Benji walked calmly with his hands in his jacket pockets. Beside him, Cynus rolled forward on his skateboard, occasionally weaving left and right simply because walking straight bored him.
Neither of them spoke much.
It was normal.
A wooden sign eventually appeared ahead.
STONEHAVEN CITY
A medium-sized town surrounded by forests and hills.
Cynus looked at the sign.
"Another town."
Benji nodded.
As they entered the town, they noticed a surprisingly lively atmosphere.
Street vendors shouted about their products.
Children ran through the streets.
Musicians played near the town square.
Everything felt energetic.
Then suddenly
A loud voice echoed through the street.
"HEY!!"
Benji and Cynus ignored it.
The voice came again.
"HEY, BLACK JACKETS!"
They stopped.
A boy came running toward them.
Black Spikey hairs.
Bright eyes.
A huge grin.
Enough energy to power the entire city.
He skidded to a stop in front of them.
"YOU TWO ARE FIGHTERS!"
Silence.
Benji stared.
Cynus stared.
The boy pointed dramatically.
"AHA! I KNEW IT!"
Cynus blinked.
"...Who are you?"
The boy proudly placed his hands on his hips.
"Kami."
Kami suddenly leaned forward.
"Elite Fighters ? interesting."
Benji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you want ?"
Kami immediately pointed at himself.
"I'm extremely talented."
"Nobody asked." said by Cynus
Cynus and Benji just start moving and ignoring him.
The three walked through town together.
Or rather—
Benji and Cynus walked.
Kami bounced around them like an overexcited puppy.
"So where are you guys from?"
"nOnE of YoUr bUsSinESS MOsQuitO" said by Cynus
Kami looked at Cynus with a irritated face.
"Hhuh? Don't call me mosquito , I am a very strong fighter."
"That's obviously a lie." said by Cynus
Kami looked at Cynus
"Shut up"
A few minutes later they arrived at the town square.
Several people had gathered around a small outdoor fighting ring.
Nothing official.
Just local sparring matches.
Kami's eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh!"
He ran toward it.
Benji and Cynus followed.
Inside the ring, two fighters were exchanging blows.
The crowd cheered.
Kami watched excitedly.
"I love this stuff."
Benji studied him carefully.
For the first time since meeting him"
Kami's posture changed.
Balanced.
Stable.
Ready.
The match ended.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Kami suddenly turned around.
His eyes practically sparkled.
"Oh."
Benji already knew that look.
"No."
"I didn't even ask yet." said by Kami
"No." said by Benji
"You don't know what I'm asking." replied by Kami
"Yes I do." continued by Benji
Kami pointed dramatically.
"I WANT TO FIGHT YOU!"
Silence.
Several nearby people turned to look.
Cynus immediately sat down on a bench.
"Oh this is gonna be good."
Kami ignored him.
His attention remained fixed on Benji.
"One match."
Benji shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"No reason."
"That's not a reason."
"It is for me."
Kami groaned dramatically.
"Come on!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Extremely pretty please?"
"No."
Cynus was openly enjoying this.
Kami suddenly stopped smiling.
Not angry.
Serious.
For the first time.
"I want to see how strong I am."
Benji looked at him.
The joking tone had vanished.
"I've trained for years," Kami continued.
"But I haven't fought someone from an official team."
His fists tightened.
"I want to know where I stand."
The sincerity in his voice changed the atmosphere.
Benji understood that feeling.
He understood it very well.
The desire to measure yourself.
To know your limits.
To know how far you still had to go.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then"
Benji sighed.
Kami's eyes widened.
Cynus smirked.
Benji stepped toward the ring.
"One match."
Kami froze.
Then exploded with excitement.
"YES!"
He jumped high enough to alarm several pigeons.
Cynus laughed.
"This is going to be entertaining."
Kami rushed toward the ring entrance.
"Don't regret this, Benji!"
Benji calmly walked after him.
"We'll see."
The crowd began gathering once more.
Whispers spread through the square.
A registered fighter.
A local challenger.
The atmosphere started changing.
And as Benji stepped into the ring, Kami stood opposite him with the biggest grin imaginable.
The fight was about to begin.