Chereads / GINKEN: Sea Storm / Chapter 102 - That One Memory

Chapter 102 - That One Memory

The conflict between the Alfred pirates and Tim's allies erupted in response to Alfred's offense, which had as its sole purpose the annihilation of the Primal Restaurant and its cooks due to the misery he had witnessed previously. Tim, Zumo, and Codey, with the exception of the females, are locked in a stalemate, each fighting to defend the diner. Their struggle continues to rumble with a blow-on-blow combat, watched by cooks and the terrified visitors.

Tim's opponent was Alfred, while Codey and Zumo prepare to fight Alfred's sidekicks, whose identities are rather restricted to Number One and Number Two. Codey's rush to learn Number Two's abilities kept burning hot.

"He appears to have a lot of fear in front of people, which makes him appear weak, but I'm sure he has some fighting talents hidden beneath that sorrowful facade. I need to get them out of him as soon as possible before he notices me."

He moved his arm in front of his chest, which became engulfed in wind, resulting in the formation of a sharp and rounded boomerang. He bowed his torso forward and tightened his footing on the ground before propelling himself through the air at Number Two. Codey readied a close-range attack with his boomerang, but when he got close enough to observe Number Two's surprising reaction, he was taken aback. Number Two shouted and covered the top of his head, causing Codey to pause and immediately stop the onslaught. He took a few steps back by leaping on the ice and looking at Number Two.

"He's a complete fool. He's in the middle of a battle, but he seems to be afraid by the very first attack I did? Don't tell me that this guy is "actually" a coward and only watches the power, usually."

Codey grumbled for a brief while before launching himself at Number Two. Number Two responded instinctively as Codey swiped his boomerang from one side to the other. Because he was afraid of being hit, his body reacted quickly and ducked just as Codey was about to slit his throat.

Codey launched another move, this time rotating in mid-air and stretching his left leg by launching his sole directly towards Number Two's face, causing him to scream once again. He made an uncommon move by slipping underneath Codey's kick and then sprinting away.

"He's running again!"

Codey fell on the floor, regained his equilibrium, and tossed the boomerang with incredible force. Due to the strong wind, the boomerang's speed was doubled, causing sparkles to be blown out of its course as it flew for Number Two's neck, who whirled around in horror and fell to the floor. Number Two tumbled over the cold floor in a humiliating roll as the boomerang swooshed over his head.

Codey's boomerang landed in his hand, and he rushed across the ice, leaping high into the air. He dove down against Number Two, whose eyes shook in surprise, by raising his right leg upward with the hell being over the top of his head.

"Flying Smash!"

He slammed his heel into the ice, causing the floor to toss up piles of crushed ice, which Codey's releasing wind captured. It engulfed Codey's body as Number Two rolled out of the way, evading another powerful chevalier punch from Codey. When Codey swung his arm through the mist, the mist vanished, revealing his face, which appeared to be quivering after seeing Number Two dodge the strike without difficulty. He overheard Number Two pleading for forgiveness.

"I beg you! Don't be so reckless, you'll really end up killing me! Please watch your kicks!"

Codey was irritated to the point of losing his calm after seeing Number Two crouching on the floor and grasping the top of his head. When he saw that his opponent wasn't fighting at all, but instead merely dodged his attacks, he became irritated.

"This is ridiculous. You're only attempting to dodge my attacks! A fight isn't about running; it's about two warriors confronting each other head-on! So, quit wasting your time and fight like a man, not a coward!"

Codey ran forward and leapt into the air. He took a step forward and aimed a straight kick at Number Two's face. Number Two twisted around and evaded as he dropped to his feet and shielded his head from the assaults with an unusual action. After soaring over Number Two's body and crashing to the ground, Codey's eyes shook. He slipped on the ice and began to lose his balance, which he was able to regain by twisting his entire body around.

He thrust his palm forward, releasing a blast of wind that dragged the ice with it. Number Two's response time was impeccable, and he miraculously escaped the blast. He didn't have to work hard to dodge Codey's assaults, and no matter how hard Codey tried, he missed all of his punches, kicks, and other attacks. He kicked, but was avoided, and then punched, but was also avoided. It went through the procedure again and again, making Codey tired.

"This irritates me. I've been doing my best to launch effective attacks, but his method of dodging is too unusual for even me to foresee. There's nothing I can do to find a pattern because the rhythm is always random and varied. He may be a coward, but he can move quickly and easily avoid my strikes, and I don't usually lose to him when I've been insulted previously in the Wasakona. Despite the fact that his actions are always varied, I need to find something that will help me learn them."

At the same time as Codey was struggling to defeat Number Two, Zumo and Number One continued their battle. Zumo's style of attack seems to be based primarily on his lower body, which he exploited. Number One chuckled and immediately shifted his left arm to block Zumo's kick by springing forward and pulling his arm from behind his back to the front and kicking obliquely.

Zumo swiftly shifted his head out of the way as Number One punched forward. He turned around by pulling his blocked leg back onto the ground and kicking in a circular motion towards Number One, who ducked just in time and hit forward with his fist. Zumo defended by lifting his foot, but Number One soon saw and jumped back to create space between them.

Zumo grumbled and dropped his leg while keeping his arms stuck in the pockets. He instantly extended his arms and ran for Number One, kicking obliquely with his right leg and nearly hitting Number One's head, but was blocked. Number One extended his palm into Zumo's chest, seemingly landing a successful strike, but Zumo vanished from the scene at a breakneck speed, appearing behind Number One's body. He was a few inches above the ground with a lifted leg, ready to strike Number One in the head with his heels.

Number One instantly crossed both arms on top of his head and braced himself for the hit before he could attack. He effortlessly stopped Zumo's leg, catching Zumo off guard.

"Is that all your legs can do? Take the taste of mine!"

Number One immediately turned on the spot for a few seconds while making fun of Zumo before throwing a straight kick at him. He slammed his sole and heel into Zumo's gut, sending him flying through the air and straight into the ice that Ayuka had set earlier. Number One sat up straight and crossed his arms.

"I'm not sure why Captain Alfred wants to kill you so badly. Given how bad your assaults are, it just doesn't make sense to me. I had assumed you had been working on your legs for quite some time."

Zumo stepped outside after the ice built up on the bottom. The cold and wind put out his cigarette, and he concealed his right hand in his pocket. He took out the fire lighter and lit the cigarette with it. He began tossing the fire lighter up and down in a bizarre yet intriguing manner.

"I did prioritize improving the power, speed, and durability of my legs, but that doesn't explain how someone like you would know about my particular interest. It doesn't matter; you've probably already been told; yet, I don't have the patience to battle any longer. I have customers to serve in a couple of hours, and I'm not going to let them down."

"How could I ever forget something so significant? Don't tell me you've already forgotten about it? I should be commended for wasting my time on something so significant. Do you recall who taught you how to fight? Wasn't Zumo his given name? You adored him so much that you decided to adopt his name in order to keep his "second life" flowing. If I may say so, he taught you a lot."

Zumo was astonished in an instant when a flashback of recollections swept through his thoughts. Memories of the past flashed across his mind.

To be continued...