Battle of the Hearts
It had been a few days since the battle against Ethan and Hacker. There had been a couple more Viron attacks since then, with several containing new breeds that Earth had yet to see. Obsidian bravely fought them off, collecting any data on them to give to Sci-Tech Labs to better prepare the planet for more invasions.
One day, Obsidian was relaxing in one of the city parks. He had just polished off a candy bar and was merely enjoying the springtime atmosphere. As he leaned back on the bench, he closed his eyes, allowing him to absorb the beauty of nature.
“Earth is a beautiful planet,” he said to himself. “Humans are an interesting race, yet they have their charms. While I’m still baffled at the concept of a race that can be both good and evil, depending on the individual, I will admit it does open my eyes to such possibilities existing. At least the food is good. Better than anything I’ve ever eaten in the past, even that I can remember. At least, aside from the Viron attacks, things are peaceful here. I just wish it could continue this way forever.”
As he relaxed he didn’t notice that a familiar figure was slowly tiptoeing toward him from behind. As he closed his eyes to take in the peaceful feelings a pair of hands covered them, startling him.
“What the?!” he sputtered.
A familiar voice giggled, “Make a move and you’re a goner. …Guess who?”
“Wait… Pride!?”
The hands removed themselves, followed by a playful giggle, and soon Pride’s head poked out from behind him.
“You know, Obsidian, you’re supposed to pretend you don’t know who it is,” she said playfully. “You have to make at least one fake guess to play along.”
Obsidian turned to her, “Pride, I’m surprised to see you. Wait. Does this mean what I think it means?”
Pride sat down on the bench, smiling, “That father finally relented and granted me my wish? Yes. Considering I wasn’t even speaking to him since that day we spent together he finally gave in, as it’s clear his daughter’s love was more important than his rules. Now I’m free to come and go as I please. Though in exchange I do have to do work for Cream Industries, especially field tests, but I consider that a fair exchange for finally having the lock on my gilded cage undone. And it means I can spend time with you, my best friend. I’ve been waiting for this day for years. And I owe my newfound freedom to you, Obsidian. It’s because of one misunderstanding that I not only got the freedom I’ve been craving for years, but now I’m in a better relationship with the rest of my family. And it makes me so happy. Thank you, Obsidian, for being the catalyst that helped me break free from my shackles and grant me the freedom I’ve yearned for since I was little.”
She planted another kiss on his cheek, making his eyes widen in surprise.
“Y-You’re welcome, Pride,” he said, a small blush forming on his face.
A blush formed on Pride’s face, making her giggle, “Still not used to kisses yet, are you? Well, you have plenty of time to get used to them. But, again, thank you. That one misunderstanding you had snowballed into something amazing. And I’m forever thankful.”
A voice then chuckled, “Bless my filet of sole, is that Pride Cream?”
The duo turned to see Mack ride up on his bicycle.
“Hello Mack,” Obsidian said.
Mack chuckled, “Well, I didn’t expect to see two lovebirds out here. But I’m even more surprised to see ya out and about, Pride. Doesn’t yer father have some pretty strict rules?”
Pride nodded, “Yes. Or at least he used to. Thanks to Obsidian here those rules have been alleviated. Now I finally got the freedom I’ve been craving since I was a young girl back in my home region of Scandinavia. And I intend to make good use of my newfound freedom. So expect to see my face around town more often. Oh, and by the way, thanks for selling my chefs those Icelandic arctic char filets the other day. They were good.”
Mack smiled, “Glad to hear it on both fronts. I can only imagin’ what it’s like to be trapped inside all day. Youn’ folk like yerself need to be out in the sun and have a good time. Well, anyway, I gotta run. Got some deliveries to make. Y’all take care now, ya hear?”
He started to peddle his bicycle and rode away from the duo.
Obsidian turned to Pride, “What did he mean by ‘lovebirds’? We’re not a type of bird.”
Pride giggled, “There’s another meaning to that word. I’ll tell you some other time, Obsidian. Right now let’s take advantage of my time outside and have some fun.”
She stood up and gently tugged at Obsidian’s arm. He stood up and the two of them started to walk down the street together. They began exploring the city, checking out some shops and seeing the sights. They soon came to a new shop.
“Hey, this shop wasn’t here before,” Obsidian observed.
Pride looked at the sign, “It looks like it’s a Combat Chip shop. Let’s check it out.”
They entered the building. There were various shelves and displays of countless Combat Chips of all types. No one was at the counter.
“Hello? Anyone home?”
A familiar voice said, “Just a second.”
Obsidian’s eyes widened, “It can’t be.”
Soon Ethan walked out from the room behind the counter.
“Welcome to Ethan’s Combat Chip Shop!” he said. “How can I help you?”
“So you started a Combat Chip shop, Ethan?” Obsidian asked, surprised.
“I don’t think I know you. Have we met before?”
Obsidian chuckled nervously before saying, “We met the other teracycle. Normally I wouldn’t disclose this information but seeing how I already messed up. It’s me, Obsidian Glitch, aka Star Rider. I tend to keep my two personas separate for security reasons but we met when I was in my Star Rider persona when you forced Cherry into an Ante Battle and I intervened. Remember?”
Ethan’s eyes widened, “Wait! You’re Star Rider!? Come to think of it, your eyes, or rather your pupils, and hair look familiar. And now that I think about it both Star Rider and you showed up at the same time on this planet. Guess I should’ve put the pieces together. But who’s this young lady? And does she already know?”
Pride giggled, “I’m Pride Cream of the Cream Family and heir to Cream Industries. I found out about the whole Obsidian/Star Rider thing on my own. You see Obsidian and I met because of a misunderstanding on his part and I managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together and was able to deduce that he and Star Rider are one and the same. It was fine as it granted me the best day I had in years so it was worth it. I already know about the whole secret identity thing because I figured it out myself. You’re free to talk openly about it around me since I’m already aware of it.”
“Oh, I see. You’re the heir to Cream Industries? I thought your father was known for being rather strict about keeping you at home?”
“He was, but thanks to Obsidian and a little ultimatum from me I’m finally free to come and go as I please. It does mean I need to do some extra work for Cream Industries, especially field tests, but I consider it a fair exchange for finally being let out of my gilded cage.”
Obsidian turned to Ethan, “So, Ethan, you went into business with your Combat Chip collection. I take it you just opened up?”
Ethan nodded, “Yep, and I owe it to you, Obsidian. You were right about what you said and I felt bad about it. I decided to make amends by offering my services to spread the love of rare Combat Chips and offer my knowledge on them. I just opened up shop yesterday. I offer chips for sale or for trade. And with that out of the way, what can I do for you?”
Pride looked around before saying, “I might be up for a few trades, Ethan. I’m looking for certain chips to fill out my collection. Do you have any Bubble Shots?”
Ethan smiled, “Sure do! Got quite a few of them. What do you want to trade for them?”
Pride sorted through her collection of Combat Chips before saying, “How about I trade you a Hyper Cannon in exchange for three Bubble Shots?”
Ethan’s eyes lit up, “You have a deal, Pride!”
He collected three Bubble Shot chips and held them out. Pride gave him one of her Hyper Cannons in exchange.
Ethan said, “I’m surprised you’d be willing to trade a fairly powerful and rare chip for three lesser ones, Pride?”
She replied, “I have a lot of rare and powerful Combat Chips thanks to my family’s wealth and resources. But I don’t have as many common chips as I’d like. Yes, I could just use my family’s wealth to get them but unlike Glimmer Corp, who throws around their money in hopes of getting what they want, I don’t want to resort to such methods. Besides, I have some strategies I’d like to try out but I lack the needed chips to pull them off. I value strategy over power and you’d be surprised at how useful something as simple as a Mini Grenade can be if used strategically. Though something tells me you know your stuff when it comes to strategy. But moving on, do you have any Zap Magnet chips?”
Ethan nodded, “Yup. Just got a good dozen or so this morning. What are you going to trade for them?”
Pride looked at her collection before saying, “I’ll trade you a Great Axe in exchange for four of them. Sound fair?”
Ethan smiled, “You got yourself a deal, Pride. I’m liking you more by the minute.”
Ethan took out four Combat Chips from his display and held them out. Pride gave him one of hers in exchange, putting the new ones in her pouch.
“Now, do you have any Grass Seeds?”
Ethan nodded, “Yup. I got plenty of those.”
Pride sorted through her collection before saying, “I’ll trade you a Bubble Barrier for three Grass Seeds.”
“Sounds good to me!”
Ethan took out three chips from a shelf over to his left and held them out. Pride gave him one of hers in exchange.
“Now, let’s see… Do you have an Alpha Barriers?”
Ethan nodded, “Yup, got plenty of them.”
Pride looked through her collection before saying, “I’ll trade you a Mega Vulcan in exchange for four Alpha Barriers.”
“You’ve got a deal, Pride.”
Ethan took out four chips from the display behind him and held them out. Pride gave him one of her chips in exchange, placing the new ones into her pouch.
“Now, for the last trade, do you have any Air Burst chips?” she asked.
“You got it. Got at least a good two dozen or more. What will you trade in exchange?”
Pride took another moment to observe her collection before saying, “I’ll trade you an Ice Grenade in exchange for four of them. Sound good?”
Ethan smiled, “I’ve been looking for an Ice Grenade for a bit now. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
He took out four chips from another side of his display and held them out. Pride gave him one of hers in exchange, putting the new ones into her collection.
“I like you, Pride,” he said with a smile. “Not just because you’re offering such nice trades, but it’s clear you value and understand that every Combat Chip, rare or otherwise, can be useful. Compared to Julia, who I battled the other day, she just spams her best attacks and hopes the opponent can’t retaliate in time. But you clearly understand strategy and the value that any Combat Chip can offer.”
Obsidian smiled, “As do I. As someone who has seen more than his fair share of battles, most of them being life-and-death, I appreciate the value of a solid strategy over just spamming your best moves and hope the opponent can’t fight back. Anyway, hope business will be good for you, Ethan. And keep the whole Star Rider thing quiet, okay? I’m trying to keep both sides of me separate for security reasons.”
Ethan nodded, “No worries on this end, Obsidian. I’ll stay hush-hush about it. Come back any time and spread the word while you’re at it.”
Pride smiled, “We will. Thanks Ethan.”
The duo left the chip shop and started to walk down the street.
Pride smiled, “I’m glad Ethan was willing to make so many trades with me. I’ve got some fun strategies and combos I want to try out with these Combat Chips.”
Obsidian smiled, “I’m glad to see you understand the value of strategy. It’s a shame Julia doesn’t, as she thinks the raw power of all her rare Combat Chips is enough to win the day. Against an opponent like Knuckler or Strag, maybe, since they’re not as strong as they think they are. But it is a different story against a smart and skilled foe like how Ethan and Hacker were when they fought. But I am curious to see what your strategies and combos are.”
As they walked down the street Julia, Thomas, and Daxter emerged from a building behind them. They were chatting when Daxter noticed the duo.
“Hey! Isn’t that Obsidian?” he said. “And… isn’t that Pride Cream of Cream Industries with him?”
Julia’s eyes flared dangerously, “Pride Cream!? What’s she doing with Obsidian!?”
Thomas scratched his chin, “Cream Industries? Why does that name ring a bell?”
Julia snapped, “Meathead! Cream Industries is the arch-rival to Glimmer Corp, my family’s company! The aggravating thing is that Cream Industries has always been at least one step ahead of Glimmer Corp, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the Cream and Glimmer families.” Her eyes widened in shock, “Oh no! She’s not trying to get a business deal with Obsidian, is she!? So Cream Industries can gain access to Sci-Tech Lab’s exclusive technology!? No! I won’t allow it! If Cream Industries gets ahold of Sci-Tech Lab’s technology before Glimmer Corp my father will go on the warpath! I need to break up this little powwow before Glimmer Corp loses to Cream Industries! Again!”
She charged ahead, racing toward Obsidian and Pride. Thomas and Daxter raced after her, trying to keep up.
“Hold it right there!” Julia stated strongly.
Obsidian and Pride turned around to see Julia come to a screeching halt just short of them. Thomas and Daxter soon followed, panting.
“Oh, it’s you, Julia,” Pride said, deadpan. “Whattya want?”
Julia pointed her right pointer finger at them, “I won’t allow Cream Industries to gain a business deal with Sci-Tech Labs! I made the generous offer to Obsidian for access to Sci-Tech Labs technology first, blondie! And Obsidian WILL comply to my father’s generosity. Isn’t that right?”
Obsidian replied bluntly, “No. I told you already that I’m not interested in your business deal. Nor is Sci-Tech Labs, as they want nothing to do with Glimmer Corp’s rather shady methods.”
Pride brushed some hair out of her face, “And for the record, Obsidian and I are not discussing a business deal. We’re simply spending time out on the town together. Besides, Cream Industries knows that Sci-Tech Labs is off-limits to any and all technology companies. Even though Cream Industries is in Sci-Tech Lab’s good graces we don’t want to make any business deals with them because we know the information and technology Sci-Tech Lab has is too important to be used for marketing purposes. You’re simply jumping to conclusions about what Obsidian and I are doing. After all, he’s my best friend and I’m just spending some quality time with him. So you’re barking up the wrong tree, Julia, as there is no business deals going on here. It’s just two friends hanging out and having a good time together. It’s not that difficult to figure out. Sheesh.”
Julia snapped, “I don’t buy it! You’re trying to smooch up to him so you can get Cream Industries access to Sci-Tech Labs and all its great technology. Well I won’t allow it! I got here first so get in line! Or would you rather face me and my friends in a Cyber Battle?”
Pride gained an annoyed scowl before it changed to a confident smirk, “You and I have a Cyber Battle? That should be worth killing some time. And I was looking for some test dummies to practice some new combos I cooked up. Fine. In fact I challenge all three of you to a Cyber Battle. If either of you can defeat Knightmare then I’ll step aside. But make no mistake: Knightmare is a one-man army. The arcade is just around the corner. Let’s use the Cyber Battle Machine to get this over with.”
Julia laughed triumphantly, “I’ll crush you with my rare and powerful Combat Chips! If Thomas or Daxter don’t crush your tin-plated sissy first. Let’s go!”
Julia marched toward the arcade, with her “lackies” following her. Pride rolled her eyes, grabbed Obsidian’s hand, and gently guided him toward the arcade. They soon arrived, entering the building and making their way toward the new Cyber Battle Machine. A Cyber Battle had just wrapped up, allowing them to move in.
Julia instructed, “Thomas, you go first. Give Pride and her sissy in double-knit the one-two punch with Knuckler.”
Thomas smirked, “Be my pleasure, Julia.”
Pride smirked, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The could be goose eggs instead.”
Both took their positions on opposite sides of the machine. Several people gathered around to see what was going on.
“Pulse In, Knuckler!” Thomas stated strongly.
“Pulse In, Knightmare!” Pride said calmly.
Both Cyber Guardians entered the machine, causing a projection to appear. Knuckler appeared first, clanging his fists together. But his eyes widened in shock as Knightmare appeared, who towered above him.
“Hello… tiny,” Knightmare chuckled.
“T-T-That’s Knightmare?!” Thomas sputtered. “He’s huge!”
Obsidian said sagely, “Size can be a weapon in it of itself. But size doesn’t always matter. Don’t you Earthlings have a story called ‘David and Goliath’? But we’ll see if ‘David’ can beat ‘Goliath’ this time.”
Julia stated, “Thomas! Stay focused! You can beat him!”
Thomas regained his focus, “Right! Leave it to me, Julia! You’re going down!”
Pride merely said, “Bring it on.”
Flashing words appeared above the two Cyber Guardians reading, “Battle Start”, indicating the fight was about to begin.
“Knuckler, give Knightmare a taste of your Knuckler Punch!”
Knuckler pounded his fists against his chest in a gorilla fashion, stating, “Yeah! Yeah! I got it!” His right fist became enlarged, “Knuckler Punch!”
He swung a punch at Knightmare, who remained still. But when his fist connected against Knightmare’s heavily armored hide it did nothing. Then, after a brief delay, Knuckler howled in pain, stumbling back, shaking his hand.
“Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts! He’s hard!”
Pride smirked, “Knightmare has a powerful defense on his side. Your punch tickled him. Now, it’s our turn! Combo time! Bubble Shot! Combat Chip, go!”
She slotted in one of her new Combat Chips. Knightmare’s right hand vanished and became a cannon that looked like the front of a firehose. He took aim and fired a blast of water. The attack struck Knuckler, hitting him with mild damage but also encasing him in a large bubble.
“Now! Zap Magnet! Combat Chip, go!”
The firehose cannon vanished and was replaced with a large horseshoe magnet. Knightmare held it forward and activated it. Knuckler, who was still trapped in the bubble, got forcefully, and quickly, dragged over to Knightmare, bubble and all, before latching onto the magnet. The magnet released powerful electrical energies that fried Knuckler with intense power, popping the bubble and paralyzing him in the process.
“Hey! That attack did more damage than it should!” Daxter sputtered. “How come?”
Obsidian replied, “Whenever an opponent is trapped inside a bubble, any Electric damage they take while inside it is doubled. And if the opponent happens to be a Water Element the damage is instead quadrupled. And if struck while on a Sea Panel that damage is octupled. Pride used a very clever strategy there. And it involved some of the new chips she got. She’s smart.”
Pride smirked, “Now, Knightmare, smack him while he’s still paralyzed!”
Knightmare nodded, “Right!”
He jumped back a bit, returned his right hand to normal before transforming his left one into the spiked mace. He then started to spin like a top, displaying speed unheard of for someone his size. Just as Knuckler was starting to recover from the paralysis Knightmare made his move.
“Royal Wrecker!”
He slammed into Knuckler, smashing him hard with the mace, sending the bulky Cyber Guardian sky high and dealing heavy damage. After reaching a certain point Knuckler seemed to be suspended in midair.
The female computer voice said, “Knuckler, Pulsing Out.”
Knuckler turned into a bolt of energy and vanished, returning to Thomas’ Cyber Terminal badly damaged. Thomas looked devastated while Julia and Daxter looked horrified.
“That doesn’t bode well…” Daxter gulped.
Julia managed to recover before instructing, “Daxter! Get in there and take down that nickel-plated twit!”
“Y-Yes ma’am!” Daxter hastily replied.
He scampered over to the Cyber Battle Machine as Thomas sulked away. He gulped before pointing his Cyber Terminal at it.
“Pulse In, Strag!”
Strag soon appeared inside the machine. Pride took a moment to observe Strag before smiling. Shortly afterward the words “Battle Start” flashed across the arena.
Strag pounded his fists together, “I’ll make sure you fall, Knightmare!” He started generating electrical energy in his horn before saying, “Horn Bolt!”
Rocket energy erupted from his rear and he raced forward, pointing his horn as Knightmare. Knightmare merely stood still as the incoming attack drew closer. Strag slammed his electrified horn into Knightmare’s stomach, creating a smoke cloud.
“Bullseye!” Daxter stated confidently. “A direct hit!”
However, his confidence turned to horror as when the smoke cleared Knightmare was unharmed. Strag’s eyes bulged as he saw his attack do no damage to the massive knight and began backing away.
“That tingled a bit,” Knightmare said simply.
“N-No way! He took my Horn Bolt like it was nothing!” Strag sputtered.
Pride smirked, “Like I said before Knightmare’s got a very solid defense. And that’s not even considering his special defensive ability. Now it’s our turn! Grass Seed! Combat Chip, go!”
A green capsule formed in Knightmare’s hand. He then threw it in the center of the battlefield. The capsule sank into the ground and soon grass formed, confusing Strag and Daxter.
“You trying to cultivate crops or something?” the electric beetle Cyber Guardian asked.
Just then two large blades of grass emerged and ensnared Strag, lifting him off the ground slightly and immobilizing him. He began to panic as he tried to escape.
Pride smiled, “That’s not all I have planned for you. Tornado! Combat Chip, go!”
Knightmare’s left hand became a cyber fan. He pointed it forward before activating it, releasing a vicious tornado from it. The tornado soon took form underneath Strag and became larger. It also started to gain a green tint as it seemingly absorbed energy from the grass underneath the Cyber Guardian. Strag screamed in pain as he was viciously assaulted by the attack.
“W-W-What’s happening!?” Daxter sputtered.
Obsidian replied, “Whenever one of the Elemental Seeds is used, creating a type of special panel, it does more than just change the field. When combined with an attack like Tornado it not only turns the Tornado into the corresponding element, in this case Wood, but it magnifies the attack by two and a half times. In short, combining the Grass Panels from Grass Seed with Tornado turned the latter into a supped-up version of Squall. And since Strag is an Electric element, the damage is being multiplied further. To put it lightly, Strag is taking quintuple damage because the Tornado is now a 2.5 times stronger version of Squall combined with the double elemental advantage damage. So this is gonna hurt. And that’s not all those Grass Panels can do.”
When Knightmare ended his attack Strag came crashing down from above, badly damaged. He landed on another section of grass before trying to stand up but was struggling badly.
Pride smirked, “One more attack should do the trick. Flame Tire! Combat Chip, go!”
She slotted in another Combat Chip, which caused a large flaming tire to appear in Knightmare’s hands. He reared back and threw it at the defenseless Strag, who was still struggling to stand. The tire seemed to be getting stronger as it rolled over the grass, burning it up in the process. Before Strag could respond the flaming tire slammed into him, exploding on contact and sending the electric beetle Cyber Guardian flying. Strag was soon suspended in midair.
“Strag, Pulsing Out.”
Strag vanished in a bolt of energy and returned to his Cyber Terminal, battered and beaten. Julia’s jaw had dropped as she saw her second line of defense fall.
“W-What happened?!” Thomas choked. “How’d that Flame Tire do so much damage!?”
Obsidian replied in an almost bored tone, “Those Grass Panels had another useful trait. When a Fire element attack is used on them the power of said attack is doubled. So while Flame Tire is only a so-so attack in terms of pure power by combining it with the Grass Panels doubled it, making it much more formidable. While it also consumes the Grass Panels it’s a small price to pay for dealing a devastating blow. I’m liking Pride’s strategies.”
Pride turned to Julia with a smug expression, “You’re up, Julia. This is your last chance to back down. What will it be?”
Julia regained her focus, stating strongly, “I will crush you with my superior Combat Chips! Let’s do it, Cherry!”
Cherry protested, “Are you nuts!? That walking tank will flatten me!”
“Just do what I say and follow my instructions and we can win this!”
She walked over to the Cyber Battle Machine with confidence while Daxter sulked over to where Thomas was.
“Pulse In, Cherry! Let’s blast that metalhead back to the Renaissance era!”
Cherry soon appeared in the arena, which had reset now that a new battle was beginning. She gulped as she looked up at Knightmare, who towered over her small frame. The words “Battle Start” flashed, indicating it was time to fight.
“This’ll take you out in one shot!” Julia said confidently. “Warrior Sword! Combat Chip, go!”
Cherry’s right lower arm transformed into a massive sword that was nearly as long as she was tall, with a bulky gold and red hilt. Energy seemed to be generating in it before she gave it a mighty swing, releasing a huge energy shockwave at Knightmare.
Pride smirked, “Not happening. Alpha Barrier! Combat Chip, go!”
A barrier formed around Knightmare. The energy wave struck the barrier, causing both to cancel each other out, to Cherry’s horror.
“Warrior Sword, Paladin Sword, and Champion Sword may be powerful and rare, with their main draw being the one-time shockwave they can create. But if that shockwave is negated then they’re no different than a Sword Combat Chip afterward. So while Alpha Barrier can only negate one attack that’s all I needed to nullify the main draw of such a weapon. Now it’s our turn!”
Knightmare pointed his mace forward, stating, “Kingdom Krusher!”
He fired it on its retractable chain right at Cherry, who was clearly panicking.
“Cherry, attack the mace with your sword!” Julia instructed.
Cherry swung the sword at the incoming mace. The mace effortlessly shattered the Warrior Sword, not even slowing down, before slamming into Cherry and sending her flying, screaming. Knightmare retracted his mace back to his arm, looking confident.
Julia grit her teeth, “You want to play hard ball? Then try this on for size! Aura! Combat Chip, go!”
Cherry, who had just managed to recover, was coated in a glowing aura.
Pride smirked, “That won’t stop me. Air Burst! Combat Chip, go!”
Knightmare’s right hand became the same jet engine-like cannon as before. He pointed it at Cherry, who was clearly sweating bullets. He fired the blast of wind at her, striking the Aura and blowing it away easily.
“Not again!” Cherry sputtered.
“So Pride knows that Auras and Barriers can be blown away by Wind attacks too!?” Daxter sputtered.
Pride smirked, “Yes. I know my stuff.” She turned to Julia, “Are you going to give up?”
Julia growled, “Never! I’ll beat a big boobed bimbo like you one-two-three! Eat this! Gaia Hammer! Combat Chip, go!”
A massive hammer appeared in Cherry’s hands. She reared back and slammed it on the ground, creating rolling explosions that swiftly made their way toward Knightmare.
Pride sighed, “It’s impolite to talk about a woman’s breasts in public, Julia. But if you want to play that way I’ll return fire… Miss Washboard.” She instructed, “Knightmare, activate Titanium Body!”
Knightmare nodded, “Right!”
His body changed, now becoming a titanium silver color. When the rolling explosion attack struck him it did no damage, making Julia’s and Cherry’s eyes widen in surprise.
“I-It did nothing!?” Julia sputtered.
Pride grinned, “That’s the beauty of Knightmare’s exclusive defensive ability: Titanium Body. It negates almost all damage dealt to him. Combined with his already impressive defenses makes for a very powerful means of sponging hits. Knightmare’s got a defense that even real knights would kill to have.”
Julia growled, “We’ll just see about that! Cherry, the Gaia Hammer has four more shots left! Let them roll!”
Cherry gained an apprehensive look before complying. She slammed the Gaia Hammer down on the ground four more times, sending multiple rolling explosions. But the attacks harmlessly bounced off of Knightmare’s Titanium Body defense, leaving him unharmed.
Pride grinned, “Now, for the coup de grâce. Knightmare, finish the job.”
Knightmare lowered his defense, nodding, “Right!” He aimed his mace forward, “Kingdom Krusher!”’
He fired his mace directly at Cherry, who had completely given up in trying to fight back. The mace slammed into her and kept going until it smashed into a wall surrounding the battlefield, flattening her into a large crater. Knightmare retracted his mace back to his body. Cherry was crushed in the crater, clearly in pain.
“I’m gonna feel that tomorrow…” she groaned.
“Cherry, Pulsing Out.”
Cherry vanished in a bolt of energy, returning to Julia’s Cyber Terminal. Julia was devastated, falling to her knees.
“N-No… this can’t be right…” she sputtered. “I… I can’t lose to Pride… I can’t lose to my family’s arch-rival… There’s no way… How could my superior Combat Chips fail me!?”
“Simple: you lacked strategy,” Obsidian said. “Throwing around your strongest and best attacks will only work against opponents who can’t defend themselves from them. But when an opponent is strong and smart then you’re out of luck. Pride clearly knew her stuff and was smart enough to find very effective counters to your ‘superior’ Combat Chips with lesser ones. It doesn’t matter how powerful an attack is if it can’t damage the enemy. Power alone isn’t the true strength. You need to use strategy over power in order to win the teracycle. Pride certainly proved that. And it appears all those new Combat Chips she got from the new Combat Chip store really came in handy.”
One of the bystanders turned to him, “Wait. There’s a new Combat Chip store in town? Where?”
“Yes, there is. It just opened up. Leave the arcade, take a left, turn at the corner, and it’s about four buildings down. The owner is a nice guy and has a good selection. You can buy or perform trades with him, depending on what you’re looking for. Pride just performed a bunch of trades with him before she got swept up in this ordeal, gaining pretty much all those chips she used during the battles except the Flame Tire and Tornado chips, which she already had. Go check it out, as the owner has a good selection and is looking for business since he just opened up.”
This piece of information got the attention of all the bystanders, now discussing about checking out the new Combat Chips store.
Pride merely said, “Good work there, Knightmare. Time to Pulse Out.”
Knightmare nodded, “Right.”
“Knightmare, Pulsing Out.”
Knightmare vanished in a bolt of energy and reappeared in Pride’s Cyber Terminal. She put it back in her pouch and turned to Obsidian.
“Now, let’s get those sundaes we were discussing before Julia and her posse showed up,” she said with a smile.
Obsidian nodded and the duo started to leave.
Julia stated, “This isn’t over, Pride! My father will gain access to Sci-Tech Lab’s technology before Cream Industries does!”
Pride rolled her eyes, “I told you my father isn’t interested in making a business deal with Sci-Tech Labs. If he wanted access to their technology he could do so himself, as he’s in their good graces. But he knows that the technology and information Sci-Tech Labs has is too important and too sensitive to be used for anything business related. So he has no intention of gaining access to their exclusive technology because he understands it’s too important to be used for anything other than its intended purpose. Sheesh. Let’s go, Obsidian, and enjoy the day while we still can.”
The duo left the arcade, leaving Julia and her “lackies” behind.
“I can’t believe we lost so easily…” Thomas bemoaned.
“That Pride certainly can put her money where her mouth is…” Daxter sighed. “I guess we should take notes on how to perform better strategies if we want any chance to defeat her.”
Strag nodded, “Yeah, she really clapped our cheeks. Maybe some practice in strategy would be ideal. Especially something like using an opponent trapped in a bubble then hit them with an Electric attack. That’s something we could do, Daxter.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Julia stood up, a fire in her eyes, “I WILL beat Pride and show her AND Cream Industries that Glimmer Corp is superior in every way! Watch yourself, blondie, as I’ll trounce you with a vengeance!”
Cherry sighed, placing her face in her palm, “This won’t end well.”
Outside Obsidian and Pride were walking down the street, heading for the ice cream vendor. Pride looked quite proud of herself.
Obsidian smiled, “You really showed off some impressive tactics and combos back there, Pride. You clearly know the value of strategy. I’m impressed.”
Pride giggled, “What can I say? I know how to use my head. Now, the ice cream vendor is just around that corner. Time to have a victory sundae.”
The duo continued their way down the street, with Pride feeling good about her victories. They knew Julia would be back to start the conflict again, but they were ready for her.
Next Chapter: Danger Derailed
