Sachi's vision blurred. An overwhelming feeling of death seized all control of his body. The knife in the hand of the man flickered in the dim spotlights.
The man reached up to pull off the black mask hiding his face.
It was a face Sachi instantly recognized.
"D-Dion!?"
The man smirked. "The one and only. There were no rules about fighting back or leaving your area, were there?"
Sachi stared dumbfounded into Dion's hazel eyes. It was unmistakably him.
"We're given fifteen minutes, and we get our stuff back. But I say give 'em a good shock by fightin' back before then."
Another set of metal boots interrupted their conversation, the inconsistent whistling growing closer.
Dion's expression hardened as his gaze shot towards the source. He whispered. "Stay here, we'll catch him by surprise."
"It's too late for that, I'm afraid."
Alistair's voice rang throughout the open area. He emerged around a pile of old junk toys, spinning the knife between the grooves in his gloves.
He stares at Dion for a moment. "I don't think that suit belongs to you, and quite frankly I'm disrespected that you defiled the corpse of my own man."
Dion backed away from the fridge and gripped his own knife in his hand. "Quite frankly, I don't care."
Alistair slowly moved forwards. "You killed my man because you got the jump on him, but you lost that chance here."
He began to sprint. "And you're about to lose a lot more!"
Dion readied himself, gripping the knife in front of him, studying his movement.
'There's no openings...'
Alistair's knife swung at Dion, narrowly clipping his hair.
"You Champions just don't get it. You all get sent here with some extravagant ability, and wreak all the havoc you like! But you don't have your fancy powers here, and I can just tell by the way you carry yourself, you don't have a damn idea how to fight without it!"
Another strike, slashing Dion's shoulder. He winced, and Alistair took even more control of the fight. A punch right to Dion's gut, releasing a boom that echoed throughout the stadium.
Alistair pinned Dion to the ground, holding the tip of the knife above his forehead as Dion desperately held it back with whatever strength he could muster.
"You are nothing without your powers! Just a worthless hunk of flesh that's too full of themselves!"
Dion grunted, using his full power just to keep himself alive.
Sachi watched. Still sitting in the fridge, his fear had full control of his body. He couldn't move, He could hardly breath.
He watched helplessly as Dion's life was about to end, and so was his.
'Stop... Just stop!'
'That's not right!'
'I can't do this again.'
'I... I won't be helpless again!'
'I won't.'
'I promise.'
He didn't choose to move, he was compelled to.
'It won't end here!'
Barreling out of the fridge, Sachi haphazardly charged Alistair, stumbling right into him.
The armor wearing man smacked against the ground, right next to the uniform wearing boy.
All three of them laid on the ground for only a moment before raising to their feet.
"Should've just waited your turn, boy."
Sachi breathed heavily. "Dion..."
Dion's breathing was just as heavy. "Yeah... Let's do it, Sachi."
Knife in hand, Dion lunged first. Alistair easily avoided the blade, grabbing Dion's arm as it passed by. With just a brief opening, Sachi curled his hand into a fist, and struck the Alistair's visor.
The blow barely effected Alistair, but his focus shifted from one nuisance to another.
A perfect opportunity for Dion to make a move.
With his free hand, Dion grabbed the mask the man wore, and pulled hard, making his stumble forward ever so slightly.
Sachi raised his foot and bashed it against the back of his knee, dropping his leg to the ground.
Now kneeling, Alistair grunted and tightened his grip on Dion's arm.
Dion winced, the knife in his hand was completely useless if he couldn't move it.
"Sachi!"
Dion opened his hand, and the knife began to fall through the air. Almost instantaneously, Alistair let go of Dion's arm and reached for the blade.
Sachi practically jumped forward, extending his hand to grab the hilt.
He got a finger on it right before Alistair did, pushing the blade further away from them as it clattered to the ground.
Dion kept yanking at the mask, distracting Alistair for as long as he could.
With his own knife in hand, Alistair swung at Dion, who was stuck to him as long as he held on to his mask.
The blade pierced Dion's shoulder, driving deep beneath his flesh. He let out a scream as Alistair kept digging it deeper.
Still, Dion didn't let go. The grip he held on his mask was brutal, the pain in his hand was almost worse than the knife.
Alistair's gilded teeth glistened. "You got a fetish or something? Why don't you let go!?"
Through the agonizing pain, Dion mouth formed a slight smile.
"To make sure he hits the mark."
The knife flickered in the spotlight for just a moment before piercing the bottom of Alistair's chin, lodging itself entirely through his head. Sachi's gaze was fixated on his gilded teeth reflecting light while his hand drove the knife further through Alistair's head.
A short, guttural sound emerge from Alistair before going completely silent. His grip on the knife in Dion's shoulder loosened, and he collapsed to the ground with a loud metal slam.
"U-unbelievable! Alistair was defeated by-"
The announcer's voice was unexpectedly cut out.
Dion let out a small laugh while gripping the wound on his shoulder. "Guess he wasn't supposed to announce that to the players, too."
Dion collapsed to the ground, tightening his grip. His breathing was ragged.
"Take his armor, I'm just gonna sit here for a while..."
Sachi was already trying on his helmet. His voice was equal parts concern and mocking. "You're not gonna die here, are you?"
Dion laughed a little harder. "Not a chance in hell."