A simple kid's dream

On a ring with the corners surrounded by net walls a fist was thrown in the air, covered in blood, then was clean with a splash of water, the steam coming out of person along with the heavy breathing was then mute by the screams of excitement of the masses, in the floor, a man unconscious was completely wet, breathing slowly, but he was injured then a voice coming out of the speakers breaking even the voice of the masses was heard.

“AND WITH THAT WE HAVE OUR NEW CHAMPION, THE UNBEATABLE, RYO KAZAMA!”

That image persists in my memory since the moment I knew about these places, and now is my turn to let me know, aiming for the championship of my town, I will thrum and go as the new elementer champion!

“You want to do what?”

“Going into intern-“

“No, I heard you, just… you know that those places are illegal, right?”

“I am already an illegal person”

“Shut up!...”

My friend started to look around while he put his hand on my mouth and sighed in relief after he saw nobody.

“I told you to be careful, I don’t want to run into troubles just because you have a big mouth”

“Sorry, thank you, you really are the only one that I have to talk about it”

“There’s still plenty of time for a break, why don’t we go to the rooftop?”

“Sure”

My best friend, Yuki Arima, a blonde guy a bit taller than me with a slim body type and green eyes, is the only guy who I can trust with my secret.

We reach the rooftop and I lay down on the ground while looking at the clouds.

“Why do you want to go there, Ren?”

“You know the tournament of the elementers?”

“Of course, I know, you don’t shut up about when we were in middle school and still nowadays from time to time you bring it up”

“Well, after that day, I figure that maybe I am destined to become one too”

“Dude, you haven’t even been in a fight, you mostly play fighting games and you suck at them too! I beat you every time!”

“Can you not put you by my side in this one?”

“Man, I am always on your side, that’s why I am telling you that this is a bad idea”

“I will not share the prize of my first fight with you then”

“Agggh…”

Yuki was holding his head like he just got a headache, and I pat his back

“Come on man, trust me on this one”

Yuki sighs and looks at me and smiles while negating with his head.

“I have never seen you that excited about something before… I thought that you were just and easy-going person and you were just ended up working on a part-time job for the rest of your life after graduating from high school”

“Hey… that's dark man… I do have a thing to look up to”

“Maybe, but in my head, you were just happy doing that, joking around and just hanging like normal…”

I smile and Yuki sit down

“Do you even know how to get in those?”

“That is the most difficult part of it, I don’t even know how they do that, and if we mess up, we are going to be in big trouble”

“Yeah… wait, we? You don’t mean that I go with you in search of your crazy new lifestyle, don’t you?”

I look at Yuki seriously and then smirk

“You piece of-… huh…”

Yuki sighed and we lay down

“I know you well, even if I didn’t ask you will still come with me”

“Because you are an idiot who would get easily in trouble”

I laugh hard at the comment and look at the sky.

“I am serious about this, Yuki… I have never felt like this before, is like when you discover your passion for fixing electronics, I remember the look on your face when you fix that robot”

Yuki didn’t say a word and he sighed one more time

“I understand, Ren, but I want you to remember, I am too at your side, everything you do, it will impact on my too, so think about that too”

“Don’t worry, I know”

The bell rings and we stand up.

“Well, I’ll see you after class, try to not think too much on this in class”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later”

We went to our classes, and after school was over, I went to the library and took one book about boxing, I found Yuki at the entrance and I waved my hand.

“Look what I brought from the library”

“Boxing?”

“It would suit my style, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know… you could try to be like a dancer or some stuff”

“I want to look cool, not like a dancer”

“Acrobatics, maybe that”

“Uh…”

“Acrobatics are cool, come on”

“I will think about it…”

While we were discussing trivial things, we went over the usual path and I stopped for a second.

“Did you hear that?”

“Heard what?”

“..elp… me…”

“THAT!”

“Keep it down, dude, we are in public…”

I clench my fist and turn around and start running.

“REN!”

My name is Ren Kazeki, I am a 16-year-old student from high school, I am easy going, but ever since I got this, I felt like I can do more, while entering and be the elementer champion is my dream since little, there are other things I want to do with this.

“Please… somebody…”

“Shut it, granny! You can’t even scream properly; nobody is going to come with those low volume screams”

“Just hang over those”

“No… My grandson gave me this bag… I cannot give it to you”

“Look, I really hate to hurt old people so just give it, nobody is going to come”

The granny had already tears on her face, and she was holding his bag tightly.

“Hey…”

I appear behind the guys.

“What? Who are you?”

“Why do you have a bag on your head? What are you a vigilante or some stuff? Get some rest kid, turn around and we are going to let you go”

“The ones that should let go are you from that granny”

I could hear myself perfectly, I put a plastic bag on my head and made holes to see but not for my mouth, maybe they couldn’t hear me since the sound got muffled.

I sigh and I approach the guys slowly, one of the guys approached me too while laughing and when we stood in front of me I adopted my boxing posture. They guy just punched me in the face and I got stunned, I started to lose my balance just from a single hit.

It hurt, it made me tear up, and hyperventilating from the pain, the guys started laughing so I ran towards them screaming, they guy looked happy, very happy, but that look on his face changed when I jumped and hit him with my fist a fast velocity.

The guy rolled and fell off on the ground. He got unconscious with the first hit, the other guy got scared and that’s when he saw the reality, wind flowing below me, the sound of the wind breaking the sound he started running and I propelled myself against him and hit his back.

I got up and approached the granny, I made a hole in the bag with my mouth and touched her shoulder.

“You are now good mam”

I said it with the brokest voice, I wanted to cry, the granny nodded and she ran out of the hallway while I leaned against the wall.

“Come on, don’t get into that, that made a lot of noise”

Before I noticed, Yuki was taking me with his shoulder and took the bag out of my head.

“Where are your blazer and your backpack?”

“I throw it in a near bush, it should be not long from here”

“Man, you are bleeding”

“And my fist and feet hurt too…”

“Let’s get you out of here man… you did something good, be proud of it”

I nodded and started to whisper.

“Why do I need to hide this from the rest… Yuki…?”

“I wish I could answer you that, Ren… when you discover your powers, I was terrified, having those are super cool, but if you really want to get into that championship, these are the weakest hits you are going to get, you will be pairing against actual animals, and you would get injured badly”

“I have read about it, but even now that my body hurts like hell, I will tell you something that it made sound bad… of course I was doing it for the poor old lady if there’s something in where I could help I will… but… when I was fighting against those guys… that little fight… made me feel so excited for what is coming.