Chapter 64 - Bravery

Magnus: I thought Aikido didn't normally have kicks!

Simon: Something is off about Tico's style.

Shizu: Isn't it obvious? His style isn't solely Aikido. That's a front that he uses to win most matches. But it seems he's pulling out all the stops to beat Shun. If I had to make a guess, he's also a practitioner of Pencak Silat.

Magnus: That martial arts? I heard that it uses the whole body as a weapon!

Simon: He combined the attacking martial arts of Silat with the power control of Aikido. But there's something else that I can tell Shun is trying to figure out.

Shun jumped back up to his feet, noticing that Tico was already running towards him. With a quick click of his hidden button, the scythe turned into a spear, Shun immediately thrust towards Tico. Tico slid down, his foot flying up and kicking the spear away. Shun gritted his teeth as Tico quickly transitioned to a standing position, throwing numerous punches. He let out a quick sigh of air, immediately shifting his center of gravity and running away from Tico's punches.

Tico's thoughts: I trained my reaction time and base speed for this day. I don't plan on wasting this opportunity!

Shun: Storm Kata, Swirling Blockage.

Shun quickly spun his spear, Tico's fists immediately being moved out of the way. Without a single moment of hesitation, Shun quickly twisted his upper body before bringing the Swirling Blockage to a stop.

Shun: Storm Kata, Supercell.

A large cut came across Tico's chest, blood immediately spurting out as Shun ran back with Flash. Tico reactively placed a hand over his chest, feeling the cut.

Tico's thoughts: It wasn't too deep, but that's enough to make plenty of blood come out of me. He's planning on running me dry…

Shun: Storm Kata, Steel Rain.

Shun charged in, his spear thrusting forward rapidly to make an illusion of several weapons coming at Tico at once. Tico let out a sigh, his thoughts becoming clear as Shun's attack came closer. His hand shot out, grabbing onto the spear before pulling forward, followed by grabbing onto Shun's wrist. With a swift spin of his own, Tico took the spear from Shun's hands before turning back and stabbing it into the right side of Shun's arm. The momentum of his thrust and Tico's spin slid Shun across the ring floor. He looked down at his arm, noticing the deep cut the spear had left. Shun instantly pulled the spear out, seeing the blood ooze from his arm. He quickly tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound, only to look up at Tico charging at him at full speed.

Shun's thoughts: Not giving me a moment, huh?

Shun raised his spear into the air before using all the strength in his left arm to throw it at full speed at Tico. Tico stopped in his tracks, raising his arms in defense. Shun ran after the spear, grabbing it from midair before twisting around. Running forward at a lower angle, Shun cut into Tico's side, Tico's face reeling in pain. Shun pulled the spear out before jumping back, managing his own breath with Dragon's Breath.

Shun's thoughts: I can't let myself lose my training too quickly. I saw what happened with Yussuf. I won't let that happen to me.

Tico grabbed onto his side before looking up at Shun, noticing that the fighter had stopped his onslaught.

Tico's thoughts: I guess he's pretty exhausted too, huh? Guess that means I got a shot at winning this.

…

Tico was in his mid-twenties, years before the 8th Grand Tournament, having trained day after day on perfecting his Aikido and Silat. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of each style, thinking about how well they would be able to complement each other. His skills were greater than his old trainers, so he wished to focus on them more. Despite having a pregnant wife at the time, he decided that he could do more for himself and his family. Through thorough investigation, Tico eventually found his way to the Eclipse. Having easily won his initiation match, he was shooting for victories right away. That was until the day he met Cero.

Cero: Was that all you're capable of?

Tico felt pain all over his body, his breathing was out of his control. The man that stood over him was unlike anyone he had even imagined.

???: Good job, Cero! You got another easy victory! I expected from the strongest man!

Cero: You're the head of this organization, are you sure you should make your sides so obvious?

Tico's thoughts: Am I just a game to these two? What gives?! How is he this strong?!

Cero: I can see it in your face. You have a reason to seek strength. As it is no surprise, I am part of the Dictatorship.

Cero reached out a hand, Tico looking up at it with a bloodied face.

Cero: If you agree to join us, I will gladly accept you. I'll teach you all I know to make you strong. To protect the ones you care about.

Only a month after joining the Dictatorship, Tico's wife had finally given birth to a girl. But despite the miraculous birth of his daughter, Tico's wife was not as lucky. She died in childbirth, leaving Tico with nothing but his daughter as his only remaining family.

Tico: I'll protect you. It's what your mother would have wanted. I'll use all the strength within me… No. I'll use more than my own strength to ensure you live a good life. So be brave, Eliza.

…

Cero: He's slowly combining his Silat and Aikido together. Since the styles weren't initially made together, it would take a long time to fuse them together, but it seems he's finally managing it.

Kammy: Are you just going to ignore the huge cuts he has?!

Cero: I know how strong Tico is. He won't let that stop him. He'll power through. That's the man I know him as.

Kammy: The same could be said about Mason…

Cero: True. But I believe that Tico has much more to fight for than Mason. So we will see what he's truly capable of.

Tico clenched his fists, Shun letting out a laugh before aiming his spear at Tico once again.

Zachary: What an exhilarating fight this has been so far!

Zenzo: With the injuries both fighters have obtained, how long do they have in them? They'll be the ones to show us!

Shun charged at Tico, moving like a blur across the ring. Tico shot out a quick right hook, only for it to hit air. From one of the onlooking rooms, Vector watched as Shun ran around the ring freely.

Vector: He's another speedster, huh? I wonder if Alexander will have anything on him as well as Jason. Speed is a key factor for a match, after all.

Several slashes slowly appeared over Tico's body as Shun passed by, his spear barely touching Tico's skin. Tico closed his eyes, letting out another sigh before his eyes shot open. He reached out, the world seeming slow before coming back to regular speed, his arms firmly grasped on Shun's arms. His muscles tensed up before he twisted his upper body, pulling Shun over his shoulder before slamming him onto the ground with a heavy thud. Shun let out a gasp, spit flying into the air before Tico sent him flying with a kick. Shun rolled on the ground, pushing himself back up with his forearms. Tico's breathing was becoming hastier, raising a hand into his eyesight.

Tico's thoughts: He's cut me so many times now. I'm losing blood pretty quickly right now. If I don't end the match soon, I'm not sure how much longer I have in me…

Tico looked at Shun, who stabbed the head of the spear into the ground. With a light laugh, Tico charged at Shun, placing more power into his kick before getting mere moments from Shun.

Shun: Storm Kata, Skykiller.

Tico watched as Shun flew into the air, a sudden burst of speed coming from his legs. His eyes immediately shot up into the sky only for Shun to shoot down and make a large slash down Tico's left side. Tico let out a scream of pain as Shun landed on his feet. Tico's eyes moved to Shun, who wore a weak smile on his face. Channeling all the strength in his body, Tico's fist shot out, slamming directly into Shun's face. Shun was sent flying back, his weapon slipping from his hand. Tico's arm dropped as he grabbed onto his side. He saw the blood form around his hand, noticing his existing time had been cut down even further.

Kammy: Tico! Don't die!

Cero stared at the match with a stern look.

Cero's thoughts: Remember what you're fighting for, Tico.