As I approached one of the Ranker police cars, I decided to observe how their fights played out. One of the Rankers, who seemed to be the target based on the situation, had the power of Summoning—the ability to summon monsters. Meanwhile, the attacker possessed super speed, which is pretty self-explanatory, but he also wielded weapons like swords and guns, making him incredibly dangerous.
The speedster had already defeated three of the Summoner's creatures and was heading straight for him. Just as things looked dire, a Ranker police officer stepped in and touched the super-speed guy, but I couldn't figure out what his power was at first.
Then it became clear: the Ranker police officer started punching himself and hitting his legs, yet he didn't seem to feel any pain. Instead, the pain was being transferred to the speedster through some kind of pain reversal ability. That was incredible! The speedster couldn't even walk anymore—the pain must have been unbearable.
The fight ended quickly after that. The Summoner thanked the Ranker police, and everything began to calm down.
Wow, that fight was intense! I can't wait to tell Jason about it. I guess I'd better head back to the pizza parlor now.
___
"Still buzzing from the fight, I hurried back to the pizza parlor, ready to share the excitement with Jason."
Opening the door, I called out to Jason who was in the break room, "Hey Jason, guess what!"
Jason, with boredom written all over his face, replied, "What?"
Excitedly, I told him, "I saw two rogue Rankers on my way back, and their powers were so cool!"
His bored expression immediately changed to excitement as he asked, "What kind of powers do they have?"
I explained, "One had super speed, and the other was a Summoner. The speed guy was winning at first, but the Ranker police showed up just in time to handle the situation. The fight was so awesome!"
"No way! I wish I could've seen that. You know how much I love watching Ranker battles," Jason said, his eyes lighting up.
Then he let out a sigh and said, "While you were out watching Rankers, I was stuck here, forced to smile and say, 'Hello, what do you want to order?' And even after looking at the menu, people still ask stupid questions like, 'Do you have a cheeseburger?' Like, bro, this is a pizza parlor. It's literally on the sign!"
He shook his head and continued, "Man, if it weren't for my dream, I would've quit in the first week we started."
I laughed and replied, "Don't worry, it's not like this started today."
Jason looked at me and said, "Yeah, but that's the problem it's the same thing every single day. Anyway, this afternoon, I'm on delivery duty while you're on counter duty."
I replied okay with a smile.
After a stressful day, our shift was finally over, and it was time to head home. After closing up the front door, we went to the back, ate the leftovers that Mr. Chase had left, and then hopped on our scooter to head back to our apartment.
When we finally got home, we took a quick bath and headed straight to bed. That was our daily routine—until Saturday. Saturday wasn't just another workday; it was payday. And payday meant one thing: we finally had enough money to join the Ranker organization.
___
After another long, stressful day, we went to Mr. Chase to ask for our pay. We had previously discussed that after payday, we would quit working to pursue our dreams. Knowing this, Mr. Chase had already prepared by finding people to take our place.
As we entered his office, he looked up at us and said, "Today's the day, huh?"
We nodded.
He smiled warmly and said, "I'll truly miss you guys. Treat this place as your home, and come back anytime." Then, with a teasing grin, he added, "Even if Jason was a bit troublesome..."
"Hey!" Jason protested, which made us all laugh.
As Mr. Chase handed us our pay, he pulled us into a hug and said, "If you guys one day become high-level Rankers, don't forget to tell the world about our pizza parlor."
We laughed, promising to remember, and then left into the night.
"Mr. Chase's voice wavered slightly as he hugged us. It wasn't just a goodbye—it felt like he was letting go of two kids he'd watched grow. Jason and I exchanged a glance, suddenly realizing how much this place had meant to us, too."
After heading home, we began preparing for the next day. We even bought new clothes for the occasion—it felt like such a big step, registering at the Ranker organization hall. Jason couldn't stop talking about it. He kept pacing around the room, imagining what kind of power he might awaken.
His excitement was contagious, even if this was mostly his dream. I wasn't as thrilled as he was, but seeing him so full of energy and hope made me smile.
We stayed up late, tossing ideas back and forth. "What if I get super strength?" Jason said, his eyes lighting up.
"Or maybe you'll be able to fly," I replied, laughing.
As the night stretched on, we could barely sleep. Our thoughts were consumed with possibilities—what would tomorrow bring?
___
The night felt endless, but morning finally arrived. I was usually the one waking Jason up, so I was stunned when he shook me awake at 4 a.m.
"Wake up, Ragnarok! Let's head to the Ranker Organization and book the first ticket to Stone Tablet Island!" he said, practically bouncing with excitement.
His enthusiasm was contagious, and even though it was ridiculously early, I couldn't help but smile as I got out of bed.