I went up to my room, closed the door, and threw myself onto the bed. My heart was racing a mile a minute, my mind replaying the moment over and over again. I knew I couldn't sleep. The adrenaline wouldn't let me. The fear of a shotgun and the thrill of the kiss… it all had me on edge.
When the house finally fell silent, I put on my suit. I needed to release this energy, turn it into something useful. I jumped out the window and moved across the rooftops.
My first stop was in a dark alley. I heard voices, and when I peeked in, I saw two guys trying to steal a car. The taller one had a knife, the other a crowbar. They had no idea what was coming. I dropped down from a blind angle and struck the guy with the knife in the back of the neck. He collapsed, unconscious, the knife slipping from his fingers. The other guy, not understanding what had happened, turned around. I landed a punch to his stomach. He fell to his knees, unable to breathe, and then a kick to the jaw left him sprawled on the ground.
For half an hour nothing interesting happened. I was sitting on a rooftop with a cat purring by my side while I stroked its head.
I was totally bored and seriously considering going back home to sleep when I heard the screech of brakes in the distance.
I stood up, and the cat opened its eyes to look at me. "Sorry, little guy, duty calls."
I ran toward the sound and saw the scene. A taxi had crashed into a pole. I had two hypotheses: either the driver had fallen asleep or he had simply lost control of the car.
Either way, I didn't need to overthink it. I ran to the car and forced the door open. Inside was a middle-aged man passed out, his forehead bloody. I pulled him out carefully so I wouldn't worsen his injuries. Surface wounds were one thing, but internal ones were another.
I laid him on the pavement, checked his vital signs, and then looked inside to see if there was anyone else in the taxi. Confirming that he was alone, I went over to a payphone, dialed 911, and reported the accident with the address. I tried to make my voice deeper, just in case. Once that was done, I climbed up onto a rooftop and hid, keeping an eye out to make sure nothing strange happened until the ambulances arrived.
It took them 15 minutes to show up along with the authorities. Once I was sure everything was under control, I returned to the previous rooftop. The cat was still there, curled up asleep. When it noticed me, it woke up and meowed, stretching.
"Looks like you missed me, huh?" I picked it up in my arms while stroking its back. "Would you like a more comfortable place to live?"
Hearing the little meow, I smiled and walked back home just before dawn.
In my room, I simply lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Hours later, I woke up to little licks on my face.
"Good morning to you too, little guy." I pushed him aside, pulled the second and last butterbeer from my inventory, and drank it.
I went downstairs and noticed Mom had left me a small note saying, "Good luck and love you" next to breakfast.
I smiled and took a piece of fish from the fridge, checked for bones, and cooked it in the pot. Once it was ready, I gave it to the little cat.
He definitely needed a name—I couldn't just keep calling him "little guy." Maybe Crookshanks? Simba? I'd think about it during the day.
(Here, add what name you'd like for the cat.)
At school, the day went on as usual. I went to my locker and found Felicia standing there, a book in her hand. When she saw me, her face lit up.
"Hey, sweetheart," she said with a flirty smile. "You look good. Sorry about my dad. Sometimes he's just way too overprotective."
"Trust me, I noticed. But it's all good," I said, trying to sound casual.
"I'm glad to hear that," she said, laughing. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.
The bell rang, and the other students headed to their classes. I sat at my desk, feeling a bit happier. Felicia was right by my side as we kept chatting.
When class ended, Felicia and I walked out into the hallway. We had a few minutes before the next one. As we walked, we ran into Peter and Harry.
"Hey, guys," I said with a smile.
"Damon! Just the guy we were looking for," said Peter, grinning from ear to ear.
"Come check this out," said Harry, dragging us toward the bulletin board.
In the center of the board was a large poster announcing the School Music Contest. The prize was a medal and the chance to perform at the city festival.
"This is perfect for you!" said Harry, patting me on the back.
"Are you going to enter?" asked Felicia with a smile. "I'd love to see you on stage."
"Of course I am," I said with a grin I couldn't hide. "This is my chance."
The morning went by without major incidents. Felicia and I had some classes together, then one with Peter.
When I got home, I flopped onto the couch, thinking about what I would sing. With Bruno Mars' talent, I could easily write one of his hits—or a hit from another artist.
I felt a few licks on my hand and looked at my new vigilante partner.
"Good afternoon, little guy. Hungry?" I stood up and pulled the food I'd bought for him from my backpack.
I left him eating while I headed straight to the dojo to keep training.
[MISSION: TRAINING!]
Complete another day of training and deepen your nunchaku practice.
[REWARD: 100 EXP, 50 SHOP POINTS]
In the dojo, a few students were practicing their moves. The sensei stood in front of them, silent, but the frown on his face made the students train diligently. His gaze shifted to me, and he walked over.
"Damon, just in time," he said calmly. "Join the others and begin."
"Yes, sensei," I replied, trying to sound firm.
I followed the katas of blocks, strikes, and spins. Sometimes the sensei raised his voice when a student made a mistake, and I wasn't always the exception.
When I finished, the sensei gave a slight nod. He went to each student to give feedback one by one until he got to me.
"Your technique has improved," he said, observing me. "But you still let yourself get carried away by tension. Strength without control is useless. Now get up—you're going to put to the test everything you've learned these past months."
"Who am I going to fight?" My body tensed with excitement. I had already fought several students in the dojo and had come out victorious.
"You're fighting me." Those simple words made me freeze instantly.
The fight that followed was a disaster, at least for me. I fought with everything I had learned in the dojo and as a vigilante. But even then, the sensei dominated the match with ease. I tried to counter, but his experience disarmed me in an instant, leaving me gasping on the floor.
"Get up," said the sensei, offering me his hand. "You're still overthinking every move you make. Thinking isn't bad, but sometimes you just need to flow and trust your instincts."
He picked up a pair of nunchakus and handed them to me. "Rejoin the others. Practice the basic moves with the nunchakus until I come to you—I still have to check on the other students."
Training ended, and my muscles burned, but I felt like I was making more and more progress.
[MISSION: TRAINING!]
Complete another day of training and deepen your nunchaku practice.
[COMPLETED] [REWARD: 100 EXP, 50 SHOP POINTS]
[Stats:]
Strength: 30
Agility: 32
Endurance: 28
Intelligence: 24
Charisma: 34
Luck: 22
[Skills: None]
[Gacha: 0 pulls available]
[Templates: Bruce Lee (26%)]
[Inventory]
[Shop: 1980 points available]