To Eva and Audrey's surprise, Arnold bought them a smartphone and some other phone accessories just as he promised. They couldn't express the joy they felt, however, he was their brother after all.
Even his mother received a new smartphone and other gifts bought by Arnold. Although they never expected it, they were glad and excited.
For Eva's birthday, Arnold took his family to an eatery in the city and made sure they ate the best of meal and drank the best of drinks. All the time, Eva would always wiggle around Arnold, not wanting to go far from him.
While they ate, Arnold froze when a sudden thought came flooding into his mind.
"Mom, when last did Corey visit home?" Arnold asked his mother.
His mother had a smile on her face until the hearing of that question which replaced it with a dark, grim look.
"He never creates time to come. He... He..." She stammered.
"He is now in a robbery team. As we speak right now, he is wanted by the FBI," Audrey cut in to help their mother.
Upon hearing this, Arnold's eyes widened. "What? Robbery team??? How?"
Arnold felt his heart beat hard.
"We don't know. He is doing it with his drunkard friends. The thing is that they had reportedly stolen five million dollars and had vanished after the raid. The FBI had visited us four times, mom had followed them twice to their office."
Arnold gazed at his mother's sad face and frowned.
"I don't know, he is just something else these days," Audrey mumbled.
"It's okay..."
Arnold didn't want to talk about this anymore.
"It's alright. I'll make sure I fix everything," he said.
The ladies stared at him, a look of hope on their faces.
"You all would be leaving Barrio Logan," Arnold spoke, "I would be renting an apartment somewhere in the city.
The trio sitting close all threw surprised gazes at him, but he only smiled at them and continued speaking.
"You no longer need to worry. Things are turning over for the better now. We will no longer suffer to eat and provide for our needs. I'll make sure I give you guys what you want and need," Arnold said sincerely.
"Eva and Audrey will begin university education," Arnold turned to look at his mother. "And mom, you will no longer sell seafood in the street. The era of inferiority has ended."
Eva was the only one who wiped out the shock lurking inside of her and smiled at her brother. His mother and Audrey still had complicated looks on their faces.
"C'mon eat up. It's nothing," Arnold urged them amidst the flow of astonishment.
His mother couldn't hold back the tears of joy and she couldn't help but hug her son. It's been quite a long time of suffering from poverty. Everyone in the slums of Barrio Logan would always pray for a breakthrough from their financial state.
Now, the only hope they had was to finally wipe the shame of poverty off their faces.
Arnold dedicated the rest of the day to his family. After spending a considerable amount of time in the eatery, they spent time making memorable visits to different places. They hardly visited the city due to low affordability, so walking around popular places felt like a tour.
That day, Arnold booked a suitable apartment with furnishings and structure in the city. They moved on to the new house the next day.
He made sure they had a happy time with him as it would take long before he would visit again. Arnold also promised to make payments on their university move and bought a more effective pack of drugs for Eva.
With everything done and taken care of, it was time for him to leave. Eva had a grim look on her face seeing that he was leaving, but there was actually nothing she could do.
After all, he was the one going to get the money to assist the family.
As of that time, Arnold was only having 650 dollars left, but he gave his mother 500 dollars and took 150 dollars with him.
With an emotional goodbye, Arnold left them at their new house and went back to Chicago...
Back to work.
Back to business.
A lot of work was already awaiting him as he got to Capside Centre. It was Friday, and he already accepted the interview that would be happening by nighttime.
(Credit Alert: You just received $1300 from Goldstar Show).
Arnold prepared and left for the interview with the help of the transport taken care of. He was glad that the location of the show wasn't distant, so it didn't take long before they were done.
Arnold came back and rested for the night.
The next morning, he decided to make a shirt encounter with the system. He was ready to practice Sorrowful Kiss and also learn the new common moves the system had promised.
"Hey, Advocate. Time to practice Sorrowful Kiss."
[Sure... But you aren't in the training ring.]
"Ohh..." Arnold sighed.
"Can I just see the new common moves then?"
[Alright.]
[Spear (C-class common move)]
[Description: This is a move whereby you launch a rush attack against an opponent's belly using your head and shoulder.]
[Trouble In Paradise (D-class common move)]
[Description: This move first appears as a dropkick, however, it is a strike given by turning to the opponent's direction from a different one and launching a hard kick at the back of the opponent's head or the cheeks.]
[Requires vital Agility involvement.]
[The SIX ONE NINE (D-class common move]
[Description: This is performed by placing the opponent on the second rope while making him face the outside. Then you run from behind and swing through the second rope, delivering a two-leg kick on his face.]
[Note that you could use these skills temporarily. You only have to bring up the popularity of Neckbuster and Sorrowful Kiss as these moves are common.]
Arnold nodded.
It was really true that they were common. Back in Rising Impact University, teachings about them were made, but somehow, Arnold had foolishly developed an inevitable love for the Clothesline, thinking that it could be terrifying.
Freshening up, he left his room and made his way through the alleyway to the training ring. But first, he intended to call Mark and Lila out.
While he was slowly shuffling through the quiet alleyway, a hard substance suddenly came hitting the back of his head.
*Bang*
This substance was so hard and thick that the pain felt like what made him pass out the other day at Rising Impact University.
Before he could know, he felt himself losing consciousness... Succumbing to the great, terrifying pain.
"You son of bitch!!! I hate you!"