Title: My First Trading Partner is An Awaken
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Henry Ramirez stood in front of their backyard, exercising his usual. He did stretching, push ups, squats, and non-equipment exercises, preparing himself for his boxing training.
It has been a week and his punch is becoming fierce. "The F-rank healing potion, though with smelly side effects, the result is also stunning!"
He also started to mix the powdered F-rank crystals to their meal which made his height increase by half an inch. The effect is also observable to his siblings as they were already in their teenage life.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The air pressure sounded as he punched which had stunned his father who was watching him in the back door.
Despite the chaos of his daily life; babysitting his father, Jimmy, who was still recovering from his stroke, and keeping an eye on his younger siblings, Dylan, Sheinna, and Amelia—Henry consistently use around two hours to train boxing.
As the rhythm of his training intensified, Henry's focus sharpened, his movements becoming more fluid and precise. He lost himself in the cadence of his punches, the thud of his fists against the air echoing through the backyard.
As he continued to train, Henry's thoughts drifted to his father, Jimmy, who watched from the sidelines with a proud smile on his face. Despite his own struggles, his dad has always been supportive and open-minded for every turn of his decisions.
"My gosh, son, you can kill a cow with that punch!" Jimmy, His dad, can now speak without hustle. With the great assistance of the potion, his recovery is too observable, close to being miraculous.
He was already brieft by Tyler about the F-rank healing potion's efficiency and effectiveness to non-awakened individual, yet still, he was mesmerize and dumbfounded by the result. How much more for his dad's surprise.
As soon as Jimmy ended his praise, Henry received a call from Sheinna.
"Eldest, it's Dylan! He's been taken to the hospital," Shienna cried, her voice trembling with emotion.
Henry's heart dropped into his stomach at her words. Fear gripped him as he struggled to comprehend what had happened to his brother.
"What happened? Is he okay?" Henry asked, his voice quivering with dread.
Shienna took a moment to compose herself before explaining the horrifying ordeal.
"He was trying to help a friend who was being bullied by a group of thugs," she recounted, her voice choked with emotion.
"Dylan was just trying to reason with them, but they wouldn't listen. They attacked him, outnumbered him, and left him badly injured." Shienna recall what happened as she was there when his brother Dylan helps out the victim of bullying.
Henry's blood boiled with rage as he listened to Shienna's words. His fists clenched at his sides, his mind consumed with thoughts of his brother lying helpless in a hospital bed because of the cruel actions of others.
Without a second thought, Henry rushed out the door, his mind racing with worry for Dylan's safety. He couldn't bear the thought of his brother suffering alone in a hospital room.
When he arrived at the hospital, Henry was greeted by the two of his siblings, Sheinna and Amelia waiting in the surgery room.His heart broke at the sight, and he felt a surge of anger towards the bullies who had caused his brother such pain.
Amelia and Sheinna saw him and they rushed in embrace. "Brother!"
Along with Amelia and Sheinna, Henry sat anxiously in the waiting room of the hospital, his mind consumed with worry for his brother, Dylan.
He had been pacing back and forth for what felt like hours, his heart heavy with dread at the thought of what the doctor might say about Dylan's condition.
Their father, who is now capable of being alone due to his big recovery from a stroke, wanted to know what happened to his second son.
Henry can only pacify his father's worry.
Finally, the door to the waiting room swung open, and Doctor Fajardo, a tall, stoic figure with kind eyes, emerged into the room. Henry's heart skipped a beat as he rose to his feet, his eyes pleading for answers.
"Doctor Fajardo, how is my brother? Is he going to be okay?" Henry asked, his voice trembling with fear.
Doctor Fajardo regarded Henry with a sympathetic expression, his brow furrowed with concern. "I'm afraid Dylan's injuries are quite severe," he began, his voice gentle yet firm. "He sustained multiple contusions and fractures."
Henry's heart sank at the doctor's words, a lump forming in his throat as he struggled to process the severity of Dylan's injuries. He had hoped against hope that it wouldn't be as bad as he feared, but now his worst fears had been confirmed.
"What can we do to help him?" Shienna asked, her voice choked with emotion.
Doctor Fajardo sighed heavily, his gaze filled with compassion. "Right now, the most important thing is to keep Dylan stable and comfortable," he explained. "He's undergone surgery to repair some of the damage, but it will take time for him to fully recover."
Henry nodded solemnly, his mind reeling with the enormity of the situation.
"Calm yourself down!" Henry thought to himself. He was a streetwise kid in the slum. To survive, he needed to. Dylan also had this thinking and he found out from Shienna that the victim of the bullying is one of Dylan's friend.
Doctor Fajardo placed a comforting hand on Henry's shoulder, his touch warm and reassuring.
"You can't blame yourself, Henry," he said softly. "You did everything you could to help your brother. Sometimes, things happen that are beyond our control."
He knew that Doctor Fajardo was right, that he couldn't change the past, no matter how much he wished he could. All he could do now was be there for Dylan, to support him and help him heal.
As Henry followed Doctor Fajardo down the hallway towards Dylan's room, he resolved to do whatever it took to ensure that his brother recovered from his injuries.
"Brother, didn't you say that those potions of yours are effective for any wounds? Why aren't you using it to heal, Brother Dylan?" Amelia asked, whispering to Henry.
"Yes, they are effective, but you know the side effects," Henry replied quietly. "We can only apply it externally to heal Dylan's wounds and bruises and only give him small amount to not make this room smelly."
"I understand. We've seen how well it worked for Sister Sienna's scars," Amelia confessed.
"Yeah, but we have to keep it our secret. We can't let anyone outside the family know," Henry emphasized.
"We know how to keep secrets, brother," Amelia assured him.
After the doctor and nurse had finished their rounds, Henry carefully poured the potion onto his hand and gently applied it to Dylan's wounds. He focused on the bruises covering Dylan's elbows, knuckles, shoulders, and the five-inch gash on his thigh.
The potion sometimes took effect immediately, soothing Dylan's pain and reducing the swelling. The night passed without any disturbances, allowing Dylan to rest and heal. Henry also dropped a small amount of the potion into Dylan's mouth to help him recover even further.
As Doctor Fajardo and the nurses made their rounds in the hospital ward in the next day, they were stunned to see Dylan's remarkable progress. His bruises and wounds, which had been so severe the night before, were already showing signs of significant healing.
"Doctor Fajardo, have you seen Dylan's condition?" one of the nurses exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment. "His bruises and wounds seem to be disappearing at an incredible rate!"
Doctor Fajardo nodded, his expression one of amazement. "Yes, I've noticed it too. It's quite remarkable. I've never seen a patient recover from injuries like this so quickly."
The other nurse chimed in, "Do you think it could be the work of some new medication or treatment?"
Doctor Fajardo shook his head, puzzled. "I'm not sure. We haven't administered any new medications or treatments to Dylan since he arrived. It's possible that his body is just healing at an accelerated rate, but it's certainly unusual."
As they continued to observe Dylan's progress, the doctor and nurses exchanged puzzled glances, marveling at the miraculous speed of his recovery.
They couldn't help but wonder what could be causing such a rapid improvement in his condition, but for the time being, they were content to watch and wait, hoping for Dylan's continued improvement.
With all that amazement, Henry and his siblings shut their mouths. Yet, they laugh when the nurses change the diaper as the smell of the secretes is too strong which could faint a cow.
"The potion is effective. Also, Dylan already drunk a significant amount of potion, thereby increasing the recovery rate of his own body.
As he moved along, he noticed a post from his social media account and learned that it was a clandestine video of what had happened to Dylan in complete detail.
The video spread like wildfire across social media, its shocking contents capturing the attention of netizens far and wide.
In the grainy footage, a group of bullies could be seen mercilessly attacking a lone boy, outnumbering him and leaving him bruised and battered on the ground.
As the video went viral, outrage swept through the community, with people from all walks of life expressing their disgust and indignation at the bullies' actions.
But what truly stunned the public was the revelation of the identities of the bullies—one of whom was none other than the son of the former mayor and a prominent businessman in the city.
"Did you see that video? It's absolutely horrifying!"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe my eyes. Those bullies should be ashamed of themselves."
"They should but look how the other student punch the other bullies, he had some strenght!"
"Yeah, he kick fiercely and punch wildly! Look! He kick the gang member and pushes back the others!"
"Unfortunately, there are too many of these bullies! They seems to be fifteen young men!"
"Yeah, no matter how strong and brave that student, if your opponent is that many, I really doubt if he can survive that!"
"As I said, these bullies should be ashamed!"
Calls for justice echoed across social media platforms, with demands for the bully to be held accountable for his actions and to issue a public apology to the victim.
However, there are no response or any aknowledgement from the side of the bullies. Someone tried to defend the bullies in the internet space but these people will only be met by some keyboard warriors in the side of the other party.
"Can you believe it?! Someone wanted to defend the bullies!"
"Really outrageous! How can they speak to these beasts! It was unheard off! How the heck did there parents even raise them?!"
The public's outrage only intensified, fueling a groundswell of support for the victim and condemnation for the bully and his cohorts. Petitions were circulated, and hashtags calling for justice trended on social media, as the community united in solidarity behind the victim.
"We need to stand up for what's right and demand justice for the victim!"
"Absolutely! No one should ever have to endure such cruelty."
"Yeah! Our democracy has now become demo-crazy! They had abused it!"
But amidst the clamor for justice, there were also voices of reason and compassion, urging for forgiveness and reconciliation.
"While what the bully did was unforgivable, we should also strive to promote understanding and empathy."
"That's true. It's important to remember that everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes and grow as individuals."
"The one commented above! Who the fuck are you? You're the one who tolerated these kind of behaviour and you do fucking tell me, what would you do if the victim is your own fucking son?! Huh?!"
"What understanding? What second chance?! Are you fucking in the movie? For your fucking information! This is reality! They should be hang up in the gutter!"
As the public debate raged on, the city found itself at a crossroads—a moment of reckoning where the values of empathy, compassion, and accountability were put to the test.
And as the community grappled with the fallout of the bullying incident, one thing became abundantly clear: people upholds their own justice.
"So it was the son of that Ex-mayor." Henry gritted his teeth in anger as it was directed to the bullies.
With all glance, he already remembers their faces and he will keep silent for now as he didn't know how to take vengeance towards powerful people like the bullies' family background.