(Meanwhile, back in the human world, after a few minutes of explanation)
"So this is what happened. I never thought the truth sounded so bitter," said Talim, sadness overcoming her eyes.
"I know it's hard to swallow, but it is what it is. But are you really sure you don't know anything about your… condition right now?" asked Jade.
-Like I said, I haven't the foggiest idea of what happened. All I know is that I was fighting Mitsurugi when I let my guard down; he made his Critical finish on me and then, it felt as if I was ripped from my body. Next thing I knew I woke up in here.
-Well that doesn't really help us, said Brian, looking disappointed. Is there anything else you… hey what's going on?
-Huh? What do you mean Brian?
-Look at the T.V."
Indeed, the game was still working (they forgot to turn it off) and the screen was now back to the character selection screen. Taking a closer look, they saw that 2 new characters were selected for a battle: Nightmare, also known as 'the Azure Knight' and…
"Talim!" exclaimed the 2 children, looking at the screen, bewildered.
-Why is he battling me? asked the young priestess, confused at the sight before her eyes. This isn't supposed to happen. Quick, she said, turning to Jade, could you open the window, please?
-Uh, okay," she said, opening it instantly.
As soon as the window opened, they felt a strong wind coming in. Talim closed her eyes and listened to its angry chant. Although she was in a different body, she could still understand the wind. Brian looked at her like she was crazy and whispered to Jade:
"What's she doing, there?
-Come on, have you already forgotten what makes her so special? She's a priestess of the wind, which means she can understand and talk to the wind. I wonder what it's saying.
-I'm guessing it's mad by the way it slammed through the window.
-I see, Talim said. It seems the wind has noticed our dimension change. It is not pleased with what happened. I tried to talk to it and I am simply hoping it will still help your friend during his battle.
-Battle? Oh right the battle. Let's go take a look," said Brian.
All 3 children (Talim is still considered a child, being 15 years old) ran to the screen on which the stage was now selected. It would be the Tower of Remembrance: Degradation, the stage where, on one side, an icy landscape stood out and on the other, a fiery wasteland. In the center of that stage stood a tall tower on which 2 silhouettes were face-to-face. But they didn't hear the classic announcer's voice. No, what they saw was different than what they'd expect: immediately, they saw a zoom on their friend walking on the tower, looking slightly confused and scared. Then, he started speaking:
"Damn, I can't believe I accepted a battle with this jackass. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do it if I wanna go back home.
-Tell me, what does jackass mean?" asked Talim, looking curious.
-Trust me, you don't wanna know.
-Are you sure? Because I…
-You DON'T wanna know," said Jade and Brian at the same time.
Suddenly, they saw Nightmare coming onto the battlefield, looking menacing with his mighty sword, Soul Edge. Connor looked at it with hope that he could still at least be in one piece after the battle.
"So, here we are now. No turning back now. Huh, I'm still surprised that you accepted my offer.
-You must've smoked some heavy one this morning if you think I do this because I feel like it. I'm only doing it so I can get back home when I win, just like you promised.
-You mean, IF you win.
-No. I mean when I'll win.
-Humph. You've got some nerve thinking you can beat me so easily.
-Well, I am the fastest character in the Soul series.
-You still have a lot to learn, don't you? he said, lifting his mighty sword with his clawed hand.
-Just shut up and get ready to fight me," Connor said, getting himself into position with his wind blades.
His friends and Talim looked at him with a slight anxiousness and excitement. Then, the announcer finally spoke, telling the two fighters on the battlefield to start. Connor began by running around him and then stroke him on the left arm. It didn't, however, do as much damage as he thought it would. Gritting his teeth, he prepared for another assault, but, seeing him coming, Nightmare blocked the hit and counter-attacked immediately, putting Connor off-balance. He used the opportunity to slash through him, but was met with… air.
"What? What just happened?" said Connor, at about 5 meters from before.
Indeed, Nightmare didn't hit Connor; he connected with an air clone, rendering his attack useless.
"Seems like the wind will help him, after all, said Jade.
-Looks like it. I'm just hoping he knows what he's doing.
-Don't worry; the wind is by his side. It shall guide and help him throughout this match.
He started running again and jumped high over Nightmare while striking his helmet and this time, it seemed as though the attack hurt. But Nightmare wasn't done, as he slashed with impressive speed behind him, slashing Connor right in the stomach and sending him flying to the border of the ring. Luckily, Connor thought fast and planted his twin blades down on the floor, slowing him down, but not enough for him not to… fall.
"Hmm, you paid for your arrogance. Let this be a lesson for you, young human; no one, and I mean NO one, can beat 'the Azure Knight' and Soul Edge, said Nightmare while proudly lifting his gigantic sword in the air. Hmm, how boring. It seems as though it wasn't going to be as exciting as I thought. Oh well, another win for me."
Flabbergasted, the 3 children looked at the young man until they couldn't see him anymore.
"No… no, no, NO! He can't be dead; he can't! yelled Jade.
-I'm afraid he wasn't able to recover fast enough. Right now, he's probably…
-NO! Don't you dare say it, she said, gripping to Connor's collar.
-But which do you think is better: hearing it from my mouth or from Nightmare's?
-Speaking of him, since he threw him out, shouldn't we have heard the announcer saying Nightmare won?
-Wait, so that means…
-Connor is still alive!" said the 3 children, looking back at the screen with hope.
A few seconds later, they all saw (including Nightmare) Talim's wind blades come out and plant themselves back in the arena. After what appeared to be an eternity, Connor finally popped his head out, looking exhausted. Nightmare, seeing this as an opportunity to finish him off while he was still getting up, hurried to the side of the ledge and was getting ready to cut him in half (or more, if necessary). Unluckily, Connor, seeing the attack coming, used his wind blades and the help of the wind as springboards and kicked Nightmare in the chest, making him back up from the force of the blow (Damn, Talim's strong). This gave him time to get back, his arms and legs trembling. Also, his hat was now gone. But he got back up nonetheless, a smile on his face, proving to his opponent he was far from defeated. His 2 friends were very ecstatic:
"CONNOR! HOORAY!"
'Connor, thought Talim, don't worry: I'll help you throughout this match. This sword needs to be destroyed in order to restore peace in this world.
-Thanks Talim, thought Connor back. As for me, I'll make sure not to lose more clothing.
-*Giggle* Oh, don't worry about that, right now. The important for the moment is that you win.
-Alrighty, then. Watch and learn, lady."
Talim couldn't help but smile at his comment; he's a peculiar boy. Back at the arena, Nightmare could simply not believe what he just saw: his opponent, whom he pushed off the ledge, was still standing. Not only that, he looked at him with a challenging look, angering him even further.
"What's the matter, Nightmare? You look like you've seen a ghost.
-Grrr, silence, mortal. You may have escaped death just now, but you won't be so lucky next time.
-Oh yeah? Well let me tell you something, then: there won't be a next time. I can still kick your ass and there's nothing you can do about it. This time, I'll go all out.
-Hmm, you should have given up when you had the chance," said Nightmare, getting himself in battle stance.
The air was intensely heavy, both fighters stood there playing the staring game. Connor took this time to take off the bands in his… err Talim's hair, making it fall gracefully behind his back. If he had to fight, he at least wanted it to feel natural. Finally, he broke off contact by getting himself ready and launched himself to his enemy who, seeing the attack coming from miles away, slashed in horizontal, getting an advantage in range. However, Connor, being a smart strategist, was able to slide down under the slash and in between Nightmare's legs. Taking advantage of the effect of surprise, he slashed both legs while still sliding from his enemy, who was now on his knees from the wounds on his legs. He got back up and hurried back to Nightmare to finish him while he was still down. Unbeknownst to him, Nightmare was getting ready for him and held on to his sword. Meanwhile, the 3 spectators understood what that meant.
"Look out, Connor, yelled Jade and Brian.
'Be careful, Connor. Nightmare has something ready for you.
-Got it. Thanks for the warning, Talim," replied Connor.
As he came closer and closer, Nightmare tried to slash him with his claw but missed, as Connor jumped yet again high into the air, but Nightmare, aware of what he was going to do, ducked and then hit Connor with a vertical slash, but Connor was ready and able to block against the huge blow with his twin blades. But even though Talim was strong, she was nowhere near Nightmare's gargantuan strength. He was doing his best to block, but he felt he couldn't hold on.
'Damn, I'm getting exhausted. The wound from earlier doesn't help either. I don't think I can hold on much longer.
-Don't give up, thought Talim. You've already gone this far, you can still do it.
-… I guess I could try something out.
-That's the spirit. Keep on going, Connor. You're almost there."
Elsewhere, in the safe room, all the other Soul Calibur fighters were regrouped around the big T.V. depicting the fight.
"Who do you think might win? asked Kilik.
-It's obvious Nightmare will win, replied Ivy with her heavy British accent. This young man has no experience whatsoever with this young girl's fighting style. Plus, if you look at the current situation, he has very few chances of winning.
-Hmm, I don't know, said Xianghua. He pulled off some pretty amazing moves, earlier. Not to mention that he's the 3rd person we know to have been able to stand up against Nightmare.
-3rd? asked Maxi, slightly confused.
-Well, there was me, said Siegfried, stepping forward.
-And there was I as well, said Raphael, a confident grin on his face. But if you ask me, he had nothing but luck up until now.
-My master is gonna squash him like the little bug he is, said Tira, her crazy look on. That little girl will regret she gave her body to that little pest. Hahahahahaha!
-That's enough, Tira, said Setsuka. Let us give him a chance to see if he really is that bad.
-Aww, don't spoil my fun, Setsuka. You're mean. Ohh, maybe you want to cut you up?
-Make one step and I shall make you eat those words.
-Aww, you're no fun. Pooh," said Tira, now pouting in a corner.
The other fighters agreed and kept watching. Sophitia was getting worried that her master might actually lose. No, that's impossible: very few are able to stand against him, and this perverted boy (after all, who would think of fighting as a girl with real reasons?) was certainly not one of them. Cassandra was looking worriedly at her sister. She was hoping that he could actually win, so that her sister could understand the error of her ways. And for the 1st time in a very long time, she made a silent prayer to Hephaestus to protect the young boy. As for Xianghua, she was thinking she had to ask Talim how she kept her hair so silky-looking even though it's always trapped in these bands. Back in the arena, Connor was still struggling to resist to exhaustion against his opponent, who looked like he was having the time of his life (which, judging by his hobby, was probably the case.
-Come on, Nightmare, why don't you just give up? It'll be much easier for the both of us.
-Hmm, you think just by asking politely, I'll stop this fight? Let me tell you something: these forms of pointless politeness won't get you anywhere unless you have the upper hand.
-*Sigh* What a shame. Well then, I guess I'll have to resort to brute force then, said Connor.
Freeing one of his elbow blades while still blocking with the other, he slashed in the middle of his big mouth-like armor, wounding him greatly. While he was still stunned, Connor took this opportunity to keep him a multitude of slashes with his blades while Nightmare was desperately trying to block, and at some point, he was able to break a piece of armor. Knowing what this meant, he put his blades of him and said:
"Wind, to me!"
There was no escape now: Nightmare was trapped in the weakest Soul Character's Critical Finish. Connor's friends looked at it with anticipation and so were the fighters waiting for the conclusion. Connor began spinning his blades while praying to the wind:
"Storm, help me… SOAR!"
After, a huge tornado pushed Nightmare off the ground, creating a strong wind around them, whipping Connor's hair everywhere, making Talim look a little wild when it calmed down. As Nightmare came falling back down, Connor turned around and said to the wind:
"Thank you.
-You're welcome, he heard, almost as a whisper; most certainly the wind.
Then, they heard the announcer say "You Win" while the camera was pointed at Connor. Everyone was amazed that this young, inexperienced boy was able to beat one of the most terrifying characters they ever saw… and they met a lot of them. With all 3 children, the reaction was unanimous: they were very happy:
"ALL RIGHT! HE WON!
-*Sigh* Thank you, wind, for helping him win this fight."
Well, they were all very happy, they just had different ways of showing their gratitude. As for the other fighters, they had.. mixed reactions.
"Yayyy, he won. Amazing.
-Hmm, I still believe he was just lucky.
-What? NOOOO! Master, WHYYYY?
-I… can't believe it. Master… lost?
-Sophitia. *Sigh* Thank you, Hephaestus. I owe you a lot.
-Well, it seems as though he was more of a challenge than anyone thought.
-Whew, that was a close one. I told you he would win.
-Oh, shut up, will you?
And as for the winner, he was ecstatic:
"OH. MY. GOOOOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I JUST WON AGAINST NIGHTMARE! WHOHHOOOOO! Huh?"
Suddenly, a beam of light sucked both combatants back into the room where all the other characters were waiting for them. As soon as Connor stepped into the room, he got cheers and applauds from some, cold and murderous stares from others and some other people even gave him an admiring look. All this at once was very unexpected for the little boy, but he accepted it and came directly to Nightmare, looking bruised and defeated. The whole room suddenly fell silent, as the 2 opponents were giving each other dirty looks, creeping out some of the people (I mean have you ever seen an angry Talim? Very weird and creepy). Finally, Connor broke off the silence:
"Nightmare, you have lost this match; therefore, you need to fulfill your promise. So this means I get to go back home. And don't even think about chickening out; I've got witnesses.
-Grr. This… shouldn't have… happened.
-Too bad, it did. And now, I won, so stop being a sore loser and just tell me how I get back home.
-Tch, fine. Ivy, bring the watch.
-The watch?" asked Connor, curious.
Later, Ivy came back with a small blue and red watch with what looked like an eye and a crystal next to each other instead of the usual face.
"This watch, said Ivy, is impregnated with shards of both Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. With this, you can talk to the person whose body you're in and by thinking about being in your respective bodies, you can get back. Anyone can reach you if they ever want to fight you. Go ahead, try it out."
Connor pushed a button on the watch and, suddenly, the eye opened and the crystal shone, making an image of himself and his friends in front of him. Very weird to look at yourself.
"Talim, he said, did you hear what Ivy said?
-I did. Now, let's do this. 1…
-2…
-3!"
At the thought of getting their own bodies, they felt a strange force pull them out and after a short while, they got pushed back.
(Back at Jade's house)
When I regained consciousness, the 1st thing I noticed was that I was on the floor. The 2nd was that… I didn't have BOOBS anymore! Hurray! It felt so great to back to normal. This experience was tiring but amusing. I mean yeah, I was in a death match against the evilest character in Soul Calibur as a girl, but hey, at least I'm still alive. Great story to tell when I'll have kids… I mean, IF I ever get kids. And the last thing I noticed was that I could finally see my friends again. I guess some people; you don't realize how much the people around you mean until you realize you might lose them forever… or, something like that. They looked kinda confused but I guess I would be too if my friend ever switched bodies with a video game character who can… speak to the wind. Yeah, I would be a little confused too.
"Connor, Jade said, is that… is that really you?
-Yep, the one and only.
-And thank God for that.
-HEY!
-Nah, just kidding. We're glad you're back to normal.
-*Sigh* Me too."
Thank you so much, Talim. I will never forget this misadventure. Oh, and wind, if you can hear me, make sure you keep an eye on her. She's the breath of fresh air this world needs… and I guess I needed it as well.
AWWW, that's so sweet. Now, you'd expect this to be a happy ending, right? WRONG! This is just the beginning of many more adventures of playing with that watch of his. I really hope you liked the fight scene, because it was the very 1st time I ever made one that long. And I know tat Talim can't use an air clone, that's just an idea I had as a 'spur-of-the-moment' thing. *Cough* Naruto *Cough*. Anyway, hope you liked it and I hope you will continue watching this and my other stories, whether on this site or on Deviantart. Bye guys. :D
