As the two contestants locked blades, Alex looked up at Cane and smiled.
"Hey, man. I don't really wanna fight you, y'know? Why don't you just surrender."
Cane paused for a moment. Hmm, this guy Alex is pretty nice. Plus, if we actually fought, he might beat me. After all, his skills are superior, right? He's got Hover, and... WAIT.
But it was too late. Those few moments Cane spent thinking about surrender, Alex had already flown around Cane's unmoving body and launched another attack at Cane from behind.
Sh*t! Cane could only rely on his speed, which outranked everyone in the Tournament by leagues.
Fwip! Clang!
Luckily, Cane managed to turn around in time and block Alex's attack. Enraged by the sneak attack, Cane retaliated. He reared his sword back with his right hand and moved his left hand forward, as if winding it up for a full-powered blow. Then...
A stunning scene appeared. That was because instead of striking Alex with his sword, he used his left hand to punch him! Alex reared back in the air, momentarily dazzled by the blow.
Now! Cane then followed his first attack with his sword, the attack he'd been projecting to begin with. Just in time, Alex noticed the attack and moved his own sword to block! But once again, another stunning scene appeared.
That was because... Cane's sword turned into a metallic liquid, splashing Alex in the face! Indeed, it was Cane's Omnitool, which had previously been in the shape of a sword.
Immediately after splashing onto Alex, it began to wrap and bind around Alex's body. Thinking quickly, Alex rotated in the air at violent speeds, causing the wind to push Cane backward.
In that same time, the metallic liquid was completely scattered everywhere, and it could only slowly come back together. Cane's eyes narrowed.
Such tactics can only work once. I'll use my Omnitool as armour now, and switch to other options. The Omnitool formed an armour around Cane, and he proceeded to use Steal on his Plasma Pistols.
Technically, they weren't with him. However, he'd actually hid them within Hiding Spot. Thus, at any time he liked, he could have them appear within his hands via Steal.
Cane raised both Plasma Pistols and began to let off shots. Meanwhile, Alex sped through the air and avoided each energy bolt at high speeds. In fact, had Cane not ranked up before the Tournament, he'd wager that Alex would still be faster by a little.
"Hey, nice shooting, man!" Alex called out from where he flew. Cane stopped for a moment and smiled.
"Yeah, thanks. I -" Cane's next words were cut off as Alex sped towards him, sword out. This time, Cane didn't have enough time to react since he was talking, not thinking. The sword pierced Cane's Omnitool armour, splashing liquid and sent him flying.
As Cane went backward, he controlled the liquid around Alex to fly toward him. As each droplet flew, they sharpened into needle-like points and pierced into Alex. His face went pale from the pain, and he quickly retreated.
Too fast for my Omnitool. The needles won't be able to catch up, eh? Cane turned in the air and stabbed his hand into the ground, halting his flight. He then punched with his other hand, sending him flying back toward Alex.
Woosh!
As Cane drew near, Alex dodged with ease. The two pulled back and stared at each other once more.
Cane needed options. The ability to fly, or, well, Hover, is very powerful. And every time I get an advantage over him, he always uses Peace to make me lose concentration. The biggest hindrance right now is Peace, so... I should remove it.
Cane closed his eyes, remembering his friends and family. He thought about their deaths, about how he still didn't know who killed his siblings. Cane looked up at Alex, who was also recuperating.
On the day I find the ones who killed my family, peace will not be an option. Thus, I shouldn't allow it to be an option, even now. Cane crouched slightly, and launched himself forward!
Alex was startled, but dodged easily. Cane began to unleash a flurry of blows, so incredibly fast they were only a blur. The wind generated from the force created visible shockwaves.
And yet...
"HOW! How are you dodging all my attacks?!" Cane was unconvinced, and continued different sequences of attacks. From sweeping spear strikes to stabs with a sword, punches and slices with glaives, nothing he nor his Omnitool did could land any hits on Alex.
By now, the pair had made their way around the arena as if on a world tour. Their trail was marked by the presence of craters and gouges in the ground and walls.
"Confused? Yeah man, you should be. This is a technique of mine - Omnipresent Escape. Cool name, huh?" Alex chuckled whilst continuously dodging. "Why don't I explain it to you? I'm feeling in a good mood."
He stopped laughing. "Plus, it won't make any difference whether you do or don't know about my technique."
Cane stopped attacking for a moment, lunging backward to create distance. He turned the Omnitool into a shield, then replicated it using Steal. After that, the second shield became a sword.
Alex smiled at the sight. "Woah, man. Calm down. No matter how much you try attacking me, it won't work. After all, everyone's attacks generate wind. Like a leaf in the wind, I can easily avoid your attack by going with the flow of the air. All I gotta do now is wait for you to tire out, and then I can defeat you."
He landed on the ground for a moment. "So, what do you say? How about giving up now. There's no way to win."
Cane paused for a moment. Then, he threw away his weapons directly. At the sight of this, Alex smiled. He walked forward, hand out to shake Cane's. Cane took it.
And then turned and slammed Alex into the ground!
"F*ck you! You think I would give up over such a small matter? Nah, I'm just throwing my weapons away - because I'm faster without them." Cane used Steal and a bottle of pills appeared in his hand. The perception pills. He opened the cap and swallowed them all.
Holy sh*t.
In that instant, the world seemed to slow down and move at 0.5x speed. Everything turned grey. Even though he didn't, Cane couldn't help but feel like he had control over time. Cane sped toward the disoriented Alex.
Alex, upon seeing Cane, began to fly once more.
Once again, a familiar rhythm began. Cane would continuously strike at Alex, sending out huge shockwaves and loud noises. Alex would dodge like a leaf fluttering in the wind, constantly smiling. Except, something was different this time.
Every punch would get closer. Each strike sounded quieter, and seemed to move faster. Most of all, the shockwaves generated from Cane's movements began to lessen.
Whenever Cane was about to face the backlash from the pills, he dissipated them. After all, they were just clones. Then, he'd use Steal and consume new pills.
Alex's face became pale at the realisation. And yet, there was nothing he could do. He hadn't told Cane in the hopes that he could make him give up, but whilst Alex used his technique, Omnipresent Escape, he couldn't spare any attention on other things.
He couldn't attack at all. All Alex could do was dodge.
And if he didn't dodge? Everyone already knew Cane's immense strength and power. Even if they hadn't seen him in the Monster Gauntlet, one look at Cane's previous display of countless shockwaves was enough.
Actually... Alex smiled once more. I still have one option left.
"Great job, man! You're already improving so much. Why don't you consider this a training session, and as a payment to me, surrender?"
Immediately, Cane's fists slowed down as his eyes became slack.
Now!
Alex seized the moment to retreat at high speeds, and then accelerate back at Cane!
One interesting aspect of Alex's ability to fly was his near-infinite acceleration. Theoretically, Alex's attacks could generate immense force if he had enough time and distance to accelerate. Of course, air resistance was an issue, meaning there was still a limit.
Alex's fist reached Cane's face. One such blow could most likely knock Cane unconscious. But as his fist was only 1 centimetre away from Cane's face, Cane's body automatically dodged.
And countered.
CRACCK!
An uppercut jabbed Alex in the chin, hitting him so hard he began to spin in the air and ascend in elevation. As he spun and flew, Cane looked up at him with a sense of glee.
Firstly, Cane had never actually fallen under Alex's Peace. Instead, he pretended to in order to make Alex attack.
Secondly... Cane had been learning Alex's technique the entire time. How to move without air resistance, how to move with the air flow, he learnt it all.
As Alex went in to strike Cane, the air in front of his fist caused Cane's body to instinctively shift backward, avoiding his fist with ease. Then, Cane's own punch cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, moving with such force that the air and wind was only generated afterward.
BANG!
Alex's body lay on the floor, unconscious and unmoving.
"Thank you. I learnt many things today." Cane stared at Alex with a look of respect. Then, he turned and walked back to the waiting room.
As he moved, he was completely silent. If one didn't know, they might've thought they were watching a video without the volume turned on.
As for if someone was next to him, they might also have noticed that when he moved, there was no wind from his movements.
No one knew what to say, really. After a short pause, medics came down into the arena to help Alex.
Thus ended the final fight for the Tournament.
Those who won was Nick, Isaac, Cassidy and Cane. The next round would start in 1 day, but the fights were already arranged.
Cassidy was to fight Nick, and Cane would fight Isaac.
The first round was already so interesting. Everyone in the audience could only wonder.
How would round 2 go?