were turned.

But was that the truth? After all, Bella had stood in front of Che when Reagan asked who he was and where he came from.

“He’s with us. He’s a recruit for the academy.”

Che sighed, his lips curling up into a smirk. Just before Reagan’s foot could collide with his nose, he dodged just in time. Reagan landed in a crouching position, hesitating for several seconds. Che took a deep breath before sprinting towards him. Just before he reached the soldier, he sprang up to his full height.

“Got him!” his smile was wider than ever. “Steel Coat!“

His skin once again became silver and shiny, but Che kept towards him.

“Thought you had me there, huh?” he smirked. “Thought I was gone let you slide on me while I was down.”

“Actually,” Che replied, “I was hoping you’d do the complete opposite and activate your armor. Ace Punch!“

Che’s fist landed right in the center of Reagan’s face, and he watched as Reagan’s protective armor shattered as he was sent flying back several feet before landing on his back. He tried to stand up, but he fell into a crouching position again.

“You a Brawl type?” he rasped. “Man, you was just playin’ around. Wack.”

He looked over at Vista, who was still unconscious. He winced before holding his abdomen as he tried to stand up.

“We not done though!” he yelled. “Round 2, square!”

“That’s enough, Reagan. I don’t want you hurting this one.”

Another figure appeared, also seeming to drop out of the sky. It was a man, this one with short, spiky red hair and sinister brown eyes. He regarded Che for a moment before a smile spread across his face.

“Man, I ain’t listening to you!” Reagan stepped forward, preparing another attack, when an invisible force knocked him sideways. He went flying into a nearby tree, his unconscious body sliding down its trunk before flopping unceremoniously onto the ground.

Che returned his gaze to the stranger, who had his hand held out towards where Reagan was lying. He too had a status menu screen displayed in front of him like the others, and Che read it out loud like he did Nikki’s.

“Yokan. Mental type. Level 30. Knows moves Telekinesis, Psycho Beam, Teleport, and Convalesce. Strong against Brawl and Venom types. Weak against Spirit and Shade types.”

He froze.

“Good. You get status screens too,” Yokan nodded.

“You!” Che’s voice cracked as he pointed a trembling finger in his direction. “I know you! What are you doing here? What is this place?”

Yokan’s smile seemed to grow even wider than before. “It’s good to see you again, Chetachi.”