The rocks takes a glancing blow on him, not enough to knock him off but the fact he was too distracted by his own problems to catch the incoming attack is what bothers him more. It doesn't seem right that Bucky should catch him off-guard like that.

Unfortunately the next thing his younger self points out is also something the Soldier hadn't thought about. The next logical step is to kill him, it's the name of the game after all.

But despite his anger at what he had once been and could never be again the idea of choking the life out of him (a very visceral thought) strikes him as very very wrong -- which leaves them at something of an impasse. Or not. Would it amount to suicide? Is this actually himself -- mind boggling but for this place maybe not impossible -- or something created to torment him? Would doing it make he never came to pass?

No, die in the arena, they bring you back. That was what happened, they hit the reset button and made you do it all over again. He'd researched that enough to know it was true.

Shit.

The Soldier twists off him, stumbling to a few paces away and staring at Bucky-himself on the ground, clutching at his head for a moment with teeth gritted. Suddenly he doesn't know what to do.