[Narrator's POV]
At Verid Highschool, a young student stood entered in front the washroom with his back slightly hunched and his hand on his back. He then stood in front of the mirror, alone in the washroom.
In the mirror, he saw a young man who appeared to be overweight, standing at about 5'7" in height, his face had a vacant, lifeless expression. Dark circles marred the skin under his eyes, bruises all over his face, and his short black hair was disheveled.
He was wearing the usual uniform of his school, and his backpack hung on his back.
The student attempted to coax a smile on his lips by using his hands. Gradually, his laughter erupted into a quiet, almost maniacal chuckle.
"If only she…" A slight tear formed in his eyes.
It had been some time since the incident, yet Zenil couldn't get over it.
"What am I gonna do with myself?" He murmured, before aggressively splashing his face with water. After a while, he left the washroom.
He slowly made his way toward his classroom. In the corridor, the disdainful gazes of fellow students followed him, their expressions laden with disapproval, as though his very presence upset them. He ignored them and kept moving.
As soon as he entered his classroom, a very familiar met his eyes.In one corner of the classroom, a group of five students huddled together, their voices carrying across the room, disrupting the otherwise quiet conversations of their classmates who were settled at their desks. The room was filled with an air of fear, anxiety, and discomfort.
"Zen, my boy! You are here!" A person from the group of five shouted while looking at Zenil.
Zenil didn't say a single word and walked towards the group, his expression still lifeless. Then he took off his backpack and took out a few cans of soft drinks, and some packaged snacks. He gave these items to the group as usual and started walking towards his seat.
Suddenly, a kick struck him from behind, landing on his back and making him fall to the ground.
The leader of the group, a muscular blonde boy named Gary, delivered the kick. His well-built body exuded strength and confidence.
"Bastard, where the hell are my hotdogs?" Gary shouted, his voice filled with anger.
"I am sorry, Gary. But, the store ran out of hotdogs." Zenil replied while still hugging the ground.
"So what? You fucking orphan! You could've gone to any other store." Gary said as he kicked the boy on the ground a few more times.
Zenil groaned a few times but he didn't give a reply to Gary.
***
After Gary had vented his pent-up anger on Zenil, he returned to his seat, leaving Zenil to pick himself up. Zenil, unfazed, calmly took his place at his assigned desk as if nothing had happened. The rest of the class followed suit, and an eerie silence settled over the room. The day continued without any mention of Zenil or the altercation he endured.
After school ended, Gary approached Zenil, and said, "Go home, eat, rest, and come to the playground, sharp at eleven."
As soon as Zenil heard this, his expressionless face changed, his eyes widened, he gulped and asked, "W-Why?"
"You know the drill," Gary said as he left the bruised boy alone.
Zenil was shivering with fear. He didn't want to face that again. Some kicks and some punches every day were better than what happened in the playground.
'Fuck.Fuck.Fuck.'
***
While walking back home, Zenil came across a few familiar fourth years.
They stared at him for some time, and then a smile appeared on their faces.
"You are one of Gary's toys, right?" One of them said.
Zenil gulped and awkwardly nodded. The fourth-years were notorious bullies, serving as henchmen for Max, the top-ranking bully in Zenil's school. Even Gary was afraid of Max, as Max had relations with some thugs.
The leader of the fourth-years, a stocky boy with a buzz cut and a tattoo on his arm, grinned wickedly. "Well, this is good timing, boy. You see, we're running low on funds for our cigarettes."
Another member of the group chimed in, his voice laced with menace. "Why don't you be a good little errand boy and go buy us some cigarettes? Don't worry, we'll repay you in one way or another," he taunted. His expression twisted into something even more sinister, meant to terrify Zenil.
Zenil didn't experience fear or anxiety; instead, he felt an unusual sense of happiness and elation. He realized that he now had a convenient excuse to avoid going to the playground. He could simply explain that he had been brutally beaten up and couldn't go.
Zenil purposefully stammered "I... I don't have any money."
The bullies snickered menacingly. They motioned for Zenil to follow them, and he did. They led him down a nearby alleyway, away from the prying eyes of the main road.
The leader pinned Zenil to the wall, and with cruel grins, they closed in on him, ready to teach him a brutal lesson for his lack of funds.
Zenil gulped and without any fuss, calmly closed his eyes, and waited to get hit, accepting his destiny.
"Hey kids, it's not right to bully your weaker peers." a deep, yet whimsical voice resonated from the dim, shadowy depths at the end of the back alley.
Zenil opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, the bullies did the same. Everyone was puzzled.
Soon a figure appeared from the shadows.
It was a middle-aged man with a masculine beard, complemented by moderately long black hair. He was dressed in a sharp two-piece suit that exuded confidence, and his tall and robust body structure commanded attention.
Zenil looked at the man, and his eyes widened. He fell into deep fear. For some reason, Zenil could sense just how incredibly strong the man in front of him was. He gulped in fear. It was his animalistic instinct to survive. The instinct pointed Zenil to run away.
The bully let go of him and looked at the man.
'Why does this dude wanna play the hero? Why today of all days?' Zenil cursed in his head.
"Picking a fight with us? Don't interfere, or else you'll be fucked."
"Oh, how can a measly old man like me fight such strong fighters like you four." The man said as he walked towards Zenil.
"Good! Now fuck off."
"Wait, my friend, why the hurry? Haven't you heard? Haste makes waste," the man advised, gently adjusting Zenil's posture and guiding him into a fighting stance. "Even though college exams are near, you are still wasting your time, how pathetic."
"You trying to make this bastard fight us?" The bully said while laughing hysterically.
"Why not?" The man said while looking Zenil in the eyes.
Zenil on the other hand, just nodded not fully grasping what just happened, and what was happening. His plan was going to fail in the worst way possible.
"You wanna fight?" one of the bullies said, as he jumped at Zenil with a punch, ready to strike him.
Just as the punch was about to land on Zenil, the mysterious man flicked one of his fingers, hitting Zenil's elbow, which in turn caused Zenil to throw a punch at the approaching bully.
The punch packed such force that it sent the bully flying several meters, leaving him unconscious upon impact.
Bewildered by what just occurred in front of them, the rest of the bullies looked at Zenil and then at their fallen brethren. Their eyes widened, and they started to sweat profusely. It took them at least ten seconds to come back to their senses.
Zenil on the other hand was just as confused as the bullies, he looked at the mysterious man with an astonished expression on his face.
The man had a smirk on his face, even his eyes were widened. He placed his hand on Zenil's shoulder, and said, "Kid, don't accept fate. Fight it."
Suddenly, Zenil felt a surge of strength within him, he felt light and elated. It was as if his body was in heaven, bouncing on the clouds. A distinct warmth emanated from two sources within him: one from his shoulder and the other from his naval area. It was an entirely new and invigorating feeling. For the first time in a while, Zenil felt powerful.
The mysterious man's smirk turned ever wider after he removed his hands from Zenil's body.
The leader gulped, before signaling his friends to attack Zenil together.
The mysterious man pushed Zenil, "Fight."
With confusion and anxiety on his face, and a slight shimmer of confidence in his eyes, the boy took the same fighting stance he was in.
The bullies charged at him.
"Punch!" The man shouted
Instinctively Zenil punched and hit one of the bullies, but the bully blocked it, after all this time they were prepared and had their guard up. But, punch still did some serious damage.
"Punch to your left!"
Zenil did just that, again striking one of the bullies.
"Jump!"
Zenil jumped evading a sliding kick from behind.
This pattern of fighting continued, until all the bullies were knocked unconscious, and only Zenil still stood.
His heart was beating harder than ever, and his face was dripping blood from the new wounds he had acquired from the fight. He stood their panting heavily, with the unconscious four bullies surrounding him.
He looked at the mysterious man and said, "I will fight fate."
After that, he lost consciousness. The fight had taken a toll on his body.
***
When Zenil woke up, he found himself in his classroom, which was now being illuminated by the orange light coming from the setting sun. It was evening.
His body was sore, and he could feel dry blood on his face. He slowly got up and went back home realizing that he had to tend to his wounds and go to the playground.
Zenil believed that Gary had knocked him out after questioning why he had to go to the playground.
'It was a nice dream though.'
***
Zenil now found himself in the playground, surrounded by a few other students who stood awkwardly, eyeing each other. It was evident that everyone gathered here shared one thing in common – they were all perceived as weak, vulnerable, and potential targets for bullying, much like Zenil himself. There were some fresh faces, but most were known.
"The Playground" wasn't just a location; it was also an event. This "fun" event was organized by bullies from various schools as a source of entertainment for themselves. In the Gagier District, these bullies were part of a well-organized and interconnected group known as the Gagier Brigade.
Geiger Brigade consisted of a lot of schools, and Zenil's school, Verid Hghschool, was also a part of this organization. There were a few ranked schools that held high authority within the organization, while Zenil's high school was just a smaller player within the organization.
While Zenil continued to quietly observe the surroundings and the people, he noticed a red-haired girl who appeared to be around his age. She was sitting in the corner on a bench, wearing a cheerful smile as she observed the scene.
As he looked at the beautiful girl with a puzzled expression on his face, the girl, out of nowhere started making direct eye contact with him. Startled by this, Zenil swiftly rotated his head and started looking in some other direction.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on top of the climbing dome situated in the centre of the playground. This person had a lanky body, with long black hair reaching his shoulders.
There was no doubt about it, this person was one of the associates of the organization.
"I welcome all the contestants!" he announced. "I know you are all feeling a bit confused, anxious, and maybe even scared. So, without further ado, let me explain what today's event will be!"
"It's a simple, game of team deathmatch. The 24 contestants present here will be divided into two teams, and will fight each other until everyone on one team is left unconscious." He continued
"And, as for the reward. The MVP of the winning team will be set free! He will no longer be bullied by any of the members of the organization!" He ended the announcement, with a wide grin on his face.
Hearing this, a few contestants started to smile, hope flickering in their eyes. Others, like Zenil, remained unfazed. They knew that today's event was meant to be a disappointment. The promised reward wouldn't be delivered since no head bully or school representative was present. Only an unknown member of the organization stood before them.
The objective for today's event was simple: to drive fear even deeper into the victims, to dangle a glimmer of hope before them, and then mercilessly snatch it away.
'I am sure that the winner would be knocked out by this fucker, and then be denied his reward.'
Suddenly a contestant raised his hands, and said, "I accept defeat. Can I leave now?"
"What? I think you didn't listen to me properly, this only ends when everyone on one team is knocked out!" The lanky announcer said.
Soon the teams were divided, and now they stood facing each other. All the participant's wrists were marked with red or blue markings according to the team to which they were assigned.
Zenil was on the blue team.
"Three! Two! One! Fight!" The lanky announcer shouted, and the chaos unleashed.
***
Zenil soon found himself amidst the chaotic battlefield. In between all the turmoil, he stole a glance at the bench where the beautiful girl had been seated, but she was no longer there. Noticing this, he surveyed the battlefield, with all the weaklings running rampant.
A boy with a buzzcut, and a skinny body was charging toward him. Seeing this, Zenil instinctively took a fighting stance, it was the same stance he had taken in his dream.
He felt a familiar sense of warmth within him. There was a dim spark of confidence within his lifeless abyss-like eyes.
As soon as the skinny boy was within Zenil's reach, Zenil swiftly launched a punch towards the boy, sending him flying a few meters, making him unconscious. Seeing this Zenil's eyes widened, and he gulped.
"Oh! We have our first knockout! Mr Fatman is leading the scoreboard with one point!"