Chapter 12: Zai vs. Donkey Kong — First Real Fight
POV: Zai
DK charged at me like a two-legged Mack truck.
No warning. No second thought. No warm-up.
Just blinding feet thudding across the Battlefield stage as the giant ape raised a fist constructed of meat and—
BOOM!
He slammed the ground where I had just been standing a millisecond before. The platform groaned slightly beneath his strength, but I had already instinctively dodge-rolled to the side.
"Too close—way too close," I complained, my heart pounding.
[SHORT DODGE ROLL – USED]
[+0.02 AGILITY]
[+0.01 TECHNIQUE CONTROL]
The system was witnessing everything. Every movement added to the grind.
DK wasn't done, though.
He turned around, faster than I expected, and charged up that spinning punch—his go-to side special.
"Think, think—fire!"
[FIREBALL THROW – ACTIVATED]
I flailed my arm and hurled a fireball directly into his chest in mid-spin. It hit him in the stomach and made him wince for a second, stopping him in his charge.
"Yes!"
I rushed in to capitalize.
[BASIC PUNCH – STRIKE SUCCESSFUL]
[+0.03 STRENGTH]
My punch hit his side—it was punching a brick wall. He grunted but backhanded me soon after.
I fell back onto the platform.
[IMPACT DETECTED] – 12% DAMAGE TAK
[EGG SHIELD AVAILABLE]
I coughed, rolling back onto my feet. That one stung.
But I wasn't defeated.
I whipped up my Yoshi-inspired Egg Shield as DK charged again. He pounded his fists into the shield, and it absorbed the impact before shattering in a flash of energy that knocked him back a little.
Time to counter.
[KO COUNTER – TRIGGERED]
My blue-glowing fist hit his face. The power lifted him from the ground a little—he actually stumbled.
[+0.05 STRENGTH]
[+0.04 TECHNIQUE CONTROL]
[+0.01 COOLDOWN REDUCTION]
But he rebounded quickly, seizing me by the collar.
"Oh, no—"
[THROW ATTEMPT DETECTED — ESCAPE INITIATED]
I crushed the escape order in my head and—
Escaped mid-toss, landing on my feet. My heart was racing.
"You want wild?"
I snapped my wrist.
[CHARGE SHOT – ACTIVATED]
I charged for almost two seconds and—
BLAST!
The focused beam of energy hit his chest and knocked him flying back across the battlefield.
DK smashed into the edge, grasped the ledge, and tried to recover.
Big mistake.
[EDGE GUARD STRATEGY — UNLOCKED TEMPORARILY]
[USE: NEEDLE SHOT + PAINT DASH]
I charged forward, threw needles at his hands, then Paint Dashed down the moment he pulled himself up.
His foot slipped on the fresh ink.
CRACK.
He backed off the platform, staggered—
KO!
[VICTORY ACHIEVED]
[Level Up: LV. 5]
[All Stats Slightly Increased]
[Three Random Smash Skills Unlocked]
[System Skill Unlocked: SUBORDINATE CREATION (CPU Adaptation Protocol)]
I collapsed down onto one knee, gasping, my arms shaking.
That. was the craziest fight of my life.
But I did it.
I defeated a Smash CPU.
And now… I had something new.
A skill that might just change everything.