Given a Reason (Rewrite)

Chapter 4

I ducked for cover as a plane nearly took my head off.

"Jesus!" I yelled as the grazing wind washed over me. I felt like it was going to drag me along the ground.

Carol and Lilac didn't seem to have the same issue as me since they paid more attention to the plane. To be fair, it was odd seeing some dumbass attempt to fly. Sky's haven't been safe for weeks.

"Where are you going?" Carol asked as Lilac stared to run in the direction of the aircraft.

"We have to do something. They might be hurt." Lilac responded before dashing away as Carol followed closely behind on her bike.

Wait... This is the beginning of the first game! Shit, I didn't think it would happen this soon. Not to mention the dialogue sounded like it changed, too. Is me being here causing changes. Shit, I have to make sure it stays on course as much as possible.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Maybe I should worry about keeping up with them before I do anything.

I did what I could to follow them, but avoiding all the robots made it difficult to do so. Running past them was the most I could do, but even that was a struggle. They're almost as fast as me and have weapons.

The terrain didn't help either. All the loops, steep slopes, and sudden falls made it difficult to navigate. The fact that I don't have a broken bone or something like it is incredible. I even got stuck in an ambush and got really lucky. They got Storm Trooper aim. I did get hit a few times, but all we're blunt attacks. So god damn lucky.

Luckily, I made it in time... To see them run in a new direction as the "shell-duck" vanished in the direction of, what I assume, is the treehouse.

"W-What the fuck?" I was out of breath. I may have increased my stamina, but I still have a limit.

"Odd, humans don't tend to leave their planet often." A scratchy voice burned my ears. I knew it, but the fact that I ran into him so early made things so much more complicated.

"Shit." I whispered. I turned to the voice and found General Serpentine, the right hand of Brevon. I made sure my body language was as relaxed as possible.

"Tell me, human, how did you get here?" I swallowed the spin in my mouth, as if trying to swallow the sarcastic remark that threatened to slip out. I had to think of a convincing lie so he leaves me.

Come to think of it, he knows what a human is. Could he have come across some of our satellites or observed the International Space Station. So many options, but that means he knows where Earth is.

"I don't know... I was at home and then I was somehow here." I answered. Honestly might be my only saving grace now.

"You expect me to believe that cretin!" He yelled while drawing one of his bullshit guns on me. Yeah, I consider his weapons bullshit. Mostly because he gave me the most trouble on my first playthrough. I guess honesty failed. "Now tell me!"

Fuck it. I duck under his weapons and drag him to the ground. I made sure his weapons weren't pointing towards me. I needed to disarm him if I wanted to continue the fight.

I slammed one of his hands on the ground a few times so he'd lose his grip. I had him in a full guard, my legs were on both sides of his torso which pinned him to the ground, so I didn't have to worry about him getting out.

Luck was no longer on my side. His grip didn't weaken one bit. Not to mention that he was overpowering me slowly. The surprising strength of my non-dominant hand was the only thing keeping me alive. In a last ditch chance, I released his arm preoccupying my dominant hand and delivered a swift jab to his exposed face.

"Agh!" The quick yell affirmed that I did something to him. I did it again and it achieved the same response.

He was disoriented. I managed to pull the weapon from his hand before he threw me off him. I scrambled to my feet, a growing stinging feeling in my hand made itself known. It was dull and barely noticeable, but it was there.

"Dirty ape! I'll kill you for your insolence!" I gulped again, my mind still focused on the combatant before me. I was so focused that I didn't throw a response at him.

I rushed him and got in close. He was shocked that I closed the distance so fast before grappling him. He punched my side and made me lose my grip. Once more he threw me away.

Instead of recklessly running into a stronger opponent without a plan, I grabbed a fist full of dirt. Once more, I rushed him, but I threw the dirt in his face before I connected with him. He flailed his arms in an attempt to hit me, but they mostly missed. Honestly, I couldn't tell what he was saying anymore since my ears began to emit a high pitched ring.

From here, I got him in a full control straddle before gripping his neck with one of my hands. He tried to pull my arms away from him, but they barely budged. Finally, I had the upper hand.

*   *   *   *   *

I walked back to the treehouse with a slight limp. I obviously got hurt and my body was making that painfully obvious. The adrenaline finally wore off before I managed to get out of sight of that general.

To say I beat him was an understatement. It could have easily been seen as a war crime if anyone saw it. To be honest, I don't recall anything after punching him in the face after I pinned him a second time. All I know is that he's still alive and he'll be back for revenge.

I struggled back to the top of the ladder into the treehouse. Still no glasses, but I learned to adapt.

"I'm back." I said before Lilac slid in front of me in a deep bow.

"I'm so sorry we left you! We got caught up in the moment! Please forgive us!" Lilac yelled as I moved past her and patted her on the head. It was something I often did when I didn't feel like talking. It was actually a habit I made in Avalice.

"I just want a bath." I couldn't see Lilac, but Carol coolly walked into the room.

"I kinda hoped you got- What the heck?!" Carol yelled as she pointed at me.

I looked at my hand, it was red with blood, both his and mine. What would be considered alarming, was that it was swollen and purple above the joints of the fingers. Yup, the military conditioned me to just deal with the pain.

"... One thing at a time. I'm going to clean myself off." I limped to the bathroom and began to inspect my body for anymore injuries. I could hear them say a few words on the other side of the door.

Yeah, that limp meant my ankle was broken. How could I tell? Maybe the fact that it was the size of a dodge ball, purple, and facing in the opposite direction. You'd think I'd be in more pain, but I didn't care anymore. A few months of bed rest and treatment, and I'll be on my feet.

Of course I cleaned myself before trying to get dressed. The shirt was fine as well as the jacket. The underwear was easy enough, but the pants were difficult. Still, I got them on. Socks, nope. That's not happening. Not even going to attempt it. But then again...

Through the pain, I managed to put my sock on and my shoes. Soft shoes are a definite must now. Doctor, here I come.

"Hey, Hunter! We got a call from General Gong, he was going to give us a reward for helping him, do you want anything?!" Perfect.