"Stand down, everyone," He yelled out.
A group of people in tattered-looking wears stepped out of hiding with crude weapons in their grasps.
"Thank you... Dennis Slark..." The obese man muttered.
....
....
....
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't do that next time," Malik said to Dennis as they sat in the lounge privy to squad one.
Around them were other members of the squad. They had long arrived there and decided to relax as well as play games.
"I moved instinctively," Dennis answered while observing the environment.
He didn't frequent the lounge, but it was a pretty nice place.
Couches were connecting with a table in the middle. A TV was positioned on the wall ahead. One could see a bunch of anime characters in a heated battle with demons around them.
The TV couldn't show channels since they didn't exist anymore, but they had a bunch of old drives and DVDs collected, which helped to reduce the boredom occasionally.
On the other end of the couch where Dennis was situated, he could spot Lara and Suleiman playing a board game.
Almost everyone was there at the moment, except for one person... The eighth strongest, Decker Stinlinski.
This was the same person Dennis had intentions of duelling with next since he had already won against Malik.
"Are you listening?"
Malik had been cautioning Dennis the entire time about what had happened that day, but his mind was preoccupied with other things.
"Uhm... yes, Dad," Dennis teased before getting up.
"I need to go get something done," He proceeded to walk out of the lounge.
Malik raised his hand in defeat while Lara turned to stare at Dennis's departing figure.
She stood and approached Malik, "Where is he going?"
"Beats me," Malik folded his arms with a clueless expression.
"Notice how he's been a bit strange since he returned after we heard the news of his death?" Lara had a slightly suspicious look.
"Maybe he finally got tired of all your teasing," Malik leaned back while closing his eyes.
"Hey, but I stopped..." Lara had a slightly guilty expression.
"Doesn't mean it never happened. Now, shoo... I wanna nap," Malik waved his hand twice while shutting his eyes.
Their conversation had Lara standing in place silently for more than a few seconds, 'I should apologise to him,' She decided.
"Lara, you loser. Are you skipping the game when we haven't even completed this round?" Suleiman yelled from the side after noticing that Lara was heading out.
"Shut up, donkey eyes. I'll be back," She stated without turning around.
Suleiman had a sore expression as he watched her leave.
....
In another part of the Modified Combatant Training Facility, Dennis could be spotted stepping through a distant hallway.
He seemed to be headed towards the instructor's lounge area, but he needed to get past there first.
"Hmm?" He paused after noticing two figures up ahead.
One of them was pressed up against the wall by the other.
He heard the sound of someone smacking their lower lip as the person's hands crawled up the thighs of the other person against the wall.
Dennis's face displayed a look of realisation as he stopped, "Oh."
The two up ahead suddenly spotted him at that moment. The girl's eyes widened in fear as she pushed the dude off her.
"I thought you told me no one would be around here by this time," She yelled while trying to leave.
"Baby, you don't have to worry about this clown," the dude voiced while holding her wrists.
"Let me go," She pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned around to leave.
Her beautiful yellow hair swayed intensely as she stormed off.
"~sigh~ you just had to go and ruin things... noddle kneecaps," The dude up ahead pocketed his hands stylishly while leaning his back against the wall as the girl vanished from view.
Dennis sized up the male before him. He had very curly white hair with earrings and a dragon tattoo on his neck. Despite that, his skin seemed very clear and pristine with his very sharp, predator-like eyes.
He was very good-looking... like a typical bad boy.
'What a coincidence.'
"Decker," Dennis muttered with a straight look.
"Keep my name out your fucking mouth," Decker made a low 'hmph' afterwards before proceeding to trot forward.
Bam!
He intentionally bumped into Dennis's shoulder while walking past him.
Dennis turned around to watch him leave, 'This kid...' He shook his head slightly.
Decker had been particularly aggressive to him in the past but even more so now since he was a known womaniser. Considering how he wasn't just good-looking but also a smooth talker, getting girls was an easy task for him.
Dennis didn't think he would bump into him there but it brought back a bunch of unpleasant memories from original Dennis memories.
"All in due time," Dennis mumbled. He proceeded to his desired location.
Far behind, a feminine figure watched with a look of anguish.
"That jerk," Lara spat out before turning around.
"I'll teach him a lesson today."
....
"Yeah, I need to head back to check on John," Within an office-like environment, Dennis stood before instructor Anne.
"The next batch of Fiscal solution is coming in tomorrow morning. You can leave after getting it," Instructor Anne responded with a fond look.
"Don't worry I'll take care of the paperwork and you can take the bike," She added.
"Thank you, Miss Anne," Dennis voiced courteously.
Instructor Anne grabbed Dennis and pulled him into her embrace.
"Forget about all that. How are you?" She questioned with a tone of concern while burying his face in her massive mounds.
"Hur... fine... I... wun..." Dennis wanted to answer but he was getting suffocated by her humongous chest.
"Hmm?" She released her grip on Dennis's head, causing him to pull away in terror.
"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!" He struggled to catch his breath.
"How are you both concerned about me and trying to kill me at the same time?" Dennis questioned while his hand was placed on his neck.
Instructor Anne blinked twice with a look of innocence, "What do you mean?"
'Those melons are harbingers of death, that's what,' Dennis almost yelled but decided to keep quiet.
"I won a duel against Malik," He revealed.
Instructor Anne's face displayed a look of complete disbelief the moment she heard that.
'How is that possible? Malik would win against anyone in the other squads...' She waited for Dennis to tell her that it was a prank but even after a few seconds had gone by, he didn't say a word.
"Wait... you're serious," She blurted out.
"Eh? Why would I joke about that?" Dennis replied.
'Ekkkk!' Instructor Anne screamed internally.
"Tell me everything..."
....
....
....
The next day arrived very swiftly and the MCs from the first squad as well as those who had just returned from the two weeks of special training, were back to their usual daily drill.
The other MCs from different squads could sense something different about them and it was to be expected since the ten had gained a lot from their two weeks of training.
While everyone filed out, Dennis remained.
Instructor Anne had informed him that the Fiscal solutions had already arrived so Dennis headed to her office to get his vial.
"Remember, it must be taken before going to bed," She reminded him.
"Yes," He nodded while receiving the purple vial.
Instructor Anne also reached out to grab a pair of keys before handing it to Dennis. He smiled after collecting it.
"Bye, Miss Anne," After staring at the dark keys for a bit he turned around to leave.
"Bye... be careful, okay?" She yelled as she watched him leave the premises.
Dennis simply waved without turning around.
He arrived at a parking area after walking for about thirty seconds and a dark bike appeared from up ahead.
A smirk appeared on Dennis's face as he walked towards it.
....
...
....
{Two Hours Later}
"Who did this to you?!" Dennis questioned as rage slowly built up within him.
"Nobody, I fell," John answered with a jittery tone.
"Don't lie to me, John. That is an injury caused by a severe blow to the head," Dennis's face darkened as he reached out to touch John's left cheek.
It was swollen and darkened with signs of blood clots surrounding it.
"I'm fine," John brushed Dennis's hand away and moved towards the dining.
"I made some food for you," He said while forcing a smile.
Dennis stared at the dining briefly before stepping towards John.
"Now listen here... you either tell me who that fucker is or I carry out investigations myself. Either way, I will find out who is responsible. It's just a matter of time," Dennis stated with very coldly, causing John to stagger backwards.
"I... can't..." John stuttered.
"Yes, you can. Once I take care of whoever the bastard is, he will never bother you again," Dennis's tone regained a bit of affection as he placed his hand on John's shoulder.