~To fight or not to fight, that is the question ~
Well, Axel had to fight.
He hesitated for about two seconds before stepping forward, his face trying to conceal his nervousness.
Frostvein, with jagged, pointed armor-looking stuff around his body, saw Axel as a BOSS. He even respected Axel; at least he was the one who had defeated the extremats.
He bowed to show sportsmanship, his facial expression not visible as he was staring downwards.
Axel, too, bowed. In a split second, seemingly like a superpower, he calculated his chances against his opponent, who was staring at him now, his facial expression blank and his next actions unpredictable.
That was where the problem lay, actually. This opponent seemed to conceal his emotions and even looks, not letting his opponent predict even a bit of his emotion (being nervous, sad, brave, and all).
He was just calm and relaxed and took what came at him with an open mind, not once showing any sign of emotion or what he was feeling.
Axel took that to notice and put it into consideration. Since he absorbed punches and kicks and—any form of attack—and used it in retaliation, Axel limited that if he wanted to survive and go far in this fight.
Axel would have to be pertinacious, alright, but with caution. Sometimes, he would have to be beaten. He had dope powers and cool skills and even a quite (not so 'too' quite) inventory, so that made him stand a chance against this villain.
Royal Cloak tore him out of thinking.
"Begin!" he shouted.
Axel flew up.
Frostvein couldn't fly, so he had an aerial advantage over him, one that was 'too' evident.
Frostvein moved backward a bit, his next move unpredictable.
Axel wanted to strike first, but then, he waited, obliquely staring at Frostvein's overall appearance. He, too, didn't budge. Axel was expecting that he wouldn't. And he wasn't too shocked at it. That was obviously how Frostvein would win.
Him. Axel. How would he win? He calculated his chances. Frostvein would be expecting a strike, as he did with every opponent he faced. That was the neat part now. Axel, too, wouldn't move. He would act like Frostvein, and in doing so, he would prolong the fight.
Axel expected Frostvein to get bored of it and then, using the injury he had from his previous fight to create armor and weapons, including the one he had earlier, he would attack him.
That was when Axel would start to dodge his attacks since he had fast reflexes.
Or—
Axel could prolong the fight and then, without even a sign of warning, dash at Frostvein since he had fast reflexes.
Axel almost smiled now. He was done thinking real quick. It was time to fight. He had two plans now:
Plan A
And
Plan B
Plan A was the sweetest, the one he was to go with, while Plan B was more of an alternative than the original. It was something he would do if his original plan didn't work out.
And so the fight really began.
But it started slow. Not with punches and kicks and the likes. It was a fight where the opponent went tactical.
They stood facing each other for fifteen long seconds.
Axel was expecting Royal Cloak to tell him to fight hard or fast or— but he didn't. He only winked at them both and said:
"Going tactical, heh? I like it."
Royal Cloak liked tactical moves, or he liked watching them, actually. Combat driven by fighting, to him, was very predictable. You knew who would win and who wouldn't. It was lively, alright, but sort of not too impressive, at least according to Royal Cloak. He loved fights with twists and unexpected winners, and this might prove to be one.
Axel and Frostvein exchanged glances, almost puzzled ones, only that Frostvein's was almost puzzled, but nonetheless, it was blank. Axel's was puzzled for a split second, but after that, he succeeded in making it blank also.
Axel could see Rhea staring at him, and he suddenly felt another level of pressure on him.
He—
WHOOSH!
Axel turned to look—
A weapon made out of ice was entering his face.
Axel jerked backward and hit a wall. Frostvein took that as momentum and plunged his jagged fists into Axel's stomach.
That jolted quite an average amount of blood out of Axel's mouth. He immediately realized.
"Damnit!"
Looking at Rhea had been a distraction.
He couldn't ponder his mistake now. Not in this state, not when he was being beaten.
'Wait, was this Frostvein's plan?'
A sinister smile from Frostvein proved that. At least, a 'superhero-looking smile' from Frostvein proved it.
So that was his plan?
"Shit!" Axel muttered under his breath.
A damn distraction! Tactical but good, and by the way Royal Cloak was nodding his head repeatedly now, Axel knew he found it good.
But how had Frostvein given him the punch when he was flying and Frostvein was down?
Frostvein seemed to answer his question by leaping very high and hitting his legs very hard against the ceiling. He came at Axel with a rapid amount of insane damn speed!
Axel smiled in his misery. So Frostvein could jump high? If so, then he had a really cool superpower. But that seemed to be the least of his problems, that is, according to the situation at hand.
'Why did Frostvein hit his legs at the ceiling?' he asked himself.
'To injure it,' Axel heard himself reply to himself (in his mind).
'But why?' he asked himself, almost amused because he was asking himself questions and then replying to them.
'To wound himself.'
'Why?'
Frostvein replied to him by walking on the wall and heading his way in a rapid rush.
"I see now," Axel muttered.
He could see it, actually. The adrenaline, the rush, the loud footfalls heading his way. He could smell defeat.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Axel suddenly smiled. Perhaps he had a plan C?