Always Around - 4

4

I saw with my own eyes a person taking blows to the chest, stomach, and legs. He was also hit in the face, which clearly disoriented him for a moment, but he quickly regained his focus.

Although his body was clearly exhausted, he did not give up and was even able to return some of the punches he received. This was not a beating, but a fairly even fight.

After a few minutes, someone stepped between the two fighters and stopped the altercation. Consequently, they looked at each other and, before walking in opposite directions, touched gloves as a sign of respect.

When the fight ended, both fighters retreated to opposite corners of the ring and took a few seconds to talk with their coaches.

I, sitting with the audience, considered the fight to have been phenomenal, much better than I expected, especially considering it was the last fight of the first tournament for both participants.

That is why, in a way, I felt proud to see a friend and colleague of mine up there in the ring, waiting for one of them to be chosen as the winner.

Certainly, the choice must not have been easy, but in the end, the judges decided on a result, and… it was not exactly what you would expect for the end of an inspiring story.

Andre, who was waiting for his left hand to be raised, had to watch as his opponent's was raised instead.

However, even though he did not get the victory, he smiled. He was undoubtedly happy to have gone much further than he initially thought, and he could finally start to relax again.

…

When we went outside and felt the cool evening breeze again, Andre was carrying a small trophy. He could not stop looking at it.

Andre: This was all so great… Bro, it's already over, but I'm still shaking and my heart’s racing!

Twen: Well, you've been preparing for this tournament for months, so obviously you were going to be nervous—

Andre: Look, I really am shaking!

He said this while bringing one of his hands close to my face, almost hitting me (luckily, it was not the hand holding the trophy.) Anyway, I could see it shaking a little.

Andre: But you know what? I didn't actually hate it at all.

Twen: Really?

Andre: Maybe before today, but now that it's all over, I think it was fun, and I learned a lot… I'm going to be a beast at the next tournament! And then I'll definitely take home the gold!

Twen: Good! That's champion’s mentality right there! … But you shouldn't look down on second place.

Andre: Yeah, yeah… I didn't expect to only lose one fight at the end of the day. But you know what? To be honest, it's a little frustrating.

Twen: Frustrating…

Andre: I mean, in that moment, inside the ring, I really felt like all the time I've spent training had paid off, and it was like I was doing everything right… But he, somehow, was doing even better.

Twen: He was pretty good too, yes.

Andre: I know he trains at that amazing gym downtown, the one that's super expensive, which is why I didn't even think about joining… But to say that's the reason and leave it at that feels like a lame excuse.

That way of thinking, while not the most positive, was, in my opinion, the most fruitful of all, since it meant that Andre's inspiration was not empty.

He was seriously looking for what he had lacked with the intention of improving it in the future, and he did not ignore his opponent's merit. It made me think that he was a good competitor, and I wanted to continue seeing him grow as one.

Twen: The coach probably took note, and you can talk to him about it at the next practice… But also, they'll definitely keep taking advantage of the things you did better than him.

Andre: Oh, yeah… And you think there are some of those?

Twen: Of course! You just might not have realized it yet.

With an expression that made him look satisfied and a little smug at the same time, Andre tilted his head and looked away.

Then he started walking, and I noticed that we had been standing on the street for a while, and we had not gone more than a few steps from where the tournament was held.

It was far from both of our homes, so it would have taken us more than an hour to walk.

But luckily, we had a friend who had offered to help us with that. A friend to both of us and possibly to everyone in Novadía.

Many: Hey! Hurry up, we have to celebrate!

Andre: Many! Bro, check this out!

Many: Oh, awesome! By the way, you fought really well. My legs are killing me just by watching your kicks.

Andre: Thanks! I felt like I was landing them pretty well today too.

While they were talking, Many shook Andre's hand and moved it up and down constantly. When he finally let go, he extended his hand toward me, letting me know it was my turn, and so it continued.

Many: Andre, get in there, we have to go celebrate! And you too, Twen. We have to take advantage of the fact that no one else is borrowing you for today.

Twen: Borrowing, huh?

Andre: And where will the wind take us today, Many?

Many: Well, to my house. I bought some things and I'm going to invite some friends over to celebrate tonight.

Andre: Nice!

Andre and I quickly got into the beautiful car of Many, me in the front seats and him in the back.

Andre's body was clearly exhausted, because when he sat down he groaned like an old man with a hurting back, and immediately seemed to find the position in which he was going to sleep.

Many started the car and we began to move, but he also pointed to something on the seat next to Andre (although only I saw it, because he had a vacant stare as if he were unconscious).

Many: I bought this for you to drink and help you recover a bit. It's a sports drink, good for after a workout.

Twen: Good idea… And a good brand too! What a great friend.

Although it was not something that happened to me often, at that moment I felt inferior. Because when it comes to being a good friend, you cannot compete with Many.

I grabbed the bottle, which said “V-Lixir” on the label, and placed it in one of his hands as if he were adorning a corpse. More than holding it, I would say he was simply cradling it with his fingers.

Apparently, Andre intended to take a nap on the way. And, honestly, no one could blame him for that.

He closed his eyes while Many and I talked about what he had planned. According to him, he told some people he wanted to celebrate one of his friend's achievements, and then things got out of hand, to the point where they needed two dates to celebrate.

So, we continued driving until we reached the street that ran alongside Novadía's beloved river. The streets were mostly empty, and we were not in any hurry to get to our destination.

In fact, with Many driving and after having taken a weight off our shoulders (because I was also a little nervous about Andre), our trip back home was peaceful and relaxing.

That was, at least, until something very strange and unexplainable happened.

???: Excuse me, would you be so kind as to stop the car for a moment?

I turned my head to see what was going on, and all I saw was Andre's hand sticking out between the front seats.

He was gesturing as if he were controlling a sock puppet, but instead of a puppet, there was only a glove. Something that possibly could be worn by the police, or the military.

???: Please.

Many: What's wrong, is Andre a ventriloquist now?

Twen: Yeah… No… That's not Andre's voice.

In fact, it was not just a voice I had never heard before, but also a glove I had never seen. It was something that seemed to make sense but had no explanation… And that is why I decided to do what we were asked.

Twen: Many, could we stop for a moment? This might be important.

Many: Really? Well, if you say so, then no problem. And look! We've got a spot right there.

We were driving along the side of the river, but not exactly at its level. So, on our right, we saw a narrow path that descended to the riverbank and then climbed back up to join the main road.

Our driver decided to go down that path and stop in the lower area.

Once there, I gently patted Andre's cheeks because he was almost asleep, and then we all got out of the car.

The gloved hand moved again, and judging by Andre's reaction, it was not his doing. We all saw one of his fingers involuntarily extend to point at the river, which is why we walked to the bank.

Andre and I leaned over the water so we could see our own reflections, though were not very clear due to the movement.

However, that image soon became even more distorted, and it was not because of the water or the current. The reflection itself was actually transforming, and it finally became the reflection of two people other than us.

Before I could identify them, water splashed onto our faces, and the two people we had seen emerged from the river.

???: Hey, I'm all wet now, you know.

???: Oh! Sorry, just give me a second.

That man placed his hand on the other's head, and then a lot of steam came out of his skin and clothes, solving the problem of the wetness.

It was a fact that should not have had any explanation within the laws of physics of our world, but by simply looking at that person, a very simple explanation could be found… In his hand.

His left hand, the one he placed on the other boy's head, was covered by a brown, tactical glove, which was obviously the counterpart to the glove that had appeared on Andre’s hand.

After resolving their minor issue, the two people who had emerged from the river turned toward us and approached.

???: Sorry for this sudden appearance, but we really wanted to talk to you… And, by the way, could you give me back that glove?

Andre: Oh, it's yours? Then yeah, here you go.

???: You really found it, huh? How lucky to have you around!

Andre: Wait, you're the guy who won the tournament!

In front of Andre, a familiar face caught his attention, and so they greeted each other with a firm handshake and moved away from us to talk.

I, for my part, kept watching the man who had asked for his glove back. He looked back at me, put on his glove, and stretched it a little to adjust it.

???: The one that I wanted to see was you… You're that masked man, right?

Twen: Maybe? My name is Twen, and this mask is vinculated to my emotions… It's my OV.

With a single smile, he confirmed that the person he was looking for, his objective, had finally been found.

???: That's great! Well, my name is Prince, and as you've probably already guessed, I myself am also an OV carrier.

Prince:

A man who looked about my age, though a little taller. He seemed somewhat absentminded or impulsive, but did not have any ill intentions. His eyes were orange and his hair dark with long sideburns. He was also the only other OV holder I had met since I moved to Novadía. Specifically, he had vinculated with a pair of brown policeman gloves.

This person, the carrier of the gloves, was someone I had heard of before, as is the case with all the other OV holders in the world, but he was different.

Some ideas popped into my head, and certain points started to connect, but I had to ignore them because I first had to know his intentions.

Twen: And… why did you want to see me today?

Prince: Why? Well, I wanted to talk to another OV carrier who wasn't like twenty years older than me. And also, I was helping my friend so he could talk to your friend.

As he said that, Andre was laughing and sharing his phone number with the same person he had just fought against in the ring a few minutes ago. By the way, Many joined in their conversation.

Prince: But, to be honest with you, Twen, there's another reason I came to talk to you. You see, I've been hearing a lot of things about you.

Twen: What kind of things?

Prince: Have you been imitating me? Or are you trying to steal my position as the carrier of Novadía? You wanna’ fight?

Twen: What? No, not at all. I'm just trying to put my powers to good use.

Prince: Oh, a good use, I see… Of course… So, you're sure you don't want to fight?

He raised an eyebrow as he dropped the most direct hints I had ever heard, but I just did not know what to say.

Prince: Since you're friends with that guy, and you were in the stands watching the competition too, you wouldn't happen to know something about martial arts, would you?

Twen: Well, yeah… I guess I can handle myself, but—

Prince: That's perfect! I've been waiting so long to do this… Please grant me this wish, Twen!

Twen: Are you serious? This is the first thing you want to do with someone you just met?

That is what I said. However, I did kind of get it.

Prince: Obviously, I'm not talking about a fight to the death or anything. It's just a little sparring, practice, for fun. I've always wondered what it would be like to fight someone like me, using what we've been given.

Twen: You mean, the power of the OV.

Prince: Exactly! I’m sure you know what I'm talking about, Twen… Don't you want to know what it's like to fight using your powers at their full potential? To challenge someone else's reality? You must have thought about something like this before, haven't you? At least once.

Twen: More than once, actually… But I don't think it's that easy. It's dangerous for the environment, and—

Prince: But if it's just the two of us, we can fix it! Let's create some kind of ring that nothing can enter or leave. If we try, there must be a way to do it, right?

Twen: That… Yes, it's possible.

I said that as my gaze shifted toward the river, and Prince seemed to understand what was going through my head.

Prince: That's an interesting idea. And I think you're keen to try it too.

Twen: I couldn't say I'm completely decided, but… I'm kind of anxious to finally be able to do this.

Prince: I'm not sure what might happen either, but now that I've found you, it seems like an unmissable opportunity… Besides, we just watched a live martial arts tournament. I couldn't feel more hyped.

I thought about it a little more, because starting a fight out of nowhere, even if it was just for practice and fun, and we were both capable of overcoming any unforeseen event, certainly felt strange.

But for Prince, this seemed more like an extension of the martial arts tournament, and an opportunity to use his powers, which, as an OV carrier, must have been limited since the very moment he got them.

For me, this was also an opportunity like no other, and I was feeling convinced even if I felt there was something wrong with it, but my reasons were not exactly the same.

Of course, using my powers with fewer limitations was like a dream come true, but the appearance of this character was not significant only for me, but also for someone else.

Someone who was not with us at that moment.

Having him so close, right in front of me, I certainly had no intention of letting him get away. I had things to hear from him, things to learn about him…

That is why I turned to where Many and the others were.

Twen: Hey, this might take a while, so you guys can go now and I'll catch up with you later.

Many: Oh, really? Did something happen?

Twen: Not yet, but I have something to do with him.

Many: Well then, I'll see you at my place. No rush.

After waving goodbye, Many told Andre to get in the car and invited his new friend to join them. He accepted, and the three of them got in the car and drove away.

The only ones left were Prince and me, standing between a stone wall and the river of Novadía.

Prince smiled excitedly, realizing I had just accepted his offer, and after rubbing his hands (or his gloves, actually) together, he went to stand in front of the water.

He held his hands out in front of him as if he were trying to cast a spell, and then the river rose up forming some kind of air tunnel below itself.

Prince: Do you think that's okay to use as a ring?

Twen: Yeah… I think it'll do.