Chapter 6: You did good!

"I am the Parchment Protector, the Paper crusader! I am Paper Bag Head Man! No need to worry kid!! NEVER FEAR.... FOR I AM HERE!!"

*Imaginary explosions in the background!*

[Player: Andrei Mendoza has unlocked a new quest!]

[Defeat the three thieves disguised as "Paper Bag Head Man"]

0/3

[Rewards: 30 Credits and learn any move that have hit you while fighting]

(It's been a while since a quest popped up! But do I seriously need to put on another paper bag?!?)

Emma became a little upset due to Andrei's get up.

"Oh c'mon! You stole that line from an anime! And now's not the time for this-"

Emma looked to her side and saw the kid having a different reaction. His eyes looked like he completely lost all hope.

"Whaaaaa!!!"

"See?! Let's get serious here!"

He didn't let Emma's scolding hinder his composure and continued his hero facade.

"There's no need to cry anymore young man... I promise to catch them and get your prize back!"

Emma wasn't buying it, but the kid really did believe Paper Bag Head Man could really bring his prize back.

"Hey, c'mon stop messing around Andr-!"

"W-will you r-really, mister?"

"Hoho! Yes I will! For I am the legendary hero, Paper Bag Head Man!"

"Whoa!"

Andrei ran off to the direction as to where the boys from earlier ran. Emma looked dumbfounded. Shocked as to what she just witnessed...

"T-thank you! Big sis, did you see that?! He's so cool!"

Emma let out a nervous laugh before saying"Yes I did!"

(ARE KID'S SERIOUSLY INTO THAT STUFF?!? Well, atleast he stopped crying...)

.....

Andrei

I ran as fast as I could to the direction where those guys were heading. I caught a glimpse of one of the guys running when I was talking to Emma earlier. Thankfully, I recognized his features due to him having red dyed hair.

I quickly ran down the escalator and saw those guys run out of the Mall. I chased after them, and accidentally bumping on a blonde haired guy holding an ice cream cone.

"WHA-?!? HEY!!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

"SORRRYYYY!!!"

I didn't stop running, but atleast I apologized right? If I wasn't so focused on chasing those three guys, I would buy you a new cone Mr. Blonde Guy!

I ran as fast as I could and saw the three guys stop running and walk into an alleyway. I followed them quietly as to not alert them.

The three guys were walking in a zig zag pattern. The farthest was the one leading the pack. It was the red haired guy. The one in the middle was a guy with brown hair, and another was wearing beanie hat.

(Alright, let's survey the area first.)

The red haired guy pulled out a cigarette, and all three laughed at the theft they just commited. While I hid behind a garbage can.

"Hehe! What a steal!"

"I know right? Who knew it was even possi to get this stuff from an arcade!"

"Let alone a kid won it! I almost feel bad. Almost. Hehe!"

I peeked to get a better look at what the kid won. And to my surprise, it was a hoverboard!!

(Holy moly!! Don't you need about 20,000 tickets to get that thing?!? That kid is the true king of games!! Wait no, he's the Arcade Overlord!!)

After making sure there was no other escape routes, I made my move.

"MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Laughing loudly, I got the attention of the three delinquents.

"Huh? Who's this lamea**?"

"Some weirdo wearing a paper bag?"

"YOU RAPSCALLIONS!! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!?"

"Huh? What's this loser talking about? If you don't wanna have your a** handed to you, then piss off!"

"YOU THREE ARE THE REAL LOSERS!! STEALING FROM CHILDREN? YOU ARE THE LOWEST OF THE LOW!!"

I said to them, pointing and posing dramatically like Phoenix Wright.

Looking at their faces, it's clear that they're more confused than irritated, but irritated nonetheless.

"This fu***ng loser... So who cares if we stole it from him?! That little brat should study for school instead of grinding for tickets in the arcade!"

(You have a point there, but still, stealing is still stealing and that's a pretty scummy thing to do. Especially if you steal from a kid dude...)

One of them approached me, with his hands in his hoodie's pockets. It was the guy wearing a beanie hat.

I know they're trying their best to intimidate me, but for some reason... I'm not scared. There's only one thought running through my mind.

(Meh... Markus was way scarier.)

I knew through instinct that these guys may act like gangsters, but they're pretty much trash compared to Markus! In other words, they're wanna-be gangsters.

The guy tried to swing his fist at me but strangely, it felt slow? So slow, that I even had time to think of a name for my attack.

"JUSTICE PUUUUNCH!!!"

[Decent Cross]

*BAM*

*Thud*

In just a single punch, the guy gets instantly knocked out and falls to the ground.

"W-what?! He instantly knocked out Jared!!"

"You jerk! You even said something lame before knocking him out!"

"The hell ya mean la-?!"

*Ahem*

"H-hoho!! Remember kids, crime doesn't pay!"

To be honest, I actually felt bad for the guy I just knocked out, but it is what it is. I guess this is what you get for stealing from a kid.

The red haired guy, who seemed to be their leader, gave the other guy an order.

"Let's get him!"

"Right!"

The two charged at me at full speed, and I had no clue how to fight against multiple people. I may not have thought this through.

(Huh?! A 2 VS 1?! That's not fair!)

"Take this!!"

The brown haired guy swung at me, but just like earlier, his punch was slow.

"Take this!"

I immediately countered with a

[Perfect Jab]

*Thwack*

"Argh!"

(Alright, then let's follow it up with a...)

*Whoosh*

[Decent Cro-

*BAM!*

"GAH!"

[Attack skill: Decent Cross has failed to be cast due to interruption]

Right before I hit him with a cross, someone from behind drop kicked me and I fell a few meters away from the guy I was fighting.

"How'd you like that punk! I learned that move from watching Pro Wrestling!"

"Whoa man! I can't believe you landed a drop kick on him!"

I look up to see the guy who dropped kicked me. It was the red head.

(Damn, I should've been paying more attention... I got too confident.)

"Looks like you're all talk!"

"Yeah! Paper Bag Head Man? That name's so lame!"

Okay, that kinda pissed me off... I needed to stop playing and finish these guys!

"Alright, no more mister nice guy!

"Hah! We'd like to see you try!"

Said the brown haired guy in a cheeky tone.

I step towards the brown hair, about to throw a jab at him. The red head noticed this, and went and tried to hit me with a haymaker.

[Perfect Jab]

Except, that was actually a feint!

"Not on my watch! Huh?!"

I quickly turned around to face the red head. He was surprised, due to me suddenly stopping my attack switching targets.

(This was my plan stupid!)

[Great Uppercut]

*BOOM*

*Thud*

"Wha?! Suddenly switching targets isn't fai-"

I quickly turned around to face the brown hair.

[Perfect Jab] + [Decent Cross]

[1, 2 combo!!]

*Thwack* *Bam*!

*Thud*

With that last combo, brown hair was down.

[Player: Andrei Mendoza has completed the quest!]

[Defeat the three thieves disguised as "Paper Bag Head Man"]

3/3

[Player: Andrei Mendoza will be given the following rewards]:

[30 credits and Quest: Learn how to do a dropkick]

"Haah... haah... That was harder than I thought. Now, let's get the prize ba-"

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

I was hit with a right hook, and went flying hitting a trashcan. Then a red screen suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

[Warning: Player has been critically damaged]

(Yeah, no sh** Sherlock!! Ugh! My head...)

As I was busy writhing in pain, I heard a voice... It was the first guy I knocked out's voice...

"Yeah! Get em boss!"

"I can't believe you three can't even do a single job right! You seriously lost to this loser!?"

"Eeeek!! S-sorry boss!"

(Dammit, he woke up and called someone?!)

As I recovered my head, I was faced with a hulking frame of a man... He was tall, about 180cm tall and had large arms as thick as my head... I have no clue how I didn't get instantly knocked out, but I'm still awake...

(It's hard to move... It's not just my head, my entire body hurts...it hurts... but...)

I summoned all the remaining strength in my body to stand up...

"I cant just let this good day end on a bad note!"

"The hell's this loser talking about?"

[Sudden Quest: Defeat the large man!]

0/1

[Rewards: Random Skill Card, Quest: learn any moves used on the player, and Potential Chain Quest!]

The hulking figure slowly walked towards me and I ran as far as I could until I reach the dead end of the alley...

"There ain't no escaping dumba**!"

The large dude said, as he kept slowly approaching me.

(Dammit, how am I gonna get out of this situation... I'm too tired...)

(Okay, I need to calm down...)

I took a deep breath and looked for my only hope out of this predicament...

"System window..."

[???]

"What can credits do?"

[Credits have two uses]:

[To purchase random skill cards (15 credits)]

[Temporarily double physical stats for one day (10 credits)]

"That's it... This my only way out of this... Open the stat window"

[Health: 60%

Strength: 31

Speed: 40

Endurance: 24

Stamina:26]

I held out my hand, and using my index finger, I press on one of my stats.

Seeing this strange action, the guy stopped walking due to confusion.

"Huh? The hell's that idiot doing?"

"He's pressing imaginary buttons or something! Must've gone crazy from fear!"

I ignored them and kept pressing on the system's screen.

[Upgrade speed stat?]

[Yes/No]

(This is my only shot... I need to hit him with all I've got, just like with Markus!!)

"Yes..."

I blue aura suddenly glowed around me, although, I'm the only one who can see it...

"Who the hell's that guy talking to?"

"He really has gone crazy!"

[Upgrade again?]

"Yes..."

The blue aura returned until slowly fading again....

This is the last one...

[Upgrade again?]

"YES!"

The blue aura glowed intensely then faded a way again...

[Stat upgrade complete]

[Player's total speed stat has been temporarily upgraded from 40 to 320]

(Let's do this!)

The large guy charged at me after my yell. Seeing him run at me was terrifying, but I needed to stand my ground...

"Alright, I've had enough of this you weirdo!!"

(Stay calm, don't get intimidated... this is the only way...)

My heart started beating faster and faster the closer the guy got...

(Stay calm, stay calm....)

*Thump* *Thump*

*Thump* *Thump*

He reached me and drew his fist back, planning to hit me with everything he had... due to the difference of our physical attributes, there's no doubt that even a graze would knock me out...

I only had one shot!!

"TAKE THIS YOU DAMNED PAPER BAG FREAK!!!"

*WHOOSH*

As the fist flew towards my face...

*BAM*

"Ow! F***!!"

I squeezed every last muscle, and quickly but barely ducked under the punch thanks to my speed upgrades. The guy hitting the wall in the process...

(NOW!!!)

[High Powered Jump]

I sprung back as quickly as I ducked and used every once of my last remaining strength to hit him cleanly on his jaw!!!

[Great Uppercut]

*WHOOSH*

*BOOM!!*

Just like as if it were an anime, I screamed to summon all my power and said the first thing that came to mind...

"SHOOOORRRYUUUUKEEEEEENNN!!!"

*WHOOSH!!!"

"THUD!!"

As I landed from my jump, I fell to my knees due to exhaustion...

"I- haah... I did it!"

But, it was too early to celebrate... My punch was effective yes, but... Our difference in weight and physical ability was too much...

"Ugh!! I can't believe that little sh** stain made me fall down!"

(No... I-it can't be... he's still awake?!)

He slowly walked towards me, as I lost all hope of winning...

(Dammit... I wasn't strong enough.)

"To be honest, that punch of yours really hurt, but if you think that was enough to knock me out, then you're dead wrong..."

My entire body started shaking. My adrenaline is through the roof right now...

"Now... Clench your teeth..."

As I prepared myself, I couldn't think of anything else to get out of this situation...I lost all hope...

But then...

*WHOOSH*

"HEY!!"

He suddenly stopped his punch just before it hit me, inches away from my face...

The guy turned to look at where sound came from and saw someone blonde, wearing a martial arts uniform known as a gi.

"Oh great, now two idiots?! This guy your friend or something?!"

The large guy tossed me to the ground, and I rolled around a few meters away...

During this, the three guys from earlier woke up and started picking a fight with the blonde guy...

Probably because they feel confident due to their boss being here...

"Haaah?! Who's this punk?!"

"Yeah! This is none of your business!!"

"Piss off-"

*BAM* *BAM* *SLAM*

In the blink of an eye, the blonde guy knocked them all down one by one.

First with a punch, then a high kick, then throwing the last one to the ground!

"Hooh? Seems like this guy can fight! Well then come at me!"

"..."

Although he didn't say anything, it was clear that the blonde guy accepted the challenge and went into a fighting stance...

He turned to his side, spread his feat shoulder width apart and bent his knees.

"That's weird stance. You think this is a Bruce Lee movie or something?!"

As I observed the blonde guy, it triggered a memory of my brother. He has the same stance as him...

(I've seen this before... I-it's... Taekwondo!!)

I held my breath from suspense and kept watching.

"F**k, does he think he's in a movie!?"

The buff guy said.

The blonde guy then took a step forward... he turned around, then jumped really high... It was as if he was flying...

1 spin...

2 spins...

3 spins....

Then finally...

"Bring it on blondie-"

!Taekwondo, 720° Kick!

*BOOM!!*

*WHOOSH!*

*CRACK!*

The buff guy went flying towards me, fortunately missing me by a meter, but unfortunately falling full force on the hoverboard that the kid won...

(Oh c'mon! That was the reason I was even fighting these guys for!)

The blonde guy landed, walked up to me and grabbed my shirt's collar, looking at me royally pissed!

"Hey..."

"Y-yes?!

(Holy- please don't kill me!!)

"Ice cream..."

"W-what?"

"You made me drop my ice cream earlier you jerk!!"

"Eh?!"

(Wait, you're mad because of what?! Wait, I didn't even-)

I suddenly remembered what happened earlier when I was chasing those three...

(Oooohhh... yeah...)

"I-I'm really sorry!"

"Saying sorry ain't gonna undrop my ice cream!!"

He clenched his fist and drew it back. Prepared to punch me.

"N-n-neither is punching me dude! Calm down!"

His face suddenly went blank.

"Oh yeah, you're right..."

(Did he seriously just realize that?)

"But, whaddya think is gonna fix this huh?!"

"I-i'll buy new a new cone! I'll even let you pick out the toppings! I promise!"

He looked at me very much pleased with my answer.

"Whoa! Really?! Thanks man!! Let's go right now!!"

He grabbed me, and carried me on his shoulder, sprinting back to the mall.

(Why do I feel like I'm getting kidnapped right now?)

A short while later, I bought him his new cone. He picked every topping.

"Hey, thanks man! This tastes really good!"

"No problem..."

"Hm? Why so gloom? Oh, is it about the fight? But you did real good though!"

"Huh?! Wait, you were watching the whole time?!"

"Not really, but considering your small frame fighting against four dudes, with one of them being bigger than you, means you're atleast skilled at fighting."

"Oh uh, thanks man..."

"Hmm, you have potential! Here, take this!"

He handed me a card with an address, at the back...

"Huh? What's this?"

[Pheonix Gym 1 month membership card.]

"Well, see ya!"

"Eh? Wait!"

He ran off...

(Well, I might as well use this. A free month membership huh? Sweet. Oh yeah, I need to get back!)

I put that paper bag on again and walked to the arcade and explained what happened to the prize to Emma and the kid...

"I'm really sorry..."

"WAAAAHHH!! YOU JERK!! YOU PROMISED YOU'D BRING IT BACK!!"

Emma sat there trying to cheer the kid up.

"WAAAAHH!!! I WAS GONNA GIVE THAT TO MY CRUSH THEN CONFESS!!!"

(Whoa, kids these days are brave! But... A freakin hoverboard???)

"H-hey kid, sorry about the hoverboard..."

Emma looked surprised and and yelled.

"A hoverboard?!?"

"YEAH! I WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET THAT!! WAAAAHHH!!!"

"Well, let me give you some advice. Most girls aren't really interested in hoverboards!"

"B-BUT, I *HIC* GOT IT BECAUSE IT'S SO COOL THOUGH!"

"Yeah, it is cool, but most girls want more cute stuff than cool stuff!"

"T-Then what should I get for her?"

Emma looked at the plushie in her hands and presented it to the crying kid.

"Tadah! This is what you should give her! Here you go!"

The kid gave out a "huh?!" then calmed down.

"E-eh?! Can I really have it?!"

"Yep! Your crush will like this more than the hoverboard!"

"R-really?! I hope she likes it alot!!"

"Yeah! Me too!"

"I need to go home now! Thank you big sis!"

Emma waved goodbye at the little kid.

I took off my mask and looked at Emma. She was trying to hide it, but I can sense some disappointment in her eyes...

"Hey..."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Wasn't that the plushie you wanted badly?"

"Well, yeah."

"So why'd you give it away?"

"Well, I don't wanna be someone who makes little kids cry you know? Well anyways, let's go! I wanna go home now!"

She was smiling, but I still can't shake the gut feeling that was telling me she was sad...

We walked out of the Mall, but I told her I needed to go to the bathroom and came back a short while after.

As we got of the train and walked back home, we reached Emma's house.

"Well, this is my stop. Bye."

She turned around to go inside her house, but I suddenly grabbed the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Huh?! What's wrong Andrei? You kinda scared me there."

"Sorry... Um, can you hold out your hand and close your eyes for a sec?"

"What?!"

"I-I'm not gonna do anything weird or anything!!"

"N-no! It's okay, I trust you!"

She did exactly as I told her to do.

I pulled something out of my bag, and placed it on her hand.

"You can open your eyes now!"

She opened her eyes, and saw what was on her hand... It was another axolotl plush!

"Eh?! When did you-"

"Yeah, I really didn't go to the bathroom earlier, I went back and got another one for you."

"But you shouldn't have-"

"No, it's fine! I saw how upset you were, and I didn't like seeing it so..."

"...Thanks... You really can read me like a book don't you?"

She said, smiling softly.

We both stood silently blushing infront of her house, until I noticed her mom at the corner of my eye.

"Oh my!! How sweet of you! You sure you two aren't dating?!"

"Wha?! Mom!!!"

"N-no ma'am! We aren't! Ahaha!! Well, I gotta go home now, see you!"

"Oh uh, bye Andrei!"

"Thanks for taking care of Emma today!!"

"Mooom!!!"

I immediately sprinted to my house from embarrassment.

Overall, I gotta say this day was pretty good!

Chapter 6 end...