'So all of my attacks go through his body then, huh? That's pretty broken.' Tempo, assessing the situation with keen eyes, glared at his intangible foe; searching him up and down for a hint of a weakness. 'If that's the case, how did he attack me?'
The event replayed in Ky's mind. His hand was still going through Spectre's body when the ghastly beta tester struck Tempo in his chin. Ky wondered if Spectre was able to choose which parts of him were tangible at any moment or if his arms were the only solid part of his body. 'Damn. I wish I didn't have to wait to use my Time Stop ability. If I could spam it, I'd have this guy figured out by now. There's still a bunch of other matches after this, I can't afford my Second Chance ability going off too soon if this guy kills me. I'll go on the defensive until I can freeze time again.'
These thoughts all crossed the time warper's mind in a matter of seconds. There were still well over nine minutes left on the clock; more than enough time to be methodical. However, Ky's opponent had the opposite strategy in mind.
Spectre snickered, his shoulders bouncing as his body began slipping into the ground and becoming one with it. Once his head had sunk into the stage, he'd completely vanished. "Ladies and gentlemen it would appear that Spectre has somehow sunk into the stage! What's going to happen next!?"
'Jesus Christ can this guy shut up…' Tempo's glowing white eyes scanned the area, looking for any signs of Spectre; however, as long as the intangible beta tester remained underground, he was completely invisible without a single tell for as long as he held his breath.
Like a bullet, Spectre shot out from the ground beneath Tempo's feet; his fist balled tightly as it struck Tempo in the chin once again. The speed of this attack was incredible; so much so that Tempo wasn't even able to react or brace himself for its impact. If Tempo were a mere human, this super-powered punch would have knocked his head clean off, but thanks to his minor enhanced durability along with Gear buffs from grinding Domains, he was merely stunned for a few seconds before regathering himself mid-flight.
'God– God damn it, he's fast! But now's my chance, or should I say, then was my chance!'
Ky reversed time, his bending body straightening as his chin once again met Spectre's fist in reverse. Ky's feet eventually were back on the ground, and at that moment, he used his Time Slow ability to give himself enough time to react. 'Alright, asshole. Let's see you try to hit me now.'
Just as he did before, Spectre burst from the ground like a missile, only this time, Tempo was prepared. He locked eyes with his slippery rival; reaching out to grab his fist in the hope of doing two things: landing a counter-attack and using his Psychometry ability to find a weakness.
However, Ky's brow raised beneath his mask, and those glowing white eyes of his doubled in size upon witnessing how their bodies interacted. 'What!?'
Spectre's fist passed through Tempo's arm, as did the rest of Spectre, allowing his fist to then become solidified and strike Ky in the chin once more, sending him flying upward in a backward arc. Ky landed on his back, his body recoiling upon impacting the solid ground beneath him. His time reversal was still on cool down, therefore he had to take the punch.
This was Ky's main weakness, the cooldowns on his abilities.
When it came to freezing time, he had to wait an entire minute before freezing time again. For his time-warping abilities, such as reversing or forwarding time, the cooldown was 1.5 times the amount of time reversed. In combat, Ky found it more beneficial to do time reversals in quick bursts to avoid the longer cooldown. If he reversed time by a simple second, the cooldown would only be extended for an extra half a second; which practically made no difference in the grand scheme of things.
However, as evidenced by Spectre's punch, longer-time reversals could lead to sticky situations. Reversing time by six seconds adds an additional three seconds to the cooldown. When those nine seconds passed, Tempo could have reversed time once again, perhaps attempting a third time to defend against Spectre's attack. Unfortunately for Ky, with his Time Slow on cooldown, history would only repeat itself.
Spectre landed just a few feet away, flicking the pain from the punch away from his hand. "Huh, nice reaction time. Too bad none of that matters. What part of intangibility don't you get?"
The announcer couldn't hear what was being said, but he could see mouths moving beneath masks nonetheless. "Oooh… It appears words are being exchanged between the two contestants during this completely one-sided battle!"
Tempo was stumped and the announcer constantly talking shit into the microphone didn't help. He'd tried almost everything and ran out of party tricks to pull. 'All I have left is Temporal Cloak and Temporal Bubble… I can't use the bubble without bursting the one holding that bastard Coroner– and I can't use Temporal Cloak on Mr. Intangiable.' Regardless of his feelings, Ky rose back to his feet, compelling few to applaud him from the crowd, rooting for what seemed like the underdog. Although Ky himself was still certain he'd win, it was just a matter of finding out how.
"Oh, wow. You're still fighting? I was hoping you'd stay down this time." Spectre was toying with the time warper, playing with his food. If he wanted to, he could think of twenty different ways to kill Tempo, but that would be going against his image as a hero. Instead, he'd continue showing off for his fans. "What, did you think you'd beat LA's number-one hero? Not in this life."
'I see… So this is their strongest guy? I guess it's true that Californians love to talk.'
"I still have a trick or two." Ky mumbled; though this was a half-lie. By this point, he was just going to start throwing out random techniques. 'There's no way I'm going to beat this guy if I just stand around. I guess it's time for the random-bullshit-go-method until...' Tempo looked at the clock and there were still twenty seconds left until he could use his Time Stop ability. 'I have an idea, but it requires Time Stop. If it doesn't work or if I fuck up, I'd have to wait an entire minute. I need something else in the meantime.'
"Ehh– If you say so, dude. Catch ya' on the flip." Spectre disappeared into the ground once more; meanwhile, Ky was still lost in his own thoughts. 'I still have those skill points that mysteriously appeared after I placed my first Temporal Bubble–' Of course, these Skill Points didn't actually come from nothing, they were his reward for what he did to the Coroner but receiving the award was part of the memories wiped from his mind. 'I have pretty much the entire skill tree memorized for moments like this; moments where I desperately need something new for s specific situation, but if I use too many of them now, what will I do later?' This was his strategy. Where others would immediately use skill points, Ky hoarded them; waiting for the perfect moment to purchase the correct ability.
Ky started running about, dodging nothingness as he refused to leave himself as an easy target for Spectre; however, Tempo acting as prey and running only made things more fun for Spectre in reality. "Oops." Spectre jested, grabbing Tempo by the ankle and causing him to stumble and fall. The crowd chuckled, even members of his team and the other teams could be heard giggling in the background.
'Scratch what I said earlier. THIS is the most humiliating moment of my life…' Ky placed both hands in front of him, pushing himself off the ground, only for Spectre's face to pop out of the floor in front of him. "Boo!" Tempo, startled, leaned backward, only for Spectre to suddenly appear behind him and catch him by the shoulders. "Are you alright, man? My bad, I didn't mean to scare you."
It was obvious the Spectre was just playing with Tempo, the time manipulator knew this. He also knew he'd have to endure the humiliation, just for a few more seconds. Once more, he glanced at the timer on the stadium's jumbotron. There were only a few more seconds left before he could use his time-stopping ability and turn the tides of battle.
Tempo, prepared to set up his plan, reached for the Katana on his back. 'Huh?' Ky's eyebrows raised beneath his mask while his hand searched the surface of his entire back as if the sword was hiding from him, feeling around the scabbard as well.
His sword was gone; it disappeared without a trace.
"Looking for this?" Spectre taunted Tempo, waving his sword around as if it were some toy or prize. He'd swiped it the moment he taunted Ky from behind. However, rather than getting upset, Ky exhaled humorously. This made things easier for him. "You just threw away this entire match." Spectre raised a brow, tilting his head like a curious puppy. "How so, please elaborate I would LOVE to hear it."
"Just watch." Ky snapped his fingers–
Snap!
And time froze. Unlike before, the time manipulator rushed forward without wasting any time, only having a few moments to react, but this time, he had a plan. 'His fingers should be tangible now–' Ky grabbed his sword from Spectre's solid hands. 'I knew it!' Before Tempo could do anything more, a familiar, yet nearly forgotten font appeared in his vision, and his eyes turned squinny as he read the words in his mind.
[Bonus: Cut off Spectre's hand - Two Chaos Points]
Now this was tempting. Finally, Tempo had his chance to get payback for the embarrassment he'd endured, cutting off the same hand that struck his chin three times. Not only would he avenge his pride, but he'd be rewarded for it; quite handsomely.
However, the thought only crossed Ky's mind for a fraction of a second. 'No. This guy is a dick, but he doesn't deserve to lose a hand. With an ability like intangibility, he could probably do much worse to me, yet he didn't. I bet the game even gave him the same exact offer. As annoying as this guy is, there's mutual respect for a fair fight. I decline.'
Nonetheless, a sly smirk grew on Ky's face, one hidden through frozen time beneath his mask. 'But… That doesn't mean this isn't going to hurt like hell. If holding objects means his hands are tangible, then that means–'
Ky stabbed Spectre's foot with his sword, the soles of his feet remaining tangible for him to stand on the surface. Though the pain wasn't felt just yet, Spectre was in for a rude awakening once time resumed. 'I knew it! And now let's see your past, buddy.'
However, Tempo's luck had run out. His Psychometry ability was useless. Despite him making contact with Spectre's hand, he could not see his past. 'Damn it! Is it because his brain is still intangible? Or is it because his body isn't whole?' Tempo's Psychometry ability was complex, having rules that even he didn't understand just yet. The way it interacted differently with objects and people made things all the more complicated. 'Whatever, I don't need your past to win.' With only a few moments of frozen time left for him, Ky made sure to break each and every last one of Spectre's fingers, along with his wrist.
Time resumed and Spectre let out a ghastly wail as his wrist limply flailed around and his foot was held down by Tempo's sword. Finally, with the shoe on the other foot, Tempo did some shit-talking of his own. "So that's your weakness. If you're holding something, that means in that specific moment in time, that body part is tangible. I also figured that your feet must be tangible while you're standing or else you'd slip into the ground."
Spectre was furious. With his foot being impaled and held in place by Ky's katana, he could only stand and listen. "And it seems If a body part is injured, you can no longer turn it intangible."
Tempo had figured as much, but this proved his theory true. Everyone had some sort of weakness when it came to their skill set. For Ky, he had the ability to control time itself, however, his moves were locked behind cooldowns. 'It all makes sense. It's almost ironic. My powers allow me to bypass the rules of time, but in order to use them, I have to abide by time's rules. This guy– his powers allow him to become completely invulnerable, but if he allows himself to be harmed, he loses the ability.'
"I do have one question though. How are you not naked? Like, not that I want you to be, but wouldn't you phase through your clothes?"
Spectre stared at Tempo with furrowed brows and seething eyes. Once things were flipped, Spectre didn't enjoy being the one teased. However, just like Ky, Spectre had more than one trick up his sleeve.
"Well, aren't you a genius? But there's more to it than that." Spectre winced, his hand jerked and convulsed as it repaired itself. His foot did the same, healing itself; allowing him to become intangible again and slip through Ky's sword.
'He healed himself?' Ky's assessment was half-correct. However, there was more than meets the eyes when it came to this healing technique of his.
Spectre, afraid to even touch Tempo's sword, avoided it wholly before approaching Tempo with a slight limp. 'He's walking toward me? Why?' Tempo knew there had to be a reason why Spectre had suddenly abandoned his previous strategy of disappearing into the ground. If it was working, he wondered why he would change strategies. 'Clearly, he's not healed all the way. There's more to it than what it seems.'
"You're still hurt." Tempo proclaimed as he took multiple steps backward. He believed he had the upper hand but he still remained weary.
"The only thing that's gonna hurt is when I knock you out."
"Then do it. Crawl into the ground like you did before. C'mon, I'm waiting." Despite Tempo challenging him, Spectre refused. It wasn't because he didn't want to, it was because he couldn't and Tempo picked up on this.
"You didn't really heal yourself… You transferred the injured bones elsewhere." The moment these words danced off of Ky's lips, Spectre froze in his tracks. His eyes, though only slightly, showed a hint of angst. "I'm right, aren't I? It makes sense. You have total control over your body at a molecular level, right? You can turn yourself intangible, but your body still follows the rules of matter. Like Einstein said, 'Matter cannot be created nor destroyed'. Those damaged parts have to go somewhere, I just have to find them."
Spectre, still standing in the same spot, started to laugh. "Einstein never said that you idiot."
For a moment, Tempo thought his entire assessment was incorrect, but it was merely the specifics that Spectre was referring to. "He said energy. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Antoine Lavoisier was the one who invented the law of conservation of mass." No one could hear the conversation happening between the two of them, yet there was still tension in the air as the two stood center stage, unmoving.
"You figured me out, I'll give you that. I'm impressed, really. There's only one problem. You don't know where that small tangible section of my body is. Good luck finding it. Even with your time-stopping ability, I won't let you touch me again."
Tempo could feel a jolt through his body. 'What?' He'd spent this entire match being methodical in hopes that he could hide the truth of his abilities; he even let himself get hit for the sake of it, yet he was found out during his first fight. "We're both Technique builds. That means we have to use our wits to win our fights, not our strength. Don't tell me you thought you were the only one trying to understand the other's abilities. You snap your fingers and freeze time."
Spectre mimicked the way Tempo snapped his fingers as he spoke.
"You can reverse time too, can't you? Or maybe you can slow time? That's how you reacted to my punch earlier." Spectre let out a humor-filled exhale. "You let me hit you all those times, didn't you? You let me toy with you until the right moment." Spectre looked up at the timer, which read eight minutes and forty-five seconds. "I noticed you kept looking at the timer. You can only freeze time every minute. So I have forty-five seconds to beat your ass. I'm right, aren't I? It's only fair you admit to me what I admitted to you."
Ky's lips curled into a small smile beneath his mask. The feeling within him was reminiscent of when he'd play against someone of equal skill in a long set in a fighting game. After every game, they'd learn more and more about the matchup until they were forced to adapt and learn a new strategy. By the end of the set, both fighters pushed each other to evolve far beyond what they were previously. 'I like this guy. He'd be a good training partner.'
"You know, if you and I were from the same region, I bet we would've been friends." Tempo admitted. It was a shame that they had to fight, but at the same time, he was thankful he was the one he'd share the stage with.
"Yeah? Maybe." Spectre didn't want to admit it, but he felt the same way. When the game prompted him to kill Tempo, offering him up to Five Chaos Points, he declined. He was interested in Tempo, the only other person to put up a fight against him. Like Tempo, this was the first time he truly had to exert himself. "You didn't answer my question. Was I right?"
"Mostly." Ky answered. "I'll let you guess how much of it was right. I can't give out all my secrets."
Spectre exhaled, smiling beneath the half-mask covering his mouth. "Of course. I haven't either." Spectre began sinking into the ground, hiding the fact that he was in immense pain as he transferred the broken bones of his body to the neck and up. Every time he moved his bones throughout his body, it felt like torture. However, this was the only way to beat such a formidable opponent.
As he sunk deeper into the ground, the beta tester spoke once more.
"I'm not holding back anymore. I want you to do the same, Tempo."