Crono's Story by Traum

Chapter 27 Phoenix

It's called "Fighter's Reflex." Some refer to it as "Fighter's Reaction" or "Warrior's Impulse", but whatever the name, it was the main staple of a good fighter. It was basically the ability to do what is needed, as an impulse, while in battle. An example would be if someone came up to you and threw a punch at your face. Most people would naturally bring their hands up, close their eyes and lean backwards quickly in a vain attempt to protect themselves. The Fighter's Reflex made a person stave off their natural human instincts and react in a way that would actually protect themselves, such as moving sideways to avoid a straight fist. Most people would never grow this reflex, but through years of training, and many punches to the head, one could grow the Fighter's Reflex.

Every one of us had, at one time or another, developed this reflex, some of us more easily than others. I knew that Karnai had the reflex naturally, being a Namek, and Gideon had seemingly been born with the instinct, probably passed on from Tien. I didn't even know of the reflex until after I arrived on Earth, and then found I too, had the natural ability.

So I was surprised as hell when I realized after our battle with the weaker Caprians that this group of warriors didn't possess the reflex. The Kalandrilian I fought, for example, would fight erratically, seemingly not knowing what to do while his fighting. I noticed that with Karnai's and Kennard's battles as well, the Caprians had no concept of the Fighter's Reflex. It seemed like their bodies were too powerful, and that it had over-ridden their mental conditioning and training, the stuff that would control the Fighter's Reflex. That was the main problem with their training; they just didn't have the mental defences to protect the training they'd first received since joining the Caprian army.

All that changed with Triel. I could tell from his swagger as he walked out, he had that certain spring in his step that only someone with the Fighter's Reflex could attain. He almost pranced out into the middle of the grassland in front of the huge crater and just stood there. He grounded himself in the field, a cool, confident face plastered onto his skull, without a worry in his purple little head. This seemingly new development of the reflex is all that prevented me from flying out there and wiping the positive looked right off his ugly mug.

Instead of doing anything rash, we all convened a few hundred metres away from Triel's position to discuss the situation. We huddled together in a small circle, and Karnai began, "Should we all just rush him? Even with Yush and that big guy -"

"Blanka." Kennard interrupted.

"Even with Yush and Blanka," he continued, "we outnumber them pretty badly. I say we just jump him, and then after that take our chances."

Gideon retorted "If we start a free for all right now, the person we wished back won't have time to make it here and help us out."

"That's true." Karnai admitted.

"Well," Yukia piped in "I guess that means one of us has to face off in a duel against this guy."

"Yeah." Arsenia almost whispered.

"So," Kennard said, "any volunteers?"

I thought it over, but I knew this guy was out of my league. I gauged his power to be somewhere near Gideon's, and less than Karnai's. I could tell that both of them were hiding their true power though, and that Triel had no such technique to mask his full power. Of course everyone's eyes gradually drifted to Karnai, while the Namek just stared empty-headedly at the ground. I could see Arsenia open his mouth to ask Karnai if he was willing, but Gideon interrupted. "I'll go." He announced silently.

We all turned to look at him, and he looked each of us in the eye. There was something in his black, hollow eyes that just lifted everyone's spirits, it always had. That was part of what made Gideon such a good leader; he brought your hopes up without doing a single thing, just gazing into your eyes. "I can take him." He announced.