Checkmate

I heard the sharp whir of electricity as Terra prepared to zap me, but then I heard something else.

The sound of an engine starting up and wheels screeching on the pavement.

I opened my eyes in time to see Truck-chan backing up right into Terra. The back of Truck-chan slammed into the criminal, and she dropped to the ground and rolled away. Terra clutched her shoulder and cried out in pain as her baton rolled away from her.

"Truck-chan!" I exclaimed. "Thank you." I ran over to the front of the truck, opened the door, and then I climbed up to the roof using the driver's seat as a foothold.

From up on the roof I could see that Davie had already forced the hostage to the very back of the platform, where the lifeboats were located. If they managed to get the hostage into a lifeboat, they would get away. Maybe that shouldn't have bothered me ─ maybe a kidnapping taking place aboard a flying train inside a strange fantasy world was none of my business ─ but I couldn't let them get away with it. Not after what they did to Blair, Sophia, and all those innocent people.

"Truck-chan," I said as she slammed the door shut and locked it. "Keep backing up until we reach the hostage."

"Okay," Truck-chan said and drove in reverse until we reached the end of the platform. I spread myself out flat on the roof so that Davie couldn't see me. He had been facing the other way as Truck-chan approached him, and when he turned around and saw the large delivery truck speeding in his direction, he panicked and dove out of the way. As he fell to the ground, Davie dropped his knife, and the hostage used the opportunity to run away. Truck-chan stopped just short of hitting one of the lifeboats.

Davie was furious. He stood up and tried to retrieve his knife, which was still on the ground several steps away. This was my chance! Davie was unarmed, the hostage was safe, and I had the element of surprise on my side.

I decided to jump down from the roof and knock him out with a swift punch to the face before he ever saw me coming. It would be so easy! He was right below me, he had no idea that I was up here, and the force of my flying punch would surely knock him out in one shot.

I stood up on the roof, squeezed my hand into a fist, wound my arm up for the punch, and leapt at Davie. I could see it all so clearly in my mind: my fist would connect with his face and he would topple over like a domino. As he collapsed, I would stand triumphant over his motionless body, and all the other passengers would hail me as a hero.

This was the day of my CHADFORMATION!

Unfortunately, that's not what happened. As I fell towards Davie, I realized that I had overshot him. Instead of punching him square in the face, I punched nothing but air as I dropped from the roof right into one of the lifeboats.

Two important things happened during my miscalculated jump from Truck-chan's roof. First, when I hit the ground, I landed on top of the deflated balloon that had been placed in the middle of the lifeboat. I guessed that each lifeboat had one of these balloons, and I was glad that they did, because it cushioned my fall. I banged up the right side of my body as I landed, but I escaped serious injury.

Second, on the way down my left leg managed to connect with the side of Davie's face. This was completely unintentional on my part ─ my plan was to punch him ─ but somehow it worked out. Davie was stunned by my kick and he stumbled sideways. As I stood up from the lifeboat, Davie realized what had happened.

"You hit me," he said, climbing into the lifeboat after me. "Now it's time to SLAP!"

I tried to stand up, but the deflated balloon tangled itself around my feet, and I couldn't get free in time. As Davie walked up to me, I was barely able to get on my knees.

The tall criminal stood over me and raised his right hand above his head, his palm flat and his fingers stretched out in all directions. He looked like he was about to give me the biggest slap of my life.

I closed my eyes.

"Checkmate," he said, but before he could deliver the slap, I decided to try one more act of desperation. I wasn't about to sit here while some criminal slaps me to death ─ not after everything that I've been through in this goddamn fantasy world. So I clenched my fist shut and launched my arm forward, hoping to hit him in the nuts. I didn't feel my fist connect with anything, and I assumed that I had missed, but the slap didn't come. Instead, I heard a loud thud.

I opened my eyes and saw Davie sprawled out on the ground before me. There was no one else around, so my punch must have gotten him. Still, the fact that I hadn't felt anything was strange.

But there was not time to think about it.

Someone called out to me. "Birito, are you all right?"

I looked to my left and saw that it was Blair. Sophia was still down on the ground, but Blair was on her feet and moving.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Blair nodded and turned around. I glanced further up the platform and saw that Terra had managed to get back up. She retrieved her baton and started spinning it again, blue lightning surging all around her, but it was clear from her movements that Terra was injured. The hit from Truck-chan took a toll on her, and Blair was about to take full advantage.

Blair aimed her double-sided spear and threw it right at Terra, but instead of waiting to see where the spear would land, Blair took off running in Terra's direction.

Terra successfully blocked the spear with her baton, but just as she did that, Blair executed an incredible acrobatic maneuver. First, Blair launched herself forward with a front handspring, and then she transitioned into a forward somersault. As Terra turned her attention back to Blair, Blair was already flying towards her. Terra tried to block the attack with her baton, but it was too late. Blair flipped over the spinning baton, and then she drove the heel of her boot right into Terra's face.

Terra stumbled backwards and then collapsed, blood gushing from her nose. "Game over, bitch," Blair said before picking up the electric baton and throwing it overboard.

Both Davie and Terra were now down for the count, and the hostage was sheltering behind one of the lifeboats. But it wasn't over yet. I looked to my right and saw that the battle between Chad Lass and Ganojo was still in full swing.

And worse yet, Chad Lass was taking heavy hits. At some point, Ganojo had sprayed some sort of silky substance all over Chad Lass, and this was restricting her movements. Chad Lass was trying to defend herself as best she could, but she was taking damage left and right. Silver blood ran down her face in steady streams.

I finally managed to untangle myself from the balloon and I ran up to Truck-chan. "Let's go," I said. "Get as close to the fight as you can. I think I know how to help Chad Lass!"

"Okay, Birito-kun," Truck-chan said, "but could you please release the handbrake? Imagine walking with a metal rod stuck up your butt."

"What?!"

"Well, that's what this feels like!"

"Okay, okay," I said. I climbed into the driver's seat and released the handbrake. Truck-chan drove up cautiously until we were as close to the action as possible.

And that's when I saw it.

Something was wrong with Briggo. He had removed the lower half of his armor, and he was calling on Ganojo to come step on him instead of Chad Lass.

"What is he thinking?!"

"I don't know," Truck-chan replied, "but that's not the way Sir Briggo acts. He's not himself."

I nodded. "You're right. Ganojo is a moth girl, and her powers are likely based on moth biology. That musty gas she sprayed on him earlier… it must be affecting Briggo."

"We have to do something!" Truck-chan exclaimed.

"Right. Ganojo released some sort of pheromone that made Briggo uncontrollably attracted to her. She is an incredible Kink, but her moth biology might also be her weakness."

"What do you mean, Birito-kun?" Truck-chan asked as Ganojo landed yet another kick on Chad Lass, and Briggo's Kink nearly lost her balance and fell over as a result of the blow.

Chad Lass was in trouble.

After this latest kick, Ganojo leapt into the air again and hovered over Chad Lass, preparing for the next strike. Since Ganojo was currently facing our way, I decided to act.

"Truck-chan, turn on your high beams. Max brightness. RIGHT NOW!"

"Okay," Truck-chan said. As soon as the high beams flipped on, Ganojo turned her eyes towards the light. She stared at it for several seconds, almost mesmerized, before forcefully turning away.

"That's it," I proclaimed. "The light!" Truck-chan's high beams weren't especially bright in broad daylight, and yet Ganojo was still drawn to them. If we could find a brighter light, we would give Chad Lass a fighting chance.

And that's when I remembered! In her previous battle, Chad Lass was able to create bright electric sparks using her brass knuckles.

I rolled down the driver's side window and poked my head out. "Chad Lass!" I shouted, but she didn't hear me. I tried again, even louder. "CHAD LASS!"

This time she heard me, and she turned to look at me.

"Light! Bright light will distract her!"

Chad Lass nodded and then quickly turned away. She must have been saving the friction that she had built up during the battle for one final attack, because she suddenly smashed her fists together. As the brass knuckles collided, bright sparks exploded all around her, and we were all blinded for a moment.

The next thing I knew, something was moving up on Truck-chan's roof, and when I opened my eyes I saw Chad Lass leaping into the air. She took advantage of Ganojo's infatuation with the sparks to run over to Truck-chan and hop on top of the roof. After a running start, Chad Lass used the roof as a springboard to launch herself into the air.

I watched through the windshield as Chad Lass skyrocketed up to the spot where Ganojo had been flying in place. The moth Kink was still mesmerized by the lingering sparks as Chad Lass wound up her arm and SMASHED Ganojo square in the face with her fist. More sparks shot out from the brass knuckles as Chad Lass made contact, and suddenly Ganojo was blown across the platform. The force of the punch shook Truck-chan's windows, and the sound was deafening. Ganojo slammed onto the roof of one of the train cars, rolled over multiple times, and then dropped down to the floor of the platform.

Ganojo would be in no shape to keep fighting after a hit like that.

This fight was over!