26 March 745, Old Abandoned Construction Site, West City
"Why would they put the meeting place here?" I muttered softly myself, dumbfounded by the fact that this would be the place.
I've been running around the entire city like a deaf bat, searching for the address of the meeting place that was stated on the paper that I'm holding. I wasn't familiar with the city at all so I had to run around for an entire hour to reach here. It took less time for me to do a lap around Orange Star City was because it was smaller but here, this city is huge. I'm talking humongous. I'm just lucky that I trained hard running laps or I wouldn't have made it this far.
I now stood at the front of the building that I was told to go to. It wasn't broken or wrecked but more like incomplete. Taking at look at this building, it was mostly complete too. It made me wondered why they stop continuing. Of course the construction site was barricaded off due to safety reasons, clumps of dirt was piled everywhere, there weren't any bags of cement or abandoned construction vehicles though.
I decided that now wasn't the time to think about these nonsense, shaking my head. She's in trouble and yet I'm taking my sweet time looking at the surroundings as I wandered around aimlessly in the area. Just focus, Sam. I increased my pace and dashed around the area, hoping to find them as quick as possible.
"Well, look who's here." My head perked up at the voice as I glanced around in quick succession, after coming to a stop. Instantly, I recognized the black wavy hair that coated his head, standing several meters behind me. He still wore his sunglasses despite us being inside the unfinished building, his hands tucked in his pocket. His mouth was stretched into a smirk, satisfied with me being here.
I immediately raised my fists into the fighting stance that I was finally familiar with, preparing for any sort of onslaught that may happen. My eyes darted around him, noticing the goons that were around him. The hell, he brought this many goons with him?! How could a person have this many friends anyway?
"You know, I didn't think it would this easy to get you here." The wavy-haired leader of the bunch mocked as his smirk grew wider. "You're just on a whole new level of dumb." He spoke out loud as mockery was laced within his tone, his goons laughed along with him. "You even took so long to get here too. Do you even care about her?"
I felt my blood boiling, but I chose to just shrug in the end. "Sure." I muttered and proceeded to glare at him. "So where is she?" I inquired as I gripped my fist tighter, tightening my muscles, mentally preparing myself for any danger. I needed to know now, I don't how much longer I can handle this guilty conscience that I have.
The leader just laughed at my inquiry, which his gang soon joined in right after. This only made me more tense as I flinched a little at their action, a little worried of Tight's wellbeing. Finally, their laughter died down which prompt the leader to speak. "Funny you should ask."
The leader soon took out a small cassette player from his pocket, it's casing was black in colour and small in size. I used to have a few of those back then but that was quite some time ago.
Click! He pressed the a button on top of the tape player with his thumb, causing the cassette tape to play within seconds. The words that came out of it next caused me to shudder.
"...Please...stop....." The voice sounded ragged and tired as if the person wanted to sleep but unable to. The voice was filled with suffering and pain, reminding me my time with Akira.
"Shut him up."
Those words caused me to be in immense pain. My bones crunching under the impact I was dealt with.
My vision a blur, my voice strained from screaming. My fear rising, finally afraid of the consequences of my actions. It was when I realised this wasn't a game.
I shuddered upon that memory and struggled to keep calm, my breathing started getting irregular.
Hearing that voice was unnerving as it is but what scared me more was the fact that the voice belong to Tights. I unconsciously loosened my grip a little, my legs feeling a little weak.
"...Father...Mother...help me..." I felt weak at that, my palms dripping with cold sweat. She felt so loss and alone...something I never want to experience. However, I just can't help but feel like I already did.
"Don't leave me..."
I said as the door was slammed in my face once again, trapped in the dark empty room that I grew acquainted with. The room was piled with books that I've read a thousandth times over but could never recall anything from it.
The sound recording was ended with piercing scream from Tights which tore me apart. "Ahhhhhh!!!" My heart racing with intensity and fear for Tight's safety, my pupils dilate. My body shook all over, my lips quivering ever so slightly, unable to form any words.
The smug-faced leader started chuckling at my reaction or rather lack of one, his face growing more wild by the second. "Hahahahaa!! You should look in the mirror, your face is priceless!! You shouldn't haven't mess with me in the first place. You'll pay for ruining my fun." He snarled as he gave me a glare.
Snap! His fingers snapped, signalling the goons around the area. I immediately raised my guard again, my face scowling, my eyes narrowing, my muscles tightening.
"Get him, bo-" Wham! My right fist collided with the face of one of the goons, with every ounce of my effort put into it.
Crash! The goon instantly fell onto the ground, loudly. For this one moment, I chose not to care about what happened to him and continue on my pursuit. My eyes were filled with rage and blood boiling beyond control.
The goons were immediately alerted and were cautious around me, their fear apparent in their eyes.
Quickly, I jumped to the next victim in line, my footwork becoming rhythmic, my adrenaline keeping me going. The goon was taken aback by my sudden action and raised his guard weakly, clearly unprepared.
Whap! I threw a jab into the man's guard, easily breaking it without any problems. Quickly, I shift my stance, my right foot pivoting so that my right fist could gain momentum to give a right straight. Slam!
This man unlike the other flew back several metres to land on hard gravel that was piled up, his back hitting down hard with Thud!
Wha-ack!! My back suddenly flare up in pain causing me to flinch upon impact. I winced but I turned around in time to dodge the incoming hit from a metal pole.
Swoosh! I jumped back quickly to avoid the blow, keeping aware of my surroundings at the mean time. The pain went away soon enough, my body felt much better. I didn't care much about it, more worried about the situation at hand.
I didn't need to move in as a goon with the metal pole soon rushed in and threw a clumsy but powerful swing towards me.
Woooosh! I ducked quickly and threw a small jab towards his abdomen, Whap!, causing the man to be buckle over. Not wasting the opportunity, I shifted my fist to perform an uppercut right onto his chin, causing him to flip backwards onto his back.
Swis- Grip! I managed to grab a metal bat that came into my view from my left, aiming directly to my face. Quickly, I yanked the entire bat away from him, causing the goon to trip towards me.
I shifted my stance into the Wolf Fang Fist stance, letting go of the bat.
Hooooowwwl!!!!
I lunged towards him as he was coming towards me, my palms planted onto his gut, causing the man to fly back a few metres.
The goons stood back a little, more hesitant than before to attack me as they saw my display of skill. They stood still, their shifting around me, observing my every move. I wasn't tired in the least, due to my intense stamina training. After fighting a few of them, I managed to get a good idea of their strengths. They lack skill and technique but I was more concern with their sheer numbers. I wasn't used to it. At this rate, I might take more damage than needed and waste time needed to find Tights. Every second here is another second she's suffering.
"Stand do-" I took the opportunity to voice out, only to be interrupted by one goon lunging at me. I widened my eyes a little, surprised by the sudden action.
I raised my arm to block the incoming hit, tightening my muscles to deal with incoming blow.
Slice! "Ah!" I cried out as my arm felt a sharp sting, causing me to jump back from any immediate danger. Before I could take a look at my arm to search for the injury I was given, the goon took this chance to attack me, his hand holding a knife.
Shit. I mentally swear. I haven't learned how to utilize my ki yet, I can't defend myself from attacks like these. I should've expected this.
Swish! I swiftly swirled around the knife attacks as I was more prepared for it, ignoring the pain that I felt in my arm. Swoosh! I dodged another swing and landed a right straight into the dude's face, putting my body into it.
The guy immediately fell onto the floor, his back landing harshly onto the floor. Bam!
Cr-rack!
Before I have time to rest, another goon comes in, swinging a broken wine bottle, jabbing it towards my body. I jumped aside and dodge the fatal strike, landing a heavy blow into his abdomen. Bam!
The dude instantly buckled over, dropping his bottle but remained standing. I rushed in and swing my whole body into punching his face, not caring if I wasted more energy than needed. Wham!
The man flew back much further than a few metres, crashing into the other goons. Thwump!
Woosh! I decided that I should take the initiative instead and leaped at the next thug, hoping to end all of this quicker. The thug was clearly surprised at the act and tried to jab me with his pocket knife, aiming for my eye.
I just shifted my head to the left, barely missing the strike. I threw my right straight at him and performed a successful counter blow on him, causing the goon to collapse. The knife he had in his hand dropped onto a metal beam that was still on the floor. Clang!
I picked it up and knew what I needed to do. If I continued to fight with my bare hands, it would take too long.
Dash! I dashed straight for the leader, who was surprisingly still here. I was sure he would've ran. The leader seem to have noticed and pulled out a machete, from nowhere. I was genuinely shock but I chose to not let it bother me. I angled my knife towards his machete in response, hoping to intercept whatever he plans on doing.
Clan-nk-Prack!
Unfortunately, the knife broke in pieces, not even lasting a second. I instantly let go of the knife and grabbed onto his wrists instead, making sure I tightened my grip on it. Crack! "AH! The leader yelled out in pain.
I was sure that I broke his wrists but I chose to focus onto the machete that dropped from his hand, catching it quickly. I positioned the machete onto the leader's neck, causing the leader to freeze in place.
"Stay where you are!" I bellowed loud enough for everyone to hear, which cause each of them to stay rooted in their place. I shifted myself behind the leader to get a better look at them, watching for any sudden movements. After assuring myself that they weren't making a move anymore, I redirect my attention back to the leader who was shaking in his place. The leader was slightly taller than me so I raised my neck a little to whisper into his ear, "Where is she?" My voice wasn't coated with venom but rather filled with desperation.
The leader heard the desperation in my voice and forgotten about the machete at his neck, trying at his chance to test me. "Why should I tell you? I'd prefer to die than tell yo-"
Shing!
I pulled the machete closer to his neck, causing the blade to glimmer under the sunlight. I couldn't see the expression of the leader but I was hoping internally that he was terrified. "Where is she?" My voice showing no signs of desperation this time, instead it was filled with hostility, promising danger to him if he doesn't comply.
Of course, that was just a ruse. I don't think I have the courage to kill someone. I don't exactly want to deal with the consequences of killing him too. I'm in a city, not in the middle of nowhere.
Luckily, he seemed to comply to my demand as he sputtered, "S-she's in t-the building." He pointed towards the abandoned building right next to us, which
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
The hell...is it really that easy? No extra road trips I have to deal with? No getting lost in a big city? No beating up othe- nevermind, a nearer distance doesn't mean less goons.
At the very least, I could save up some energy.
Thwack! The hilt of the machete bashed against the head of the leader, causing him faint on the spot. Just as I predicted.
Well...not really. The back of his head, which is also the spot that I hit, just started bleeding a little. The blood is starting to form a small puddle at the bottom of his scalp. It made me...worried.
...I was lying. I'm panicking.
Will he be okay? Did I just killed someone? Am I going to jail? I honestly don't know.
I looked around at the other goons worryingly, my eyes darting from one to the other. They seem confused at my behaviour, although I wasn't sure why. Shouldn't they be worried about their leader too?
I've decided to voice my concerns to them, hoping I could enlist their help for this predicament. "Uhh...can you guys deal with this? I gotta go." I told them, as I pointed towards the direction I need to go. As much as I wanted to make sure that the leader was in fine condition, I was more concern about Tights's health.
The goons only stood and looked at me oddly before one of them chose to take charge, due to their leader's...less than stellar state. "Rikota. Takuri. Help Daichi." He pointed at them, and jerked his head towards their leader. "The rest, after him." He then points to me, glaring in the meantime.
...I was hoping to not be bothered as I find Tights but I guess that was too much to ask.
I quickly raised my guard and prepared myself for battle as the selected goons rushed towards me, their hands wielding weapons of several kinds.
"Ahhh!" One of the goons shouted as he neared closer to me, his weapon of choice, a knife swung forward towards me.
Swish! I swirled out of the way and threw a right straight towards his face, quickly knocking him off his feet. I moved around the falling body and dashed towards the entrance of the building. There wasn't a door so I didn't need to trouble myself to open it.
Once inside, there was a long and narrow hallway ahead of me, paved with incomplete construction. The light bulb holders were empty, the floor weren't fully covered over with tiles, steel beams could still be seen alongside the ceiling.
Fwoosh! A quick airy sound soon rung out behind me, indicating me to roll out of the way, which I soon did. I looked behind me and the see a goon hitting the floor with a metal bat. Crack! The sound echoed out through the hallway.
I don't have time for this.
I quickly gather myself up on my very two feet, immediately making a run for it. I put stamina training to good use as I sped through the hallways through twist and turns, my body keeping up with the intensity. If I was my old self, my legs would've gave out long ago.
Occasionally, I looked behind me so I could keep track of my chasers, which are still rather far behind. The sight reassured me a little as I was faster than them.
Soon enough, I was led to a door which I quickly pushed through without much hesitation, finding myself a stairway leading me upwards.
Internally, I was quite glad that I made all the right turns when I was bolting through the seemingly endless hallways, I could've just ended up at a dead end somewhere.
The staircase was pretty much constructed finished, surprisingly enough. The only thing that bothered me a lot was the fact that there wasn't any railings. The cement pavements for the stairs were well done, the stairway itself looks stable enough, but the one thing that keeps me from falling just so happens to be missing.
...I felt my knees weaken at the sight of it.
I may have several nightmares where I would fall endlessly after falling off a building without railings, so I'm entitled to be afraid.
Slap! I slapped both of my cheeks with my hands, hoping to snap myself out of this meddling fear that I have.
I don't have time for this. I need to save her now. I can't waste any time.
In a hurry, I quickly sped up the stairs, my feet gliding over them with speed and tenacity, albeit with accuracy due to my paranoia of slipping.
As I was making my way up the stairs, my mind that was lingering on the thought of saving Tights screeched to halt when I realized I didn't have a clue about the whereabouts of Tights.
I know that she was in the building but besides that I don't know where she was. How could I be so foolish as to not ask which floor she was in?!
I quietly berated myself in my head before deciding that I wasn't doing anything to help my situation here. So I decided to recall the location that the leader pointed at, hoping to get something from it.
Alas, I only managed to remember that she was within the 4th to 7th floor, which was quite a wide range, especially with the time limit I have.
Dammit. I scolded myself in my head, before increasing my pace in finding her. If I'm quick enough, I won't have to waste any extra time.
Bam! I rammed the door wide open the moment I stepped onto the 4th floor, leading me to a empty floor that wasn't built completely, even the pillars weren't cemented over. I glanced around the floor, checking for the whereabouts of Tights or any other thug. However, none was found.
The floor was pretty standard as they were no rooms built upon it yet so I could get a full view of the entire floor without any obstruction blocking my view.
Damn. I spun around and went straight for the stairway again, deciding to go for the next floor. Before I could, I hear voices of shouting and loud footsteps quickly climbing up the steps from beneath the staircase.
I was kinda hoping to lose them but things doesn't seem to be going my way.
thu-thud-Th-Thu-Thud!
Hearing the footsteps getting louder as they echoed across the staircase, I panicked a little and rushed up the stairs above me. I chose to be faster than before, hoping to keep a good distance between us.
"Hey! What is going on down there?!" Someone shouted from above me, his voice sounding irritated from loud noises going on here. Before I knew it, both of our eyes met each other as I was still going up. The thug's eyes widen as he saw me, he stood up straight as opposed to his previous slouching position against the wall. "Wha- How did get here?!"
As those words left his mouth, I quickly leapt at him, catching the thug off guard. My jump was slower than I expected, probably not used to fighting on uneven platforms. However, I managed to get the result I wanted as I punched the thug right in the gut. Wham!
The goon hit the wall that was a few inches behind him, rendering him unconscious. I once again was worried of the man's condition, but I banished the thought due to the more pressing matters.
"You asshole!" Someone shouted from above me once again, giving away his position. Whoosh! He swung his bat incredibly hard as he ran down the stairs to me, his bat coming from above him,slowly swooping down on me.
Thak! Quickly, I gripped his hand that flew down at me, causing his soon-to-be deadly blow to cease immediately. To follow up that grab, I threw a quick liver blow from my left to his liver.
Immediately after, he fell unconscious onto me, his sudden contact with me cause me to jerk in surprise. As reflex, I toss him to the ground without considering the consequences, which caused a loud Thud!
...Just how many people am I gonna hurt today? I felt like they were more thugs here than there were with Akira. The hell?
Before I could think, I realized there were more thugs coming from upstairs as well as the ones that were rising from below. The thugs soon flooded from every direction, causing me to be on high alert for my surroundings.
This isn't good.
The next thug from above charged at me with haste, pulling his fist back. From behind me, the previous goons from earlier had almost caught up to me, already within arms reach.
Grip! Swish! Swiftly, I grabbed the wrists of the rushing thug from above and swung him towards the others behind me, using the charging thug's momentum.
Bram! In doing so, the goons were being obstructed immediately in their assault, causing them collapse upon the sudden weight of their companion.
Using this as an opportunity, I dashed upwards, continuing my search for Tights.
Of course, despite the fact that I stopped the previous horde of thugs, there were still a few more in my way. They came rushing downwards, weapon in hand.
I'm getting tired of this. Both mentally and physically.
I pushed myself with all my might, ramming into them.
Wham!
I wasn't able to knock them back as much as I wanted to as they only seem mildly damaged from blow, still standing in my path. However, they were slightly distracted from my sudden charge, their faces had indicated that they were befuddled as to the sudden decision to fling myself at them.
...I wasn't exactly thinking straight at this point. I just want to get this over with.
Due to me not thinking straight, I've decided to perform another foolish decision.
Fwoop! Grip! I jumped from my position towards the stairs on the other side, my hands gripping onto the side of it. The fact that there wasn't any railings, I didn't need to climb over it.
Immediately, my common sense kicked in, slowly registering my previous actions. My hands begun shaking as they were still gripping onto the side, my stomach flipping onto itself without my consent.
I hastily pulled myself up from my spot, wanting nothing more than to get out of that situation. My legs felt wobbly, but I now want nothing more than to get out of this death staircase. So, I darted towards the door to the 5th floor, hoping to find her.
Opening it, I took a quick glance of the entire floor...or at least I tried to. This time, there seem to be walls obstructing my view, probably meant to be vacant rooms.
I could let out a sigh at the sight, feeling more tired and weaker every second. This search is starting to wear me out, with all the goons, the climbing and running, the idiotic decision to jump while I'm afraid of heights.
All this...and I'm only at the 5th floor. There's still 2 more floors too.
...I should hurry, thinking like this wouldn't help at all.
I speedily sprinted around the place, my eyes darting from one room to other, hopefully not missing a single one. All the rooms were vacant and bland, grey cement paving the walls and floors with no colours and patterns to decorate the area.
Damn. There's nothing here. All the rooms had were sawdust and leftover broken pieces, probably enough to make anyone cough within distance. At the very least, the rooms seem to have a square frame space for the windows that are yet to be built, allowing me a clear view of the room as the light shine in.
Before I knew it, I've already reached the end of the hallway I was running in, stopping me in my tracks.
What? This wasn't the right floor as well?! Just how many more floors must I go through before I can find her?
...Was this even the right place? I could've been lied to the whole time, just how could I be so gullible? Damn it! Am I really that useless? Why can't I do anything right? I thought I've changed, I thought I've improved, I thought I've finally decided to focus on the present instead of looking back?
So why? Why am I still being hard on myself when someone's life is clearly in danger? I thought I've changed...so why haven't I?
"So, you're the one that cause trouble for my brother." Someone spoke from behind me, his voice echoing through the hallway that I was in.
I turned around quickly and panicky, my eyes zoned in on the owner of the voice, my body being on high alert. There stood someone that I was unfamiliar with, causing me to be slightly confused. He was different from the rest with his more expensive getup, gold chains hanging off from his neck, clearly more wealthy than everyone else here.
But...that didn't matter to me, because she was holding the girl that I've been searching for.
Tights! My eyes widened upon seeing her, joy filled me, though only for a moment. She was more worse off than I thought, her clothes ripped at the edges, her hair ruffled and messy, her eyes bruised, her face bloodied worse than I've seen. Even more so than Launch was previously. She was barely conscious, her eyes drooping ever so slightly.
I was angr-no, furious. How could someone in the city be worse than what I've seen out there?! I thought the city was safe, I thought nothing could be worse than out in the wilds, but I was wrong.
It seems that my anger was apparent, because the wealthy punk decided to laugh at me, raising Tights by her collar to his eye level. "Aww...you're angry that I hurt your girlfriend, aren't you?" He sneered at me, his eyes dancing in a joyful tune. "You see, you wouldn't have to end up like this if my brother didn't want your girlfriend, but too bad for you I suppose."
Crk-rkk-rk! My fist unconsciously popped as it slowly tightens due to my anger. I also unknowingly took a step towards him, probably wanting to decked him across the face.
Before I could do so, the wealthy man pulled something out from his luxurious coat, a gun. He aimed it directly at Tight's head, prompting me to stop myself immediately.
Clack! He cocked the hammer of his revolver, the sound made me stood stiff. My anger dissipated, replaced with fear that shook my bones to the core. My body refused to move from its place, rooted at my current spot.
The wealthy man grinned wildly at my action, happy that he has the upper hand in this situation. "What my brother wants, my brother gets." He started off, not continuing from his earlier rant.
I could see Tights slightly stirred in his grip, her consciousness slowly awakening. I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't glanced over Tights every once in awhile, worrying about her current state.
"That was the one thing that I always abide by." He continued, unaware of the girl stirring in his hand. His attention focused on me, although there was something off about it. It was as if he was staring off into the distance instead, like I wasn't there in his sights to be begin with. "However, when I hear that my brother had flirted with the one and only daughter of the Brief family. I just knew that she should belong to me instead."
Those words infuriated me, anger returning once more, even if fear still takes ahold of me. This man is keeps getting worse every singlesecond, he intended to betray his brother, he tortured Tights until she's barely living and now, he thinks he can own someone like a pet?!
The rich snob kept on talking, unbeknownst to the anger that's rising within me, or the fact that Tights is regaining her consciousness. "Not to a no-good flirty brother who keeps asking favours, not to a family of fucking nerds who doesn't even know she's here." He paused for a moment before barking again. "And certainly not to a loser who just can't even save the girl that he loves."
"You bastard!"
It wasn't me. Someone else shouted out loud, his voice echoed through this hallway. It came from behind the jerk, down the hallway. I looked over and realized a whole group of thugs were standing there, their weapons at the ready. Among them, someone stood in front. His eyes filled with rage and anger, ready to attack at any second. I soon recognized him as the substitute leader that gave orders to chase me.
"I won't let you say that about our friend. Do you know how much he trusted you?" He shouted at the traitor, his bat at his side. I could see him filled with as much rage as I did, his hands tightening around his bat. "Our leader is unavailable now, but I assure you we'll make you pay in his stead!"
The leader's friend dashed at the jerk, his bat lifted up high. Behind me were the thugs that chased me earlier, all ready to beat their leader's 'dearest' brother.
Bang!
Clank! The bat dropped to the floor, making an echo.
"Ahhhhh!" The substitute leader screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground beneath him. His left knee was bleeding, forming a small puddle on the floor. He gripped onto his leg tightly, avoiding the injured area, rolling across the floor in pain.
He must've not seen the gun in the bastards hand, his back facing them moments earlier. The thugs all shocked and scared of the sudden events, taking a step back from fear of getting shot.
The jerk faced the fallen comrade on the floor, his hands lingering on the gun aiming at the guy. I couldn't see his expression, but I didn't want to after hearing the next words leaving his mouth. "So foolish! Did you really think you can take me on? You're just a bunch of losers at my feet." He gritted through his teeth. "As for your 'leader', I admit I liked to help him. He's my brother after all. But, this favour of his is too good of a chance to pass up. It's not everyday you meet a Brief on the road, you know? Almost cooped up in their little lab." He cackled to himself, making me sick.
I could only stare at him, just like the rest, unable to do anything. I felt helpless, perhaps what he said was true after all. I am just a loser. I haven't change at all.
"Since my brother trust me so much, I didn't need to plan anything at all. Just provide the weapons, letting his gang keep you occupied as I get away with her whilst you guys are busy fighting. Isn't that just fantastic?" He sneered. "Now, it's about time for me to-"
Whump! Before I knew it, Tights, who had finally regain some of her energy, elbowed the man right in his gut. Resulting in the traitor to let go of her, holding his stomach in slight pain.
Bam! Tights fell to the ground, her back hitting the floor hard. I flinched at the impact, before gaining my senses and taking this small opportunity.
I dashed over, pushing every ounce of my power in my legs to assault the man. I reached my hands out to try and grab his gun away from him, hoping that I could make it in time. I had managed to rest my legs enough after the entire monologue, so I might be able to-
The man regained his bearings and glared at the woman that hit him, aiming his gun directly towards her. "You bitch!" He snarled at her, preparing to pull the trigger. His eyes filled with the intent to kill, ready to shoot at any given time.
Fuck! Still too far away. Please let me reach her. I can't fail again..please. I was losing speed as I planted my foot on the ground again to give myself a boost, feeling slower than ever. No...I can't be weak again. Why does a new problem appears the moment I've solved one? Why must I keep reassuring myself that I'm better than before?
I thought I've finally become the person I want to be...
I thought I've become someone who's useful...
I thought I've improved...
I thought I've changed...
"I think we should stop being friends."
"Huh?" I muttered, a little taken aback by the sudden statement. "Wha...what do you mean?" I queried, quite curious as to the reasons of that statement.
She sighed, prompting me to sit up straight. "My father insisted that you're a detriment to me." She answered slowly, probably thinking of the right words to say.
"A...detriment?" I murmured softly, not quite believing what I was hearing. I could feel my heart slowly collapsing, being undeniably painful to me.
She stared at me for awhile before answering, her eyes glistening under the starry sky. "...yes." She hesitated, carefully choosing her words as she spoke. It just reminded of the kind person she is, unwilling to hurt anyone or anything.
Yet...it still hurt me.
"Could...you tell me why?" I whispered, my voice soft and light, barely holding itself together.
She appears hesitant yet her eyes clearly told me that she expected the question, not appearing shocked at all. "My dad says you're not a good friend for me. Your grades are always failing and your co-curricular activities aren't...exactly great either. You are always having fun whenever you're with me and that might be a bad influence on me." She answered once again, although more timid than before as she was getting to the more personal parts of the conversation.
"But I...thought that you were stress so I wanted to lighten the mood." I countered weakly.
"And I was...but my father doesn't want someone who's...so carefree as my friend, he wanted someone more serious about their academics and future." She explained.
That hurt me, even if I didn't want it to. I tried, to study, to get good grades, to get good at sports...but she doesn't know that. I have no results that could back up that claim either. So I kept quiet about it,instead I told her. "I can change. I will be more serious about my academics and my future. You can trust me." I gave a smile to reassure her that I can improve, that I can be better. All I have to do is try harder, right?
She glanced into my eyes, hopefully seeing the sincerity in them. She was hesistant, making the moment tense and suffering for me. "I'm sorry but change isn't something that can happen in an instant. By the time you do change, it'll be too late." She suddenly gave an answer, though it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.
My smile dropped immediately after that, replaced with a frown. I couldn't cry, not in front of her at least. I can't let her know that she hurt me. I just can't. "I...understand."
I understand now. I truly do.
She was right. I can't change...at least not now. I've been expecting results too soon, thinking that I could be someone better the moment I stepped into this world.
But I knew better now, this world doesn't change anything. It may take awhile before I could be better, but I will persist until the day I do.
...unlike last time.
Bang! The gun fired out loud, its sound piercing through the air. Everyone froze at that moment, all dead still at the startling sound. Everyone anticipated for Tights to be shot, her dead body laying still on the floor.
..luckily, that didn't occur, although...I admit... it could've gone better. Instead of Tights getting shot, I got shot instead. I stood in front of Tights, glad I was able to make it in time despite the distance.
Despite the slight pain in mya abdomen, I felt great. I don't just feel great, I feel...Ki. I suddenly feel excited and trilled at the same time, giddy at the idea of finally controlling my ki.
I guess she was right...change takes time. Time that I would patiently wait for.
There was a gun pointed to my head, several centimetres away from me. I stiffened at the sight of it, my eyes narrowing at the man who's holding it. He was furious although I could see some spark of surprise within his eyes, probably from sudden shift in position. "How-" He started before shifting his face to one of annoyance. "Whatever." He muttered before pulling the trigger once again.
Ban-Swoosh!
The bullet didn't touch me, disappearing from sight the moment the gunshot rang. All that was felt was a small gust of wind that blew through the air, rustling the clothes of anyone nearby me.
The rich man was shocked beyond belief, as my head wasn't blown to pieces yet. He was confused and baffled as he raised his eyebrow, his mouth slightly opened. "Huh?"
I stood still and calm, remembering the man's face for days to come. "Oh right, here." I replied, as I opened my palm to reveal a bullet in my hand, letting it drop to the ground. That was cool as shit, I didn't think I would ever get to do that.
I calmed myself before getting too excited, breathing through my nose quietly. In all honesty, that was actually hard to pull off. It seems my eyes weren't trained to see fast movements yet, so it was hard to pinpoint where I should grab in order to get the bullet. Just like everyone, I only saw a blur and felt a gust of wind before finding something in my hand.
The rich man stood there, gaping at the sight, shocked by the sudden turn of events. He glanced at the bullet on the floor, still flabbergasted, though his gun was still aiming at me. Don't worry, I was shocked too.
Not wasting anymore time, I quickly threw a right straight at him while he's distracted, directly at his face, hoping to knocked him out. And it worked. The rich bastard flew back onto the floor, his head being thrown back, his grip on his gun loosening. He flew as far back as the contestant that I fought once upon a time, the first time I used Ki. I wonder how he's doing.
Brack! He landed on his back, knocked out of commission. His gun was a few feet away from him, closer to me by a few centimetres.
I waited a few moments just to be sure, silently hope there's no more surprises. Fortunately, nothing seems to have happened. The rich snob stayed unconscious while the rest of thugs seem frightened at the other side of the hallway.
I sighed in relief as I was glad that it was over. A small part of me was scared that my ki would leave me, it usually does but it seems that it was still there. I could feel it. I was glad. It means I could finally start training at the same level as Yamcha, although he was able to prevent bullets from penetrating him while mine-
...oh yeah, I forgot about that. I immediately looked down and stared at the bleeding hole in my abdomen, still fresh. I didn't feel much pain, though pretty sure that it was the adrenaline at work. Maybe Tights could help me pay for the hospital fees this tim-
Oh, shit! Tights! I quickly turned around to find her staring at me, her eyes wide open. She didn't give a response, so I didn't. Soon, it just became awkward. We just stared at each other. Before long, I decided to start. "You...okay?" What was that?! Of course she's not okay. She was tortured for an hour due to my slow as shit running, trying to find the damn place.
She continued to stare at me before answering. "Not...really. I-it was bad...what they did to me. What he did to me." She stuttered out, clearly traumatized from the recent events. "B-but I'm glad it's o-over." She concluded.
I took awhile before answering, clearly distraught at being unable to help her in time. I hated myself for not being there for her, for not preventing this, for not chang-
No. One day, I will change. I will be able to save the people that I cared about. To be strong enough. Until that day, I'll just keep trying.
"Me too."
...ah, fuck. I think my adrenaline ran out, my abdomen started flaring in pain, I could feel my body temperature burning up.
Before I knew it, I passed out.
Author's Notes
It's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm sorry once again for being inconsistent but that's how it must go.The main reason this chapter took awhile is because I've reading and trying understanding ways of writing a better story. There were so many elements that needed to be considered and I wanted to plan it out. It was still a little rough so it wasn't good yet but I hope I could learn more soon. These few days I'm quarantined so I got time to write this chapter. Please note that the story will be inconsistent as per usual. I'll let you guys know when the story ends.
As for this chapter, there's not much to say. This is my longest chapter yet but I felt that I've still got long ways to go. I've also added the action sound effect for most of the scenes. I'm not sure if this is a good move. Let me know what you guys think.
I hope everyone takes care of their health. It is important and please do not ignore this. You must wash your hands everyday and keep hands sanitized. Covid-19 is a serious matter and should be take seriously. Even if there's a chance that you do not care about yourself, you must care for others. You could infect them when you yourself is infected. I hope everyone understands this and bear it in mind. Take care of yourselves. I hope you guys are doing fine in these tough times.
Here are the power levels for this chapter:
Sam: 10 (Normal) 16 (Post-Ki)
Thugs: 4-6
Rich man: 4
I know that post-Ki seem a little weak at the moment but I would like to state that Sam is still figuring the works of it so the power level will increase as he keeps training it.
Here are the replies as well:
Serus Black Antihumannature: Thanks, man. For not hating the story. I really appreciate it. As for why Sam hasn't started on having Ki yet is the fact that he's not as good as the rest. He was known as weak back in the real world, having to try harder than the rest. So, I felt like it wouldn't make sense if I gave him the key to the door so quickly. He was able to get access to ki every once in awhile but it wasn't due to his own efforts. So, I made him trained extra hard. But at least now, he was able to get the results of his training. I hope this explanation helps.
Anyways, I think it is about time for another omake. Last chapter, we didn't have any so there's no way I'm gonna miss another chapter's worth of omake so here you go and enjoy!
Omake
[???'s POV]
"Dear, you're finally here. Here's your favourite." She called out the moment I entered the dining room, placing a plate of strawberries on the table.
"Thanks." I pulled myself a seat and sat down, eager to chow down on some strawberries. I didn't noticed I was this hungry but that matters little when I have a plate of heavenly goodness in front of me. I took one and munched on it, enjoying the taste in my mouth.
"Dear, could you turn on the radio?" She asked, busy with her chores.
"Yeah, sure." I said, before reaching over and switching on the radio. I've wanted to continue on my recent project but Mom had prepared some strawberries for me to eat. Just thinking of it made my mouth watered. I suppose inventing could wait...just for a little while.
"-West City. The situation is rather serious as there were gunshots involved during what seems to be a kidnapping." I continued munching on my strawberry, meanwhile hearing the news. It wasn't anything new, these things can always be seen on the newspaper. Kidnappings, thievery, robberies. This city was filled with them. I wouldn't care much about it though, although Dad says otherwise.
"Could you turn up the volume?" Mom asked as she took a seat after doing her fair share of chores, grabbing a strawberry from my bowl. I was slightly annoyed by that but I couldn't do much about it. I had told her before but she wouldn't listen though. She also prepared it for me so I couldn't argue either.
I only nodded and complied as I reached over the radio to crank up the volume, allowing the room to be filled with the news reporter voice. After that, I just leaned against the chair once again, thinking of my project again as I munched on my strawberry.
"-still unclear as to how many individuals were involved but there were two among the individuals who were shot. One identified as Doshi Shikaku, he was shot in the knee. The other of was of a more serious matter as he was shot through the abdomen. He was unidentified as there seems to be no records of him." I perked up a little at that, a person without an identification? That had piqued my interest, if only a little. It wasn't uncommon of a person without an identification, but most wouldn't enter the city as it could raise suspicion.
I shrugged and went back into eating my strawberry, deciding to focus on eating instead.
"-It was also unclear who else were involved in the kidnapping. It is, however, clear that the son of a wealthy family, Yukai Ritchi, was the one that instigated this case." I recognized that name, instantly glancing over to the radio. Not him exactly, but more of their family. They're one of the richest people in West City, being the ones that started a fashion business. I only met them once, so I don't really know them. They seem like nice people at first glance, so for their eldest son to appear in the news as a kidnapper was rather disturbing.
"-Lastly, though there was only one victim of the event, it was a rather serious one at that. The one victim is the one and only author of the book, 'Space Police', Tights Brie-" I immediately froze at that, my eyes widening. I dropped my favourite food on the floor, standing up and turned up the volume louder than before. I felt scared and terrified, beyond worried for my dear sister.
"The eldest daughter of Brief's family had suffered severe injuries such cuts, bruises and even broken bones. Her health is still not certain as she is still being sent to the hospital as I spea-"
"Mom." I spoke immediately, looking at her with worried glance. "Call Da-"
"I'm already on it." Mom got up from her seat and went to towards the laboratory that my dad always works in, busy with inventing new things every day. She went hurryingly, ready to tell the news to dad.
I could look back the phone, beyond worried for what had transpired. I quickly got up from my seat and steered myself towards some sticky notes left on the fridge, stuck to it with magnet. I used the pen left in my pocket from earlier when I was writing notes, writing onto the sticky notes.
'I'll go ahead first -Bulma'
After writing that, I quickly head to the garage, home to all our residence vehicles. Despite being 12, I already had my driving license, ready to use whenever. I hopped onto the custom motorbike that I helped my dad built, its engine still rather new. I switched on the engine, letting it roar loudly. I would've gotten excited at the prospect of testing my new bike.
I didn't care much about that now though. I had more serious things to worry about.
End
That's the omake for now. I hope this chapter makes up for my absence. If not, I apologize again. I'll willingly accept any criticism to improve, so bring it on! Just please make sure explain it in detail and not just hate comments. I hope to get some reviews from all of you soon. Bye!
