Sigma/Star

Chapter 30: Syns of the Past

Chase's limb flopped to his side. His left arm seemed to be out of the equation now for this scrap but he was thankful that he was at least a little stronger with his right anyways. The enemy, Sergeant Jericho, wasn't backing down for a second but he hadn't made a move to intercept Chase. The two combatants understood the rules of the gentleman's fight, even if Chase had never been considered a gentleman or anything remotely close to that classification in his entire life.

Jericho made the next strike, lunging but suddenly ducking and throwing a low jab. Chase fell for the trickery but didn't try to move and dodge the blow. Something was taking over his usual arrogance, something very unfamiliar and foreign feeling. Seemed almost like responsibility.

He had to stand up and take every blow. Everything inside of him wanted him to win this battle but if he had to he would endure a loss if it meant stalling enough for Nami to be saved and for everyone else to win. For the first time in Chase's life, he was willing to make himself the sacrifice for the gain of the collective.

But this also had a personal bonus in it that Chase observed. With Jericho unloading a fist into the abdominal section of the "South Star" Chase was looking down at a prime opportunity to bring his elbow down on the enemy Goliath from above.

When he tried to though, the grizzled veteran rolled to the right and lashed out with his foot, clipping Chase's knee and causing the young pilot to wobble a bit but he maintained his balance. Something was working within Chase now, something he couldn't quite control or understand but it had him standing up to this foe, unconcerned with the physical beating he was taking. Another part of Chase didn't like that though.

It was a more arrogant part. Fine, he was going to be responsible, he would be a martyr and a hero, but at the same time he was Chase Rezel, renowned superstar of the academy, and there was no way in hell he was going to lose a fist fight to some past-his-prime enemy in a crappy Exo suit.

Jericho drove hard with his fists for a pair of haymaker punches, knowing quite well that Chase's dysfunctional limb wouldn't be able to stop him from the left side. The twin attacks collided hard with Chase's raised arm...his left arm. In the coolest fashion possible, Chase's head slowly turned to look at Jericho, whose Goliath couldn't reveal his slightly amused expression of surprise and admiration. The joint was still shattered at the elbow and yet there it was: Chase's arm was up, the undying spirit of the warrior in Chase bringing it back to life.

The young pilot could feel his passions channelling through his arms, flowing down into his hands and growing. It was like a tiny spark floating down onto a pile of oil-soaked kindling. The fire was now bursting out.

The South Star's fists ignited, enveloping in flames springing from within the metal and flickering up into the air. Chase looked out at his hands on the monitor in disbelief before a wicked grin crept up on his face. My turn, he thought.

Chase had unloaded six different blows before he even realized what was happening. Jericho's arms were crossed in front of him, absorbing each of the fiery shots as they came. Chase's confidence rose with each punch and he leapt back of a retaliatory strike, sliding along the dust until his Goliath came to a stop. He dug in before lashing forward once more, this time going for a pincer punch (something he had invented himself) with one fist coming from above and another going for an uppercut.

Jericho's experience as a warrior still kept him from taking the full brunt of the blow as he back-stepped but the flaming weapons sheared down and up across the front of the Goliath, leaving a scorched trail of blackened metal.

Next would be the finale move, to bring both his hands together on the enemy's head, crushing it and winning instantly. Chase brought his arms up to catch Jericho coming out of the dodge move. They began coming together as Jericho's came up, catching both fists on either side of the veteran's head. He then threw his body forward into a head butt that collided with Chase's face, smashing both faceplates of the Goliaths and cracking some of their visual sensors, sending the two stumbling back.