Vincent let go of Axel allowing him to get back on his feet. He struck a martial pose anticipating Axel.
Axel rose to his feet, leaning to the side as he got into a fighting stance.
"Whats this?" Vincent muttered "Your stance, it's improved".
Vincent leaped into the air swiftly kicking Axel before he had a chance to react. Axel was sent flying out of the apartment window and crashed onto the roof of the adjacent building sliding across it. Axel tried to get up but before he could Vincent was already on top of him.
"Ok OK… you win... I give up" Axel relented "Not this time but next time for sure!" Axel said.
"Sure… Haha" Vincent said helping Axel to his feet. "You did well so... I decided to get you something."
Vincent reached into his trench coat and took out a comic labeled The Amazing Spider Man #2.
Axel held the comic book in his hands as if it were treasure. As he examined its holographic pages his eyes filled with excitement.
"No way! You're the best big brother ever!" Axel shouted as he ran into his brothers arms
"I know I am, I'm just bad at everything else" Vincent chuckled
"You wouldn't believe what I went through to get that thing!" Vincent said laughing as they walked back into the apartment.
"Some crazy goth girl tried to get her uncle to beat me up! All over this comic book!"
"Goth girl?" Axel thought remembering a dream
"Thanks.." a girl said getting up. "If you hadn't done… well whatever you did… I would have never got to finish my comic book!" She said hugging a comic that said "Wonder Woman"
"So tell me how is your training at school doing? Did you unleash that yearning potential yet!?" Vincent said in a sarcastic voice
Axel looked back at his brother grinning from ear to ear.
"Today was the day bro" Axel said
"What! There's no way! You mean-"
"Thats right! Today I got my powers!"
"Broooo!" Vincent said leaping over a table onto Axel.
"Hey you're suffocating me!" Axel said as his brother forced him into a headlock.
"So what kind of powers do you have?" Vincent asked
Axel lifted his hands from underneath Vincents arm and pointed his fingers at a glass of water. Remembering what he had learned from earlier, he forced the invisible strings to collect in his hand, causing the water to flow out from the glass into the air.
"Water!I knew it! Those training regiments I put you through were spot on!" Vincent said
4 years ago
"Alright bro! Now the only display of power I've seen from you is when you choked on that apple seed, somehow you managed to blow a hole in the house by spitting it out!"
"So what do you think? Do I have some kind of spitting power?" Axel asked
"I don't know! Thats what this training…" Vincent said lifting up a huge keg of water.
"Wait bro! What are you?"
"Is going to find out!"
Vincent spun around in a 360 and whipped the keg at his brother. Axel raised his hands up in an attempt to stop it, praying he had some kind of aquatic ability. As Axel tried to telepathically stop the keg he briefly felt something inside him connect. Before he could grasp the situation, the keg sped passed his open arms, slamming into his forehead and drenching him with water.
"Well….. I... guess not" Vince said scratching his head. "Maybe you're an acid type!
"A what?" Axel asked
"Try making a huge wad of spit."
HUCK PTU!
Axel started to lob blobs of spit onto a piece of wood.
"Hmm not enough to keep spitting!"
Axel spat until he ran out of saliva.
"Hmm," said Vincent "No corrosive properties... and doesn't seem to be a type of adhesive either.... Hmm I wonder."
Vincent grabbed Axel's hand and took out a pocket knife. He slid the tip of it into Axel's fingertip, subtly pricking it.
"OW!" yelled Axel as Vince caused a tiny drop of blood to run down his finger.
Vince forced the tip of Axel's finger into the pool of saliva he had just spat out. After holding him there for a few seconds, he let out a sigh.
"No regenerative powers either? Sorry Ax I'm stumped."
"Those weren't the most fun times for me," Axel said laughing.
"That's interesting that you have powers Ax, overall your ether levels seem the same to me." Vincent said
"Ether levels?"
"The energy your body uses to interact with matter, basically your overall strength seems the same." Vincent said
"Well thats probably because I spent the whole day fighting" Axel said rubbing his head.
"What! You fought someone?"
"Yeh there was this bully…-"
"Bully? Why is this the first I'm hearing of this Ax!" Vincent yelled
"I…"
"Soo you've been getting bullied all this time at school while I've been off…." Vincent said, shaking his head.
"Axel, we're brothers right? Aren't brothers supposed to trust each other?" Vincent asked
Axel looked away from his brother, ashamed.
"Im I'm sorry bro… I didn't want to-"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Came from the door.
"Hold that thought Ax" Vincent said
Vincent opened the door. A tall african american man with silver diamonds hanging from his ear answered.
"Everyone deserves a fair shot in life, isn't that right Vincent?" the man said
"What do you want?" Vince sneered. He glared at the man with the utmost animosity.
"Rumor has it a blue haired kid took out some of Darius's crew" The man said, eyeing Axel. "Right now there on their way to Guille to complain about it."
"Godamnnit Ax" Vincent said looking back at his brother. "I'll ask again, What the hell do you want!"
"I can see the entire world through the scope of my rifles" The man answered "And for the right price, I can shed some light on those two bozos" He said
"Consider it done" Vince said. "I'll send the ethereum to your address immediately," Vince said, clicking through a few panels on his holophone.
"Now that's what I call as soon as possible" The man said walking away.
"Asap" Vincent said as the man walked out. "Don't kill them"
"Any man that touches an underage girl" Asap said walking off. "Doesn't deserve to live… But I suppose I'd have to kill a thousand men if I lived by those standards in these times, including my boss."
"I haven't forgotten what Darius did" Vincent said "Its just not my place to deal with him."
"I often wonder, if I was there that night" Asap said "Would I have taken the shot ?" he said pointing his arm at Vincnent. "
Nearly instantaneously his arm morphed into a large rifle that hummed with a bluish glow. A heads up display hologram appeared on the sights marking Vincents position.
" There's no point in asking that." Vincent said. "If you did you'd be dead."
"Hehe I suppose your right" Asap said putting away his weapon. "Take care Vicent, I'll always keep your brother under my scope. It'll cost ya, but moneys not an issue for you now is it?" Asap said
"Asap" Vincent said. "I'm sorry about your son." Vincent said
"Not as sorry as I am, or my wallet" Asap said taking his leave. "It looks small doesnt it? You'd never guess I'm carrying the weight of the entire world in this thing would ya?" Pointing his rifle at a building, he shot a blue stream of ether and vaulted over to it with a grappling hook.
Vince began to put on his biking jacket and goggles getting ready for departure. As he collected the last of his things, he saw his younger brother staring into his eyes with a puppy-dog expression.
"What?" Vincent asked.
"Bro you just got here! And now you're leaving!" Axel said.
"You know the deal Ax, I come here once a month to give you money, I can't stick around any longer than that… My profession doesn't allow it."
"Then take me with you!" Axel said
"Take you to Ritgers? Are you out of your mind!" Vincent yelled.
"Please! I'm not that same weak little brother anymore! I can fight! I've already showed you my dreams are real!" Axel said
"Your right" Vince said. "I remember the day you had a dream about me fighting that guy with the purple feathers… It took four years, but manthat was crazy when it came true! And all this time you've had dreams about getting your powers right? What do your dreams say about Ritgers?" Vincent asked.
"Uhhh it doesn't quite work like that…" Axel said
"I see.." Vincent said. "Even though you have awoken your powers you don't have any idea how they work do you? I guessI could take you with me to Ritgers for training…"
"Yeh bro! Lets go!" Axel said, jumping up and down.
"Wait!" Vincent cautioned.``You coming now will be problematic! Also were going to need permission from your school… for now lets hold off. If you can make it one month and obtain that permission I'll take you with me" Vincent said
"Finally" Axel thought "I finally get to hang out with my brother"
"Ok" Axel said "Its a deal!"
"Axel" Vincent said, walking out "I know you just got your powers and all but you have to stay out of trouble." Vincent said. "If you get into a fight now you can get expelled from school or worse… seriously injured" Vincent said
"What are you talking about?" Axel said "I handled myself just fine!" Axel said gloating
"That was beginner's luck" Vince said "When a Shifters powers awaken there's a burst of power that surges through them that soon diminishes, the chances of you winning again are slim."
"But I was fighting for a long time! I even defeated one of the guys who was attacking Miriya earlier"
"There's no way" Vincent thought. "His ether should have ran out like a busted fire hydrant...How can he do all that and still be completely"
"The light of the father shines brightly within you" He heard in his head.
"I see" Vincent said. "I have nothing to worry about then it seems a higher power is protecting you."
"Higher power?"
"You'll see soon enough Ax" Vincent said "Until then be safe"
"Ok bro!" Axel said
"Remember Ax there's only two types of people in this world! Those who win!"
"And those who give up!" Axel yelled back.