Hobin and Nagi sat inside a café. Nagi got his favorite hot chicken wings and a bowl of spaghetti. Hobin had to settle for salad and tuna fish. Nagi glared at him, wondering what made him change his diet. Before now, both of them ate spaghetti and hot wings here; now it's all salad and fish. Regardless, Nagi was happy for his dear friend. He believed that with Hobin leading the E ranks, things could change for the better. At least he would gain popularity through Hobin's fame and get a few girls on his side.
"You are smiling way too wide, Nagi," Hobin muttered, and Nagi tried to hide it. Both of them went silent for a while. Hobin glared out into the night sky and admired the neon lights of the city. Nagi wiped his mouth with a napkin and stared at the distracted Hobin.
"So what happens now? He asked, and Hobin glared at him. Confused by the question, he got a smile as a reply. "People will come after you…" Nagi said, and Hobin scoffed.
"I don't expect them to let me off easy," Hobin said and looked away again.
"One of those people will be Pa Kong. The way I see it, he might want to regain his honor," Nagi muttered and heard him scoff again.
"Then I keep beating him. "I'll beat all them," Hobin said, his voice steady and assured. The awkward silence came again and this time, Nagi wished to mind his business and eat his food. He paused right when the food was inches away from his mouth and put it right back in the bowl.
"I'm scared. You're strong and I'm weak..." Nagi muttered, almost sounding like a crybaby.
"It's okay. We are going to be alright. Besides, every superhero needs a sidekick," Hobin said and pointed at him. Nagi scoffed out a laugh, and Hobin heard the glasses chime with a message.
"WHY WOULD YOU HAVE THIS FAT PIG AS A FRIEND? DUMP HIM NOW AS WE CLIMB OUR WAY TO GLORY," XL ordered.
A phone rang in the café, and the worker went to pick it up. Hobin was trying not to snap at XL for saying such hurtful words, even though Nagi didn't hear. Then the worker called out.
"Do we have a Hobin in the café?"
Hobin raised an arm, wondering what it was all about. The caller ordered him to step forward because he wanted to speak to him.
"Hello," Hobin said.
"Hello, Hobin. Congratulations on your victory today in school. We seem to be quite the charm."
"Who is this?" Hobin snapped with a tense expression.
"There's a meeting of the elite captains of each rank. As the new leader of rank E, it's best for me to be there". The voice said.
"What?!
"12 p.m. Be there." The voice continued regardless of his understanding.
"Where?" Hobin asked with curiosity.
"Where do you think?" The voice replied in a rude tone and snapped off the call.
"Hello…" Hobin muttered, but he received silence in response.
Hobin made his way back to his table. He had a mixed expression on his face and sat down with minimal noise. Nagi noticed his sudden change of mood and expressed concern immediately.
"Who was it? He asked with a sense of curiosity.
"No idea. He said something about a meeting at school," Hobin replied.
"Oh yeah. The use of the council meeting of the Elites of ranks. I have heard of that before. Nagi said the meeting will welcome a new elite since he defeated the old one. Then, he continued eating."
"When was it set? "I didn't know that was a thing," Hobin replied, his expression showing confusion.
"Well, it was a thing after the new management bought the school. I remember that day like it was yesterday. "He walked in and took over everything," Nagi said. He claimed he was there when it happened, even though he wasn't."
"Who is he anyway?" Hobin asked with a sense of curiosity.
"Oh! I don't know. But rumors say he or… she is very wealthy, I guess. It's not possible to remove the adverb. No one has ever seen him."
"But does he attend the meeting of the Elites or captains?" Hobin asked.
"From what I have heard. He haven't attended a single one. True, or are you too scared to talk about him?" Nagi concluded and sipped his water.
Hobin had a long night. He stuck to his usual routine of training and going out to learn more about combat. By the time he got home, it was already 2 a.m. in the morning. He immediately took off his glasses and crashed on the bed.
"YOU SEEM TO BE UPGRADING IN YOUR STATS. IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T MET A FORMIDABLE FOE YET. REGARDLESS, TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE A BIG DAY. DO WELL OR ENJOY IT," XL chimed, but received a snore in response.
The next day in school, Hobin capitalized on the lunch break to go up to the school's roof to have the Elite meeting. He adjusted his school tie. Then, he brushed his trousers and jacket with some water. Finally, he styled his hair in the bathroom mirror.
[YOU ARE ARRANGING YOUR HAIR AS THOUGH YOU HAVE A DATE], XL SAID.
"I am trying to make a good impression. After all, dressing is everything."
[WRONG! STRENGTH, FIGHTING, AND WINNING ARE EVERYTHING. YOU ARE EITHER AT THE BOTTOM OR AT THE TOP...]
"Will you stop being a pest for at least two minutes? Like this doesn't feel right?" Hobin scoffed as he struggled to get his hair into shape.
[YOU STILL LOOK LIKE SHIT]
"Thanks, I needed to hear that," Hobin replied with sarcasm and turned to leave. He rushed up the stairs leading to the roof and grasped the doorknob. He paused and let out a long exhale.
"Any advice? He asked.
[YES! DON'T FUCK THIS UP FOR BOTH OF US]. XL snapped like an old woman at her child.
"Sure. The motivation I needed." he rolled his eyes and cracked the door open.
The whole roof was clear. It was as though no one was there. Empty and dissected. Hobin squinted his eyes from the blaring sun and used his hands to block his face from the sun. He scanned the roof like a machine and saw no one.
"Great." He muttered. "Great." He sighed and heard a scorching sound next to him. He turned and saw a spinning tuna fish can. The next thing he knew was that it was exploding and creating a room full of smoke. Hobin stumbled backward, his cough echoing in the air. His vision started getting blurry, his throat itched, and a dry whooping cough ruled his mouth.
He lost his footing and bent over his knees to the floor. He kept coughing and struggling for air.
"What was that? I-I can't breathe." He managed to let out.
"I knew you would come". A voice said as it walked through the smoke with a gas mask. It was the white-haired student, Aizawl. He ranked 391 and shared the same rank as Hobin. His outfit gave mad scientist vibes as he buried both hands in his jacket pockets.
"Who the hell are you?" Hobin asked, still on his knees.
"Isn't it obvious?" he grinned and let out a cold smirk. "I am your next big challenge."