Crashing down, Akli felt the air escape his lungs. Wheezing, although able to get up, he rather lay for a few more seconds. Seriously, who is this kid? Still on his side, Akli shouted, “who the hell’s that monster? Weren’t you gonna fight me, Otie?!”
“I was, but Vepkhia’s just much stronger than me, and we really wanna win, ya know,” Otie replied, dressed in his frog onesie.
“I thought we were here to play ball,” Urjohar muttered. Eurig ugly laughed as Horst questioned the fairness of this event.
Man, why do I have to do this? Taiga thought.
Akli jumped up, his blazer thrown to the wind as he shoulder charged Taiga’s stomach. Like a hammer, Taiga’s fist plummeted. Akli’s third layout. It would go on like this for another ten minutes. Bruised and sweaty. Taiga hesitated… How much more of this do I have to do?
“Time! Time-out!” Horo said in a frantic panic.
“Hey, no time-outs,” Fester said.
“He’s over thirty, cut him some slack. Won’t you let that old man have three minutes?”
Blanketed by shade, Akli slumped down whilst unbuttoning his collar. “Goddamn, who is that guy? He’s more than strong,” Akli huffed.
“Indeed…” Horo replied.
“Aha! Doesn’t he have any weaknesses?”
“…”
“None?”
“Maybe there’s one. I was told he would never fight if there was no money involved…” Though it looks like Otie may have changed that.
“Probably an older sibling with lots of responsibility. Big family… So I just gotta give him some money and it’s over.”
“Forget it, his dad’s the former vice-president of Tiger bank. Even if he’s retired from work, the Vepkhia family is damn rich.” Horo grimaced.
“Tiger bank? Does that mean he was a manager at the…no never-mind. Seriously though, you’re crazy informed Horo.”
“Why Otie? Why make me fight the district mayor, a civil servant VIP?” Taiga asked in the huddle. The jingle of a silver cross smacked Taiga’s chest as he breathed in golden hair. Coughing, Taiga pushed Eurig away. “Move Eurig, I’m practically eating your hair.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Eh, why not you move, actually why haven’t you socked that old dude yet?” Eurig asked.
“Something feels off…” Taiga said.
“What?” Horst asked.
“I don’t feel any resistance. It’s like when you're grabbing at water…”
Back at it:
Taiga held Akli down in a typical headlock.
“He doesn’t even fight…” Fester mumbled.
“What a loser,” Eurig chimed.
“Boring…” Horst added.
Akli, fight properly, get this over with. Horo prayed inside.
“Twenty…twenty years ago,” Akli choked.
“What?” Taiga eased.
“Twenty years ago, we had the same situation as today too… You may be too young to know the term “bubble economy”. When I was your age…my dad worked as a broker for some huge company.”
Tightening his hold, Taiga pulled up as if to tear Akli’s head from his body. “This isn’t the time for chit-chat.”
“Ah…just listen…to me… My dad also ruined his own company, all in the end once the bubble burst. Bankrupting companies in debt with undercover sales made us a lot. However, the tribute he had to pay for his huge profits, was that afterwards, everyone treated him like scum and pushed him aside. It wasn’t only him, his whole family was affected. I hated my dad so much, I ended up moving out and traveling on my own.”
“Why tell me all this?”
“We’re similar,” Akli pointed.
“What?”
Both Horo and Otie noticed the shift that the others didn’t, a shift in the air.
“You caring so much for your money is related to your dad isn’t it?” Now! Hooking the wrist, Akli broke the lock, pushing himself up off Taiga’s arm into a somersault. Landing like a feather, Akli turned, his eyes aligning with Taiga’s.
That power, how…? Taiga thought as the first droplet of sweat graced his face. Stuck in stupor, Taiga fell by Akli’s swift tackle. Damn…!
“Oof…” Blood and a broken pair of glasses. “Vepkhia lost…” Otie said.
“A real spine buster,” Urjohar added.
“I thought you were staying silent?” Fester asked.
“…”
Standing above the fallen, Akli went to give his speech about life and battle; which took too long. “You’re strong, but you put too much power into every move. Fighting the strong is truly tiresome, it takes time and strategy. Something I think you can work on, young man.” Akli brushed his shining hair from all the glistening sweat. “Oh…by the way…what I just told you, well, I just made it up.”
“What…?” Taiga shook.
“Your complexes seem real, real enough that I feel we should talk about it some time.”
“…” Taiga dropped back, passed out.
“Haha, it looks like we’re one-one,” Akli said.
“Woah, mayor, pretty cool,” Eurig said.
“Total fail, Ayihcah!” Fester said.
“Why so silent Otie? You’re next after-all!” Akli said.
