Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

TWENTY-ONE

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The long-haired SOLDIER swung his blade at me, but I deflected it easily, Buster sweeping his weapon aside again as we drove up ahead of Motorball. Red and Barret were fighting it as best they could and doing plenty of damage, but the mech was as tough as it looked, spewing fire and slamming down onto the road to cause a miniature quake with the impact. I quickly returned my attention to my own battle as that insane SOLDIER on the red bike cut at me again.

"This a private party?" he grinned. "That's fine. I'll settle for a race, then. Just one. You and me!"

I frowned as I blocked his attack. "You talking to me?"

He laughed. "I most certainly am!"

"Then no!" I snapped.

"Ah, so sorry!" the SOLDIER sneered. "I'm afraid I didn't hear that. My last dance didn't satisfy, but I have a feeling that this one will! Your strength is clear, your speed undeniable! And your opponent is Roche, the legendary Speed Demon himself!"

I struck at him with Buster. "Not interested."

"Playing hard to get?" Roche chuckled. "I can go with that. Time to dance, my friend! A contest of blades and will! And we won't allow the machine to get in our way! Ha, ha!"

We kept fighting, blades clashing, neither us getting an opening at first. Despite his bravado and being a complete dumbass, he was pretty good with a sword, parrying my blows as much as I did his. The Hardy felt almost empty without Jessie behind me, where she belonged. At the thought of her, I renewed my assault, catching Roche across the arm to get first blood. It only excited him more, though.

"Yes, yes!" he cackled. "At last! This is the contest I've been waiting for! Let's push it past the redline!"

He sped on ahead of me, whipping arcs of pale green energy in my direction with his sword, but I managed to avoid them. Several of them hit Motorball, knocking it back for a moment, while others just missed the truck with Tifa and the others. Then Roche lifted his sword up and sent bolts of lightning charging down the road at us. They were harder to get away from than the energy gusts, but we managed, more or less. Although a couple of them got within inches of the truck, Tifa swerved aside just enough to evade them.

That was when Motorball started firing massive laser blasts across the road, bright orange beams capable of slicing us apart. I pulled hard on the handlebars, jerking the Hardy to the left just in time. The truck bounced a little but managed to escape the worst of it. As Roche pulled up again and we resumed our fight, I knew I had to end this fast. If my dream was right, we were running out of road and would reach the end soon. Roche and Motorball were a deadly combination, but they could be beaten. And then I knew how.

As our blades slammed into each other and our bikes roared down the road, I lured him back alongside Motorball, slowing down until he matched my speed just as I knew he would. I made sure that he was on the outside, on my right, while the mech was on my left. And then, just as I had on the way back from the Sector 4 underplate with Jessie a few days ago, I spun the Hardy completely around in a full circle, sweeping Buster in a tight arc that slashed both Roche's motorcycle and all three wheels along Motorball's right side.

"Well, well, well..." Roche said, smoke rising from the gouge in his bike. "It seems this round goes to you. Maybe next time we can keep it just between the two of us. What do you say?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

He grinned. "Until next time, my friend!"

Then he drove away, hurling a final blast of lightning at Motorball as he did and laughing like a lunatic. The mech sparked and shook but held together. Still, I could tell we were wearing it down. Just needed a a few more hits in the right place. Barret's gunfire ripped into its body, and the wheels that I'd struck looked as if they'd come apart completely with just a bit more pressure. When I sliced into them again, Motorball lurched off balance, its guns firing wildly.