Blessed Combat

10 - Advice and Trust

"Come on Arma! You can punch better than that!" Phoenix bellowed loudly, nearly missing the kick that was thrown at her way. Arma grunted loudly, his face somewhat pale and perspiring a lot. His vision seemed disoriented with exhaustion but he continued to press on and instinctively avoiding the mirror that Phoenix was trying to force him to see. It was not like he was purposely glancing away from the mirror; it was his natural instincts kicking in to look anywhere but the mirror.

Phoenix knew this was so very well but continued to shove the mirror in his face for the umpteenth time. Once again, he avoided his gaze and continued to attack her with his fist. Phoenix noticed that after many duels with other players, Arma had significantly improved. Though he was a bit awkward in some areas but it was still impressive for a guy who doesn't want to fight.

The mystery of Arma, not recalling his experience in Blessed Combat had baffled both Zatch and Phoenix. From what she and Zatch knew, Arma wasn't motivated enough to join Blessed Combat two years ago when the Taboo occurred. However, the moment when Phantom Dancer, whoever that mystery man was, destroyed more than half of the game stage, Arma fell unconscious at the apartment all three of them used to live.

For five whole minutes, there was no pulse, no heartbeat and no breathing from him. Arma's body had grown cold and Zatch almost declared him dead. However, since Phoenix was at present, Zatch couldn't say it out loud because Arma was like family to the girl, no matter how annoying he was. For her to hear that news would only break her heart.

Then, just when the medics appeared, Arma started breathing again. His vital functions were working properly and he woke up in a slight daze. At that point, there was nothing wrong with him. He could remember his real name, what happened in Earth, how he got into the game, who Phoenix and Zatch was and the fact that everyone else thought of him as a monster. So of course both Zatch and Phoenix didn't suspect anything from Arma.

That was until they asked Arma whether he was joining Blessed Combat again and what he thought about the Taboo that was broadcasted live in their personal TV. Phoenix could still remember the shock in Zatch's face when Arma answered back. It was as if Arma had been abducted by aliens and brainwashed.

"Eh? What do you mean joining it again? And what Taboo?"

The memories of his experiences in Blessed Combat and him being unconscious when the Taboo occurred were gone. Time to time, Arma had holes and gaps in some other memories too but he never questioned them as he always shrugged it off as normal. However, both Zatch and Phoenix knew very well that it wasn't normal. Something had happened to Arma and his memories during the Taboo even though he wasn't even part of it.

Back at the present, Phoenix dodged off another punch by catching it with her fist despite how painful it was. Arma growled lightly and stepped back, preparing for another combination combat move. He stepped forward with his left foot and placed more weight in that leg to keep him balanced. He then thrust out his right hand, throwing a punch to which Phoenix swiftly dodged by side stepping.

"So...you...don't...know...What...the trials are?" Phoenix gasped at each word as she either dodged or threw a fist or two at Arma. The tall lad grunted, to which Phoenix took as a yes. She jumped back, causing him to relax a bit but still poised to attack. Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest, rocking the mirror with her left hand as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Before we continue... I'll explain it to you." Arma gasped out in relief. He was more or less felt wasted after fighting Phoenix for so long. He placed both his hands on his knees and painfully inhaled all the air he could get. Sweat drops trickled down from his head and dropped on the white ground below him, staining it in grey splotches.