Chapter 4: The Shiobana's Debt

Dionte: Alright, let's get this over with!

Dolche: Get his ass!

All the gang members charge at Dionte while Dolche stands back. Dionte runs forward and punches the guy right in front of him. He jumps up and kicks the guy on his left and uses his other leg to kick the person that was on his right.

Dionte: Come on! Keep it going, bitches!

Dolche: What the hell, guys? Are you even thinking about our reputation right now?

Dionte continues to fend off the gangsters one by one. A two piece here and a high kick there. He's been handling himself well. Dionte's been consistently fighting for a few minutes.

Dionte: Yo, Dolche! You gonna stay back there and watch me shit on your boys?

Dolche: Damn it! Fellas, you know what to do.

A few of the gangsters run behind Dionte at the same time and hold his arms and legs in place which made him unable to move.

Dionte: Oh come on. You guys admitted you're weak already? Just disband the gang at this point. You all aren't shit!

Dolche walks up to him and strikes him in the jaw with his metal pipe.

Dolche: You know, even talking to us like that will get you killed. You think we care who calls us weak? We're here to be the most feared gang in the world.

Dionte: Hehe... Haha! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Listen to yourself! That's the silliest shit I've ever heard! If you're gonna throw your life away for something this trivial then at least be good at it! You guys fucking suck!

Dolche: Shut your mouth!

He hits him again with the pipe.

Dionte: Heh, all those jokes and lack of attention must've gotten to you over the years, Dolche. It's messed with your head and this is the result of all that. That can all change, you know. End all of this right now and save yourself while you still can.

Dolche hesitates for a moment and thinks about his past actions.

Dolche: Heh, you might be right. Maybe it's time to turn over a new leaf. But...

He whacks him once more.

Dolche: I'm not goin' anywhere until your ass is on life support!

Dolche beats Dionte over and over as the gang members are still holding him in place. After consistent beatings, Dionte's face is covered in blood.

Dolche: Well, I guess this is goodbye. I might disband the gang, who knows? But I'm goin' out with a bang.

Dolche lifts up his pipe once again to strike. At that very moment, a person crashes into Dionte and the gangsters. They're all knocked over and Dionte is freed.

Dionte looks over and his eyes open wide with a smile. It was Jahruno who came to help him out.

Jahruno: *Smiles* Generic catchphrase, motherfuckers!

Dionte: Jahruno!

Jahruno: Yup! I guess we're fighting these assholes, huh?

Dionte: Haha, yeah. Let's hurry up and finish this shit.

Jahruno: Took the words right out of my mouth.

The gangsters begin to stand back up.

Dolche: I don't know who the hell that is but get them!

Everyone charges at the two. They begin beating on the gang for a minute until something strange happens.

Jahruno: Behold, my stand, Dionte!

Jahruno points at the people in front of him and Dionte jumps out and strikes them with a barrage of punches.

Dionte: MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!

The couple of gang members that were in front of Jahruno and Dionte get knocked back.

Jahruno: Haha! That was great! Lemme try!

Dionte: Got it!

Dionte turns around and points at a couple more gangsters.

Dionte: Witness the power of my stand, Jahruno!

Jahruno also jumps out in front of Dionte and beats them with a fast rush of punches.

Jahruno: ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!

They're also blown away by Jahruno's strength. Dionte and Jahruno do a handshake and laugh.

Dionte: Yes, that was perfect, bro!

Jahruno: Just like we practiced!

Dolche: Guys, they're playing with us right now! What the fuck are y'all doing?

Dionte: Aye, let's end this shit already. Jahruno, get close to me.

Jahruno: What's wrong?

Dionte: I'm feeling good right now and I think it's time to use this new ability.

Jahruno: Wait, what? I thought you only had one ability. Purgatorio, right?

Dionte: Haha, nah... nobody's seen this one yet.

Jahruno and Dionte stand back to back. Dionte emits a black aura from his body. He puts his hands together as if he's praying.

Dionte: Inferno: Lustful Cyclone!

A black gust of wind begins to intensify in a circular motion. As Jahruno and Dionte stand in the eye of the storm, the gang is picked up by the cyclone and they spin around over and over at a high velocity. It accelerates more and more and the gangsters are constantly crashing into each other, causing them immense pain. Luckily, Dionte can control the size of the attack so nobody else outside of the fight gets hurt and no one's property gets damaged. Soon, the cyclone instantly rises up in the sky and blasts down into the ground. He ends up breaking some of the road.

Dionte: *Heavy breathing* That should take care of them...

Jahruno: Holy shit, what was that? How long have you had that power for?

Dionte: Since last night, I think. I don't know where it came from.

Jahruno: Oh yeah... Speaking of last night, I came back from the hospital and saw your mother in one of the rooms. She told me what happened yesterday.

Dionte: Oh...

Jahruno walks up and hugs Dionte tightly.

Jahruno: I can't even imagine how you feel and I'm so sorry that it all happened.

Dionte: Thanks, man. It's been rough lately. I just feel like life's been a shithole. I recently heard about Felisha's situation and it just made me upset. I desperately want everything to get better but I think things are gonna be like this forever.

Jahruno: I understand you completely. Listen to me, Dionte. I promise I'll make everything right again. Whoever you and Felisha are dealing with, send them right to me. I'll take care of them.

Dionte: Jahruno... you don't have to do this.

Jahruno: It's too late, Dionte. I've already decided. Luckily, there's a tournament coming up that I've been selected for. I'll make sure I win it for everyone. I'll end everyone's suffering for good!

Dionte: I love you, man. This means a lot.

Jahruno: I love you too, bro. I just want the best for everyone. Nobody on Earth should feel this way.

Dionte: You know what? You're right! Lemme fight in this tournament too! Let's change the world!

Jahruno: Perfect! I wonder if they selected you though. My trainer sent a bunch of people after me and then told me I was selected.

Dionte: So there's a whole association for this tournament?

Jahruno: Most likely.

Dionte: Well even if I'm not selected, do your best man!

Jahruno: I will! In fact, I'll call my trainer right now.

Jahruno reaches into his bag and checks his phone and sees a couple missed calls from Felisha.

Jahruno: Felisha called? Hold on, I gotta call her back.

Dionte: Did she call during the fight?

Jahruno: Looks like it.

He starts calling Felisha. She picks up.

Jahruno: Yo, is everything alright?

Felisha: Dionte hasn't answered his phone since school started. Do you know if he's alright?

Jahruno: Yeah, I'm with him right now. We got into a fight with some dumb gang but everything's all good.

Felisha: Okay, that's good because I was worried. Why wasn't he at school today?

Jahruno: I don't know. Lemme hand him the phone.

He gives the phone to Dionte.

Dionte: Hello?

Felisha: Dionte, is everything okay? I didn't see you at school today.

Dionte: Yeah, I'm good. I just had a cold. *nervous laugh*

Felisha: Dionte... I know that's not it. It's okay, you can tell me anything.

Dionte: *Sigh* I guess I can't hide it from you. Ever since last night, I don't think my mental health will ever be the same after what happened yesterday.

Felisha: What happened!?

Dionte: Okay... So I was going back home from your house. Once I entered the front door, I saw that my dad was strapped to a chair with his brains blown out. My mother was in the corner shivering with tears running down her eyes. I saw she was covered in blood and semen. I found out that they raped my mother, right in front of him. They did it as my father was tied to the chair before his life was cut short. The men were still hanging out in my house as if they didn't commit that atrocity. They taunted me before they left and all I could do the entire time was sit there frozen in fear. Later that night, I cut myself ferociously out of resentment for myself. It was definitely the worst experience of my life. That's pretty much it... hehe...

On the other side of the phone, Felisha holds her hand over her mouth as tears fall from her eyes.

Felisha: Dionte... I'm so sorry.

Dionte: It's fine. I'm not really sad anymore. "Payback" is the only word in my mind right now. The mere thought of what I'm going to do them once I see them again is what keeps me going. *Chuckles*

Felisha: I honestly don't know what to say...

Dionte: Don't worry, it's okay. I'll just hand the phone back to Jahruno.

He hands the phone back to Jahruno. Felisha wipes her tears.

Jahruno: And Felisha, what's happening with you? Dionte said something was going on recently?

Felisha: He must be talking about the loan sharks we met yesterday... They've been terrorizing our family ever since we started owing them. Dionte and I had to fight them off.

Jahruno: Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Tell them I'll pay all the money back. I don't want them messing with you or your family.

Felisha: No, it's fine. It's our problem and we'll work on it.

Jahruno: Felisha, I'm not taking "no" for an answer. When you see those motherfuckers, tell them I'll pay back the debt.

Felisha: It's $100,000 Jahruno! All we've made is $25,000!

Jahruno: I don't care! I don't want you to go through this! *Sigh* I'm gonna be honest with you for a second and this might sound dumb, but there's never been a dull moment in my life. I haven't gone through anything traumatizing nor been through tough times. Life has always been easy for me and it hurts me to see those who struggle every day. In short, I feel like I haven't been through enough pain throughout my entire 18 years of living. So please, let me do this.

Felisha: Jahruno, you shouldn't wanna be in pain. It's great that you haven't gone through anything like this. Please don't make things harder for yourself than it has to be...

Jahruno: Felisha, tell those bastards to come to me.

Felisha: Are you sure?

Jahruno: I'm positive.

Felisha: Okay... I'll see what they say. But you gotta think about this, Jahruno; How much pain will it take until you've decided that you've suffered enough?

Jahruno: I can't say I have an answer for that. But trust me, I'll be fine.

Felisha: If you say so. Good luck with everything, Jahruno. I can't thank you enough.

Jahruno: Hehe, not a problem.

On Felisha's side of the phone, the school's speaker turns on. "Felisha Shiobana to the principal's office, Felisha Shiobana to the principal's office" says the principal over the speaker.

Felisha: Shit, I gotta go to the office. I'll talk to you later, Jahruno. You're really an amazing friend.

She hangs up.

Jahruno: Well... How the hell am I gonna pay them back?

Dionte: Wait, you agreed to pay them back without knowing how to do it?

Jahruno: *Laughs* Yup... I just don't want them riding Felisha anymore.

Dionte: You're crazy, dude.

Jahruno: *Chuckles* I know. That's just another reason to win this tournament.

Dionte: So you gonna call your trainer?

Jahruno: Hell yeah. I put the card he gave me in my phone case.

He pulls out the card and dials the number. The phone rings for a moment and Warui finally answers.

Warui: Hello? Who is this?

Jahruno: Hey, it's Jahruno. I'm ready.

Warui: Heh. It's about time. Meet me at the Benbow Crescent on Saturday, we'll go over everything you need to know.

Jahruno: Got it.

He hangs up.

Jahruno: Wait a minute, Benbow Crescent? That's the one island far south from here! My car's still at the shop!

Dionte: What happened to it?

Jahruno: All my windows were broken. I still don't know who did it.

Jahruno's phone buzzes. He got a text from Yolanda, the girl who works at the shop saying his car's ready to get picked up.

Jahruno: Well, nevermind. Okay, let's fucking do this!

As that was happening, Felisha entered the principal's office.

Felisha: Mrs. Phoenix? Is there a problem?

Mrs. Phoenix: A very big problem. You and Dionte are getting suspended for that altercation in front of the school yesterday.

Felisha: Right... I forgot about that. I'll let Dionte know. Later.

Mrs. Phoenix: Wait, Felisha. Good luck with those people from yesterday. Loan sharks are no joke.

Felisha: Tell me about it. But get this, Jahruno wants to pay them back so they'd leave us alone.

Mrs. Phoenix: Are you serious? Jahruno? The guy who skips school all the time?

Felisha: Hehe, yeah. I still can't believe he made me agree to do that. I'm glad I met him in my freshman year, he's always been a good friend.

Mrs. Phoenix: I guess you learn something new every day. Always value your friends, okay? Show your appreciation every now and then.

Felisha: Of course. Have a good day, Mrs. Phoenix. I'll let Dionte know about today.

Mrs Phoenix: Thanks and you too.

Felisha walks out of the office.

Mrs Phoenix: *Sigh* She reminds me of my younger days. I wonder if it's the same organization I dealt with back when I was in high school.

Felisha packs her bags and walks out of the school. As soon as she walks out of the door she sees Mrs. Thrax and this time, five other people behind her.

Mrs. Thrax: Just as planned, little shit.

Felisha: You guys again?

Mrs. Thrax: You didn't think you were gonna beat us up and get away with it, did you? We still didn't get that money, you know.

Felisha remembers what Jahruno said over the phone.

Felisha: Listen, my friend said he'd pay you guys the rest of the money if you left me and my family alone. I have his number if you want to talk to him.

Mrs. Thrax: Hold on.

She turned around and whispered to her group.

Mrs. Thrax: Can we even do that?

One of the guys nod their head up and down.

Mrs. Thrax: Alright! Let me talk to this Jahruno guy! Give me his number!

Felisha: Okay.

Felisha shows her Jahruno's number on her phone Mrs. Thrax starts dialing it.

As Jahruno and Dionte are hanging out on the patio listening to music in Dionte's backyard, Jahruno's phone starts ringing.

Dionte: Who is it?

Jahruno: I have no idea.

He answers the phone.

Jahruno: Hello? Who's this?

Mrs. Thrax begins to talk.

Mrs. Thrax: Hello, Jahruno, Felisha told us you could pay back the debt. This true?

Jahruno pulls the phone away from them to talk to Dionte.

Jahruno: It's the loan sharks Felisha talked about.

Dionte: Well, what are you gonna do now?

Jahruno: You already know.

He pulls the phone back to his ear.

Jahruno: That's right. I'll pay back the debt. So leave Felisha and her family alone. Let's discuss everything at the Ramsgate Apartment Complex.

Mrs. Thrax: Then it's settled.

She hangs up the phone.

Mrs. Thrax: Guess you guys are off the hook. You're pretty lucky, Felisha.

Felisha: Guess so.

Meanwhile...

Jahruno: Alright, Dionte, I gotta get down to my place.

Dionte: I'll come too. I don't have anything better to do.

They eventually make it to the apartments. Jahruno texted Felisha on the way to tell her to have her mom tell her exactly how the loan shark situation started. As expected, the loan sharks are at the entrance of the apartment complex.

Meanwhile, Felisha sits her mom at the table with her so they can talk.

Mother: Felisha, what is this about?

Felisha: Listen, mom, I need you to tell me exactly how you met those loan sharks. Every single detail.

Mother: I already told you, we're not allowed to talk about it as long as we owe them.

Felisha: That's the thing, we don't owe them anymore. Jahruno said he'll pay them back.

Mother: Really? Khaled! Come here!

Felisha's father, Khaled, runs downstairs quickly.

Khaled: What's the matter, Morgan!?

Morgan: Felisha just told us that Jahruno got those loan sharks off our back!

Khaled: You serious?

Felisha: It's true. But back to what I was saying. And dad, you don't leave out anything either. This is important stuff we need to discuss.

Khaled: Understood.

Felisha: So mom, what exactly went down the night you saw those guys?

Morgan begins to describe everything.

Morgan: It was like any other day, nothing unusual so far. I work until 8 and drive home. I was a little on edge so I stopped by the bar for a quick drink. I sit down and about a minute later a guy walks up to me holding a briefcase and a drink. He seemed polite but I had to tell him that I have a husband I love very much but he assures me that he isn't hitting on me. After that, he proceeded to ask me a very random question; "What would you do with $100,000?" At this point I'm suspecting something is wrong but I simply tell him that I'd put that money towards starting a business that I've dreamed of since I was in high school. He tells me that he loves my answer and that he had a surprise for me. He puts the briefcase on the counter and opens it. To my surprise, it's the $100,000 he asked me about. "You're in luck because I'm giving away all of this money to you." I loudly showed my excitement and he handed me the drink he was holding.

Felisha: Stop right there! He was just holding a drink? And he just gave it to you?

Morgan: That's right.

Felisha: That's already suspicious. Do you remember what happened after you drank it?

Morgan: Not at all. After I drank it I woke up on the porch with a bunch of new stuff.

Khaled: I should've known! He spiked the drink!

Felisha: He must've taken you on a shopping spree while you were out of it. I gotta tell Jahruno!

Khaled: Next time, don't take drinks from strangers, okay?

Felisha: I understand. I was just blinded by the thought of accomplishing my dreams.

Jahruno and Dionte meet with the loan sharks.

Jahruno: So, how you wanna do this?

Mrs. Thrax: Wait a second... I recognize your friend from somewhere but I can't put my finger on it...

Dionte: Uh...

Mrs. Thrax: Nevermind... But you can either pay the rest of the money up front or you can pay a minimum of $1,500 a week.

Jahruno: Let me think about that...

Jahruno's phone rings. He's getting a call from Felisha.

Jahruno: Yo.

Felisha: We got everything figured out! Put me on speaker!

Jahruno puts the phone on speaker.

Jahruno: Alright, what's happening?

Felisha: It wasn't my mom's fault she blew all the money. The guy who gave her the money spiked her drink and took her shopping while she was drugged out. They completely set her up!

Jahruno: What!?

Mrs. Thrax: Shit!

Felisha: I'm just wondering how they'd benefit from that.

Dionte: I guess the only way they'd benefit is if they handed her some money they stole very carefully so that they could make back non-stolen money by the time someone would even find out about their plan.

Mrs. Thrax: Damn, they figured us out! Get 'em!

"Freeze!" Exclaims a voice from the parking lot. It's a few undercover police officers that came out from the normal looking cars.

Jahruno: Oh yeahhh I forgot I called the police on the way over here, haha!

Felisha: Jahruno, Dionte! You did it!

Dionte: *Laughs* How'd you forget?

Jahruno: We were listening to that album on the way, remember? I was feelin' the music too much, dude!

Jahruno, Dionte, Felisha, her family, and the police officers begin laughing. As the laughter was dying down, all of the loan sharks were arrested. An officer starts talking to Jahruno.

Officer: We'll start working towards taking the whole organization down. Thank you for your help.

Jahruno: No problem, officer. Good luck with everything.

Officer: You too. Stay safe out here, young man.

The officer walks away to the rest of the group and they all drive away.

Jahruno: Well I guess it's over, just like that.

Felisha: Jahruno, Dionte, thank you so much! Seriously, I can't thank you enough!

Dionte: Not a problem!

Jahruno: I'm glad I could help! You guys take care now! I'll see you all later!

Felisha's parents speak up on the other side of the phone.

Morgan and Khaled: Thank you, everyone! We'll never forget this!

Jahruno: Aww you guysss!

Felisha: Alright, we gotta go but I'll talk to you later! We love you and good night!

Jahruno and Dionte: Good night everyone!

They both hang up. As Felisha's family is celebrating, Jahruno and Dionte look at the sky. Jahruno's phone rings again. It's Felisha calling.

Felisha: Oh... I forgot to tell Dionte that we're both suspended from school. It was because of the fight yesterday...

Dionte: Damn! I forgot about that. Thanks for letting me know.

Felisha: Of course. Thanks again by the way.

Dionte: No problem.

She hangs up. The two look at the sky once more.

Jahruno: Man, we really can make a change in this world.

Dionte: Yeah... we can! Anyways, I'm gonna head home for the day, I'll see you tomorrow.

Jahruno: Alright I'll catch you later. Stay safe.

Dionte: Of course.

They do a handshake and Dionte walks home. Jahruno goes to the shop to pick up his car. He finally reaches the place and greets Yolanda.

Jahruno: Lookin' good 'Landa! 'Preciate it!

Yolanda: You're welcome! I cleaned up a little while I was at it.

Jahruno: I can tell! You did amazing!

Yolanda: Thanks! You take care now!

Jahruno: You too!

He gets in his car and drives back home. He walks back in the apartment and watches various things on his T.V for the rest of the day.

He falls asleep at around 9 p.m.

Soon, he wakes up in an open field under a tree.

Jahruno: Huh? Where the hell am I?

He walks out from under the tree and looks back at it. What he thought was a normal tree turned out to be a plethora of dead, mutilated children hanging from all of the branches. Jahruno falls back out of fear.

Jahruno: AHH! What the fuck!?

-Chapter 4 End-