Ring, ring, ring!
A ringtone sounded in a cozy room.
"Whaddup, golden boy-" a familiar voice congratulated. "News all over the place, you heard?"
"What news-" groaned the golden boy at his cozy bed, turning to his left side. "It's Sunday morning, ya know."
Thần merely opened his eyes to see the ticking clock. Since sunshines had already washed on his bed, he ought to continue that phone call. Khải Minh noted the meeting at his turf; very important, he said. Moreover, many gangs heard the voice tapping; and, they started conducting serious business. The Fervent Master gathered men from early morning, Minh admitted, and needed more capable men to join that campaign with high rewards. However, due to the difficulty requirement, Minh advised Thần had to check his gears and level to join that mission, for high rewards came with higher risks.
"Join me when you are ready-" Minh concluded after ending the call. "I'm sure you will find something interesting."
As the sun rose over the south side, Thần and Lâm headed to the turf. Among the flamboyant crowd, people already prepared their arms as the boys headed to meet Minh. Suddenly, a large, muscular grappler tackled Thần and pinned him down out of nowhere.
"How dare you!" The male grappler choked the neck of the opponent by one hand, lifting feets off the ground. "Ya dare mess with me brother!"
"Hey, hey!" Minh abruptly interrupted the scene. "Chill, bruv, this ain't private biz."
"Punk-ass T-800 bitch!" Lâm took out his bear claw, immediately jumped on the threat. "Let my homie go!"
Lâm performed a punch onto the target; however, the target failed to budge. Irritated, Lâm performed consecutive punches onto the target body; however, the target again failed to budge, yet was able to flex the muscular straps. Lâm exhaled, then inhaled deeply to perform another consecutive punches onto the target body; yet, only the target's strap moved to flex its muscle. That grappler smirked at the dumbfounded fighter; punched single-handed which created enough force to send a man flying afar.
Thần barely breathed on that choke, fighting for his life. Minh realized the situation would fail to bring peace on the table, demanding the rest to curb that mad beast. Men jumped onto the grappler with an attempt to save the victim; yet, was unable to rescue him from the monster grip. The grappler became more mad, swung Thần as a baseball bat to gain space. Thần knew his life would become vain if the situation escalated; therefore, he hugged his head tight to avoid critical damage. Minh ceased the command as a milk tea enthusiast came to the scene hastily. Thuan chanted his spell, drawing the mad beast onto him. The beast heeded; turned to attack the spell master with tremendous speed and dragged the victim along. As the eye's glowed in blue, the spell master completed the chant, and a few footsteps more, the beast ceased the movement with a blue, glowing Bagua on the ground, kneeled before the caster.
"Heaven and earth in balance be," The caster stepped forward to the mad grappler; raised a finger and wrote an ancient character from air. "Inner peace and harmony."
平
The ancient character formed by yellow Qi at the fingertip.
Bong!
The sound followed; echoed as the character displayed in front of the grappler. Airwaves blasted to the grappler as the chilling breeze of spring in a fracture of seconds. He lost his grip; snoozed in the middle of the scene.
The victim scrambled on the ground, breathing in short air. Thần crawled away and found a surface to lean on his ground. Terrifying, Thần described his feeling from the experience, since never imagined becoming a live baseball bat. The surroundings returned to peace shortly. People minded their own business; required Gym Leaders to deal with the mess.
"Take you long enough-" Minh confronted the milk tea enthusiast, checking on the status of the snoozed beast. "Never thought this would become rampant."
"Yes, you do need a tea break-" Thuan handed a boba milk tea to the huntsman; yet, looking at the man as if Minh failed to do that one simple thing. As Thuan walked up close to the boys afar, he lent a hand. "Boys, chop chop!"
The whole situation stunned the boys since they just came fresh to the turf. As they followed Thuan's explanation of the incident, the boys realized they needed to wrap ties with the first encountered leader. Thần felt a sense of duty, so he led the way, confronting the awake grappler.
"Who are you?" Kneeling down to the sealed grappler, Thần intoned vocally. "Why did you attack us?"
As the grappler pretended to be distracted by the surroundings, Khải Minh shot a paper band to his forehead, gestured a motion to answer.
"Tân Thành, the brother." The grappler replied, staring at the inquirer. "Me brother, ya hurt 'im."
"What's wrong with him?" Thần inquired about the happenings of the flamboyant gladiator. "I did not hurt him, did I?"
"No, but he changed!" Tan Thành gazed at the inquirer for a moment; then, told the boys an alteration since the last incident. Thành knew Phong failed to secure the basketball territory which vexed the Fervent Master. However, as a generosity, he spared Phong and let the sinned brother do his redemption; yet, a strange transformation occurred. "Me brother, h-he became something else!"
Thần raised an eyebrow, gesturing his hand as a motion to continue.
"A Youngster Joey!" cried Thành, exhaling desperately to the phenomenon. After the defeat, Phong seeked to find a purple creature which could protect him from jeopardy. For the brother's sake, Thành tried to find a purple creature which suited Phong's preference, but failed. Therefore, the brother decided to go to the wilds and catch that creature. Some people reported that Phong tried to find a way of fitting creatures inside of a ball to carry in a pocket; however, they stopped him from that nonsensical idea since that involved PETA. "Me brother, animal abuser, sad."
"But, why attack me?" Thần questioned the sealed grappler. "I thought we were done with this."
"Man thinks you are responsible." Khải Minh added to the scene as he reminded the purple mist. Minh admitted never in his life seen such a phenomena, but his skin shivered just from reciting the incident. Fortunately, the huntsman intervened in the paranormal activity and got that man outta there. "Ain't know how you did, but strong and trustworthy is all I need."
"This grappler seems troubled-" the ghost looked at the situation in perspective since it failed to recall that time they both were unconscious. Perhaps, helping that man would solve the mystery, the ghost implored, yet that might give them more info about the last defense line. "A side mission, you can come back and talk to him anytime."
The mind swayed as Thần could either choose to gain more experience with the grappler or continue the main campaign of the day. If the ghost shut its guidance, Thần opted for the side mission by default.
The sun was just starting to rise over the lush green landscape of district 3, casting a warm golden glow over the rolling hills and dense lushes which dotted the underground highway to Thu Duc district. The sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds filled the air as the boys made their way along the winding path that led to the next district.
The boys traveled through Thủ Thiêm Tunnel, located in the An Nam River, belonging to East-West Boulevard with the starting point located in District 1 and the ending point located in District 2, the new urban area. The tunnel also connected to other districts, such as District 7, Bình Thành District and District 4.
The boys formed a pack, a long line, evading all obstacles on the way. Lâm, the pack lead, sped on the age vehicle; yet, failed to match the speed of a macho grappler who rode an Exictor 150cc. Thần, the pack navigator, felt wind slapping hard on his face; tried to look on the phone's map which guided them to the main criteria - a search for a trainer named Youngster Phong, who had been catching wild creatures in the district for several days. Traveling in the same direction for hours, their vehicles exhausted in gas, as well for their teen spirits. As the boys approached a gas station with a convenience store, they felt a spark of hope. The convenience store had heard rumors about the trainer. Therefore, the boys realized that they ought to put their skills to the test and conclude this side journey. When the eyes met their target, joy and confused feelings mixed in the air.
"Me brother, what are you doing?" Thành questioned Youngster Phong, who somehow climbed on a tree with a small plastic bag. "Let us go home, steadfast."
"I challenge you to a battle!" Youngster Phong declared with his eyes shining in determination. Suddenly, he missed the step; fell down a lush under and unsteadily confronted the group. "Draw your weapon."
"You're on!" Lâm replied; fixed his bear claw, a grin spreading across his face. "This young blood gonna get his ass whoop!"
Thần gazed at his gung-ho friend dead in the eyes as if the man seriously would start this nonsensical fight. Realizing the situation, Lâm settled down and put his weapon away.
Youngster Phong reached for his pocket, eager to release his chosen weapon and initiated the battle. Phong called forth a random man in a yellow costume, a fast and nimble creature known for its powerful electric attacks. Thần chose his macho Thành, a powerful grappler with a fiery disposition and devastating grappling moves.
"H-Hold it-" Thành stopped in the middle of the command; doubted. "Why do I feel like a tamed creature for some reason?"
"Just play along-" Thần whispered to the grappler. "For your brother's sake!"
As the two "creatures" emerged from their master's will, they stood facing each other, sizing each other up and preparing for battle. Youngster Phong and An Thần both stood behind their "creature", commanding and urging them to assail.
The battle went fast and furious from the start. The random, yellow costume man raced across the battlefield, dodging Thành's powerful grappling attacks and returning with lightning-fast strikes of his own. Thành fought back with all its might, using its massive arms to tackle the yellow costume man strikes and perform an atomic drop from the sky.
Despite the ferocity of the battle, both Youngster Phong and An Thần remained calm and focused, commanding and urging their "creature" to give their best. The two trainers were evenly matched, both possessing incredible skill and strategic prowess. Outside, Lâm sweated, for the scene anxious the man. Many questions occurred in Lâm's head, for instance, who the damned man in the yellow costume was; did he possess COVID and why the situation turned out to become like a copyright franchise.
As the battle raged on, both the yellow costume's man and Thành grew tired, their movements slowing and their attacks becoming less precise. The trainers, sensing their creature's fatigue, decided to spice up the scene and switch to a new strategy.
Youngster Phong called forth another random man in a green costume, a tough and durable grass-type that could avoid Thành's grappling attacks and strike back with powerful butt attacks. Thần countered with his nimble Lâm, a slim man with a wide array of powerful moves and abilities.
"Yo, I ain't participating in this weird shit-" Lâm denied the call from the trainer. However, the opponent picked on him, so he ought to defend himself. "Bitch, better pick someone else, or I'll be damned."
The battle shifted once again as the two trainers introduced their creatures . Lâm and the green costume man clashed in a furious exchange of blows. Thần and Youngster Phong both commanded and encouraged their tamed monster, their voices echoing the battlefield.
Albeit their best efforts, the battle began to turn in the green costume man's favor. Its massive size and power proved to be too much for Lâm to handle, and Lâm began to struggle against the relentless assault.
Phong pointed his finger to the opponent, proclaiming triumph.
"With the power of the creatures on my side-" Phong proclaimed gaily. "I will fulfill my tales in An Nam!"
"Oh, he said it, bruv!-" Lâm repeated the phrase multiple times; joyfully looking at his pals. "He just goddamn says it, bruv!"
"Surrender, fools!" Phong commanded the green costume man to finish the fight. "Or, face the consequences!"
Lâm breathed heavily on the ground; however, his slick smile perplexed the opponent. Intimidated, Phong commanded the green costume man to deliver the final blow.
Pow!
When one would think the green man claiming the victory, a trainer sprang into action and blocked the green man's attack.
"What the-" The scene flabbergasted Phong. "How did you-"
"Do you know why a trainer never gives up?" Lâm laughed contently in front of the confused youngster. "For the trainer was determined to be the very best, as no one ever was!"
Thần called forth his inner power: a fierce and powerful street fighter. With a roar of challenge, Thần jumped on the sky, delivering powerful fist attacks on the green man and forcing Youngster Phong to reconsider his strategy once more.
In a final, intense exchange of blows, Thần and the green man clashed in a fierce battle; unearthed the very, imaginary ground beneath their feet. As Youngster Phong shouted out their cry to deliver the final blow, he immediately realized a familiar posture of a forbidden technique from the opponent.
The green man soon approached the opponent; and, as the man almost performed a power blow, purple energy emitted from the opponent in a gathered energy technique.
Kaioken!
Thần screamed the name of the technique, intensifying his purple aura.
"B-But this is illegal!" Youngster Phong screamed in denial as the beam hit him and his green monster. "T-This is supposed to be a monster fighter battle!"
Booommmmmm!
A moment later, Youngster Phong opened his eyes once more, thinking that in heaven would serve beef jerky and second-handed smoke. Rising from a steel bench, on the left side, he saw his creatures were squat-smoking and chit chatting with the opponent's. On the right side, Thần approached with ice bags, throwing one to the defeated villain. The boys sat, held bags on the swollen spots and looked to fast travel objects in the highways.
"You on foot?" Thần looked at the man aside, confirming the situation. As soon as receiving the nod, he exhaled lightly. "Good, we go back to the turf minutes later."
The two stared at the highways, silently, enjoying the wind which surfed on their hairs.
"Sorry-" Phong uttered in a small voice and looked beyond. "Shouldn't take the 'Dox to cause trouble."
Thần silenced, nodding to the fact as a motion to continue.
Phong opened up a story of an alcoholic father who lost his job from the great depression. Their mother, docile and kind, protected the younglings at her best, but failed to escape the misfortune. Therefore, the boys had to endure their father's wrath. The older brother tried his best to shield the younger kin from the worst. However, beaten and scarred as ever, the older brother was. They wished to grow up fast; detached from a place they called 'home'. Relying on each other for support and comfort, they had to act on their own. Years went by, the brothers had enough. Anger, sadness, and a sense of hopelessness urged on to the older kin, knowing that he had to conduct a deed to escape that endless cycle of abuse. The string snapped. The older kin tackled the source of evil and resulted in a mess. Mother pleaded and left with the brothers to the new town. Eventually, the older brother made a bold move and decided to get in business in the hood. The Fervent Master gave light to the older kin, as well to the younger, in an attempt of making quick cash with these Overdox. Phong felt like a burden as the older kin making fortune with that lucrative business. As the younger strove his best, he failed tremendously compared to his counterpart.
"I wish I had more power-" Phong looked to his hands - bruised and brawn - and looked onto the horizon. "To be more independent as me' kin is."
"Troubled child-" The ghost headed the story and sat next to the younger kin. One knew the responsibility of a father who provided for their families, both physically and financially. If one fails, and especially for members of his household, he became worse Thần an eldritch. "Let's give a word to him."
"Forsaken child~~" Gomboc raised many voices in the air. The misty tentacles crawled on the hands of the host - invisible to others, but visible to one. Gomboc knew those individuals - the damned and forsaken; loved them. "Let the void consume thee~~"
An Thần lost in thought for a moment as options popped in the mind. Perhaps, Thần could ignore all of the nonsensical events which happened recently and went onward. However, he ought to make a decision to alter the next future event.
Thần gazed at the highway; told a story of a family which depended on a far away working brother. If they knew his situation, they would keep him at home. Every night, the man had to tell them positive things on the calls. Then, they sent his younger kin, eighteen years old, to come study abroad. During the years, the younger kin had been his shadow, the closest actually, and he followed the older kin everywhere. The younger one came to every basketball game; begged to be on his team. The youngster seemed chubbier, unathletic; but, determined he was, persisted until the boys let him dribble. Before, the brother awed his younger kin failed to adapt to the new life in Olbus since he was barely surviving himself. Yet, the younger kin was the first family member he would see in years, so indeed, excitement overflowed him.
However, the brothers did the talk in a bistro, bought themselves burgers and fries. The young one walked into every business in the district, asking for a job. Nobody would hire a freshman, the older brother knew; but, he wanted the young kin to understand how hard the situation would be. After all, nobody accepted a foreigner with a bachelor degree in the place.
"What happened next?" urged youngster Phong to the storyteller. "How did it go?"
One night, the brother sat down and said that Olbus's working life failed the younger kin. So, men said the situation seemed easier when joining Olbus's military. The younger kin could afford housing, and education, especially if the boy completed the serving time. Hence, the brother sent his shadow away. Alone, but the best a brother could have done — for all of them. At that time, brothers were just teenagers trying to become adults. The older kin took a final picture before the youngster got to the airport. Breaking his heart, a final conclusion. The younger kin still clutched on the travel pillow that the brother scrambled on the last day— the only thing he had to give. Terrified, the younger kin looked, as if he never yearned for the happenings.
"The young kin-" The storyteller stuttered, as if he failed to continue the recitation. The younger kin worked his way onto the ranks and became a good combatant. Years later, the brother reunited and shared the meals at the bistro again. "They have a good time from there."
"Very nice!" acknowledged Phong in the good outcome of that story. "It seems the brothers make an effort."
"True, true-" nodded Thần and looked to the invisible ghost whisperer "I mean that should be the case."
"Ye good at telling stories eh," Phong concluded after finalizing the thoughts. "It actually helps me with ideas, some, but good enough."
"A tale to tell." Thần smiled, looking beyond the horizon. "All have a tale to tell."
Phong expressed approval. Shortly after, the boys returned to the gang. Men greeted each other with a half-handshake and bro fists. The Gym Masters united, conversed casually with others. Afar, Thần leaned on a surface, observing the scene with a content smile.
"Child, you did great," the ghost commented while looking at the boys. "A tale to tell."
"About the story," Thần sparked a curiosity. "Who are these brothers?"
"Former soldiers I knew," the ghost walked back and forth, reminiscing of the old days. They used to tell stories when doing campfires and such. Back in the days, teenagers joined the military for nations, to be precise, volunteered combatants. Before the Old War, normal people signed just to get their visa approved by the governments. However, they never knew what would hit them in the future. The outbreak occurred shortly in many nations, leading to the Old War in history. Therefore, some regretted their choice in the beginning; some glad they could become a suicide squad. "Meet a bunch of people of all ages, all have good stories to tell in front of the warm fire."
"About the brothers," returned Thần to the ghost since the recitation seemed to retain some trouble. "What happened to them?"
"Classified." The ghost replied, disappearing in the lively crowd. "I do not mend with soldiers when they are off-duty."
When Thần approached the boys - conversing in the casual discussion of norms - the mind sensed that he fulfilled many criterias of the side mission; thus, he earned a mark of completion.