Chapter 2: What Tournament?

Jahruno: What the hell is this?

Out of all of the dark figures, one of them in the back decides to speak up. We can assume he's the leader of the whole group.

Leader: Jahruno... now that we have you right where we want you, your physical abilities will be tested.

Jahruno: What? How do you know my name? Listen, man, I just wanna play basketball. Isn't that enough to test my abilities or whatever?

Leader: I refuse to elaborate any further. You better be prepared for what's coming next.

Jahruno: Wait, what's coming next?

Leader: Attack!

Jahruno: Hold on, let's talk about this!

One of the soldiers jump up and kick him to the ground. He gets back up off the floor. Suddenly, we see the same red aura from earlier today.

Leader (thinking): So this is that aura they told me about, huh? I wonder how far it can take him. He is up against 350 well-trained individuals.

Jahruno: You really wanna do this, don't you? Well, dickheads, I can tell you right now... God can't save you...

Leader: Was that supposed to scare me or something? Haha, this guy.

A soldier runs up to Jahruno and he instantly punches them to the ground. Knocking them unconscious.

Jahruno: Anyone else feeling tough today?

Leader: Damn! Everyone, all together... GO!

Jahruno: *Smirks* Perfect!

The surrounding soldiers go after Jahruno at the same time. Jahruno flies forward unleashing hundreds of high speed punches.

Jahruno: ORYAAAAAAA!!!

Leader: Man, what did I just get everyone into?

Jahruno plows through all the soldiers in front of him and eventually meets the leader in his face. He gives the leader a menacing smile.

Jahruno: Hehe... I'm saving you for last, buddy boy. ♡

Leader: Uh...

Jahruno turns back around and jumps back into the group of soldiers. He kicks the first one he sees straight through the roof. After a minute of fighting, combination after combination, there's only 5 soldiers left.

Leader: 350... I send out 350 people and he just clears them in like a couple minutes. What the hell is he?

The remaining soldiers surround Jahruno.

Jahruno: Just you guys left? Alright, let's get this over with.

At the same time, the soldiers surrounding him jump towards him. Once they're in Jahruno's range, he unleashes a super fast rush of punches at all 5 soldiers at the same time.

Jahruno: ORAAAAAAAAA!!!

He finally stops punching. The final soldiers are knocked out on the floor.

Leader: There's no way that shit just happened.

Jahruno: Aye! I didn't forget about you...

Leader: Woah woah let's calm down! I told you this was all just a test, Jahruno! There's this tournament, you see...

Jahruno's aura goes away. He looks confused.

Jahruno: Tournament? What tournament?

Leader: There's this tournament that's gonna be held on July 7th and we've been selecting people to fight in it. You're the 21st person we chose.

Jahruno: I don't even know where to start with you, man. Okay, first of all, how do you know me? Second of all, how'd you know I was gonna be here? And third of all, what even is the point of the tournament and why should I be in it? Do I even have a choice? And who even are you?

Leader: Slow down for a second, we'll answer all those questions soon enough. *takes off mask* But for now. I'm going to be your trainer for this tournament. My name, Warui Izaya.

Jahruno: Nice to meet you, man, but like I said before, what if I don't even wanna be in the tournament? I still don't know anything about it.

Warui: I'll explain. Basically, this tournament brings together the greatest fighters on Earth and whichever team wins the tournament, gets supreme authority over the world. This tournament was mainly put together because all of the world's leaders decided that we need a turn in a new direction. They've come to the conclusion that if things keep going the way they do, it'll all turn to hell.

Jahruno: So why don't they just do something about it? What makes them think other people can just do it?

Warui: They've determined that the world needs divine, almost god-like figures to look up to. People with abilities like you.

Jahruno: What if the wrong person wins the tournament and makes everything worse? Did they even think about that?

Warui: Surprisingly enough, they decided to wing it with this one.

Jahruno: The hell? I don't want some asshole to rule the world.

Warui: You can prevent that, you know. You might be able to make the world an even better place.

Jahruno: Hmm... I'm still not sure. I still have time to think, right? This feels like a lot of pressure.

Warui: Well, yeah. The tournament isn't until July.

Jahruno: Okay, I'll think about it for a minute. Do you have like any contact information in case I change my mind?

Warui: Yeah I have this card. *pulls card out of pocket and hands it to Jahruno*

Jahruno: Alright, thanks. I'm gonna head home and go to bed. I still gotta get enough rest before my date.

Warui: *Chuckles* So you don't wanna fight me anymore, huh?

Jahruno: Yeah, I'm pretty calm now. Besides, you seemed too scared to fight.

Warui: Woah, I just wanted you to simmer down so I could tell you about the tournament. You think I'm scared of you?

Warui gets into Jahruno's face.

Jahruno: Listen, man, I'm tired and I just wanna go home. We can fight another time.

Warui: Let's just get it over with right now. I'd fold you in the blink of an eye.

Jahruno: Oh yeah? Then blink.

Warui: Ha! Ok, watch!

Warui jokingly blinks. The very moment his eyes close, he is pummeled to the ground in the next instant, knocking him out cold.

Jahruno: I said I'm going home, alright? I'll call you about the tournament when I'm ready.

He leaves the gym and passes Rocky on the way to the exit. Rocky seems to have his headphones in. Jahruno finally exits the rec center and heads home.

Jahruno: Fuck man, now I gotta hurry up and get some sleep so I can get ready for my date. Those bastards got me worn out.

A few hours later, school ends. Dionte and Felisha are walking out together.

Felisha: And so I told him, "Hell no I'm not gonna let you suck on my toes, you sick fuck!" Then he tried to pay me after that.

Dionte: Haha, what the hell? How much did he try to pay you?

Felisha: Don't freak out but he tried to give me $1,000.

Dionte: No way! Did you let him do it?

Felisha: Well... I mean...

Dionte: Felisha...

Felisha: C'mon, dude! A thousand dollars is a thousand dollars!

Dionte: I guess... You didn't go through all that money in a week, right?

Felisha: Of course not. I decided to start saving my money a little more.

Dionte: Good on you.

Someone tightly grasps Felisha's right shoulder from behind.

Unknown person: Felishaaa... it's that time of the week again... your mother has the money, right?

Felisha: Damn... sorry, Mrs. Thrax. I'm not sure about my mother. She's been "off" lately.

Thrax: Well, that's no good. Do we have to beat her again?

Mrs. Thrax walks in front of Felisha.

Thrax: Or do you have to take the beating for her?

Dionte: What's going on? Felisha, who are these people?

Felisha: It's nothing...

Thrax: Nothing? Oh we'll show you nothing. Come on, guys!

Two other people walk in front of Felisha. One man and one woman. Nearby people are watching this interaction.

Then, Felisha emits an orange aura from her body.

Felisha: That's it! I'm tired of you guys harassing my family!

Thrax: You bitch! How dare you raise your voice at me?

Felisha jumps up and gives Mrs. Thrax a powerful dropkick to the gut. She gets pushed several yards away.

Dionte: The fuck you looking at?

Dionte proceeds to knock out the man that was on the right of Mrs. Thrax with a punch to the face, knocking him back a good 10 yards. Then, Felisha gives the woman on Thrax's left a severe uppercut and she flies about 30 feet in the air.

Felisha: Hurry up, Dionte! We gotta go!

Dionte: Alright!

The two hurry and run away to the left as the crowd just stands there. They're trying to get to Felisha's house.

They finally make some distance between them and the school. They're breathing heavily.

Dionte: *huff* Yo, who the fuck were those people?

Felisha: They're loan sharks. A couple months ago my stupid mother decided to borrow a bunch of money knowing she couldn't pay it back. We've been working non-stop to pay back her debt.

Dionte: How much money did she borrow?

Felisha: $100,000.

Dionte: A hundred thousand? For what? The hell was she thinking?

Felisha: She had this big business idea but she got high or something that same night and bought a bunch of shit she didn't need.

Dionte: What kinda drugs was she on?

Felisha: I have no clue but whatever it was, fucked up her mind and put her in debt.

Dionte: Where'd she find those people in the first place?

Felisha: I don't even know myself. Apparently we're not allowed to talk about them as long as we owe them.

Dionte: I see... How close are you guys to getting out of debt?

Felisha: We've made about $25,000 so far.

Dionte: I guess that's a start.

Felisha: Yeah...

They finally get to Felisha's house. She opens the door and walks to the living room and sees her mom laying down watching T.V.

Felisha: Ma!

Felisha's Mother: Yeah, sweetie?

Felisha: Those people tried to fight me at school today.

Mother: What people?

Felisha: Those people you owe money to.

Mother: Oh, Felisha... I'm so sorry I got you into this mess... Are you hurt?

Felisha: No, we're fine. I got 'em pretty bad but I don't know how they'll respond back.

Mother: It won't be good. That's for sure. Stay safe out there, okay?

Felisha: I will.

Dionte: Hey, Felisha. I'm gonna try to get home, alright?

Felisha: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.

Dionte: You too. Have a good day, everyone.

Mother: You have a good one too, Dionte!

Dionte walks out the door and decides to head home. Outside Felisha's house he looks up at the sky.

Dionte: Heh... God, I hate it here.

Dionte puts a cigarette in his mouth and reaches for a lighter. He comes to the realization that he has neither of those things in his possession.

Dionte: Wait a minute... I never smoked a day in my life. What the hell?

In the same workroom with the 5 people in it, #6 barges in again with more notes.

#6: Hey, everyoneeeee! We got even more potential fighters! And they're in the same town as Jahruno!

#3: That's great! How many?

#6: Just 2 but they're looking pretty good!

#4: Well, who are the 2?

#6: The first person I noticed was this really strong girl who's name seems to be "Felisha". Like Jahruno, she emitted this aura and became insanely strong. She drop kicked this lady super far away!

#2: Good lord, what are they eating over there?

#3: They probably have steroids in everything they consume!

#1: #3, do you listen to yourself while you talk?

#3: Not in the slightest!

#6: Anywho... another guy was standing next to Felisha and his name was "Dionte". For his skinny build his punches are insane! One hit to this guy's face and he was pushed super far away!

#5: We've been finding some amazing people today! What do they look like?

#6: Well Felisha is about 5'9 and she's light-skinned with french braids and orange eyes. Dionte is about 5'10 with light brown skin, messy hair and yellow eyes.

#2: These are some weird colored eyes. Jahruno's eyes were red and Hasuke Bando's were purple.

#6: I know, right? It's crazy. Anyways that's all I've got to say for now. Later y'all!

Everyone else: Later!

Meanwhile, at Rocky's Rec Center, Rocky gets up to check on the east basketball courts.

Rocky: Yo, is everything alright in here?

He sees the gym completely damaged and a couple of Warui's companions still passed out from the fight from earlier. Rocky calls his insurance company.

Rocky: Hello? Do you guys cover uhhh huge ninja fights?

They hang up the phone immediately.

Rocky: *sigh* Fuck...

Dionte makes his way home through the skate park and does a few tricks. The people at the park cheer and he continues walking. He makes it to his neighborhood and he eventually reaches his front door.

He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh before walking through the door.

Dionte: Hey, mom, can we talk for a moment? It's about Felisha's new situation and I-

As soon as he opens his eyes back, he dropped to his knees in complete shock. He hyperventilates as the very first thing he sees is his dad strapped to a chair with the top half of his head completely obliterated.

Immediately after, Dionte noticed his mother crouching in the corner sobbing and covered in blood, bruises, and semen.

Then, there were 5 men watching something on their T.V as if they didn't notice what happened.

Dionte sat there in shambles after what he had just witnessed.

Guy #3: Oh shit the kid's here.

Leader: Heyy, little buddy! Glad you could make it!

Guy #4: Hey, change the channel, this show's terrible.

Leader: You know, Dionte, we were expecting you to be here a little earlier. You must've done something before coming straight home, huh? That's fine.

Dionte: What the hell did you guys do!?

Tears fell from Dionte's face. The leader laughs.

Leader: What didn't we do? First we tied your father up in that chair and took advantage of his wife right in front of him!  We made sure he got a good final look at his precious lady before we blew his fucking cranium away! And you're probably wondering why we did it. You see, we recently found out you guys are descendants of Virgil Hieri. Now, you might not know what that's supposed to mean but that's okay, you'll find out soon enough!

Guy #1: Oh man, look at the time. We gotta bounce, boss!

Leader: It is that time huh? Welp, it's been fun, Dionte. We were gonna take you out too but I think the trauma is enough for now. Later!

The men leave the house and Dionte is still in the same position, frozen in place. He wants to move but the shock was too severe for him.

A few minutes later, Dionte's mother crawls to the phone to call the police. Soon enough, they arrive and see Dionte's frozen body, his dad's corpse, and his mother laying down on the floor.

The ambulance arrived and dealt with Dionte's mom and took her to the hospital. Soon after, his dad's corpse is eventually moved and the crime scene is cleaned up.

As for Dionte, after he watched everything happen, he went to his room and sat on his bed, traumatized.

He got up and grabbed a pocket knife out of his drawer. In tears, he began to slit his arms over and over.

Dionte: I'm so fucking useless! I'm so weak! I'm so stupid! Why didn't I fucking move!? What is wrong with me!? They should've just taken me away! I'm all alone and it's all my fault! Damn it!

Slash after slash, he eventually calms down and drops the knife. The tears have stopped and now he lays on his blood-soaked bed and stares at the ceiling with his lifeless eyes. He continues to bleed a little more.

Dionte: Why? Why did this have to happen?

He pauses for a minute. He thinks about the events he witnessed earlier. It's the only thing on his mind.

Dionte: *Smiles* It's fine... I got something for them... *Laughs*

Soon, he laughs himself to sleep.

A few hours later, Mariya gets off of work. Remember, she was the 911 operator that Jahruno talked to in the morning.

Mariya: I'm heading home, Kathy! I'll see you tomorrow!

Kathy: Okay, Mariya! Stay safe and have fun on your date!

She makes her way to her house. She walks in and sees her dad washing the dishes.

Mariya's dad: Hey, YaYa! How was work today?

Mariya: It was great, thanks!

Dad: That's awesome! What ya got planned now?

Mariya: Well I actually have a date to get ready for. We're meeting at Von Gilbert's at 8:30.

Dad: Woahhh! Let's back up! Did you say date? At Von Gilbert's? The expensive place?

Mariya: Yes, dad! *laughs*

Dad: I've gotta meet this guy. Who is he?

Mariya: You won't believe how I met him. I got a call about an injury and he started flirting with me!

Dad: Excuse me?

Mariya: Yeah! The only reason I went with it was because he was so charming. *laughs* I'm still surprised I agreed to a date with him.

Dad: Well find out all you can about him and tell me everything, alright?

Mariya: Yeah yeah... I gotta get ready though. Our date's in an hour.

Dad: Okay, Mariya. Have fun and if you need anything, call me.

Mariya: Got it. I'll see you soon!

She runs upstairs to get ready.

Dad: What has my daughter gotten into this time?

Mariya hops in the shower and starts talking to herself.

Mariya: I wonder what he's like. Is he tall, short? Fat, skinny? Handsome, ugly? Ahh! I'm so nervous! But I've got a feeling I won't be disappointed.

She leaves the shower, brushes her teeth again, puts on a white, sparkly dress, and leaves to go to the date.

Mariya: Damn! I forgot what he was gonna wear! Oh, yeah, I gave him my number! Hopefully he'll call me so we can find each other.

Around the same time Mariya got to her house, Jahruno woke up to his alarm.

Jahruno: Oh man, I gotta get ready for my date!

He gets in the shower as well. He starts talking to himself too.

Jahruno: I still can't believe I got a date! And in a possibly illegal way... But she had the prettiest voice. I really can't wait to meet her!

He gets out of the shower and gets everything situated before he puts on his suit and walks out his apartment.

Jahruno: It sucks that my car's still in the shop. At least it isn't too far away. Shit, and our call ended before she told me what she was gonna wear. Fuck it, I'll have to take some chances!

Jahruno forgets that he has Mariya's number.

Several minutes later, Jahruno arrives at Von Gilbert's. Mariya arrives shortly after. There's a bit of a crowd there. They both look around until Mariya calls out for Jahruno.

Mariya: Jahrunoooo! Are you there?

Jahruno hears his name being called out. He walks towards her voice. The people look at Mariya. The other side of the crowd look at Jahruno following her voice.

Jahruno: Mariya!?

She hears Jahruno's voice and she walks towards it.

Mariya: Jahruno!?

Jahruno: Mariya!?

The two eventually meet each other in the middle of the crowd. Everyone's looking at them.

Mariya: Jahruno?

Jahruno: Mariya?

Mariya: *smiles* Yes! It's me!

Jahruno: I can't believe it. *smiles back* You're more beautiful than I could've ever imagined!

The crowd begins to clap and cheer. Jahruno and Mariya forgot they were surrounded and they looked around with a nervous smile. After that, they walk up to the person at the counter.

Jahruno: Table for 2? Please?

Host: Last name?

Jahruno: Bando.

Host: Ahh, right this way sir.

The two follow the host to their table.

Host: Please wait a moment, your waiter will be here soon.

Jahruno: Thank you so much!

He turns to Mariya. She seems to be admiring Jahruno.

Jahruno: Mariya? You there.

She pops up.

Mariya: Oh, yeah sorry! *laughs* I must've been staring hard, huh? I just didn't think you'd look so amazing.

Jahruno: You're one to talk! I'm surprised I didn't pass out after seeing how beautiful YOU were! *laughs*

Mariya: Oh stoppp!

They both laugh.

Jahruno: So tell me about yourself. Anything you feel I should know?

Mariya: Well I'll get the basics out of the way. I'm Mariya Mameshikou, I'm 18, and my birthday is July 7th.

Jahruno: Oh shit you're older than me?

Mariya: Wait, you're not 18?

Jahruno: I am but my birthday was on December 31st. *laughs*

Mariya: Ha! I got 5 months on ya!

Jahruno: Crazy. *laughs*

Mariya: But what about you? Anything you feel like I should know?

Jahruno: Well we already covered the basics for me. But if there's one thing everyone should know about me. I'm just a guy who loves to work things out, regardless of what terms we're on. I always want everything to go well in the end. Guess I'm a lil too nice haha!

Mariya: Well that's sweet!

Jahruno: Yeahhh. But I know when I need to handle someone.

Mariya: Cheers to that! Can't be too nice around here.

Jahruno: You know it!

Mariya: Oh man... you're one of the best guys I've ever met.

Jahruno: Same for you... It's like we're on the same wavelength, you know?

Mariya: Let's hang out more okay?

Jahruno: Of course.

After a couple more minutes of talking, a waiter shows up to their table.

Waiter: Greetings! I'll be your waiter for tonight. My name is-

In the middle of him talking, 3 people with tuxedos and guns barge into the restaurant. The waiter ducks under the table.

#1: Aye, nobody fuckin' move! We're lookin' for Von Gilbert himself so shut the fuck up!

They begin to walk around to look for him. Someone tries to sneak away. #1 shoots at the floor under her. She freezes.

#1: I said don't move!

Mariya and Jahruno stare at them while they're walking around. The 3 walk up to the table next to them.

#1: Hey, have you seen Gil?

The guy at the table decides to speak up.

Guy: Well... I saw him earlier...

#1: Where is he!?

Guy: I don't know! I saw him this morning but that's it! Please don't hurt me!

#1: You have 5 seconds...

Guy: Please! I really don't know!

#1: 5... 4...

Jahruno (thinking): I guess I don't have a choice...

Jahruno: Mariya, blink for me real quick!

Mariya: Huh?

#1: 3... 2...

Mariya blinks and a shockwave comes out from Jahruno's body. The next instant, time itself has stopped.

Jahruno: Weeping Angels.

-Chapter 2 End-