Invitation
Mako reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. It wasn't a regular card as it was made of metal and was of very high quality as well. It was purple with feathers in the background and the dark silhouette of a crow or a raven's head with the rest of the body of the bird transitioning into black flames.
Mako had no idea what this card was or how it even got into his pocket in the first place but upon laying his eyes on the card, Bill instantly froze in place with fear.
"W-W-Where-e d-did y-youuu get tha...that?" Bill asked while his body shivered up and down.
"Huh? I don't know, I just reached into my pocket and this was already inside. What's wrong?" Mako was now even more confused because not only did he not know where this card came from, but now Bill was acting weird as well.
Bill instantly broke out of his daze as he took an extremely serious expression," We can't discuss it here, hurry! follow me back to your house, quickly." Bill as he started bolting to the nearest alley.
Mako couldn't understand what was happening, but he decided to just follow Bill, and ask questions later.
Bill didn't take a simple route back to his house which would have taken about 20 minutes, rather he was constantly going from one alley to another, crisscrossing his movements and often looping certain areas. It seemed as if Bill was running away from something, but Mako couldn't see anyone following them.
After what seemed like an entire hour of constant running, the two boys finally made their way back home. As soon as Mako entered the house, he saw Bill constantly moving back and forth in the living room scared out of his mind and muttering something to himself.
"What the hell is going on?!" Mako asked loudly as he was already exhausted from his fight, and now he was forced to run around the city for an entire hour.
"Mako, do you have any idea what that card represents?" Bill replied in such a trembly and shacky manner.
Mako was a bit taken aback by how Bill was reacting as he was the type of person who wouldn't show fear no matter what situation he was in, so this had to be a serious topic or else Bill wouldn't act this way.
Taking a seat on the couch, Mako grabbed Bill's shoulders and gently nudged him so he would sit beside him.
"Let's start from the beginning, explain to me what this card means?" Mako asked politely this time.
After taking a few deep breaths, Bill calmed down and proceeded to explain to Mako just what was the importance of this card
"This card is an invitation! An invitation to the tournament held by the Dark Raven!" Bill exclaimed as pointed at the black ship that was textured on the card.
"The Dark Raven is one of the rival gangs that would cause trouble for us as we were part of El Diablo's gang, Los Zetas," Bill explained so Mako could get rid of his dumbfounded look.
"I should have known when that shadowy figure ran past us, this is how they mostly give out invitations for their weird tournaments ." Bill realized as he grabbed the card from Mako's hand.
A small button was attached on the backside, and upon pressing it a small holographic display appeared with the image of Leon of all people otherwise known as the Dark Assassin.
Hearing that name in his head again, something clicked in Mako's head as he wondered as Leon and the Dark Raven must have been associates thus the similar-sounding stage names and him also appearing in the holographic display.
"Congratulations on your victory tonight Mr. Blaze! I still don't know how you managed to win against us since Rhino was a peak tier Level 3 ability user; anyhow, the Dark Raven's monthly initiation tournament is only 15 days away as this is your formal invitation to attend this event." Leon stated with a smirk as it was more of a command than a request.
Leon was still wearing his outfit so they couldn't see his face, but judging by what little they could see and his overall expression, it was safe to say that he was not happy. It was probably because he recorded this just after he had lost against Mako in the semi-finals and was now seeking revenge.
"Oh, and bring that rat who escaped El Diablo too, if you don't come then we will reveal both of your whereabouts to El Diablo himself." Leon threatened in the end as the video finished displaying.
As soon as the display was over, multiple characters appeared on the card displaying an address where the tournament will take place.
Sweat dripped down Bill's forehead as he heard the last line of the message. Now that he knew his cover was blown, he couldn't help but think back to his past imprisonment.
Bill started shuddering all over as it looked like he was about to go into a panic attack, but before anything could occur, Mako firmly grabbed Bill by his shoulders and shook him violently.
"Get it together! This is not all bad news." Mako shouted as Bill was knocked out of his panicked state, but now he was more confused with what Mako was saying.
After sighing for a bit, Mako decided to remind Bill why they participated in tonight's event in the first place. It was to gain enough funds to purchase more things so that they would be able to stand a chance during the recruitment test.
They had gained more than sufficient funds to do that since no one expected Mako's debut fight to be won in such an overwhelming manner, and that there would be a person who would constantly bet on him.
After calming Bill down a bit more, Mako went to explain what their future moves would be. Using the funds they had accumulated, they were going to first and foremost go on a shopping spree to level up, and then accept the challenge from the Black Raven as an opportunity to gain more experience, before the test.
According to the knowledge Bill had from his past, gangs such as the Black Raven would hold monthly tournaments in which they would invite or more specifically force fighters; that they found to be exceptional, to be drafted in a tournament-style match-up where the top ten would be offered a place in the Dark Raven.
Bill also explained that since they weren't affiliated with any gang, they lacked the protection that they would otherwise receive for the bonus of not sharing the won money. This is because most of the earned money is taken by the gang and the fighter is paid a certain percentage of that.
Since Bill was still a newbie level 3 ability user, he would receive 5% of all the won money if he was able to defeat a person of the same caliber.
"Um? I still didn't understand why you made us run around the entire city for an hour." Mako inquired Bill in an annoyed tone.
"That was so that they couldn't track us," Bill replied in a serious tone as he went to explain that the Dark Ravens utilized any methods necessary to make sure they get what they want from someone else.
"If we were to refuse their invitation and not show up at the event, they will send out pursuers to target us until we comply and participate. They most likely had their men, situated on multiple rooftops when we were exiting, so that they could follow us back home, but hopefully, due to my maneuvers, they weren't able to get our exact location." Bill explained.
Now that Mako was aware of the bigger picture, he would have to plan accordingly so that he would not make the same mistakes he did this time around.
During his match with Rhino, his overconfidence was the reason for his almost certain death. This was like a wake-up call to him as it reminded him of the fact that even though he had been blessed with the Universal Power System, he could not take it for granted and would have put in more effort than ever before.
The boys were exhausted from their night activities so they each left the conversation there, intending to pick it back up tomorrow after a good night's rest.
****************
{Saturday}
The boys slept in late into the afternoon since they were both tired from exerting themselves the night before especially Mako who had a near-death experience.
At around 3 pm, both boys slogged their feet across the kitchen floor as Mako heated yesterday's leftovers. They both ate in silence and did some chores around the house before finally making their way back to the library on Bird's Eye street.
This time; however, they had a bigger spending budget and Mako was hoping to get the best bang for his hard-earned buck.
"Time for an upgrade!" Mako said as he put his arm around Bill's neck while making their way to the library.