This chapter is a side story. I wrote this as Sabariam and Psychic Ace had requested to see more of Clinkz, and also because I wanted to write more about the stealth heroes.

I have also updated my profile page with a summary of the plot, characters and pairings of this story (contains spoilers). This is for readers who are confused, don't intend to read all the chapters, or are looking for specific characters only.

Enjoy!


Chapter 29: The Three Stalkers

It was after school hours, and most of the students had gone home. The classroom was empty except for Kardel, the smallest boy in the class, who was packing his things and getting ready to leave. But when he reached the doorway, there stood a big guy built like a wrestler, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, blocking the entire exit.

"Money," he demanded, fixing a menacing glare on Kardel.

"No," Kardel said, backing away and shifting his eyes towards the other exit.

The muscular boy stood still, seeming to think for a moment. And then he suddenly charged at Kardel like a raging bull. The smaller boy tried to sidestep him but wasn't quick enough. The bully slammed into him, grabbed his collar and punched him in the face. Stunned by the pain, Kardel couldn't retaliate as the huge fist flew towards him again. But as the third punch was coming in, Kardel grabbed the bully's hand and bit his finger. The bully growled and pummeled Kardel in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kardel whimpered, helpless against the ferocious beast of a boy.

Unknown to them, there was someone else inside the classroom, watching them. Hiding inside the cupboard at the back was a boy – small enough to fit inside - wearing a blue ninja suit complete with a mask. He was holding up his phone, recording the happenings through the crack between the slightly open cupboard doors.

After he had finished beating up Kardel, the gangster searched the victim's pockets and grabbed all his money before leaving the classroom. Kardel was left sitting on the floor in a bruised heap, trying his hardest not to cry.

The boy inside the cupboard ended his video-recording. "Job done. On my way," he texted into his phone, before emerging from the cupboard. His sudden appearance startled Kardel, who could only stare confusedly at the masked figure. The ninja boy threw a quick glance of sympathy at him and without a word, slipped out of the classroom.

The bully was loitering in the hallway. "Hey you little runt!" He snarled. "Where do you think you're going?"

The masked boy had come prepared. With a flick of his wrist, he flung a small object on the ground. Purple smoke billowed upon the impact and a chemical smell filled the air, followed by the sound of coughing. In a flash, the young ninja disappeared down the stairs.


In the nearly-deserted grassy area near the school's back gate, hiding behind a bench, a teen of slight build in a brown ninja uniform was secretly recording another bullying incident. The school's biggest and most notorious gangster, Mogul 'Axe' Khan was lifting up the short and stout Zeus by the collar and holding him mid-air, shouting, "YO MIDGET! YOU LIKE THE AIR UP HERE?"

"Let me go, you retarded red piece of shit," Zeus spat, his legs kicking and flailing.

The comeback incensed Khan. "YOU DARE TALK BACK TO AXE?" He roared and threw Zeus down onto the ground. Before the smaller boy could escape, the gangster jumped on him, pinning him down and yelling "I SAID GOOD DAY, MIDGET!"

Zeus groaned, his body crushed by the three-hundred-pound heavyweight.

The ninja in brown now turned his camera towards his friend crouching beside him. It was the scrawny Clinkz, holding a slingshot which he loaded with a pellet made of some flammable material.

The ninja boy in blue quietly joined them behind the bench, catching his breath after running all the way from the classroom. Now the two boys were watching Clinkz in anticipation, excited about the highlight of their mission. "You can do it!" They whispered, egging him on. Clinkz lifted his head and took a peep at the situation. They were perhaps eighty feet away. Axe was still sitting on Zeus and beating the crap out of him; both had no idea they were being watched.

Clinkz crouched down again, produced a lighter from his pocket and set the pellet on fire. The stealthy trio took another cautious peek. Axe was now standing up, apparently giving the other boy a chance to retaliate. Zeus was struggling to get on his feet as the ruffian circled him and threw him more taunts. "YO ZOOS! WHAT KIND OF NAME IS ZOOS? CATCH SOME Zs BABY ZOOS!" He looked like he was about to jump on Zeus again.

Clinkz inhaled deeply and focused his concentration as he waited for the opportunity to arise. Keeping his hands steady, he drew back the rubber band of the flaming slingshot, aiming it at the gangster's black pants. When Axe's back came into view, he released the shot. The pellet hit Axe on the backside with a thud and his pants caught fire immediately.

Clinkz's partners gave the thumbs up. Without wasting any time, the trio scurried off like mice towards some trees at a further distance away from the scene. It took a while before Axe realized his pants were burning. In fact, it only dawned on him when he saw Zeus's miserable face break into laughter.

The bright orange flames danced as they ate the gangster's clothing, and his face contorted in rage, growing redder than it already was. "WHO DID THAT?" He gave such a loud and barbaric bellow that the entire school shook. Axe whirled around looking for someone to punish. But there was nobody else around but Zeus, sitting on the grass and chuckling at his tormentor slapping his own backside furiously to put out the fire.

The trio were already safely out of sight. Clinkz led the other two into the underground archery range, which was unused at the moment. The boys removed their masks, recovered their breaths and chuckled. "Mission accomplished!" They cheered, pumping their fists in the air. "Quick let's upload everything!"

After they had uploaded the videos on the internet, the boys watched them again. Clinkz found himself being teased mercilessly. "That was awesome, dude. Your Senpai's gonna be sooo impressed," said the ninja in brown.

Clinkz nodded and smiled proudly. "Mirana told me Senpai once shot Axe in the balls. So I came up with the idea of setting his big red ass on fire."

"I bet she's going to notice you a lot more. You're doing really well for a first year!"

"But I don't even know where she is now. She disappeared after winning the archery championships," Clinkz sighed, and then redirected the teasing. "Hey Gondar, aren't you doing this for a girl, too?"

Gondar gave a smug laugh. "Lanaya's already going out with me," he said, and nudged the boy in blue. "So Riki, you think Mirana's gonna start noticing you?"

"What?!" Riki looked surprised, but the blush on his cheeks betrayed everything.

"Come on, you like her, don't you?" Gondar prodded.

"But- but how did you know?"

"You've been stalking her, bro. Like last night, at the swimming pool," Gondar grinned deviously.

"Fuck, you've been following me?" Riki's jaws dropped in astonishment.

"So you think you're good?" Gondar scoffed. "I am the stalker of all stalkers."

Clinkz stood open-mouthed in awe. "But too bad for you Riki," Gondar added, patting his friend on the back. "Mirana isn't into guys."

Riki nodded sadly as Clinkz's eyes widened even more. "Whoa is that true?"

"Show us the video you took last night," Gondar grinned, poking Riki.

"What video?"

"Oh come on," Gondar huffed, grabbing the phone from Riki before the latter could stop him. After a bit of searching, while fending off an annoyed Riki, Gondar found the video he wanted and began playing it. Clinkz watched on with interest. At first there was nothing much, just the school's swimming pool at night. And then a girl surfaced from the water, her long wet hair clinging to her slender neck and shoulders. Droplets of moisture glistened on her skin, reflected the moonlight.

"Mirana," Clinkz gulped.

"Watch on," Gondar said.

Mirana sat on the edge of the pool with her legs dangling in the water, her svelte figure barely covered by a two-piece swimsuit. Soon, another girl rose from the pool and pulled herself up to sit beside Mirana. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Mirana leaned and rested her head on the girl's shoulder. The two seemed to be engaged in stargazing for a moment, and then they wrapped their arms around each other and shared a long, deep kiss.

"Holy shit," Clinkz gasped. The three stood speechless, mesmerized by the video. Finally Riki snatched his phone back. "Enough," he scowled and walked towards the door, opening it slightly and peering out. "It's getting dark, let's get out of here."

"Wait," Clinkz said nervously. "What if they're still around?"

"Relax, bro. I have these." Riki produced a white, cigarette-like object with a rounded end.

"What's this?" Clinkz asked.

Gondar immediately identified the object. "Home-made smoke bombs eh?"

"Yeah, I made them with firework snappers, magnesium powder and rocket propellant powder. Pretty easy," Riki boasted.

"Let's see if they work as well as they sound," Gondar smirked. The three put their masks back on and crept out into the open field, where the sun was setting and the sky was turning a deep orange.

Relieved that no one was around, the boys made their way towards the back gate. When they reached it, they found to their dismay that it was locked. Clinkz cursed and turned around. "We're screwed," he exclaimed. The other two turned to look. In the distance, they could see a big guy in leather - the one who had beaten up Kardel - charging at them like a raging bull. Behind him was Axe, swaggering towards them in a new pair of pants. They weren't the only ones around. "There's Zombie Dick too," Gondar whispered. To Axe's right was a tall and gangly youth in jeans and a greenish-grey jacket that matched his ashen face. He moved slowly, as suggested by his name, but led a big group of aggressive-looking boys, and even girls.

Riki acted swiftly. A smoke bomb in each hand, he threw both on the ground in the direction of the gangsters. The bombs exploded with a loud bang, releasing a dense cloud of fumes. "This way!" He shouted and started climbing up the gate. In two seconds the nimble boy was over at the other side.

"I don't think I can do that," Clinkz cried. The smoke was clearing and the mob was advancing.

"Here, get on my shoulders," Gondar said, bending his knees. Clinkz climbed onto him and managed to scramble over the gate. Gondar was last, escaping just as the bull-like gangster crashed into the gate with a grunt, his narrowed, malicious eyes glowing. The trio ran as fast as their legs could carry them, along the quiet road at the back of the school. After they had turned the corner and reached the main road, they were about to relax a little when a dark-haired man in a green jacket appeared in front of them.

"Hey hey hey, where are you guys going?" The man stopped them and spoke sternly. You look like you're up to some mischief."

"Hey, uh, Mr Rubick," Gondar greeted, panting as he halted his footsteps.

"You smell of chemicals. And what's with these ridiculous costumes? Take off your masks!" The teacher commanded.

"Uh, it's not safe to do so," Riki said in a muffled voice.

Nevertheless, Rubick reached out and ripped the boy's mask off. "Holy crrrackers, is that you Rrrriiiki?" He cried, as if reacting to the rare appearance of a celebrity.

"You know me?" Riki's eyes widened in surprise.

"Dude, everyone knows you ever since you got spanked by Miss Akasha on stage," Gondar said.

"Fuck my life," Riki sighed.

"So, Rrrriiiki," Rubick said sternly. "What are you up to now, huh? Stealing? Peeping at girls?"

"He's turned over a new leaf," Gondar intercepted. "He's now joined us in stalking the bullies. We're stalking for a good cause."

"Eh? Stalking the bullies?"

"Our school's bullying problem has gotten worse, Sir, in case you don't know."

"Oh dear," Rubick furrowed his brows. "We seriously haven't had the time for this. The school's short of teachers now that Mr Nortrom and Mr Atropos have gone missing."

"Yeah, that's why we're doing something about it. Taking videos and uploading them online so that the whole world knows."

"It was Gondar's idea," Riki pointed at his friend.

Rubick pursed his lips and sighed in vexation. "Tell me more about the bullies."

"Um, can we go somewhere safe?" Clinkz suggested, looking furtively around. "They're really scary."

Rubick led them into a nearby café, where he sat them down and ordered some drinks.

"Well, Mogul Axe Khan has two side-kicks now," Gondar explained. "There's Bara the Bull, who extorts money from the students, and Zombie Dick who helps to recruit new kids into the gang. Axe has gotten worse; he used to pick on the bigger kids who could give him a fight, like Pudge, but now that his usual target has gone missing... he's been picking on the smaller kids."

"That's awful," Rubick said. "Picking on someone smaller is unacceptable!"

"Can't you just kick Axe out of school?" Clinkz said.

"He went to jail for two months and then they sent him back here," Rubick said. "I really need to speak to Dad - I mean the principal about this."

Gondar suddenly thought of something. "Hey Riki," he poked his friend. "Isn't your dad filthy rich, like royalty, or something? Do you think he could do something about this?"

Riki responded with a look of discomfort. "What-what are you talking about? I'm not rich."

"Don't be scared. It's not like I'm going to kidnap you for ransom," Gondar sneered.

"No use kidnapping me," Riki rolled his eyes. "My dad doesn't notice me at all. He only cares about my over-achieving older brother and whiny younger brother."

"Aw. Not even when Miss Akasha spanked you?"

Riki put his elbows on the table, rested his chin on his hands and groaned. "That's because Miss Akasha's … my aunt."

"Oh my god. That sucks!" Both Gondar and Clinkz said in commiseration.

"Okay guys," Rubick cut in, getting up from the table. "I'm going to talk to the principal about this now. Um, good job with whatever you're doing, but do be careful!"


(End of Chapter 29)

Starring:

Kardel (Sniper)

Bara the Bull (Spirit Breaker)

Mogul 'Axe' Khan (Axe)

Zeus

Riki

Gondar (Bounty Hunter)

Clinkz

Zombie Dick (son of Dirge, the Undying)

Rubick

(In video) Mirana and Luna

"Senpai" (or "Senior" in Japanese) refers to Traxex, Clinkz's senior in the archery club