Author's Note: Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated. And yes, I know there isn't as much
of "teh FOO-nay" in this chapter. But I think every Guilty Gear writer, at some point, has to
write a Sol & Ky fight scene. It's like a rite of passage, or perhaps a test of skill. And
this... this is my time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear. If I did, I'd punch Sol in the face every time he said
"Itadakiiii!" (god damn Dust Loop). Unfortunately, it is currently owned by Sammy and by Arc
Systems. Please do not sue me, I have no money.
A Little Bit of Innocence
A waste of good bandwidth by: TheArchimage
Part 5 : Noontide
------------------------------
Axl didn't have a clue when this whole "party" thing got started. He was especially confused
when Sol insisted that Axl had begged him to come in the first place. Through a little bit of
discussion, it was discovered that this Axl was from just a few months after the first tournament,
and so had never met a large number of the people present. After a quick round of introductions
Axl was all caught up. Well, except for one minor detail...
Axl whined, "When's lunch going to be ready?"
Dizzy patted him on the shoulder. "Pretty soon, I think. Jam just got some of the Jellyfish
pirates to help her in the kitchen, so it won't be too long."
Axl started a bit upon seeing the half-Gear. "Woah... I think it's going to take me a while to
get used to those wings..."
Dizzy smiled back, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Actually... I know you will. The
first time we met you were very calm about it."
"Oh, wait..." Axl said, shaking his head. "I'm meeting you here, but the next time I run into
you, you wouldn't have met me yet. That'd be kinda awkward... tell you what, next time I see you
I'll try to act like we haven't met before. Okay?"
Dizzy sighed. "You don't do a very good job, but it's okay."
Axl cringed. "And I always thought I was pretty good actor..."
Dizzy shook her head, smiling. "Oh, heavens no! You really stink! Uh, oops... I'm sorry.
Undine just told me that wasn't very nice..."
A dark cloud hung over Axl's head, and he wore a huge frown. "Oh... it's okay..." he droned
depressingly. Dizzy patted him on the shoulder again, trying her best to mend the damage.
Jam leaned out the window at that moment. "Ky-baby!" she shouted in a sing-song voice. "Lunch is
served!" She then, in a much nastier tone, yelled, "The rest of you louts, grub's up!"
Potemkin blinked. "Ky... baby?"
Baiken shook her head. "Just... don't ask."
As they came into the dining room they were greeted by the girls of the Jellyfish pirates, the
lot of them dressed as French maids. "Welcome!" they all greeted cheerfully in unison.
Chipp was a little taken aback. "The hell?"
May shrugged as he explained, "Well, Jam wanted a little bit of help, so she hired some of the
girls for some part time work. Of course, Johnny's a little bit upset since he's not getting a
cut..."
The aforementioned pirate was, at the moment, angrily shouting at two or three of the girls. "I
don't believe you all... I spent years taking care of you! And this is how you repay me?!"
June put on a strained smile as she repeated, "Please, sir, just take your seat..."
July explained, "Well, the hours were acceptable, we get frequent breaks, and here... if you'll
take a look over this dental plan, I think you'll agree that we just couldn't afford to pass this
up!"
Johnny grumbled, "Mutineers, all of you..."
April stood off to the side, marking off the guests as they came in, "Check... check... check
checkity check-check check... huh? We're missing two... where's Ky? And Sol?"
"The officer?" Anji piped up. "Ky left a little while ago, said he had some unfinished business
to take care of."
"The bounty hunter walked off not too long ago, as well," Venom remarked. "He mentioned something
about 'the things he lets himself get talked into'... oh dear."
All the pieces suddenly fell into place. April covered her face with her hand as she lamented,
"...Oh no, they didn't..."
May perked up. "You think they eloped?"
Potemkin gave Johnny a disapproving glare. "And WHERE did she learn about such things, pirate?"
Johnny shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I don't know... off the street somewhere?"
Potemkin folded his arms across his chest as he countered, "You seem to be forgetting that, as a
criminal, you ARE the street."
Faust shook his head. "Silly girl, given their past record I find it highly unlikely they'd do
something so inappropriate with each other. Rather, I believe it is far more possible that they
are engaged in the more wholesome activity of cutting themselves to bits with sharp implements
until one of them has no more blood to bleed."
"Probably," Millia responded evenly. "Better get your bandages out, doctor. I think Ky's gonna
need them."
Jam eyed Millia strangely. "What makes you think a scruffy old grouch like Sol is going to beat
up the handsome, dashing, WONderful Ky Kiske?"
Millia said matter-of-factly, "Because he kicks the crap out of him every time."
Jam started to fume. "Oh yeah? Not this time! Ky's gonna win! Anybody can see that he's been
practicing so hard, he'll smack that oaf around without breaking a sweat!"
Millia narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I think you'd better put your money where your mouth is."
"How much did you have in mind?" Jam challenged, a wicked gleam in her eye. Most lesser men would
have cowered in fear at the very sight of it. For Millia, it was as laughable as watching a young
child puff up her cheeks.
Millia slipped a few bills on the table in front of her. "Five hundred World Dollars says Sol
drags Ky's unconscious ass back here."
Without a moment's thought, Jam slammed her own wad of bills on the table. "You're on! Ky's
gonna WASTE that mulleted goon!"
Venom tapped his pool cue to get everyone's attention. "Anyone else going to join in on this?
I've got 2.5-to-1 odds on Ky, do we have any takers?"
Faust just shook his head. "Silly people! What point is there in a bet if it's too late to pay
off one of the fighters to take a dive?"
Johnny raised a wad of bills. "I put 300 on Sol!"
May rummaged through the pockets of Johnny's overcoat, and came up with a few coins. "I've got
140... wait, 142 on Ky!" When Johnny gave her a look, she just shrugged her shoulders innocently
and explained, "What? I think he looks cuter."
"One more for Mr. Sol! I've got... two hundred World Dollars!" Dizzy shouted.
Testament scoffed. "What a pathetic human pastime..." Still, the image of Sol limping in
bloodied or worse appealed to him somewhat, and after a moment's thought called out, "75 on the
knight."
"Justice will prevail!" Potemkin bellowed. "300 on Ky!"
Venom smiled behind his hair as several more calls for bets filled the air. "Excellent,
excellent..."
-----
It was a grassy plain that ended suddenly at a cliff a hundred feet over the ocean. A single tree
grew near the edge of the cliff, and there was a forest on the opposite side of the clearing.
Sol lounged against the side of the tree, smoking a cigarette while the Fireseal lay next to him.
He opened one eye as Ky approached, sighing heavily.
Sol removed the nearly spent cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground before crushing
it with his shoe. "Right on time as usual," he grumbled. "Ain't that typical..."
Ky replied, "Punctuality is a virtue in any age, Sol. And THAT is littering."
Sol picked his sword up from the ground as he rotated his neck to work out the kinks. "Yeah,
yeah. You gonna bore me to death with another of your lectures, or will I have to knock you out
again to shut you up?"
Ky took a deep breath as he held his Thunderseal at the ready. "I see you can't wait either. It
doesn't feel right unless we meet at once like this, does it?"
Sol shrugged. "Maybe to you. I kinda don't care. I just figure if I put you in traction, maybe
you'll leave me alone for a while."
"Shut up! Prepare yourself!"
Ky rushed forward, using a variety of stabbing attacks to try and break through Sol's defenses.
Sol lazily deflected the blows, and countered with a few similarly ineffective ones of his own.
Ky was becoming annoyed; not because his attacks were being wasted, but because Sol was still
holding back. He could tell by the way he held the blade, by the disinterested frown on his face,
and especially by the feel of the impact. No matter how hard or soft Ky struck, Sol always
returned with the exact same force. He was playing around. 'Fine, then,' he thought. 'I'll make
him get serious!'
He suddenly slid low to the ground, trying to trip Sol. Sol just leapt over the attack, which is
precisely what Ky expected. Grinding his heel hard into the dirt, Ky stopped his slide, and with
an added burst of effort sent himself airborne. He slashed again at Sol with his trademark Vapor
Thrust, which Sol again dodged. Sol landed on the ground, his sword drooling flames in
anticipation as Ky slowly fell down towards him. But Ky had other plans. He flipped and again
put Sol on the defense by firing a bolt of concentrated lightning from his sword directly at Sol.
Sol leapt backwards just enough for the bolt to miss him, allowing Ky to land safely.
Sol stuck his sword into the ground, causing a large wave of explosions to come rushing at Ky. Ky
tried to counter with another Stun Edge, but it was swallowed up by the explosions without having
any effect. Ky shielded his face with his arms as the flames struck him, setting his uniform
ablaze. The Gun Flame had already knocked him to the ground, and he quickly rolled to put out the
flames.
As he quickly leapt back into fighting position, Sol dashed forward, his head low and the Fireseal
leaving a trail of flames where the edge scraped along the ground. 'What a terrible way to treat
your weapon,' Ky thought briefly as he somersaulted forward, bringing his sword crashing down as
lightning trailed from the blade, creating phantom images in its wake. At the same time Sol
brought his own blade up, and Greed Sever met Volcanic Viper in a spray of flame, lightning, and
sparks. Both men planted their feet on the ground, but kept their two blades locked.
"That's a new one," Sol remarked about Ky's last maneuver, pushing against Ky's blade with his
own one-handedly.
"That's only the first of my new tricks."
Sol raised an eyebrow. "You're a bit feisty today, aren't you?"
Ky's scowl deepened as he warned, "You'd better fight seriously, or I might win this time."
"I doubt it."
Ky took Sol's words as a challenge, and leapt backwards to break off the contest. "I'll make you
get serious, Sol," he promised. "Even if it takes everything I have!"
Sol stuck his sword into the ground again, calling out, "Gun Flame!" as another series of
explosions shot toward Ky. Ky came up with a plan; 'If a Stun Edge isn't enough... then how
about...!'
"SACRED EDGE!" The Thunderseal glowed with a bright blue light as a massive bolt of electricity
came into being, heading swiftly for Sol. The Gun Flame was unceremoniously torn apart, and Sol
raised his blade between himself and Ky's shot. The electric bolt plowed into his sword, causing
Sol to slide backward along the ground from the immense pressure. He leaned to the side, guiding
the rest of Ky's Sacred Edge past him with the Fireseal. Sol felt his hair stand on end
as the wave of electricity passed, the shot eventually burying itself in a large tree some fifty
feet away. The tree itself didn't survive the impact; the base exploded into splinters, and the
rest of it fell to the ground with a mighty crash. The next three trees behind it suffered the
same fate.
'This time,' Ky thought. 'This time, I'll win.'
-----
Sol whistled as he observed the destruction cause by Ky's last attack. 'He's gotten a little
better. Not enough, though.' He heard running footsteps, and his gaze returned to his opponent
just in time. Ky held his sword at shoulder level, the blade flashing blue. The electricity
solidified into a solid globe, Ky in the center. Ky gently lifted off the ground and began to
glide swiftly toward Sol.
'Ride the Lightning, huh? The kid's going all out,' Sol thought. 'I wonder how long he can
keep this kind of pace up.' He leapt skyward, into the air and over the globe. He turned as soon
as he landed, knowing Ky would want to press his attack. Sure enough, Ky was right there with a
series of slashing attacks. Sol parried them, allowing himself to be slowly pushed back.
Sol stuck his sword into the ground again, but didn't bother releasing magical energy. He called
out, "Gun Flame!" without releasing the flames in an attempt to fake Ky out. The gambit worked;
Ky raised his sword again and shouted, "SACRED EDGE!" as he fired another giant bolt of
lightning.
'I think I got enough room,' Sol estimated as he slid low to the ground. Flames wrapped around
his sword as he shouted out, "Grand Viper!" He ducked low, letting the bolt slide
harmlessly over his head.
Sol assumed that Ky would not be able to defend against the attack; he would still be recovering
from the Sacred Edge. But he was wrong. Ky leapt into the air, performing a forward-moving
somersault as he swept his blade under him. "Crescent Slash!" Sol had to call off his
attack and revert to defense. He really didn't want to test whether his unprotected neck could
take a direct hit from the Thunderseal; if Sol hadn't brought his blade up at that moment, he
might have been decapitated.
'Huh... that was a little close,' Sol thought as Fuenken and Furaiken clashed once more. He leapt
backward, gathering fire energy in his left palm. 'Guess I'd better finish this up before lunch
gets cold.'
Ky rushed forward to meet Sol, sweat pouring down his face from the amount of energy he had
already expended. Sol didn't budge. He simply formed a ball of fire in his hand, and almost
casually tossed it forward. "Tyrant..." He then slashed it with his sword, turning the tiny
ball into a raging inferno. "RAVE!" A massive wall of flames erupted between him and the
young captain, and Sol scoffed a bit. No way that poof could stop that, especially after spending
all his energy on those last attacks. As always, for all the knight's hard work, he was still
just a boy.
"Rising..."
Sol's eyes shot wide open. 'What in the hell is that kid trying to...?!'
"FORCE!"
His question was answered as the Thunderseal, bathed in blue light, tore a huge hole through the
wall of flames. It continued without slowing, plowing into and through the prototype Gear. He
grunted in pain as he felt Ky's sword penetrate his left shoulder. It didn't stay there long;
the blue light erupted into a massive blast of energy, tearing him off the blade almost
immediately. He was sent toppling end over end while kicking up dust and leaving a gouge in the
earth the whole way. He finally managed to slide to a stop about fifty feet from the impact,
electricity still coursing its way along his body as he lay flat on his back.
'Ow... that kinda hurt,' Sol admitted to himself as he coughed the dust out of his lungs. This
was, of course, an understatement; were he not a Gear, that probably would have disintegrated
most of his chest. If he were not the prototype Gear, it still would have killed him without any
trouble. He opened one eye, staring straight up into the sun high in the blue cloudless sky. He
took a deep breath as he thought to himself, 'I screwed up... a fluke, but the kid's definitely
gotten better. I bet he thinks he can actually beat me... I think it's time for someone to wake
up from his little dream.'
Sol plunged the Fireseal into the ground, using it as leverage to stand. "Final..." he grunted.
"Let's rock."
------
Ky still held his sword straight out, completely out of breath and in much worse shape than Sol.
He stared at Sol's fallen form several meters away, daring to believe that, at long last, he had
finally won.
Then, Sol's right arm rose and dug the Fireseal into the ground, using it for leverage as he
lifted himself off of the ground. Ky's shoulders fell in disbelief, the Thunderseal's tip
scraping against the ground as he panted for air. "You... You've got to be kidding..."
Sol approached Ky slowly, only minutely aware of the blood running from the wound in his shoulder.
He gave Ky a tiny, almost imperceptible smile. "Not bad."
Ky gasped, never having heard those words from Sol's lips before.
The moment was short lived. An unholy scream flew from Sol's lips as he focused his power, and a
massive red aura surrounded him. It happened so fast Ky didn't even have time to form an
effective defense. Even if he had the time, he was far too tired to parry anything. The last
words he heard were "DRAGON INSTAAAAAAALL!" before he was engulfed in a massive pillar of
flames. 'How?' he wondered as he felt his feet leave the ground. 'How can he move so fast...?'
Ky felt himself getting lifted higher and higher into the air, flames swirling all around him.
Though he willed otherwise, the Thunderseal slowly slipped from his grip. As he screamed in pain,
he realized, 'This is it... this is Sol fighting for real...It has to be...'
He landed on his stomach hard, the Thunderseal landing in the ground point-first a short distance
away. He felt the ground shudder again as Sol landed, creating a shallow crater at the point of
impact. Sol stood slowly, the red aura fading.
"But not that good, either," Sol warned. "Just give up trying to beat me, boy. If that's the
best you got, you don't have a chance. One of these days, you might end up getting hurt." He
looked down at Ky and sighed, "Don't tell me you're unconscious already. There ain't a single
hospital on the whole damn island, and the mansion's two miles away. If you think I'm gonna carry
you all the way back, then..." He stopped and narrowed his eyes at Ky. He then threw the
Fireseal into the ground in disgust, burying it almost to the hilt as he cursed, "God damn it!"
-----
When Ky regained consciousness he was slung over Sol's right shoulder, stomach down. The
Thunderseal had been replaced at its side, and Sol held the Fireseal in his off hand. Sol made no
attempt to make the ride pleasant, and at times seemed to veer off course specifically to make the
trip rougher than it had to be.
Ky took a deep breath. "I... lost again."
"Of course you did. You lose every time."
Ky lifted his head slightly. "And... I really thought... I had you for a moment... Sol? Can I...
ask a favor?"
Sol sighed tiredly, "Nobody's stopping you."
"What you did... at the end..." Ky whispered. "Next time... fight me like that. The whole time.
I think... I've earned at least that much."
Sol scoffed. "What makes you think there's gonna be a next time?"
"There will always be a next time... as long as I breathe..."
Sol grumbled, "Will you shut up? Every time you open your mouth, you start bleeding again. Do
you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to get blood out of these duds?"
Ky gave a short chuckle. "Of course I do. I bleed on my uniform more than yours."
Sol raised an eyebrow. "You're telling jokes now? I must have hit you harder than I thought."
Ky coughed a bit, smiling, before letting his head fall again.
'Dammit,' Sol thought to himself. 'I only used the Dragon Install because I figured it would
finally show him the difference between us... why he could never, ever win. But... I don't think
he even cares about winning anymore. The psycho just wants to fight me to test his own strength.
Because he knows that he can't find any opponents stronger than me... that guy just pisses me
off sometimes.'
His eyes rolled in his sockets to look again at the young commander on his shoulder. Ky's head
was down, his eyes closed. Ky's mouth parted slightly, the telling sign that he had lost
consciousness again. Sol let his expression soften ever so slightly as he looked at Ky's face.
'Still... I can't remember when the last time I used Dragon Install on a non-Gear. And in the
kind of condition he was in, I'm surprised he only came out this bad.'
He allowed himself to smile, knowing he would be the only one to ever know about it. 'Maybe...
maybe he has earned that much. At the very least, it would get him out of my hair quicker.'
----
Dust Loop: A high-level Sol technique that relies on well-timed Air Dusts in the corner to produce
a lame looking, but insanely damaging, combo. The technique is one of my pet peeves, since it
involves relatively little skill for a huge damage payoff, and also because I find his Air Dust
voice quote EXTREMELY annoying to hear several times in a row.
Sol & Ky: Some authors think these two are in love with each other. Others think they want to
kill each other. In my opinion their relationship isn't so simple that it can be summed up in a
few words, but for brevity's sake I'll try. Ky considers Sol his rival, Sol likens Ky to a fly
(annoying but not really dangerous or worth bothering with much), and their personality
differences are simply too great for either one to realize they're actually on the same side.
Next chapter: Just when we're getting back into familiar territory, things get weird again!
Baiken crosses one line too many with Faust, and things take a turn for the surreal. Now it's
Axl matching wits against Anji in a public forum that makes Jerry Springer look like the Supreme
Court, with the fate of everyone's favorite one-armed samurai hanging in the balance. And she,
of course, couldn't care less. Part 6 - The People vs. Baiken Sesshino, next time!
of "teh FOO-nay" in this chapter. But I think every Guilty Gear writer, at some point, has to
write a Sol & Ky fight scene. It's like a rite of passage, or perhaps a test of skill. And
this... this is my time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear. If I did, I'd punch Sol in the face every time he said
"Itadakiiii!" (god damn Dust Loop). Unfortunately, it is currently owned by Sammy and by Arc
Systems. Please do not sue me, I have no money.
A Little Bit of Innocence
A waste of good bandwidth by: TheArchimage
Part 5 : Noontide
------------------------------
Axl didn't have a clue when this whole "party" thing got started. He was especially confused
when Sol insisted that Axl had begged him to come in the first place. Through a little bit of
discussion, it was discovered that this Axl was from just a few months after the first tournament,
and so had never met a large number of the people present. After a quick round of introductions
Axl was all caught up. Well, except for one minor detail...
Axl whined, "When's lunch going to be ready?"
Dizzy patted him on the shoulder. "Pretty soon, I think. Jam just got some of the Jellyfish
pirates to help her in the kitchen, so it won't be too long."
Axl started a bit upon seeing the half-Gear. "Woah... I think it's going to take me a while to
get used to those wings..."
Dizzy smiled back, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Actually... I know you will. The
first time we met you were very calm about it."
"Oh, wait..." Axl said, shaking his head. "I'm meeting you here, but the next time I run into
you, you wouldn't have met me yet. That'd be kinda awkward... tell you what, next time I see you
I'll try to act like we haven't met before. Okay?"
Dizzy sighed. "You don't do a very good job, but it's okay."
Axl cringed. "And I always thought I was pretty good actor..."
Dizzy shook her head, smiling. "Oh, heavens no! You really stink! Uh, oops... I'm sorry.
Undine just told me that wasn't very nice..."
A dark cloud hung over Axl's head, and he wore a huge frown. "Oh... it's okay..." he droned
depressingly. Dizzy patted him on the shoulder again, trying her best to mend the damage.
Jam leaned out the window at that moment. "Ky-baby!" she shouted in a sing-song voice. "Lunch is
served!" She then, in a much nastier tone, yelled, "The rest of you louts, grub's up!"
Potemkin blinked. "Ky... baby?"
Baiken shook her head. "Just... don't ask."
As they came into the dining room they were greeted by the girls of the Jellyfish pirates, the
lot of them dressed as French maids. "Welcome!" they all greeted cheerfully in unison.
Chipp was a little taken aback. "The hell?"
May shrugged as he explained, "Well, Jam wanted a little bit of help, so she hired some of the
girls for some part time work. Of course, Johnny's a little bit upset since he's not getting a
cut..."
The aforementioned pirate was, at the moment, angrily shouting at two or three of the girls. "I
don't believe you all... I spent years taking care of you! And this is how you repay me?!"
June put on a strained smile as she repeated, "Please, sir, just take your seat..."
July explained, "Well, the hours were acceptable, we get frequent breaks, and here... if you'll
take a look over this dental plan, I think you'll agree that we just couldn't afford to pass this
up!"
Johnny grumbled, "Mutineers, all of you..."
April stood off to the side, marking off the guests as they came in, "Check... check... check
checkity check-check check... huh? We're missing two... where's Ky? And Sol?"
"The officer?" Anji piped up. "Ky left a little while ago, said he had some unfinished business
to take care of."
"The bounty hunter walked off not too long ago, as well," Venom remarked. "He mentioned something
about 'the things he lets himself get talked into'... oh dear."
All the pieces suddenly fell into place. April covered her face with her hand as she lamented,
"...Oh no, they didn't..."
May perked up. "You think they eloped?"
Potemkin gave Johnny a disapproving glare. "And WHERE did she learn about such things, pirate?"
Johnny shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I don't know... off the street somewhere?"
Potemkin folded his arms across his chest as he countered, "You seem to be forgetting that, as a
criminal, you ARE the street."
Faust shook his head. "Silly girl, given their past record I find it highly unlikely they'd do
something so inappropriate with each other. Rather, I believe it is far more possible that they
are engaged in the more wholesome activity of cutting themselves to bits with sharp implements
until one of them has no more blood to bleed."
"Probably," Millia responded evenly. "Better get your bandages out, doctor. I think Ky's gonna
need them."
Jam eyed Millia strangely. "What makes you think a scruffy old grouch like Sol is going to beat
up the handsome, dashing, WONderful Ky Kiske?"
Millia said matter-of-factly, "Because he kicks the crap out of him every time."
Jam started to fume. "Oh yeah? Not this time! Ky's gonna win! Anybody can see that he's been
practicing so hard, he'll smack that oaf around without breaking a sweat!"
Millia narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I think you'd better put your money where your mouth is."
"How much did you have in mind?" Jam challenged, a wicked gleam in her eye. Most lesser men would
have cowered in fear at the very sight of it. For Millia, it was as laughable as watching a young
child puff up her cheeks.
Millia slipped a few bills on the table in front of her. "Five hundred World Dollars says Sol
drags Ky's unconscious ass back here."
Without a moment's thought, Jam slammed her own wad of bills on the table. "You're on! Ky's
gonna WASTE that mulleted goon!"
Venom tapped his pool cue to get everyone's attention. "Anyone else going to join in on this?
I've got 2.5-to-1 odds on Ky, do we have any takers?"
Faust just shook his head. "Silly people! What point is there in a bet if it's too late to pay
off one of the fighters to take a dive?"
Johnny raised a wad of bills. "I put 300 on Sol!"
May rummaged through the pockets of Johnny's overcoat, and came up with a few coins. "I've got
140... wait, 142 on Ky!" When Johnny gave her a look, she just shrugged her shoulders innocently
and explained, "What? I think he looks cuter."
"One more for Mr. Sol! I've got... two hundred World Dollars!" Dizzy shouted.
Testament scoffed. "What a pathetic human pastime..." Still, the image of Sol limping in
bloodied or worse appealed to him somewhat, and after a moment's thought called out, "75 on the
knight."
"Justice will prevail!" Potemkin bellowed. "300 on Ky!"
Venom smiled behind his hair as several more calls for bets filled the air. "Excellent,
excellent..."
-----
It was a grassy plain that ended suddenly at a cliff a hundred feet over the ocean. A single tree
grew near the edge of the cliff, and there was a forest on the opposite side of the clearing.
Sol lounged against the side of the tree, smoking a cigarette while the Fireseal lay next to him.
He opened one eye as Ky approached, sighing heavily.
Sol removed the nearly spent cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground before crushing
it with his shoe. "Right on time as usual," he grumbled. "Ain't that typical..."
Ky replied, "Punctuality is a virtue in any age, Sol. And THAT is littering."
Sol picked his sword up from the ground as he rotated his neck to work out the kinks. "Yeah,
yeah. You gonna bore me to death with another of your lectures, or will I have to knock you out
again to shut you up?"
Ky took a deep breath as he held his Thunderseal at the ready. "I see you can't wait either. It
doesn't feel right unless we meet at once like this, does it?"
Sol shrugged. "Maybe to you. I kinda don't care. I just figure if I put you in traction, maybe
you'll leave me alone for a while."
"Shut up! Prepare yourself!"
Ky rushed forward, using a variety of stabbing attacks to try and break through Sol's defenses.
Sol lazily deflected the blows, and countered with a few similarly ineffective ones of his own.
Ky was becoming annoyed; not because his attacks were being wasted, but because Sol was still
holding back. He could tell by the way he held the blade, by the disinterested frown on his face,
and especially by the feel of the impact. No matter how hard or soft Ky struck, Sol always
returned with the exact same force. He was playing around. 'Fine, then,' he thought. 'I'll make
him get serious!'
He suddenly slid low to the ground, trying to trip Sol. Sol just leapt over the attack, which is
precisely what Ky expected. Grinding his heel hard into the dirt, Ky stopped his slide, and with
an added burst of effort sent himself airborne. He slashed again at Sol with his trademark Vapor
Thrust, which Sol again dodged. Sol landed on the ground, his sword drooling flames in
anticipation as Ky slowly fell down towards him. But Ky had other plans. He flipped and again
put Sol on the defense by firing a bolt of concentrated lightning from his sword directly at Sol.
Sol leapt backwards just enough for the bolt to miss him, allowing Ky to land safely.
Sol stuck his sword into the ground, causing a large wave of explosions to come rushing at Ky. Ky
tried to counter with another Stun Edge, but it was swallowed up by the explosions without having
any effect. Ky shielded his face with his arms as the flames struck him, setting his uniform
ablaze. The Gun Flame had already knocked him to the ground, and he quickly rolled to put out the
flames.
As he quickly leapt back into fighting position, Sol dashed forward, his head low and the Fireseal
leaving a trail of flames where the edge scraped along the ground. 'What a terrible way to treat
your weapon,' Ky thought briefly as he somersaulted forward, bringing his sword crashing down as
lightning trailed from the blade, creating phantom images in its wake. At the same time Sol
brought his own blade up, and Greed Sever met Volcanic Viper in a spray of flame, lightning, and
sparks. Both men planted their feet on the ground, but kept their two blades locked.
"That's a new one," Sol remarked about Ky's last maneuver, pushing against Ky's blade with his
own one-handedly.
"That's only the first of my new tricks."
Sol raised an eyebrow. "You're a bit feisty today, aren't you?"
Ky's scowl deepened as he warned, "You'd better fight seriously, or I might win this time."
"I doubt it."
Ky took Sol's words as a challenge, and leapt backwards to break off the contest. "I'll make you
get serious, Sol," he promised. "Even if it takes everything I have!"
Sol stuck his sword into the ground again, calling out, "Gun Flame!" as another series of
explosions shot toward Ky. Ky came up with a plan; 'If a Stun Edge isn't enough... then how
about...!'
"SACRED EDGE!" The Thunderseal glowed with a bright blue light as a massive bolt of electricity
came into being, heading swiftly for Sol. The Gun Flame was unceremoniously torn apart, and Sol
raised his blade between himself and Ky's shot. The electric bolt plowed into his sword, causing
Sol to slide backward along the ground from the immense pressure. He leaned to the side, guiding
the rest of Ky's Sacred Edge past him with the Fireseal. Sol felt his hair stand on end
as the wave of electricity passed, the shot eventually burying itself in a large tree some fifty
feet away. The tree itself didn't survive the impact; the base exploded into splinters, and the
rest of it fell to the ground with a mighty crash. The next three trees behind it suffered the
same fate.
'This time,' Ky thought. 'This time, I'll win.'
-----
Sol whistled as he observed the destruction cause by Ky's last attack. 'He's gotten a little
better. Not enough, though.' He heard running footsteps, and his gaze returned to his opponent
just in time. Ky held his sword at shoulder level, the blade flashing blue. The electricity
solidified into a solid globe, Ky in the center. Ky gently lifted off the ground and began to
glide swiftly toward Sol.
'Ride the Lightning, huh? The kid's going all out,' Sol thought. 'I wonder how long he can
keep this kind of pace up.' He leapt skyward, into the air and over the globe. He turned as soon
as he landed, knowing Ky would want to press his attack. Sure enough, Ky was right there with a
series of slashing attacks. Sol parried them, allowing himself to be slowly pushed back.
Sol stuck his sword into the ground again, but didn't bother releasing magical energy. He called
out, "Gun Flame!" without releasing the flames in an attempt to fake Ky out. The gambit worked;
Ky raised his sword again and shouted, "SACRED EDGE!" as he fired another giant bolt of
lightning.
'I think I got enough room,' Sol estimated as he slid low to the ground. Flames wrapped around
his sword as he shouted out, "Grand Viper!" He ducked low, letting the bolt slide
harmlessly over his head.
Sol assumed that Ky would not be able to defend against the attack; he would still be recovering
from the Sacred Edge. But he was wrong. Ky leapt into the air, performing a forward-moving
somersault as he swept his blade under him. "Crescent Slash!" Sol had to call off his
attack and revert to defense. He really didn't want to test whether his unprotected neck could
take a direct hit from the Thunderseal; if Sol hadn't brought his blade up at that moment, he
might have been decapitated.
'Huh... that was a little close,' Sol thought as Fuenken and Furaiken clashed once more. He leapt
backward, gathering fire energy in his left palm. 'Guess I'd better finish this up before lunch
gets cold.'
Ky rushed forward to meet Sol, sweat pouring down his face from the amount of energy he had
already expended. Sol didn't budge. He simply formed a ball of fire in his hand, and almost
casually tossed it forward. "Tyrant..." He then slashed it with his sword, turning the tiny
ball into a raging inferno. "RAVE!" A massive wall of flames erupted between him and the
young captain, and Sol scoffed a bit. No way that poof could stop that, especially after spending
all his energy on those last attacks. As always, for all the knight's hard work, he was still
just a boy.
"Rising..."
Sol's eyes shot wide open. 'What in the hell is that kid trying to...?!'
"FORCE!"
His question was answered as the Thunderseal, bathed in blue light, tore a huge hole through the
wall of flames. It continued without slowing, plowing into and through the prototype Gear. He
grunted in pain as he felt Ky's sword penetrate his left shoulder. It didn't stay there long;
the blue light erupted into a massive blast of energy, tearing him off the blade almost
immediately. He was sent toppling end over end while kicking up dust and leaving a gouge in the
earth the whole way. He finally managed to slide to a stop about fifty feet from the impact,
electricity still coursing its way along his body as he lay flat on his back.
'Ow... that kinda hurt,' Sol admitted to himself as he coughed the dust out of his lungs. This
was, of course, an understatement; were he not a Gear, that probably would have disintegrated
most of his chest. If he were not the prototype Gear, it still would have killed him without any
trouble. He opened one eye, staring straight up into the sun high in the blue cloudless sky. He
took a deep breath as he thought to himself, 'I screwed up... a fluke, but the kid's definitely
gotten better. I bet he thinks he can actually beat me... I think it's time for someone to wake
up from his little dream.'
Sol plunged the Fireseal into the ground, using it as leverage to stand. "Final..." he grunted.
"Let's rock."
------
Ky still held his sword straight out, completely out of breath and in much worse shape than Sol.
He stared at Sol's fallen form several meters away, daring to believe that, at long last, he had
finally won.
Then, Sol's right arm rose and dug the Fireseal into the ground, using it for leverage as he
lifted himself off of the ground. Ky's shoulders fell in disbelief, the Thunderseal's tip
scraping against the ground as he panted for air. "You... You've got to be kidding..."
Sol approached Ky slowly, only minutely aware of the blood running from the wound in his shoulder.
He gave Ky a tiny, almost imperceptible smile. "Not bad."
Ky gasped, never having heard those words from Sol's lips before.
The moment was short lived. An unholy scream flew from Sol's lips as he focused his power, and a
massive red aura surrounded him. It happened so fast Ky didn't even have time to form an
effective defense. Even if he had the time, he was far too tired to parry anything. The last
words he heard were "DRAGON INSTAAAAAAALL!" before he was engulfed in a massive pillar of
flames. 'How?' he wondered as he felt his feet leave the ground. 'How can he move so fast...?'
Ky felt himself getting lifted higher and higher into the air, flames swirling all around him.
Though he willed otherwise, the Thunderseal slowly slipped from his grip. As he screamed in pain,
he realized, 'This is it... this is Sol fighting for real...It has to be...'
He landed on his stomach hard, the Thunderseal landing in the ground point-first a short distance
away. He felt the ground shudder again as Sol landed, creating a shallow crater at the point of
impact. Sol stood slowly, the red aura fading.
"But not that good, either," Sol warned. "Just give up trying to beat me, boy. If that's the
best you got, you don't have a chance. One of these days, you might end up getting hurt." He
looked down at Ky and sighed, "Don't tell me you're unconscious already. There ain't a single
hospital on the whole damn island, and the mansion's two miles away. If you think I'm gonna carry
you all the way back, then..." He stopped and narrowed his eyes at Ky. He then threw the
Fireseal into the ground in disgust, burying it almost to the hilt as he cursed, "God damn it!"
-----
When Ky regained consciousness he was slung over Sol's right shoulder, stomach down. The
Thunderseal had been replaced at its side, and Sol held the Fireseal in his off hand. Sol made no
attempt to make the ride pleasant, and at times seemed to veer off course specifically to make the
trip rougher than it had to be.
Ky took a deep breath. "I... lost again."
"Of course you did. You lose every time."
Ky lifted his head slightly. "And... I really thought... I had you for a moment... Sol? Can I...
ask a favor?"
Sol sighed tiredly, "Nobody's stopping you."
"What you did... at the end..." Ky whispered. "Next time... fight me like that. The whole time.
I think... I've earned at least that much."
Sol scoffed. "What makes you think there's gonna be a next time?"
"There will always be a next time... as long as I breathe..."
Sol grumbled, "Will you shut up? Every time you open your mouth, you start bleeding again. Do
you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to get blood out of these duds?"
Ky gave a short chuckle. "Of course I do. I bleed on my uniform more than yours."
Sol raised an eyebrow. "You're telling jokes now? I must have hit you harder than I thought."
Ky coughed a bit, smiling, before letting his head fall again.
'Dammit,' Sol thought to himself. 'I only used the Dragon Install because I figured it would
finally show him the difference between us... why he could never, ever win. But... I don't think
he even cares about winning anymore. The psycho just wants to fight me to test his own strength.
Because he knows that he can't find any opponents stronger than me... that guy just pisses me
off sometimes.'
His eyes rolled in his sockets to look again at the young commander on his shoulder. Ky's head
was down, his eyes closed. Ky's mouth parted slightly, the telling sign that he had lost
consciousness again. Sol let his expression soften ever so slightly as he looked at Ky's face.
'Still... I can't remember when the last time I used Dragon Install on a non-Gear. And in the
kind of condition he was in, I'm surprised he only came out this bad.'
He allowed himself to smile, knowing he would be the only one to ever know about it. 'Maybe...
maybe he has earned that much. At the very least, it would get him out of my hair quicker.'
----
Dust Loop: A high-level Sol technique that relies on well-timed Air Dusts in the corner to produce
a lame looking, but insanely damaging, combo. The technique is one of my pet peeves, since it
involves relatively little skill for a huge damage payoff, and also because I find his Air Dust
voice quote EXTREMELY annoying to hear several times in a row.
Sol & Ky: Some authors think these two are in love with each other. Others think they want to
kill each other. In my opinion their relationship isn't so simple that it can be summed up in a
few words, but for brevity's sake I'll try. Ky considers Sol his rival, Sol likens Ky to a fly
(annoying but not really dangerous or worth bothering with much), and their personality
differences are simply too great for either one to realize they're actually on the same side.
Next chapter: Just when we're getting back into familiar territory, things get weird again!
Baiken crosses one line too many with Faust, and things take a turn for the surreal. Now it's
Axl matching wits against Anji in a public forum that makes Jerry Springer look like the Supreme
Court, with the fate of everyone's favorite one-armed samurai hanging in the balance. And she,
of course, couldn't care less. Part 6 - The People vs. Baiken Sesshino, next time!