he note on the counter reminded him of a job interview that his father had set up for him. Strings had been pulled and Devon appreciated that his father was looking out for him. However, this job wasn't suited to Devon. He would have to wear a tie to work, sit at a desk and manage paperwork all day. While the salary would be great, and Devon was almost guaranteed the job since his father was the mayor, the young man would much rather do anything else.

His passions didn't line up the with expectations that his father had for him. Devon loved video games. He loved anything tech and loved being able to exercise his creativity and problem solving through simulation. His father viewed video games as a waste of time; child's play, but for Devon Daniels, it was his whole life.

He contemplated going to the interview, just to get his father off his back. He knew there would be a speech, or lecture, if he skipped another interview. He knew he would disappoint his father yet again, but at this point, he was numb to anything his father could do. If Mayor Adam Daniels wouldn't listen to him, and his ideas for his own life, Devon didn't need to listen in return.

He had a karate class at the same time as the interview was supposed to be. Devon decided he would much rather throw a few punches than suck up to a man in a suit, so he grabbed his phone, his ear buds and his brown belt as he headed down to the gym. He made it just in time for the warm up, and as he was getting ready, he noticed who was leading the class. Devon rolled his eyes.

He and Blaze had grown up together, but they were never close. They attended the same school and for many years, they were in the same classes. Even through high school, they couldn't seem to get away from each other.

They didn't see eye to eye. Blaze was one of the popular kids. He was a jock, having been on nearly every sports team, and he was definitely one of the boys, since every other guy in school seemed to want to be just like Blaze. He had a date every Friday night, and another one on Saturday, and while most of the girls knew he was just playing the field, they always fought for his attention.

Blaze had more of a dominating personality, while Devon liked to just hang back and do his own thing. He never admired Blaze, and never would, especially since he saw Blaze as mostly ego, with very little substance to back it up.

So as the class started, Devon shoved his headphones in his ears and did his own thing. When he thought there was something interesting, he tried to go along with it, but otherwise, he couldn't care less what Blaze was teaching. After all, he really only wanted to avoid the job interview.

After a few moments, Devon felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked over and saw Blaze had noticed he wasn't paying attention.

"Buddy, we're not disturbing you, are we?" Blaze asked.

"No, not at all," Devon said as he started to wrap up his headphones to put them away. He had rightfully been busted. "I was just… um…"

He trailed off when he saw Blaze give him that look. The other man crossed his arms over his chest and though he seemed to be listening, his face told Devon a different story. No excuse would be good enough. So Devon thought, why bother sugar-coating it? He might as well say the truth.

"I see. That was sarcasm."

"The only way you're going to learn karate is by following what I do," Blaze said, and while it wasn't obvious, Devon knew exactly what Blaze meant: it's my way, or it's wrong. "And practicing."

"I totally agree," Devon said with a smirk. "You know, I'm just waiting for you to teach moves that are a little more… challenging."

"You want moves that are more challenging?" Blaze asked, looking a little offended that someone would challenge him and his abilities. Blaze always had to be the best, since usually, everyone considered him as such. "Is that it?"

"That would be great," Devon nodded. Suddenly, he found himself having to duck a roundhouse kick as Blaze did exactly what Devon asked of him. Before he knew it, they were in a fight, challenging each other's abilities. Devon knew he could hold his own, but maybe it wasn't a good idea to tick off his instructor.

Still, Devon himself could be a bit hard headed and since he had practically issued this challenge, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Blaze, leave him alone," Ravi, another student in the class called out, but Blaze didn't listen. He continued to fight with Devon, even going so far as to taking up weapons when he knew Devon was empty handed. A cry from another student, Roxy, for Blaze to stop fell on deaf ears. Devon was starting to feel a little overpowered, and hoped that Blaze might listen to his friends so this fight could be cut short. He had managed to outwit Blaze a couple of times, but he found he was relying more on luck than skill at this point.

However, he suddenly noticed an opening. He managed to grab one of Blaze's weapons and used it to steal the other. He leveled them both at his throat with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll admit, a couple of your moves were a little challenging…"

"Devon!" a voice boomed. Devon knew it well. He let Blaze go and turned around to find the disapproving face of Mayor Adam Daniels.

"Hey, dad."

"You are leaving," his father ordered. "Now!"

Devon sighed, rolled his eyes and turned to Blaze, "Thanks for the lesson."

He grabbed his things and quickly got changed before he followed his father out to the limo. Once they were seated and the car started to move, he knew his father would let him have it. Fortunately, Devon knew his father's schedule. The Mayor was headed to Grid Battleforce to hear about the project they were ready to start. He knew his father didn't yet approve of the plans from Grid Battleforce, and that was likely to drive up his temper, so Devon didn't pay much attention to the scolding.

Instead, he thought about Grid Battleforce and remembered the battle simulator they had. He had heard some people talking about it online, and how it was rumoured to be the most advanced virtual reality simulator in existence. Basically, it was one giant video game and Devon just had to get inside.

That was when he noticed his father's visitor's pass, and while his father ranted, barely paying any attention, Devon snapped a clear picture off the pass, and then continued to pretend like he was listening.