Around 2 pm the next day…
Dom is picking up plates at Pop's restaurant when he overhears a conversation between two nearby customers.
"Seriously?" The first customer asked.
The second customer nods. "Their wives waited all night but they never showed up. My police friend went to investigate before the sun even came out but he couldn't find them."
"What happened?"
"No clue… but when my friend told me, he said that the only thing he found was their prey," The second customer looks around to catch any eavesdropper but still fails to notice Dom. "… and bloodstains."
Dom stiffens.
The first customer shakes his head in disbelief. "Do you think a wild animal got them?"
The second customer shrugs. "That's what they're thinking. My only concern is that they're the best hunters in town. For an animal to get them like that… it must have been a real monster."
"That explains why I saw a squad move around this morning." The first customer mumbled while the second nods as he takes a sip of his drink.
Dom remains stiff with the tray of dirty dishes in his hands. A monster. A large smelly beast with claws as sharp as razor and sharp and jaw big enough to eat you in one gulp.
That's the image Dom forms in his head. The thought of encountering such a creature makes him gulp.
"Dom!"
Dom turns and immediately smiles, his fearful thoughts already vanished once he sees a chubby boy, his friend; Devon, at the restaurant's front door.
"We're going to play Mana Ball. Wanna come?" Devon asked.
Dom quickly carries the dishes into the kitchen and turns to Pops once he drops the dishes in the sink. "Can I go play ball with my friends?"
Pops looks up from the plate he is dishing to stare at the wall clock. "Fine but be back by 3. Phil's leaving early because of some school project."
Dom nods as he quickly removes his apron but just as he's about to run out, Pops holds up the plate to him.
"Table 3." Pops said and Dom sighs as he takes the plate. Dom turns away just as when Pops speaks up; "Oh and stay away from the woods. There's a rumour going around about a wild animal and I'm not in the mood to save your dumb-ass today."
"Okay. Later." Dom said as he leaves the kitchen.
The moment Dom delivers the meal, he joins Devon at the door while Pops closes the boiling pot and takes a seat.
"Now, where were we?" Pops said as he continues the crossword puzzle on the opened newspaper, his mind too engrossed to notice the picture of a missing criminal on the next page.
5 minutes later…
Dom follows Devon into the town playground where the loud screams of children, the vibrant colors of different structures and even familiar smell of a nearby barbecue shop filled their senses.
Once they get to their usual spot, Dom suddenly stops, and Devon notices the excitement on Dom's face literally drain within seconds.
"Not this guy again." Dom said as he looks across the sandy ground where a couple of kids surround a cocky looking blonde boy who smirks as he holds up a brown fenestrated ball in one hand. "I really hate that guy."
Devon sighs. "We all do but he's the Chief's son. So, play nice." He said.
"No promises." Dom said as they approach the group.
"You're really awesome, Matt." The blonde boy's first lackey said with excited eyes.
"Yeah. You got everyone with one throw." The second lackey said.
"They're all just too weak." Matt scoffed, ignoring the annoyed stares from the other kids before noticing Dom walking towards them. "Well, if it isn't Snow White." He said with a mocking sneer.
Dom rolls his eyes. "Real mature."
"Don't tell me you're here to play." Matt said as he tosses the ball upwards and uses his wind magic to cause the ball to spin rapidly over his palm. "You don't even have a magic affinity."
Dom folds his arms, his brow arched. "You don't need an affinity to play mana ball, dumb ass."
Matt's brow twitches.
"How dare you?" Matt's second lackey said as he glares at Dom. "Don't you know who his dad is?"
The first lackey nods in agreement while Matt swells with pride.
"Sorry, Thing 1 and 2… but I don't care." Dom said with a shrug that makes the other kids laugh while the lackeys' face reddens in embarrassment.
"I really hate you, Dominic." Matt said, his tone matching his words.
"The feeling's mutual. So, we playing or not?" Dom asked.
Matt fumes at Dom before suddenly smiling once an idea crosses his mind. "Fine. Then how about a bet?" He asked and Dom shrugs, his expression curious. Matt stops the ball's spin and holds it up to Dom. "One game. You and me. We'll play for 3 minutes. I'll be the hunter."
Mumbles begin to erupt from the small crowd of kids.
"Is this fair? With Matt's magic, that ball can hit you from any direction." One girl mumbled to the pre-teen next to her.
The pre-teen nods. "Yeah but Dom's the best target in the playground." He said.
Dom smirks as he responds, "Fine. If I win, you'll give me 100 credits." The kids cheer at the request while Matt's brow twitches again. "You can do that, right? Daddy's boy?"
Matt grits his teeth in anger before scoffing. "Fine. But if I win, you'll never play mana ball with us again and you'll have to…" He trails off looking for something else to humiliate Dom before setting his sights on the woods behind them. "… you'll have to go there and bring back apples for each of us."
Dom looks around, counting the number of kids with his eyes to a total of 17 excluding himself.
"What's wrong, Snowflake? You scared?" Matt asked.
Dom turns back to him with his smirk unfazed. "It's a bet."
The kids cheer for Dom, further annoying Matt.
Disclaimer: In Mana Ball, 2 types of players are required. A Hunter and a Target. Any number of these two players are allowed but in essence, the hunter hunts the target by hitting him with the mana ball, a specially woven sphere that can absorb the hunter's mana to propel itself towards its hunter's intended target.
The hunter can even add his own special affinity for better effect but it'll never cause any serious harm to the target whose job is to either dodge or block the ball with magic until the allocated time wears out.
Within a few minutes, the spectating kids stay in the sidelines, their excited eyes fixed on Matt and Dom standing in a large vacant spot on the playground.
A tall boy steps out from the spectators and speaks; "The time is 3 minutes." He holds up an old pocket watch.
Matt winds his throwing arm and Dom stretches.
"Get ready!"
With those words, the two stop their warm-up and stare each other down.
Dom thought as he lowers his stance and exhales, releasing his navy-blue mana which surrounds his body like a translucent blue mist.
"Hmph. What can you do with that weak magic?" Matt asked as he releases his yellow aura.
The umpire looks at the two before looking at his watch.
"Get set!... Go!"
Matt grunts as he suddenly hurls the ball forward.
Dom clenches his fists while he stares at the ball hurtling towards him.
Matt then smirks, his intent reflected by the sudden change in the ball's direction, sending it abruptly to the side before flying back at Dom from his right side.
But with a grunt, Dom dives out of the way and rolls to safety while the ball returns to Matt's palm with a smack.
Dom grins as he stands. "Easy peasy." He said with a cocky laugh.
Matt clicks his tongue while the crowd cheers for Dom. "I'm just getting started!"
He throws the ball again, this time with the ball spinning rapidly with his wind magic. The ball moves more erratically but Dom still manages to dodge it again and again.
As the seconds quickly move by, Dom evades the ball with his surprisingly athletic body much to Matt's annoyance.
"30 more seconds!" The umpire shouted, intensifying the crowd's cheer.
Matt catches the ball again while Dom folds his arms with his grin still unfazed.
"Time's almost up, daddy's boy. I guess I can finally buy that book now."
Matt glares at Dom and glances at his second lackey who nods, his eyes alight with mischief which goes unnoticed by others...
"Shut up and lose already!" Matt shouted as he throws the ball again.
Dom leaps away, dodging the ball's path like usual but as his feet touch the ground, a shallow pothole suddenly forms. He stumbles under the uneven terrain and his eyes widen once he senses something off.
He suddenly turns his attention to the lackey whose finger is subtly pointing at him.
"You litt-" Before the words could come out, the ball smacks him directly in the cheek, making a loud smack sound that silences the cheering crowd.
The umpire's watch breaks the silence with its ring a few seconds after.
Matt raises both arms with a proud grin. "Yes! I win!"
The only kids who cheered for Matt are his lackeys while the others stare at Dom who quietly rubs his cheek and picks up the ball.
"What's wrong, Dom? No more jokes?" Matt said, mockingly.
But to his surprise, Dom didn't say a single word.
Instead, he walks towards the crowd and the second lackey flinches once Dom stops in front of him.
"You cheated." Dom said, his voice laced with silent rage.
The other kids stare at Dom in confusion including the first lackey while Matt grits his teeth.
"I… I… I didn't… You're lying." The second lackey mumbled, his in fear which is amplified once Dom steps close enough to make the boy flinch.
"There's no need to be a sore loser, Dom!" Matt said as he gets in between them to stare directly into Dom's eyes. "I hit you. Fair and square. Or did anyone see anything different?"
Matt gestures to the others and Dom looks around to find nobody contradicting him.
"See?" Matt chuckled. "Now be a good boy and pay up. Or were you lying about that, huh Future Monarch?"
Dom's close friend, Devon immediately glares at Matt. "Hey! That's going too f-"
"Fine!" Dom said, his angered look still fixed on the boy hiding behind Matt.
"My ball?" Matt asked with his hand held up, but Dom suddenly shoves the ball into Matt's gut.
Matt coughs and glares at Dom who walks towards the forest without looking back.
Once Dom is out of sight, Mat shakes the anger off and turns back to everyone with the ball raised. "Now. How about we play another round while Dom brings our snacks?" He asked with a proud grin.
"I… I don't want to play anymore." The girl said as she walks away.
"Me too." The pre-teen said as he follows her until eventually... everybody walks away, leaving Matt with only his faithful accomplices.
"Don't worry about them, Matt." The first lackey said.
"Yeah. We'll play with you." The second lackey said.
But their comments only fuel Matt's anger which he now points at the trees where Dom just passed...