Predator: The Ultimate Hunt

Chapter Fourteen - The Final Battle

Dark Ace continued leading the Berserker Predator away from Pyrrha. Eventually, the Berserker catches up to Dark Ace and begins attacking him. Dark Ace dodges the attack and swings his Crystal Sword at the Berserker, but the Berserker parries the attack and begins to brutally beat Dark Ace with his bare hands. Soon enough, Dark Ace was able to recover and push the attack on the Berserker.

Dark Ace: You picked the wrong prey to hunt, monster! I won't fall to the likes of you!

Suddenly, blaster shots ring in the immediate area. One of the blaster shots hits the Berserker in the side. The Berserker then retreats to the center of the sacred grounds. 

Dark Ace: COME ON! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! I'M RIGHT HERE! KILL ME IF YOU CAN! 

As the Berserker retreats, he is attacked by Pyrrha and Cad Bane. The Berserker holds his ground against the two as he turns his attention to Cad Bane. The Berserker kicks Pyrrha and impales Cad Bane in the chest. 

Pyrrha: NO! 

Cad Bane looks to the Berserker with defiant eyes. He spits blood in the Predator's face as he growls at him. 

Cad Bane: Guess I'm not....getting paid after all. 

Cad Bane then pulls out multiple thermal detonators and activates them. The Berserker is initailly confused as to what was going on.

Cad Bane: I go out....on my own terms....

With a smile on his face, the Duros Bounty Hunter then detonates the thermal detonators, killing himself and wounding the Predator. The resulting explosion leaves the Berserker with severe burns. Before he could recover, Dark Ace and Pyrrha attacked the Predator with their blades. The Berserker was able to overcome this and begins to violently beat Dark Ace with his bare hands. Pyrrha saves him by stabbing him in the back. The Berserker lets out a howl of pain as he impales in the shoulder with his Wristblade. Dark Ace then takes the opportunity to brutally attack the Berserker with his Two Handed Crystal Sword. In the process, Dark Ace manages to cut off the Berserker's left arm. Pyrrha soon gets up and slashes at the Berserker's face. Dark Ace and Pyrrha look to the severely wounded Predator as he lets out a defiant roar. With a final heave, Dark Ace decapitates the Berserker. With the battle over, Dark Ace falls to his knees. Pyrrha slowly approaches him while clutching her wounded shoulder. 

Pyrrha: You....you came back. Why? 

Dark Ace: I....I don't know. It was as if my instincts told me to go back.....

Pyrrha smiled at this single display. He proved to her that he was capable of doing good. He proved to Pyrrha that he was not like Thailog.

Pyrrha: T.....thank you. 

Dark Ace: Don't mention it. I hope you understand what this means now. 

Pyrrha looked to the night sky. She knew what Dark Ace was referring to. She remembered Dark Ace's words not too long ago. 

Pyrrha: You didn't have to come back. You could've left this place and returned to your home. You and Cad Bane.

Dark Ace: When we found the ship, we realized escaping would be far too easy and simple. You were right. That Hunter didn't stand a chance. He would've died quickly. Too quickly for us to make our escape. Cad Bane rigged it to take off. Gave us plenty of time to set up a trap. 

Pyrrha smiled. Even though Dark Ace's motivation for coming back had selfish intentions, she was glad he and Cad Bane came back to help her. If it weren't for them, she would be dead. 

Dark Ace: I was wrong about you, girl. I thought you were to naive too survive. I thought your heroic tendencies would've gotten you killed long ago. Yet here you are. 

Dark Ace thoughts fell on his hated rival Aerrow. Pyrrha displayed the same determination and skill as him. In a sense, he admired her for that. But that also made him very cautious of her. But after the fight she put against the Berserker as well as how she was able to survive this long, Pyrrha earned his respect. 

Dark Ace: It is...very fortunate that we were not enemies. Otherwise I would've killed you by now. 

Pyrrha simply chuckled at the Cyclonian's comments. It was the closest thing she would get to a compliment. With the battle over, the two rested in the camp. In the morning, both Dark Ace and Pyrrha had patched up their wounds. Without a ship, they were stuck here. There was no way out. Suddenly, they saw parachutes falling from the sky. They were falling to separate parts of the planet. 

Pyrrha: Another season has started. They're.....they're bringing more people to hunt. 

Dark Ace looked to this. In that moment, he remembered how Thailog mentioned how the Predators operated in a hunting season. By seeing the parachutes, this was the beginning of a new hunting season. This meant that more Predators would show up. It also meant another possible ship to escape in. 

Dark Ace: Now.....let's find a way off this fucking planet. 

With that, Dark Ace and Pyrrha gathered the weapons from the fallen Predators and left the camp to continue searching for a way off this planet. When they arrived, they were strangers in a strange land. But now, both Dark Ace and Pyrrha Nikos understood the ways of this world and the rules of the hunt. For them, the ultimate hunt was the hunt to escape.