Gamer roamed about as he gave the gambit prospect some thought. Asterion's strength and constitution were a problem, but Gamer always levied dexterity and wisdom in conflicts. If he played his cards right, he could take Asterion down. Not to mention, Persica was right; if Asterion wasn't dealt with, their trip to Lord Shellie would be a hellish one.
Gamer wandered outside during his stroll. He came by Minnie and her bench, still basking. She laid on her stomach now and took up the whole bench.
"Mind if I save?" Gamer asked to sit, even if it was a hollow reference.
Minnie peeled herself from the bench, "Oh, hey, Gamer. Sure!"
The shellie moved over. He sat next to the shirtless, sun-kissed shellie. She kicked her feet and awaited his words.
"I might be gone for a bit. I have this dude from my land who wants to fight me. He...might win," Gamer admitted.
"I doubt it," Minnie giggled.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you beat Marco, and saved the shroomans. You even helped me on plenty of occasions. You are very capable," Minnie pepped Gamer up. It worked, too, as the smile was hard to hold back.
"Thanks, Minnie..."
"No problem! Now go win that fight, and any damage you take, I'll sit on!" Minnie bounced. Gamer skipped telling her about the bed mechanic, as it'd go over her head, and instead agreed to spend the night with her on top. Their bond made her happy, and gave him a sense of belonging. Something more to fight for.
Gamer left Minnie to her basking and headed for the northern cliffs.
The northern cliffs hung over a small alcove above the lake. It was well over fifty feet high, and secluded. Gamer found Asterion, cross-legged, in meditation. The wind howled at this height, and rattled the nearby, sparse amount of blocky trees and bushes. Many feet away were three blushrooms. They appeared frightened of the minotaur. Gamer walked by, but the blushrooms chose to stay hidden.
"Today's a beautiful day," Asterion said, but remained poised. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming."
"On days like these, what are we supposed to do?" Gamer asked.
Asterion stood and faced his adversary, "Get ready for the next battle. Will you accept my Gambit?"
"I do. No tricks or cheats," Gamer nodded. "Now, how are we settling this?"
"A straight up brouhaha; are you a fighting game fan?" Asterion asked.
"Brouhaha? How old are you...yeah, I played here and there with friends in school, but nothing competitive."
"We'll use standard rules; best two out of three matches and unlimited time. No environmental effects like elemental damage or wind push. Unless you want those on, since we can set special rules. If a player's proposal is agreed to be applied, the other player can set a special rule without contest. Keep that in mind," Asterion explained.
"Well, I don't know any special rules," Gamer shrugged.
"That's fine. We can keep it simple," Asterion started to stretch. Gamer did the same and figured out that, as digital avatars, it wasn't necessary. Asterion was taking his time. After he finished, he dramatically said, "Be it Heaven or Hell...fight!"
Gamer dashed forward and went for first blood. Asterion blocked at the last second with his forearm, and Gamer was repelled by some kind of unseen force. Asterion sliced an uppercut at the staggered Gamer and connected. Aside from the explosive pain, Gamer also hovered momentarily as if gravity barely affected him. Before he could hit the ground, Asterion unleashed a series of jabs, uppercuts, haymakers, and elbow strikes. Each hit suspended Gamer, while the strikes rattled him with more and more pain. When Gamer finally landed, Asterion grappled his legs and began swinging him in circles. Gamer simulated goat screams. Asterion released Gamer and hurled him into a tree. Gamer's body ricocheted off the tree.
Asterion returned to his default fighting stance, "Perfect guard, launcher, juggling, and command grab. Tell me, Gamer, do you understand these terms?"
Gamer used the tree to crawl up to his feet. The aches made his body and voice shake, "N-N-No..."
"Well, you're about to," Asterion charged. Gamer timed it right, feigned falling, and then front flipped a kick at the minotaur. Asterion moved to shoulder check at the same time, but his body shimmered like metal. Gamer's kick landed, but Asterion completely ignored it. The shoulder check followed through and plowed Gamer into the tree again. Asterion righted himself and breathed out, "I-frames."
A disembodied gentleman's voice rang out in the area, "Round 1! Complete!"
Gamer wobbled to his feet, "You have an announcer?"
"Pretty cool, huh? I paid extra for the legendary ring announcer version. Puts a smile on my face each time," Asterion reset his fighting position.
The announcer shouted, "Round 2! Fight!"
Asterion threw out a few test jabs and kicks. Gamer tactfully dodged each, and stuffed a hand into his pocket. He reached for the flare flower, but to his shock, all he pulled out were pocket innards. His inventory wasn't there. Asterion slowed to a stop in front of him, curious.
"My items..." Gamer breathed.
"Ah, items are disabled by default. You'd have to turn them on as a special rule," Asterion explained.
"Oh!" Gamer realized his mistake. The humor was so twisted, he burst out laughing. He pat Asterion on his finely toned chest and bellowed laughter. Gamer drew out one last heave, and then said, "...finish me."
Asterion obliged with a barrage of attacks. Gamer essentially became a plastic bag at the whims of an overzealous cat. Asterion completed the pummel with a full body lariat. This was the tenth hit in another juggle, and as Gamer crashed into a rocky outcropping near the cliffside, the announcer boomed, "K-K-K-K-Killer Combooo!"
"Seriously?" Gamer was crumbled in a warped sitting position.
"For those sweet combos," Asterion basked in the glory.
Gamer was completely out of his element, "Do they do mulligans in fighting games?"
Asterion saw the writing on the wall and said, "Your life bar is almost out. That'll make Round 2 mine, and your life forfeit. I'll do the honors with some style - I'll use one of my Supers."
Asterion lowered his body. He planted one hand on the ground in a sprinter's ready position. He held his other arm out from him, and tightened the muscles. Dark aura surrounded the Greek monstrosity as his eyes glowed red. Gamer tried to move, but his body gave out. He lost.
"Atomic..." Asterion's voice reverberated.
The ground in front of Gamer cracked. The cracking cut across the cliff in an arch, and made Asterion hold off his Super. The fractured part of the cliff buckled and dropped, and Gamer fell into the waters below with the debris. The minotaur made his way to the new edge and peered over. Waves echoed out as the piece of land sank. Gamer was nowhere in sight.
"That's odd...environmental damage wasn't enabled," Asterion glared at the rippling water. "Now how did you pull that off, cheater?"