The weekend passes and it's the beginning of a new school week for Galivinth, as well as the day he intends to meet up with Joscene Jolelimoon. Though this day, Shurman, a.k.a. ‘Big Red’, is joining him for this after school misadventure.

  “Hey, glad to have you around again, but won't your club members be wondering where you are?” Galivinth asks as he and Big Red exit the school ground through its open gateway.

  “Nah, fam. More clubs started poppin’ up, so we have to start sharing the rooms now. It's Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday's that we have the anime club now.” Shurman informs as they turn right and head down the block side by side.

  “Oh, I see. Cool, cool. Well, let's see if Joscene has an interesting way to pass the day.” Galivinth muses.

  “Fo’ show. I'm down for almost anything, G.” Shurman concurs as they make their way to the end of the block and cross the street to head to head for the meeting spot. This day, Galivinth is wearing his usual all black attire with the reoccurring white hand wraps that reach up to his elbows and an open baggy black hoodie that bears his school’s emblem on the back. Shurman is wearing fitting blue jeans, a white t-shirt with its sleeves rolled up to show off his muscular arms, a black school baseball cap backwards on his head, a black sports watch on his right wrist, and a pair of C. Righteous ‘97s, sneakers under the Captain Righteous brand, on his feet.

  The two boys arrive and wait at the location for Joscene. Fortunately for them, the wait is JUST barely under three minutes. The next time they look forward, they see the Taekwondo practitioner crossing the street and heading toward them. Today, she's sporting a black school uniform. A blazer with a purple button pinned to it's collar, a white button up shirt under the thin jacket, a black tie hanging from her neck, a skirt on her lower body with biker shorts just underneath it, a studded belt around her waist, fingerless gloves on her hands and a pair of heavy high top punk boots on her feet.

  “Yooo! Ya came, I see.” She practically purrs as she reaches the corner they're standing on, smiling as she does.

  “Yup! Just as we agreed.” Galivinth nods at her. Her eyes then shift over toward the ginger beside him.

  “Brought your friend too, huh? I thought I told you to come alone, handsome. But it's fine. Might even help sell the image we’re going for.” She comments. Her choice of words earns questioning looks from both boys.

  “Huh? What do you mean by that?” Galivinth asks.

  “A’heh. You’ll see.” Joscene responds before tucking her hands away into the pockets of her blazer and walking around the corner.

  “C’mon, let's go setup shop somewhere nice.” She verbally beckons them along. With slight hesitation and after looking at each other with uncertainty, both boys oblige and follow behind her.

  “You said you needed to hash out some details before. Is this a part of what you meant?” Galivinth prods.

  “Uh huh. Speaking of which - what's a cool nickname you can think of for yourself?” She throws a question at him in turn.

  “A nickname? Kind of depends. Either way, it's hard to really decide on something like that…” Galivinth explains.

  “I think ‘G’ works pretty good. It's what I always call him.” Big Red speaks up to comment.

  “‘G’? “She repeats while looking over her shoulder at the taller male.

  “Huh… it's not bad at all. It's mysterious and bold. I like it! And how about you, big guy? Gotta a street name, too?” She asks.

  “The one n’ only Big Red, baby. Every minute of the day.” Shurman answers rather smugly, grinning and pointing a thumb at himself while speaking.

  “Not bad, not bad! That's gotta tough sound to it.” Joscene enthuses. She then turns her head forward and ponders for a moment.

  “I ain't too picky, but I like the nickname my big brother went by… So, when we're hanging out together as a gang, you oughta' call me ‘Lady Jo-Jo’.” She tells them while grinning to herself.

  “Sure thing, Lady J.” Big Red obliges.

  “If that's what you want, then consider it done.” Galivinth also agreed to her wish. However, something finally clicks with Big Red’s mind.

  “Wait, hold up… Did you say ‘when we hang out as a gang’?” The ginger asks with an arching brow.

  “We're almost there. Just straight ahead and across the street from here.” She ignores the question and chooses to instead inform them of how close they are to their destination. The two boys being unaware of such, but she's so far led them down two blocks, then a right turn, and now another block and a half. At the place of interest up ahead, Joscene leads the two into a Sushi Bar establishment that bears the name ‘Shen Dynasty’.

  Their arrival is brought to attention to those inside by the bell above the door, patrons and employees both. The outside is pretty simple, but the inside holds a lukewarm atmosphere. There's a large rectangle bar counter at the other side of the building where customers can sit on stools surrounding the bar, and several cooks work inside of that long box. Inside, there's a door leading into the back room, to the left of the bar is a door that also leads to the same place. To the right is a row of booths for customers who prefer sitting near the window. In the front, just off to the right is a corner holding ten tables in a neat presentation, offering more room for the busy days.

  Joscene decides to have them settle in at one of the tables at the front.

  “So… What are we doing here?” Galivinth asks.

  “To set up shop, like I said.” Joscene answers vaguely.

  “Come now, homegirl… Let's not play games. Don't tell us you brought us here to take you out on a two-man date.” Big Red presses.

  “Alright, alright. So! You see that set over there? All that red on the other side of the joint?” Joscene asks, prompting the two boys to look across the room, where they indeed spot the large group of people in identical red bomber jackets with the same design on their backs. A roaring dragon.

  “Yeah. What about them?” Galivinth questions as he turns his sights back to Lady Jojo.

  “Those are DFD members, which stands for Deadly Fire Dragons, in case you're wondering. They run things in this district. The Poppers are greater in numbers, but these guys are known for being way tougher. It's why they sort of coexist in a shaky alliance in the area. Not only that, but these guys make a profit from it.” She goes on to explain.

  “Oh. Hadn't seen them much at all in my area, so I had no idea.” Galivinth shares.

  “Well, this joint is sitting on the edge of their territory, so they don't go too much further beyond here. Today, we’re going to change that.” Joscene informs smugly.

  “We are? But… The Poppers were my biggest concern.” He reminds her.

  “...She wants to make an example out of the big dogs so that the others fall in line.” Big Red chips in to fill in the blanks.

  “Ding, ding, ding! We're here to assert dominance and kick ass.” Joscene confirms Shurman’s assessment of her intent.

  “What? And this is going to help with my Seth problem? I'm not like… a gang banger. Until this year, I didn't even walk anywhere beyond my school.” Galivinth informs her.

  “Yeah… I know what's up in the streets for the most part, but it ain't like I rep any set either.” Shurman adds right after.

  “Well, it's about time you two boys toughen up. You want peace? You're gonna have to flex and show some bite. Doormats don't get to have it their way.” Joscene tells them before suddenly standing up from her seat and circling around to saunter to the other side of the establishment.

  “Wh-where are you going? Joscene… Joscene!” Galivinth calls out to her while turning in his seat and trying to keep his voice down. Receiving no further acknowledgement, he rises up to follow behind her with hustling steps. Shurman then follows right behind him.

  “Gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back.” A DFD member sitting at one of the booths announces before rising out of his seat to head into the bathroom in the back of the right side of the building. Just as he enters the washroom, Joscene settles into his seat. Right across from the head honcho of the 11-men squadron in the Sushi Bar, including the girl cozying up to him. Naturally, such boldness draws the eyes of the gang members, and especially an arching brow from the nonchalant young man on the other side of the table. Each of them being of Chinese descent.

  “Yo.” She casually greets. A mixture of smug and carefree, Joscene reaches over to pick up and unwrap a set of chopsticks on the table. She immediately shows symbolic disrespect by then using them to pick up a sushi roll from the plate in front of her - the one belonging to a member of his group - and brings it to her mouth to eat.

  “The hell you think you're doing?” The leader questions calmly.

  “Me?” She barely manages to get out while chewing. She swallows, then gives an answer.

  “Collecting taxes.” Is the simple response she gives before claiming another roll as her own.

  “You think you're a funny girl or something?” The leader asks as he unwraps his arm from around the young woman at his side and leaning forward in his seat with an unamused frown. Meanwhile, Galivinth is observing from about five feet away with his jaw hanging in disbelief.

  “Sometimes, yeah.” She answers with food in her mouth again. She chews and swallows.

  “But this isn't one of those times. You're done hanging around this terf for free.” She declares with a cheeky grin.

  “Oh yeah? Says who?” He questions.

  “So says M.O.M.H, homie.” She answers and brings her hands together in front of herself, knuckles to knuckles and fingertips facing down to form an ‘M’ with the help of her thumbs.

  “Oh brother…” Big Red holds his face in the palm of his hand upon seeing her do that.

  “...Is she… Is she throwing up gang signs right now?” Galivinth murmurs under his breath.

  “Run our tax money before we decide to run you out.” Joscene adds for good measure, intent on antagonizing them as much as she can. It works, truth be gold. The audacity has the other nine members turning around completely and standing up from their seat to surround the table.

  “Do you have any idea who the fuck we are, little girl? You ought to know when to shut your Goddamn mouth, bitch.” The leader retorts.

  “Please, please! No fighting, no fighting!” A cook from behind the counter pleas upon noticing the escalating situation at hand. Though, it just earns him a response of aggression. A DFD member turns to slam a fist down onto the counter.

  “Shut up and mind your business!” The member barks at the chef. Joscene’s eyes shift toward the display of intimidation, then back to the young man across from her. Then, to the female next to him, and then back to him again.

  “Is that your boo-thing?” The Japanese-American asks while wearing a lingering grin.

  “Yeah, that's my girl. So wh-” Before he can finish that thought, Joscene tosses the chopsticks aside and picks up the cup full of soda nearby, of which she promptly splashes in the other girl’s face.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Fuck off our territory or she’ll get it too, dickhead.” Joscene promptly threatens with a wicked look on her face.

  “Oh… WELP!” Is all Galivinth can say in the face of inevitable chaos.

  Nearby, Polo is walking around the corner and heading for the Sushi Bar after getting out of school. The teen has a craving for a large bowl of ramen and there's only one place he knows where the chefs serve it up best. None the wiser of what's taking place, the Crane High School student is chipper as he walks. Though, that changes just as he steps in front of the eatery’s large front window.

  Sssskkkkrrrrrrrsssshhhh! Thump!

  A body comes crashing through the glass and landing on the edge of the sidewalk, taking Polo by surprise.

  “Aye, what the fu–!?” Suddenly, his eyes shift from the groaning DFD member groaning on the ground and toward the female in a skirt backflipping through the window frame and landing in front of him, laughing maniacally as she does.

  “Joscene?” He arches a brow upon realizing who the agile girl is.

  Hearing her name, the female teen glances over.

  “Oh, heya, chump! You come here often?” She jokingly asks. Just then, Shurman and Galivinth exit through the front door by backing out of it, the half cryonean taking lead as he catches an incoming fist within the palm of his left hand, uses his grip to tug his attacker closer, and then sends the opposing gang member flying back inside with a thrusting palm strike to the stomach with his right hand.

  “There's a lot of them…” Galivinth comments with a solemn frown.

  “And it still won't be enough to drop us.” Joscene confidently assures.

  “Oh my God… First you ruin dojo beefs and now you're trashing my favorite food joint!? Can't have NOTHING good in this town with people like you around.” Polo complains while crossing his arms. Just then, the nine members come rushing out through the door and window frame to rush the three down. Galivinth does what he can to stand between the four approaching him and Shurman, but Joscene's words are proving true. These aren't dabbling school bullies. These are thugs who apparently take the craft of martial arts seriously. He manages to deflect several incoming attacks, but misreads a clever under-and-up punch to the chin that sends him stumbling a couple of steps back, a moment of vulnerability the second one uses to slam a firm kick to his side that nearly makes him fall over. A spinning heel kick from the third one zeros in for his temple, but the half cryonean is fortunately able to react in time to block it with a forearm, and then retaliate with a lunging sweep kick to the attacker’s lonesome foot on solid ground, resulting in the male collapsing onto his back. However, Galivinth doesn't gain that opportunity for free. A swift and immediate whip kick to the chest sends him tumbling over onto his back in the street. He’s quick to climb back onto his feet as another onslaught closes in on him from the four.

  “Oh, quit your bellyaching, will ya!? Everyone else besides you is having plenty of fun!” Joscene retorts at Polo’s complaint, currently in the middle of weaving and blocking attacks coming her way. Her keen eyes look for openings in the barrage she's undertaking and she's able to return a firm blow of her own with a standing split kick that clocks one on the chin. The hit puts the DFD member in a daze she can't possibly resist exploiting, and thus follows up with a running drop-kick to the chest that sends her victim soaring down the block like a skipping stone.

  “By the way, you wanna join our gang? I know your big mouth keeps you from having a productive social life.” She casually asks while kicking back up onto her feet. Just then, things heat up. One of the three DFD members still in her face releases his soul essence to its max capacity and throws a punch aiming for her abdomen. She blocks it by lifting a bending leg and using her sturdy shin to stop it in place, but even so, her attacker quickly grabs hold of her leg with his opposite arm and follows up with a firm kick into her side that makes her wince on impact. With a tug, the opposing gang member makes her clumsily stride forward and right into the punch of another member. A fist wearing a shroud of soul essence meets her mouth directly with a rattling impact and sends her stumbling over onto her back.

  “I’ll have you know that I have plenty of friends. My social life is just fine.” Polo retorts before leaning against the building as he nonchalantly watches Joscene climb back onto her while wiping a hand across her lips.

  “Besides, what are you guys even beefing over?” He prods.

  “Territory. We’ve decided that we’re claiming the area and sweeping out the trash.” She answers before bringing forth her own soul essence, though just merely at the level of 180%. Below half of her max potential, but still more than plenty to change the tide again.

  “Huh. I respect it. I kind of think the DFD gang are scumbags for the way they treat the people who work here, too.” Polo muses out loud as he ponders. As he does, Joscene re-engages the four Deadly Fire Dragon members head-on. Her footwork and attacks practically double the speed and are even more devastatingly powerful. So much so, that she sends a guy spinning sideways back inside the restaurant with a jumping roundhouse kick despite him blocking with his arm and his soul essence at maximum output. Without slowing down, she applies pressure onto the next closest. Far more cautious, the DFD members strategically shift into weaving and ducking her kicks while relying on one another to counter-attack her. A stalemate back and forth ensues within that 1 v 3. That is, until a hand suddenly grips one of Joscene's attacker's by the shoulder from behind and whips him into turning around.

  “GAI! “ Polo exclaims just as he slams a foot down atop of his chosen victim's a mere millisecond before his soul essence clad fist thrashes into the gang member’s chin with a fierce uppercut.

  “SER! CUT!!!” He roars out before a thin emerald tornado propels him 12-feet into the air, giving him momentum to put everything into thrusting his fist skyward until his arm is straight and the gang member launches another 15-feet into the air. At the conclusion of his technique, Polo safely drops back down onto his feet with a slight bend of his knees. His target however, winds up falling three seconds later and harshly onto his back five meters away.

  “Oh!? So you're joining the gang, then?” Joscene questions after witnessing that attack.

  “If it means making sure these guys don't come back? Then you're damn right I am!” Polo answers with clenching fists and a surge in his aura.

  “Hell yeah!” Joscene lets out at the top of her lungs with that lunatic-like grin on her pretty face. Instantly, the fight resumes with both of them rushing down the two remaining from both sides.

  Meanwhile–

  “Tuh.“ Galivinth spits out a bit of his sweet, unpleasantly licorice tasting blue blood onto the ground beside himself while eyeing the four DFD members in front of him. Each of them wearing their soul essence at max capacity.

  “You good, G?” Big Red asks out of genuine concern from his position standing behind Galivinth.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Please stay behind me, though. These guys might accidentally kill you without even trying.” The half-cryonean warns just before he takes up his Tiger-style kung-fu stance while his soul essence flows at an output of 190%. Despite doing so, his intent isn't to become more aggressive, but let their aggression be their own downfall. Impatience finally wins over and the four re-engage to overwhelm the half-cryonean, but the Blue Currents student is keen in his defense. Galivinth swats away an incoming jab with a brushing motion of his hand, stops a thrusting kick aiming for his face with a grasp of his hand, and blocks an overhead ax-kick by posturing his forearms in an ‘X’ formation above his head. Each of those moments of contact gives off a faint flash of light - a product of his The Fist That Denies martial art that has the property of depleting bits of soul essence and stamina on contact. Though, even a keen student such as himself can only do so much at once. When he blocks that overhead attack, another DFD member kicks one of his legs off balance, forcing him into a clumsy kneeling position and opening him up to receive an uppercutting knee to the chin that drops him into his back.

  “G!” Shurman calls out at seeing, and especially hearing, that harsh blow that topples his friend over. There's little pain from the blow, but it rocks him just enough for one to drop a knee down right onto his abdomen and attempt to ground pound him.

  “Back the fuck up off him! Keee-yaaah, bitch! ” Before that gang member can take his first swing, Big Red comes in with a drop-kick to the face. The ginger successfully gets the thug off Galivinth and puts him on his back, but the same guy kicks right back up onto his feet as if nothing put him down in the first place.

  “What the fuck? Aye, these dudes on crack or somethin'!?” Shurman arches a brow while hurrying back up onto his feet.

  “You're dead for that one!” Not too fond of the tall ginger intervening, the particular gang member steps over Galivinth to get at Shurman. Or so, the thug attempts to. The half-cryonean raises his soul essence output to x2.4 (240%) and quickly stops the DFD member by turning over onto his stomach and reaching out to yank at the male’s ankle. Once the gang member falls facedown, Galivinth quickly climbs back into his feet and strikes with a flurry of two-fingers poking jabs, landing eleven in total within three seconds. Each giving off that familiar faint flash and chipping away 2% of soul essence each time he lands a hit. Though, he only truly stops due to one from behind shoving him away.

  “Thanks for the help, Red. I got it from here.” Galivinth expresses his gratitude before turning around to face the four again, watching as they help their panting companion off the ground.

  “No problem, G. But for real… you GOTTA' teach me some of those moves sometimes.” Big Red insists, grinning as he crosses his arms. In the next instant, he witnesses his solemn friend charge in on the four. Though this time, there's a drastic change. Galivinth seems to be twice as fast while simultaneously being far more aggressive and yet somehow defensive. No hits get through and the four only seem to get slower as the seconds pass. Though Shurman is unable to see soul essence at all, he does see that Galivinth is fighting like a well oiled machine without a single hiccup for the entirety of the clash. A literal minute passes and sees that his skillful friend is the last one standing. A sight that leaves him staring in awe and disbelief. It's also by this time that Joscene and Polo walk over to where they are.

  “Dang, this guy is pretty solid! I was gonna jump in and help, but I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.” Polo comments. It's then he furrows his brows while studying the male with a dark complexion.

  “Hey, aren't you that guy from Friday? You were with that stuck-up asshole with the dyed fade cut, right?” He asks right after.

  “Yup, that's the one! This right here is my new favorite boy.” Joscene answers for Galivinth as she moves to stand shoulder to shoulder with the half-cryonean, slinging an arm around his shoulders while beaming a toothy grin at Polo.

  “And we just showed these posers who the REAL heavy hitters are around these parts!” She proudly announces.

  “Yeah, I guess we did, huh? But… I don't mind getting down and all, but don't ya think we'll need more than just four members?” Polo asks.

  “Well, duh! That's the part that comes next. Just had to show them that we’ve got quality over quantity first. Now that it's done, it's time to expand. Tomorrow, I want you guys to recruit as many people as you can and bring them to the corner we fought at back on Friday. Doesn't matter if it's one person or more. I don't expect the gang to grow big overnight. Oh, and bring a black jacket or hoodie tomorrow!” Joscene tells them.

  The small group disbands for the rest of the day. It's an afternoon Galivinth spends teaching Shurman what he can about soul essence and a small portion of it he spends conversing with Naeth via phone. The next day comes and they all prepare to meet up a block away from Galivinth’s school.

  “Galivinth!” Comes the enthusiastic exclaim from none other than Raice. Just as the half-cryonean steps out into the front of the apartment building he lives in, he spots his former Conquest Bout teammates and the bubbly girl among them running toward him while beaming brightly.

  “Oh!? Uh… h-hey! Good to see you, too.” Galivinth assures upon receiving a thorough hug from the tomboy who's arms easily find their way around his neck. An almost awkward-like smile takes shapes upon his lips as he hugs her by the waist, then shifts his eyes toward the others.

  “ALL of you.” He adds after a brief pause.

  “Salutations there, Galivinth! I too am pleased for the opportunity to see you again, my fascinating associate.” Qoreman greets in turn. While also being the only blonde among them all, he also has the longest hair, which possesses the style of being straight, neatly parted, and reaching as low as his pectorals. His skin fair, stature lean and standing at exactly 6’0, and his attire made of a black track jacket with it's zipper up and holding it shut, white track pants with a black stripe on the outer side of each leg, and high top skate sneakers on his feet

  “I also share that sentiment! It feels like it's already been a lifetime since I last saw you.” Raice shares before finally relieving Galivinth of her embrace and stepping back. A moment she uses to truly take him in visually as a whole.

  “Oh. It would seem you’ve also been undergoing a change. Your muscles have grown in mass and detail.” She comments. Raice herself is also a tad different from herself from months ago. In truth, each of them are. She still stands at the height of 5’6 with a curvaceously lean physique that leans fairly more toward a medium-size stature, though with a bit more muscle on her body. Her jet black hair is still short, but longer than it was before and also now brushed over. Her clothes consists of a black leather jacket that has its sleeves rolled up to her elbows, white sports wristbands on each of her forearms, a blue t-shirt underneath her jacket, black denim jeans with a single pant leg rolled up just below her left knee, white shin-high socks, and a black pair of high-top converse sneakers that look identical to Galivinth’s.

  “Of course they have.” Naeth asserts as he moves to stand beside his cousin and sling an arm around the half-cryonean’s neck. His opposite hand then gestures toward Galivinth with an open and upward facing palm.

  “This isn't the same timid, inexperienced, borderline weakling from before. The hardened shell that is his appearance before your eyes represents the strengthened mind and willpower he now possesses.” Naeth explains with a sense of pride. A display that makes Galivinth avert his eyes with embarrassment as he rubs the back of his neck.

  “Ah, come on… I’m not THAT different. I'm still myself.” Galivinth comments.

  “Nonsense. You’ve evolved into a new you that puts your past self to shame. Embrace it. Accept it. Acknowledge your own accomplishments, cousin.” Naeth insists. Then he gestures his hand toward the other cryoneans in front of them.

  “Of course, they’ve also been improving and chasing their own ambitions. As a whole, we’re better than we’ve ever been.” He adds.

  “That's right! I enlisted within the Cryo-Knight Training Organization back home and have seen plenty of results. And that's particularly thanks to Naeth teaching us about Soul Essence!” Raice affirms the claim.

  “Oh, you guys know how to use soul essence, too?” Galivinth questions upon hearing that surprising detail. As if reacting to a cue, Raice bawls her hands into fists at her side in a fashion that points her palms skyward and suddenly unleashes the full capacity of her sky-blue soul essence. Her aura instantly spreads 6.5 meters while at the output of 300%.

  “Uh huh! It's because of it that I’m confident I’m going to graduate from the organization and be eligible to become a Cryo-Dame by December!” Raice announces rather gleefully. Then, as if following her lead, Qoreman, Rayson, and Dae-van also put forth their soul essence, adding more color to the atmosphere around them. Yellow from Qoreman that covers 5.5 meters, lime-green from Rayson that reaches 6 meters, and orange from Dae-van that expands 5.5 meters.

  “Gaaaaawd-DAYUM! Your friends are already THAT far ahead of me?” Shurman questions as he approaches the group with his hands casually resting in his pockets. Today, he too is wearing a black leather jacket, though his has a hoodie unlike the others.

  “I knew I should have had you teachin’ me sooner than later.” He adds as he closes in, soon giving a ‘proper’ greeting by dabbing Galivinth.

  “S’up, G?”

  “Not much. Just getting ready to head to the meeting spot. By the way, these are other cryoneans. Raice, Qoreman, Rayson, and Dae-van.” Galivinth introduces the four, then does the same for Shurman.

  “And this here is Shurman, but we usually call him ‘Big Red’ or ‘Red’.” It's then something hits Galivinth.

  “Oh yeah! I guess we should come up with nicknames for you guys, too.” He muses.

  “Nicknames? As in an alias?” Qoreman questions.

  “Yup! You can come up with your own, or I could try to think of one for you.” Galivinth offers.

  “You can decide for me, Gally!” Raice informs.

  “Oh, oka– Wait… did you just call me ‘Gally’?” The half-cryonean questions while arching a brow.

  “Indeed. I’ve read that it's a method to show endearment and a bond between people.” She answers with a lingering smile.

  “Ah… true enough, I guess. Now, let's see. What would be a good nickname for you? Hmm… I like the sound of ‘Sapphire’.”

  “Oh? I like it!”

  “And you’ll be ‘Blondilocks’.” Galivinth declares while pointing toward Qoreman.

  “Silver, Blaze, aaaaand ‘N’.” Galivinth continues, going to Rayson, Dae-van, and finally Naeth in that exact order.

  “N? As in the letter?” Naeth questions.

  “That's right. We’ll be ‘G’ and ‘N’!” Galivinth answers with a grin.

  “Yo, I definitely dig it. Low key, ‘N’ sounds kinda’ tough and ominous.” Shurman comments.

  [Minutes Later…]

  Galivinth and his group make it to the corner. There waiting is Lady Jojo, Polo, Jannon, and Shadow.

  “Yo! We're here!” Galivinth announces to draw the attention of the four ahead.

  “Huh? Oh snap!” Joscene turns her head and her eyes quickly go wide at the crowd Galivinth is arriving with.

  “Aaaaah, that's my favorite boy! Look at the pack he brought in.” She gushes with a big, toothy grin.

  “Tch… Looks like only two of us were able to pull in some numbers, unlike a certain somebody.” Jesse, a.k.a. Polo, comments slyly with a rather annoyed expression on his face.

  “Shut your trap, Floto Dork! All of my friends from school are aspiring businessmen and women who have to study hard to get somewhere in life. They don't really have time for unemployed behavior…” Joscene retorts while crossing her arms.

  “What chu’ trying to say here? Let us know how you really feel…” Polo prods with squinting eyes.

  Just then, someone approaches the group from behind.

  “Hey! Galivinth, Naeth!” A voice calls out and draws everyone’s attention.

  “Oh, Asura!” Galivinth exclaims upon laying eyes on the newcomer. Coincidentally, the 5’8 ? foot tall dual swordsman is wearing a black jacket over a white shirt and blue under shirt, black fitting jeans on his legs, a formal watch on his right wrist, a blue wristband on his left wrist, and blue converse sneakers on his feet. Of course, there's also his thick frame glasses and the sheathed twin blades he’s holding on his back within a large belt-holster that's around his torso in a diagonal fashion.

  “Sorry to bother you, but my curiosity is piqued quite thoroughly. I was wondering what could possibly hold your attention more than the flag contest back at Mount Heaven Splitter, and then I saw that you're also hanging around my cousin.” Asura explains with a simple smile on his face.

  “Your cousin?” Galivinth questions.

  “Yeah, ole' four-eyes over there is my cousin. Didn't know you three knew each other, though.” Joscene shares with them.

  “Oh yeeeeah! You're Jolelimoon Sr.’s relative, so that makes sense.” Galivinth comments.

  “Yeah, he goes to our school.” Shurman adds.

  “So! What's all of this about?” Asura prods.

  “Whaddya think!? We're banding together to form a new gang.” Joscene proudly proclaims, taking her relative by surprise.

  “It's to get the gang members in the area to back off and stop hanging around the area.” Galivinth adds to clarify their true intent.

  “I see! Hmmm… Well, I’ve always had a good feeling about you, so you have my benefit of a doubt, Carrenmale. Under different circumstances, I wouldn't even consider such a notion, but seeing as how a family member is involved and that we’re brothers under the Adaptive Fists martial arts, so I’ll lend you my help in your goal.” Asura announces with a nod of his head.

  “So it's official!” Joscene suddenly blurts as she moves to hook her arms around Galivinth’s and Asura’s necks.

  “M.O.M.H. now has twelve members!” She declares enthusiastically.

  “By the way… What does M.O.M.H. stand for?” Shadow questions.

  “Midnight On Marilyn Hitters.” She answers.

  “What? You wanna talk about unemployed behavior ? Not only are you out of your cotton picking mind, but fighting on Marilyn street at midnight of all times is sheer fatherless behavior. I ain't comin’ out here to throw hands on school nights…” Polo comments with a look of scrutiny as he folds his arms.

  “It's fine, alright!? We're not gonna be out here past 10pm. It

  's just a cool name. Now, let's go get our new logo. I got something prepared in advance yesterday.” Joscene informs.