Tempest: The Champion

Phase 13, part 2

Just in time. Isaiah breaks one of the sign's metal rods in half, making it lean to the side. When he realizes I'm no longer there, he rushes towards the building which looks like some kind of warehouse. He makes a surprisingly high jump, grabs the edge of the roof and pulls himself up.

I feel the roof trembling under his footsteps. It gives me an idea. When he comes closer to me, I gather the power into my legs. But this time, I don't jump. I stomp on the roof, making it collapse. Then I do a backflip into safety while I still have some solid under my feet.

...

Isaiah falls down alongside the debris, but it's not enough to score a point. I jump from the edge of the roof and try to surprise him with a rapid kick. He blocks it with his forearm. However, I chain into a furious series of punches and kicks, but they seem to not harm Isaiah anyhow.

He's almost half a meter taller than me and my thin arms and scrawny shoulders look ridiculous compared to his hulking figure. However, my petiteness borrows me much needed speed and agility I use to avoid his counterattacks. His frustration starts to grow.

In the Dead Zone, I've rarely seen him lose his temper. He was big, scary and an experienced fighter, but he never really hurt anyone unless he had to. Now, it seems he finds pleasure in causing harm, like he became addicted to aggressivity.

However, his addiction leads to mistakes.

When I evade another menacing hook punch, Isaiah groans and opens his hands like a bear, trying to grab me and squeeze my soul out of me. Not today, my dear. I use the fact he's completely uncovered and deliver a quick kick into his chin. It finally makes him stumble.

I try to chain another attack, but Isaiah recovers surprisingly quickly and shoots off towards me. Before I realize what happened, I feel his organic arm wrapping around my neck. I'm helpless as he continues running, smashing through one of the walls. Outside again, he grabs my head into his artificial arm (it's so big my head fits perfectly into it) and brutally slams it against the ground.

OO_|___ | Tempest | Maverick | X__|___

I see stars and for a moment, I lose all control over my body. The INF system saved my head from errupting like a watermelon, but damn, it was still a harsh experience. It takes a while before I can try to get back on my feet. My head sways as I stand horizontally again.

And Isaiah doesn't lose time.

I can do nothing but run since I'm not ready for another direct encounter. Since I'm still dizzy, I trip over my own feet and lose my speed, allowing Isaiah to catch up. I see his hand reaching for me again. I jump to the side where a wall is and continue running on its edge; my balance is fortunately back.

As he tries to grab my ankle, I jump again and land on another wall across from the first one, this time higher. This one is already unreachable to Isaiah.

Then, suddenly, he stops and starts to gasp for breath. Good for me. Exhausting him is a, maybe the only, way to defeat him. He has a bad habit of pushing himself over the limit, then paying for it.

I jump off the wall. He doesn't even try to defend as I deliver my signature tornado kick. However, in this case, it's not enough to score a Fatal point, as it usually does. Isaiah's head just tugs to the side and he makes a step to the right to keep balance. Otherwise, he doesn't look shaken.

Isaiah changes tactics. He aims his artificial palm at me. I already know what to expect and I start to run, but Isaiah's steam cannon goes off before I can get out of reach. I don't receive a full blast, but I still feel moisty heat on my back and water dripping down my bare thighs.