The VR

"… so he said I was going to end up in a fight club"

Raven could hear the voice above all others. He took slow and steady steps, as he walked into the class, keeping his face down. He could sense how true the rumors were from the faces of his new classmates. Akademy was ruled by the brutes.

"… so I said 'why don't I just tear the school apart?'…"

The volume slowly diminished. As he had expected, all eyes were on him.

*This is going to be hard, Raven. Just stay calm

*

He walked to his seat and remained there, waiting for the next action. "Fuck!", he muttered, silently, staring at the white board. "I thought I was ready for this"

"Hey, new boy", Jake called.

Raven shivered for a second. *That was inevitable. I will have to do it again.

*

"You heard me, new boy", Jake called again. "You forgot to greet. Your man didn't teach you that?"

"Your man taught you to howl?", Raven spoke back. His heart raced. There was a mixture of adrenaline and fear. *This is really happening.

*

"What did you just say to me?", Jake grinned and stood up. He was almost twice as big as the new kid. His size and strength always gave him an advantage over his mates in the school. The new kid definitely didn't know what was coming for him. "Hey, how about you face me and repeat that?"

"Are you ears stitched?", Raven spoke again, without looking back. He had a lot more confidence this time. He clenched onto the pencil in his hand and wore a wry smile. *Just know you started it.

*

"He's going to beat you up. Stop that", his seatmate whispered in his ear.

Jake grabbed him from behind by the neck, pulling him up. "Ha-ha. I hate beating kids but…", he muttered. "I didn't ask you to warn him"

Jake pushed him to the ground and walked up to Raven. "What were you saying about my ears, boy?", Jake bent over. "Now, I can see your face"

Raven smiled for a second and slammed an open book in Jake's face. He stood up immediately and smacked a punch at his head.

Jake staggered backwards. His minions drifted towards Raven. Jake stopped them. "Leave him to me", Jake said. "It's one on one, right?"

"I thought you were going to be the coward", Raven replied.

"Good. Let's end this"

He threw a punch at Raven's face. Raven grabbed his arm closer and slammed his knee into Jake's side. Jake cringed aside and Raven slammed his head on the table, kicking him to the ground.

"You asked for it", Raven said and walked back to his seat. All eyes were on him; the part he hated the most.

Jake raised his head, slowly, looking towards the door. *Elena?!... No, not Elena. She didn't see this, did she?

*

He brought his face down, quickly, noticing the disappointment on her face. Their relationship was just getting to a point.

"Wow!... You beat him!", Raven's seatmate muttered in awe. "I- I'm Mark"

Raven nodded. "I'm Raven"

**★** {Earlier}

"Good morning, Jack"

Jack grinned, walking past with his hands pocketed. "I thought you would forget", he muttered.

Everyone had to greet him whenever he walked past. At least, everyone in that compartment. He was the 'king', being the strongest among the junior students of Choyue. Every other bully had to queue behind him or stay solo and silent. That was his rule.

"Hey, Jake", Elena muttered, walking past.

"Hold on, Elena", Jake walked up to her. "You seem like you're going to get something"

"Yes. Water", Elena replied. "You want to help me out?"

He was staring at the hottest girl in Mieyueid (Choyue Junior). He should be nice but… he definitely should not appear weak. "Are you ready to pay me?"

"I'm pretty sure you don't need my money", Elena smiled at him. "Aren't you the strongest in the school? You can easily get that"

"Yeah, but my help is super valuable… and it's not free", he took a step closer, wearing a confident look. His heart raced, unsurely, almost twitching. "What do I get in return?"

"Alright", she smiled and rubbed his chest. "If you help me out, I'll be at your door tonight… you just stay up and wait"

A fat girl approached them slowly, carrying a can of water. "You!", Jake barked suddenly, almost making her fall. "You didn't greet me"

"Uh… sorry" she said, quickly, breathing heavily. "I… I was…"

"Looking for an excuse? Give me that can", Jake collected her can of water and handed it to Elena. "What's up with that look?"

"Nothing", the girl shook her head. "Nothing. I'll- I'll just get another one"

She turned, walking away quickly. "She came just right in time", Elena said. "She's the nerd in class. I hate her"

"No one likes her", Jake replied. "You can take your water with you. I'll be waiting at night"

"Come on, be a gentleman… I can't lift it all the way"

....

"It's a shame, having you do that despite your position"

Jake turned back. "Who the fuck are you?", he asked, impatiently. It was a strange look, definitely not from that compartment. *I better mind myself. He looks like a senior.

*

"I am just a gamer. We should be friends"

Jake turned. "I'm not interested in making friends" he said, walking away.

"How about games?", the man asked. "I know you as one of the best gamers. Here in Akademy, I can give you a virtual reality that changes your life forever"

Jake scoffed. "Don't joke with me, man". He's definitely not a senior. "I'll fuck you up"

**★**

**Damn! He was too fast… I bet Elena won't show up anymore.

*

He dabbed his reddened nose with a cotton swab, moaning softly, and staring into the mirror. "Fuck!", he muttered. The bathroom was so silent that he felt the echoes of his whispers bounce off the walls. "Shh!"

The door opened and a girl stepped in, heading towards the girls' section. It was the same fat girl he had met earlier. She glanced at him and her mouth puffed. She covered her mouth, holding back her laughter.

"What are you laughing at?", Jake asked, glaring back at her. "What are you laughing at, you jerk?!"

...…..

The whole day fell apart, right from the morning. He could hear his drunk father laughing in his head.

"What did I say about a fight club?", his father had said. "I bet you'd even fail at that"

"You failed at marriage, dad", he had yelled back. "You can't even drink a bottle of scotch properly"

"Whatever, son! We both failed, alright?!"

"I still have time to not fail"

"Ha-ha", the old man let out a belly laugh, pouring more alcohol on his shirt. "All you've ever learned is how to fail… you even failed to die at birth"

Jake stumbled on a stone, breaking out of his thoughts. He looked around, quickly, making sure no one saw him. The eyes were moved away quickly. His eyes met with the fat girl's again. *What the… !!! Is she stalking me? Why is she always everywhere I go?

*

She wore a mocking smile, staring at him. He moved his eyes away, quickly, and increased his paces, heading home.

...….

He was back at the compartment. He could see a few students of Mieyueid at his door, probably waiting for him. His heart raced for no actual reason. *What are they here for? They are not even my guys.

*

"Hey, Jake", one of the guys stepped closer to him. That was Jerry, one of the few bullies who chose to stay solo than hang with Jake. Apparently, he was never solo, after all. They only stayed secret. "I was told about your success, today. I heard you taught the poor boy a lesson"

"I am not interested in this, Jerry", Jake replied, glancing at the two other guys behind Jerry. "You can just step aside and let me get in my room"

"Isn't that interesting? We were just going to greet you like you tell us to do", Jerry teased, confidently. He leaned closer. "Wait! I think- I think that boy gave you a trophy on your no-"

Jake grabbed his head closer and slammed into his knee, shoving him against the wall. He raised his hand against the other two. "You want a taste of that?", Jake said. "I might have let one boy put me down. That doesn't make any of you stronger"

Jerry got up, slowly, rubbing his face. "Al- alright. That was, uh- that was pretty strong", he said. "I am not here to fight. None of us came here for that… but we will be back tomorrow. Since you want a fight, I will give it to you. You'll better stay prepared. I want no excuses for your defeat, this time"

He watched them walk down the hallway till they were out of sight. If they came back a million times, he would put them down a million times. He already knew Jerry's style of fighting but Raven… *I will get him.

*

He pulled the door open and walked in. "Aa- argh", he staggered backwards, as he almost collided with a man. "Who are you? How did you get in?"

"You definitely remember me, come on", the man said, wearing a smile. He walked to the bed and sat down. "Think about it"

"You're the one from the other day? You're definitely looking different", Jake said, staring at the newly styled hair. "What do you want with me?"

"I wonder why young folks like you are running from escapades… This kind of adventure will make you better, stronger and faster in all ways", the man replied. "Then, that little kid will no longer be able to rub your face in the mud"

"What? There is nothing special about him", Jake said, resting on his bed. "He just got lucky…. How do you know about that, anyway? Have you been stalking me?"

"Your destiny keeps stalking you till you grab it and stalk destiny… Without that, you will only move in circles, trying to flee from the inevitable"

Jake laughed. "Your VR game is inevitable now? You come up with new jokes, every second, don't you?"

"Your minions will desert you, Jake", the man said and stood up. "Elena… well, she won't show up, tonight."

"Will you be the one to make all that happen?"

"I have no hand in that. You could have stopped it if you had accepted the upgrade I offered", the man said. "The VR game is beside you. You should wear it on your face before you go to bed tonight"

Jake raised his back. *They can't leave me, dummy! They still can't beat me yet… Unless they choose to follow the new kid now…. Then I'm fucked!* "What do I get from this? You said it changes my life forever, right?"

"You get paid bountifully. You get faster, you get stronger", the man said. "And you do things you never thought you could do. Winning Elena's heart back will come as easy as today's defeat"

"Ahem… so how do I use it? Is it just a game?"

"You will get missions", the man told him, walking towards the door. "Once completed, you get rewards. If you fail, you get a punishment"

"Punishment? What kind of punishment?"

"It'll be stated… an example is the Zero Consciousness", the man said. "You fall asleep for a number of hours and drool messily."

"Yuck! What the fuck is that?"

"Don't fail missions and don't waste the time. Goodbye", the man walked right through the door like it wasn't there.

Jake jumped up. *Did I see that?... Or it happened?

*

He rushed towards the door and opened, staring out. *Or it's both? He teleported?

*

...…..

It was getting late, already. Elena wouldn't show up so he'd better just enjoy his night and test out the VR Goggles. He donned an hooded sweatshirt and stepped out. He would better keep to himself till the VR's promise is fulfilled. He would be able to come back stronger and prove his position again.

He walked down the Raosugav roads (Raosugav: Residence of all Choyue Students, including the seniors), looking at the faces that passed him while making sure his face his hidden from view. The ice cream stand was just at the next compartment. He got himself a cone and turned, walking back quickly. The vendor had seen his swollen face. He doesn't care anyway.

"You couldn't afford a cup?!"

The voice was referring to him. He stopped abruptly.

"Come on. You didn't think anyone would recognize you?", it was the fat girl again, grinning. She stumbled and fell.

Jake laughed at her. "Ha-ha. Who's laughing now?", he mocked.

"You're not going to help me up?", she teased.

"When the fuck did you get so free with me?"

"Since you got your ass kicked.. LoL", she laughed. "Who's laughing now?"

"Shouldn't be you. Maybe if you always minded your business, you wouldn't have gotten too fat to be with normal people"

An awkward silence filled his ears, as he walked away. She didn't say anything. *She's not replying. I probably said too much. Laughing out loud.

*