The medics stopped rolling the stretcher down the hallway soon as they saw Maxvil approaching. Brandin lay on the bed with eyes staring beyond the ceiling above. It seemed his ribs weren't the only thing in him that broke tonight.
"What happened, Bran?" Maxvil asked, standing beside the bed with pocketed hands. "You said you were training three times a day for this. Where'd that training go, pal? Couldn't even guard against a spinning kick? Did you really think you'd be kicking around in the cage and your opponent won't kick back at you? Where was your flucking defense?"
Brandin remained silent, keeping his blank stare steady.
"He's not in any state for your snarky comments, Kartur," said one of Brandin's teammates. "You know nothing about how he's feeling right now."
Maxvil turned to the man, looking down on him. "That's 'Champion' Kartur to you, pal. And what do YOU know about me and him, huh? I know EXACTLY what he's thinking, got it?"
Tears rolled down Brandin's eyes. "Then take him down for me, Max. Take out that demon."
Maxvil turned to his friend. "Look how pathetic you've become, Bran. From the greatest light heavyweight of ABC Imperos to the man who got beat by a kid three times in a row. What a fall from grace."
"You don't know him," Brandin sobbed. "He's different from you and me, Max."
Maxvil snorted. "Of course. He's not as big as us. And not as strong as me."
The medics started to stroll down the stretcher. "You can visit the hospital for more words," the teammate said.
Brandin covered his eyes. "Take the fight, Max. And win it. Please."
Maxvil stared at his friend till the medics rounded the stretcher around a corner. He turned, continuing his way to Filep's office.
'He's different?' Maxvil thought. 'Nah! He's just another bug for me to crush.'
Maxvil halted, a grin appearing on his face without him even trying. "Now, now, look who's here," he said a bit too loudly. "I'm so blessed to be in your presence again. It has been a while since the two of us have faced, hasn't it, 'People's Champion'?"
Tryst Bracken's face remained unimpressed as he continued to walk past without replying.
Maxvil laughed, face away from Tryst. "Of course you'd run away, old man," he said without turning. "That's something you seem to be the best at. Three years ago you ran from our rematch, and it looks like you don't plan to stop."
Tryst's footsteps didn't stop.
Maxvil finally turned around. "I crushed you, Old Bracken," he said with a smile. "Only a matter of time before I crush that boy you're so proud of!"
"Try him," Tryst said firmly before rounding the corner without looking back. "But don't go crazy when you lose." He stopped for some reason.
Maxvil laughed. "Don't hold a grudge against me just because I defeated you in front of all those people who named you their 'Champion', old…" Maxvil trailed off as he saw Tryst giving autographs to some employees.
He turned away annoyance, continuing down the hallway. 'Idiots!' he thought, cursing the fools. 'The man who forced the greatest heavyweight of ABC Imperos to retire just walked past you and you still choose to get the autograph of the loser instead of me. What a bunch of morons!"
###
Benji looked along the crowd leaving the arena, trying to locate the figures donning skyguard uniforms that he saw during the match.
Mister Tryst agreed to meet at the entrance, hoping that the security of the arena would kick out Ryuzio before he got close to Hitryel. But right now, the former heavyweight champion had left Benji alone to check up on Brandin's condition.
As much as Benji wanted to speculate about the future of the light heavyweight, much more important things kept those thoughts in check.
'I'll get recruited for sure!' Benji thought, standing on higher ground to scan the crowd. 'I'll beg them if I have to!'
He gulped as his sight fell upon the skyguard recruiters. One of them was an older man with blond hair and light skin; the other was a blonde girl with light skin who appeared to be of similar age to Benji. He got down to the floor, making his way past the crowd.
Benji's heart started racing as he got closer and closer to the recruiters. He wiped the sweat forming above his upper lip, keeping his spectacled eyes on the skyguards.
With them finally within a hand's reach, Benji started gathering his courage. He exhaled harshly, walking in front of the skyguards. The skyguards paused.
"Excuse me, sir," Benji said, trying to calm his nerves. "My name is Benji and if you're looking for any potential skyguard recruits, I'd like to let you know that I'm more than ready to be one."
The older skyguard looked at the other one, stroking his blond beard. "You certainly don't look like it. Flyweight, are you?"
"Who the heck are you, honestly?" said the blonde girl in an annoyed tone. "I don't think I've even seen your face ONCE in the roster. Do you know him, Dad?"
The man shook his head, looking equally confused. So these two were father and daughter, both skyguards, but of different ranks and Legions, based on their uniforms.
Benji let out a nervous chuckle, trying to form a natural smile. "I'm really sorry for not being able to convey this properly and more urgently, but…um…I'm not an ABC brawler, sire. I'm just a normal citizen."
The tall man cocked back his head. "A citizen?" he said, brows furrowing. "Why would I look to recruit a citizen in an arena full of talented brawlers?" He placed a hand on Benji's shoulder. "I think you have the wrong idea, young man. We're here to recruit only the strong people. But you…you can participate in the next annual recruitment program, boy. And bring some muscle and the required papers for that, along with the preparation for the physical and mental challenges, of course. Maybe we can talk then."
"But…" Benji said quietly. "I can't wait till then to become a skyguard…"
The girl beside him snorted. "Don't make me laugh!" she said in a louder tone. "You think someone like you can become a skyguard? You don't have what it takes. You're the type to freeze in the face of danger. Even if you try to put your all into it, you won't ever become a skyguard!"
Benji closed his mouth, gulping. "I…"
"Sonya," said the bearded skyguard, facing his daughter. "No need to be so harsh, alright? He's just a kid. Not everyone is talented like you. You need to learn that."
"Hmph!" The girl turned her face away. "He should be thanking me for saving his life with my honesty. If he keeps thinking he can do something that he clearly cannot, he'll get himself killed."
Benji felt nauseous as the two skyguards in front of him kept going. The world around him started to wobble weirdly, his view distorting.
Did he already give his best, or had anything else left in him? What could he possibly say to sway these two into recruiting him?
"Hm?" the tall skyguard said. "No, boy, not like this. This is not a toy that we just hand to you. Being a skyguard is a duty, and it's not a shame that not everybody is fit for it."
"See!" the girl said. "I told you! He faces one obstacle and starts crying! A skyguard never cries for anything!"
'I'm…crying?' Benji asked himself, reaching underneath his glasses. He found the wet lines on his cheeks, prompting him to rub his eyes.
"I hope we were clear, boy," the bearded skyguard said. "Now kindly step aside, will you?"
Benji gulped, nodding, stepping aside—
'My legs!' Benji thought in panic. 'They won't move!'
"Are you deaf too?" the girl said in an annoyed tone. "Get the heck out of our way!"
Benji gave them a nervous smile, more tears rolling down his eyes. "I can't… My body won't let me…"
The girl rolled up her sleeve. "People like you are just begging to be slapped!"
"Sonya," the bearded man said. "It's alright. He's just a kid. Let's just go around him…" He trailed off as a man appeared from behind Benji, standing tall right beside him.
"Master Nyku," said the newcomer. "We just received word from Legion 89, sir. It seems they have a situation."
'M-Master!' Benji thought, panic spiking. 'I talked to him politely, right? Right!'
"What is it?" said the blond man, who turned out to be a Legion Master. "Explain."
The newcomer nodded. "It seems the Volant Baru is making some moves in the south side of District Three," he reported quickly. "He rendered useless a third of Legion 89 within the last hour. We don't know what he's up to now, Master, but if Legion 89 does not get immediate backup, we might lose Baru's trail once again."
'His voice…seems so familiar…' Benji thought silently.
"Why didn't you send our soldiers?" Nyku asked.
"We're doing an investigation of our own, Master," the newcomer said. "Do you remember the message I relayed onto you just this afternoon?"
Benji slowly turned his head to look at the newcomer's face.
"I do remember you ruining our time," Nyku said dryly. "But I forgot the message."
Benji choked, screaming inward. His feet unstuck from the ground, as if his body agreed with the idea of running away.
"Two intruders entered District One this afternoon," the green-haired skyguard said. "I'm calling them that because they refused to give any answers by us, even running away to avoid it all."
"I see…" Nyku said. "Hm? Where'd the boy go?"
"Who the heck cares?" his daughter said. "He can jump off a cliff if he wants to!"
Benji sighed of relief, hiding behind the corner through which the skyguard with dark green hair appeared. Just by a single gaze, Benji recognized that the man was none other than the skyguard who was after Ryuzio and him: Commander Myles Xavin of Legion 88, the skyguard who wanted to have a "conversation" with them, just this afternoon.
Benji decided not to wait, making his way to the entrance where Ryuzio and Mister Tryst would be. He was walking with a faster pace. However, the fear of getting captured by Myles was secondary.
For now, all he wanted to do was run as far away as he possibly could from Nyku and his daughter Sonya, for they personified his failure. Was this what happened when you tried to reach your dream? Had Ryuzio also face something like this?
'I'm stupid,' Benji thought as he wiped the tears in his eyes. 'I shouldn't have listened to Ryuzio.' The demoralizing words of Sonya kept playing in his head, over and over again.
'Guess she was right, after all,' Benji thought, stopping outside the arena, looking up. 'I did freeze just like she said I would. Maybe I really can't become a—"
'Never let anyone disrespect your dream! Got that!'
Benji's eyes pumped out tears as Ryuzio's words echoed in his mind, blurring the starlight he was gazing upon. 'I can't believe after all this…' he thought, feeling conflicted in his own mind. 'I ended up disrespecting my own dream. I'm pathetic! I tried to get recruited and failed. So there's only one thing left to do…
'Try. And keep trying.' Ryuzio's words…
Benji gulped. 'I hope he doesn't get himself in any trouble…' he thought about Ryuzio. 'Not only is Myles in there…the Master of his Legion is also inside the building… Don't do anything rash, Ryuzio…' Benji sighed, knowing he had only jinxed it the other way around.