《Imperfect power》chapter 10

Eric's POV:

Now, how the hell do I meet up with Raul?! I mean, it's not as easy as it sounds. Trying to locate a guy who can be literally anywhere is a daunting task. I walk around, checking all the possible places. There's no concrete information about where he lives or his usual haunts. I can't just bump into him on some random street...

"Eric?"

"Raul?"

Holy shit.

"Eric, it's been a while! Who would have thought I'd run into you while I was aimlessly wandering around during my free time out of sheer boredom!"

What a plot twist. Before me stood none other than Raul Costa, the bullet blade.

"You might not believe me, but I was actually looking for you." I said, giving a slight chuckle.

His eyes widened at that, but the smile on his face didn't waver.

"Eric, my man, why would you be looking for me?" Raul asked.

"Well, I'm on vacation, and while Brazil has a lot to offer, you would be the best attraction. Actually, there's someone who really wants to meet you." I replied, deciding to bring him to our hotel room right away.

"You got a chick there? Nice, man." Raul said.

"Four, actually."

That certainly sounded a bit peculiar.

"...Eric. Four chicks?! Dayyyum, Eric, you've been busy! You always had it in you." he exclaimed.

Well, that led to a different kind of misunderstanding, but I didn't mind, as I was already known for my frequent company of women.

"Shall we?" I asked.

"Yes, sir!" Raul responded.

He placed his hand on my arm, and we teleported back to our hotel room.

POP

"Girls, put on some clothes! We've got a special guest!" I shouted, alerting the others.

"And I say that I don't mind!" Raul added with humor in his voice.

"Who's interrupting my beauty sleep?" The first one to emerge from the bedroom was Ren, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was still wearing the "I ♡ RIO" T-shirt from yesterday.

"You got kiddos in here?! So now you swing that way?" Raul asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, it's not like that. She's just affected by gravity a bit more." I explained with a smirk.

"Eric! I'm not short! I'm just aesthetically sized..." Ren protested.

Raul extended his hand. "Hello there!"

"General Kenobi- I mean... Hi, I'm Lauren, but you can call me Ren." she responded to his advances.

"I'm Raul, nice to meet ya'." he introduced himself in a proper way.

As for the others...

"RAUL's HERE?!" Angie burst out of her room, closely followed by Jade, who was pushing Christine in her wheelchair.

"Guess I'm pretty famous," Raul mused, rubbing his nose.

"I've got a challenge for you, Raul," I said, eager to see his reaction. I had a special proposition in mind that I knew he'd love.

"Up for it, Eric! Just say it!" Raul responded, already fired up.

"Choose. Angie or Jade? Which one do you think you can beat in a fight?"

"You're speaking my language! Thinking about it, I choose broccoli!"

It was settled then – Jade it is!

POP

"W-who are you guys calling broccoli...? Where the hell did you take us?" Jade demanded, looking around in confusion.

I had just teleported us to an empty space in the mountains. There was no particular reason for the move other than to have a cool background for the upcoming challenge.

Jade quickly grasped the situation and started to prepare. She took off her pajama top, revealing her sports bra.

"You're lucky I sleep in a sports bra, otherwise I'd send you to fetch something else for me to wear for a fight." Jade commented to me as she began stretching. Her flexibility was quite remarkable, and I couldn't help but wonder if that played a role in her fighting skills.

Turning to Raul, I saw he was already holding his sword, ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice.

"Okay, the fight begins with a thud, so stay focused." I said, the anticipation growing.

The sudden silence around us was palpable as both Jade and Raul braced themselves for the impending clash.

"Eric, how far can I go?" Raul whispered, his eyes locked onto Jade.

"Jade's tougher than bullets; don't hold back." I replied with a grin.

I walked toward Ren and pushed her gently, causing her to fall to the ground.

With the sound of Ren hitting the floor, the fight began.

After the tension had been broken, Jade made her move, rushing toward Raul. Her first move was clever; she tried to reach his hand to prevent him from unsheathing his sword. This tactic worked, as she only moved her hands after reaching a point where his blade couldn't be fully drawn due to its length.

Raul decided to counter by pushing her away with a flat kick to the stomach. Jade managed to catch her balance after rolling and falling forward onto her hand. With a bit of distance now, Raul had the opportunity to unsheathe his sword. When Jade looked up, his blade was already inches from her face. But, upon impact, it merely bounced off her.

"You've got to do more than that to harm me." Jade taunted, undaunted.

Jade caught Raul's sword by the blade and redirected it from herself while simultaneously attempting to headbutt Raul. In response, Raul let go of the sword with one hand and pushed the side of her face away.

Jade, not giving up, caught his unbuttoned shirt and threw him. However, Raul managed to land on his feet after a graceful flip. During the fall, the string holding his dreadlocks in a ponytail snapped, allowing his hair to fall around him.

With one hand, Raul wrapped his fingers around Jade's neck and pushed all his weight onto her, causing her to fall to the ground. Jade, however, pushed her hands against the ground and rolled to the side, attempting to free herself from Raul's grip. His hold didn't loosen, but Jade was not one to be choked easily. She pushed her legs against the ground, lifting herself up and exerting enough pressure to make Raul release his firm grip.

"Seems like you're pretty skilled," Raul commented. "I wonder how the fight would look like with the other girl."

"Let's just say I'm tougher." Jade responded confidently.

Raul leaped into the air, skillfully avoiding Jade's fist, which ended up striking the ground. He then followed up with a kick to her face and swung his sword once more. Jade managed to catch it and attempted to pull it, hoping to make Raul lose his balance. To her surprise, he let go of his sword, disarming himself.

Raul then tried to jump onto Jade again, but she countered by delivering a powerful punch to his stomach. The hit felt like a steel hammer.

Jade slammed her hands on both sides of Raul's head, causing him to roll to the side. As he sat up, Jade was already running toward him with a clenched fist.

"I give up." Raul calmly stated with a smile.

Jade came to an abrupt stop. "What?"

"The outcome is now obvious; there's no way to continue the fight. I've lost." Raul explained. He turned to me.

"Eric, you've got some wild chicks following you."

"You bet." I replied with a grin.

Raul seemed to handle the revelation pretty well, but I had a feeling he might have a more challenging time with Angie.

"So how about the others? What can they do?" he asked, clearly intrigued.

"Angie can heal faster than you can hurt her, so your sword would seem to pass through the air. Although, her clothes would be a different story." I explained.

"I thought so." he nodded.

"Then we've got Ren..."

Ren, why the fuck are you standing so proudly here?

"...If she manages to touch you before you hit her with your sword, the fight is over."

"Sounds frightening. Why didn't you let me fight her first?" Raul inquired.

I chuckled. "Because you'd have taken her down before she even got close."

"Fair enough. How about that one? I'm not asking about fighting, just simple curiosity. Can she also do something special?" Raul inquired, gesturing toward Christine.

All the girls suddenly made wide eyes, looking a bit surprised.

"Uh... no, Christine can't really get off her wheelchair, and she doesn't talk." I informed him.

The girls seemed to exchange whispers with one another.

"That's a shame; I hope she gets better." Raul said, offering me an empathetic look.

"Yeah, me too." I replied, a bit more solemnly.

Now that we were done with the warm-up sparring session, it was time to cool down. I mean, it's not like I enjoyed moving too much.

POP

"So can I eat now?" Ren asked with an annoyed expression, showing her less than polite side.

"Sure, go ahead, shithead." I replied with a grin.

"Why are you so mean towards me? What did I do wrong?" Ren's question was entirely valid.

"Umm... you're a murderer?" I replied, my mind drifting to her past actions.

"So is everyone present here!" Ren retorted with a point that was hard to argue against. It was a sobering reminder of the backgrounds we all came from.

"You just look so vulnerable that it makes people want to mess with you." Angie added with a chuckle.

Ren, furious, quickly marched towards Angie and grabbed her hand. It took mere moments for Angie to fall unconscious on the floor. Jade's eyes widened, and she moved to grab Ren by the collar.

"Vous n'apprenez jamais, n'est-ce pas?" Ren muttered.

After that, Jade fell to the ground as well, leaving the room in silence.

*smack*

I smacked Ren on the head.

"Owie!" she squeaked.

"Stop acting like it's your villain arc." I scolded.

"Okay." she murmured under her breath, seemingly taking the rebuke to heart.

Raul had been watching the entire spectacle with intrigue.

"I'm sorry, it was just a small argument, that's all." I apologized to him.

"It's fine; I got to see that girl's moves. Without my sword, I would most likely lose." he mused, his thoughts still centered around the potential combat outcomes.

Soon enough, Ren prepared some open baguettes with ham, cheese, and various toppings like sauces. She baked them until the cheese had melted to perfection. It was a tempting meal, and I'd definitely prefer it over some cheeseburgers. Ren certainly showed herself to be a talented cook.

"How do you cook so well?" I inquired, genuinely curious about her culinary skills.

"My mommy would teach me. She was traveling to different places and would often bring back recipes." Ren explained. A single tear trickled down her cheek, a poignant reminder of the pain she had experienced.

Ren... I understand what's on your mind... I'm sorry...

"Don't look at me like that, you look weird." she said with a chuckle, wiping away the tear.

I decided not to pry further into her emotions, respecting her privacy.

We had a pleasant chat and meal. Angie and Jade eventually woke up, and Raul departed for home.

The remainder of the day was spent on the beach, but I was beginning to feel the pull to return home. Socializing for too long wasn't my strong suit, and I needed to maintain my mental composure.

I don't want anything bad to happen.