That very night Jamie gave Lucy and Shaun the news that the champ had fallen on a conference call. This came as a shocker to the two, they were so used to Jamie's dominance over the fair. To think Gertrude won, it could only be imagined the buzz this created.
"Jamie, so the old bag finally defeated you. But what I want to know is how on earth did you get yourself disqualified? You must have really pissed them off. Tell me, did you cheat?" Shaun asked with a mischievous look upon his face.
"Oh pipe down, Shaun", He was berated by Lucy. "So Jamie, will you appeal the verdict? I mean, you are the youngest ever champion. Surely losing you would only harm the competition going forward".
Jamie only chuckled hearing Lucy, "No, I will not appeal. This year was the peak of the competition, I dont think it's possible to ever top it. I am content with how it ended". As Shaun and Lucy listened they could swear that Jamie was happier about his defeat than any of his previous wins.
Shaun: "See Lucy, I told you I was the normal one", he took another jab at Jamie which was quite enjoyable. Why wouldn't he? With him being so far away the fear factor was long gone. That was until he heard Jamie's response.
Jamie: "I'll be seeing you soon, funny guy. Spek misses you so much, I think I will have him play with you for a bit".
Shaun's reaction swiftly changed, "You keep that bird away from Jamie!", He warned after remembering all the beatings received at the hand of the little hummingbird. He could even hear Spek animated on the other side of the phone which caused Lucy to laugh. Soon the conversation ended and they said their goodbyes. Shaun was then left by his lonesome, currently, many things plagued his mind. The biggest of which was to find a way out of this mess he found himself with Carlos and his gang.
Before Jamie called, Shaun had received a text from Nick. Who from time to time gave him updated information. Inside the text were pictures, the first had Carlos in a hospital bed with his head wrapped. Seeing this he slightly felt guilty but shrugged it off, he could live with the decision to burn the thug as it was either that or being beaten to a pulp. It was seeing the next picture that he was truly guilt-ridden. In it was Jamie hugging him before he had entered Clortho. There were red exes on the brothers signifying they were both dead men. Now there was a hit out not only on him but Jamie as well.
He was truly furious when he saw the picture. So much so, that he no longer had a shred of guilt for burning Carlos the way he did. If anything he felt the oil should have been ten times as hot.
'I need to deal with this crap, it's ok if I am their main focus but now they are after Jamie as well". He thought, but at the end of the day knew he was out of his depth. Carlos's gang was at least forty men strong from the intel he received. The next time they saw him, they would not draw knives. No, next time he would have an eye staring down the barrel of a gun. They wanted him dead, it didn't even matter that he was a child. But Shaun was never the type to give up so he tried plotting his way out of the mess.
'I could try paying them off, this was the first thought that came to his mind, but soon was dismissed. He knew whatever price they quoted he could not match. Perhaps it would be a lifetime debt. The other option that came to his mind was offering to join them. This was also dismissed, he was many things, but a thug was not one of them.
For hours he thought of solutions but nothing came to mind. Soon the hours turned into days and he was no closer to having gained a solution. One late night he laid on the couch half asleep with the tv watching itself. It was then that a commercial got his attention. In it was a fit man with lean muscles wearing a white robe and black belt. He had seen this man on numerous occasions before, he was some martial arts guru whose main target audience was non-power folks. He had many Dojos throughout the city.
[ Robed Man: "Feeling helpless, weak or perhaps you need guidance? Hi, I am Ria but you will call me Ria Sensei. For over three centuries my family has taught the ancient ways of varying martial arts to thousands in the same situation. Come and learn to take control of your destiny and mold your body into a true fight force"].
"True fight force huh? Yeah, If only I could be the next karate kid", Shaun laughed after he spoke, remembering that old movie from the '80s where a bullied kid learned karate to confront his bully. But then he paused the tv for a bit to think about what he just said. He has been searching for countless solutions to this problem but none panned out. Why not try to learn some new moves, it was better than sitting on his bum doing nothing all day. The least he could do was hone his running away skills.
He then looked at the numbers and addresses of the dojos, he might be new to the city but knew exactly where one was located. Though when walking past he always thought it was a store that sold incense or other exotic fragrances.
He didn't have much faith in this new scheme, but what the hell. Tomorrow he would sign up for lessons.
____________________
Meanwhile, in a brightly lit dojo stood the one who Shaun anxiously awaited to meet, Ria Sensei. At small intervals, puffs of smoke could be seen escaping his nostrils. He looked on lazily as a foot stumped into the chest of an elderly man, who puked blood all over the hardwood floors. The one who mercilessly kicked the old man was one of four men who were dressed in black.
The kick was so hard he slid across the room before Ria's feet. Ria stooped down, and without any sympathy for the elderly man uttered. "It's simple, tell us where it is and I'll make the pain go away. We both know it's here".
Even though he was battered and bruised the old man refused, "I've told you countless times, I would rather die than hand it over".
Ria: "You've always been a stubborn fool uncle. Now I've made a deal and in it, your life is spared. These are not people you want to mess with", He somewhat pleaded.
"Is this really what you have become Ria? what would Reiza think? Inviting wolves inside the pen. He must be rolling over in his grave".
"Why would I care what a dead man thinks? Father had his time and just like you was an old relic. I chose a winning team. How do you think I acquired the finance for all the new Dojos? If I were to follow you and father's lead I would die broke".
The old man's facial expression showed he was heartbroken by his nephew's words. Yet he still tried to reason with him, "He was simply saving you from yourself. You are a good kid deep down but he was right. At the end of the day you would put money ahead of honor". The old man's words seemingly struck a nerve with Ria who stuck the cigar atop his scalp. "What the fuck do you know about honor, huh?"
It was then that A voice was heard from outside the dojo, "Enough of this, let him disclose the location or die".
Ria's uncle's eyes furrowed hearing this voice. It was so familiar, "In the old days, we did things differently. We had our disagreements from time to time. But at the end of the day, we ended it in an amicable manner, Didn't we Hako?"
Ha-ha! - Laughter was heard from the outside. "Yes, we did Fox. Yet my Dojo learned to adapt to the new era. Can't you tell we are nearing extinction", the one referred to as Hako had a big smirk on his face. He too was elderly with white hair and even needed the aid of a cane to walk.
From the backroom of the dojo, another man appeared with an ancient-looking box. Looking on the inside was a bronze-covered book. When seeing the book the bloodied old man tried to pry it from his grasp but a foot ruthlessly pushed down on his head. "I found this master but the item is nowhere to be seen", he said
"You think I came all this way for some useless dated book, Fox?" Hako laughed but this time it was at himself. "I guess I was mistaken, you would die for this book as though it was the ultimate treasure. You don't have what I seek".
He then waved his hand for them to release the elder. After which he looked at Ria like he was looking at an idiot.
Ria trembled, he saw Hako's reaction and a cold sweat washed over his face. He was no longer the cool individual from before as he felt the murderous stares from the other men in the room, "Master I thought it was…"
"Shut up! Reza apparently raised a buffoon." He fumed, not evening looking at Ria before walking away, making his way back to the exit.
Before leaving he had some parting words for the elder, "You're so fixed in your traditions, I'll beat you at your own game. I took your last remaining family and now I'm going to wipe away its legacy".
A scroll was then thrown across the floor hitting the elderly man's side. He unraveled it and when seeing the content paused. He was truly hesitant but still scribed his signature.
"One month!" The voice uttered, oddly the lights dimmed and by the time they were bright once more everyone vanished as if they never were. Seeing they had left the elder finally got the strength to rise to his feet. Looking around he felt heartbroken, the dojo was trashed and he could not do a thing to stop it.
In his prime, this would never have unfolded, but his age was now his undoing. Now he was like any other old man when faced against those filled with youth. Yet the pains on his body were nothing compared to the wounds on his heart.