"Fight me!" The young man, around twenty years old, pointed his spear at Alex, his eyes burning with determination.
Alex raised an eyebrow and leaned toward Upa. "Hey, Upa, who is this guy? And what's he talking about?"
Before Upa could respond, Mellon whispered back instead. "He's that weirdo who kept staring at me. But every time I looked back, he'd turn away. A few times, I even felt him approaching, but the second I looked up, he'd spin around and pretend to be busy. I tried confronting him, but he disappeared into the crowd."
"He's not a weirdo," Upa whispered frantically, clearly flustered. "Miss Mellon is just so beautiful that he couldn't help it. Besides, he's one of the strongest warriors of our generation!"
"Hey! Don't you dare ignore—" The young man's outburst was cut short by Mellon's furious shout.
"CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT? CAN'T YOU WAIT A MINUTE?!"
The young man flinched, his confidence crumbling. "Uh… well, alright. I was just trying to speed things up… You don't have to yell at me," he muttered, his voice trailing off as he blushed and looked away.
Alex smirked. "Whoa, calm down, Mellon. You'll scare him off."
Once things settled, Alex turned back to the young warrior. "Alright, so why do you want to fight me?"
The young man clenched his jaw. "I heard you climbed Korin Tower. Every man in our tribe dreams of reaching the top, yet you—an outsider—claim to have done it? And with that frail-looking body? I refuse to believe it!" His grip on the spear tightened. "I'll crush you and prove to my clansmen that you're nothing but a fraud. There's no way you could've made it halfway, let alone to the top!"
Before Alex could respond, Mellon nudged him. "Come on, Alex, you're just gonna let him talk to you like that? Fight him! Show him what you've got!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The surrounding crowd joined in, cheering.
Alex sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Guess I don't have a choice… Might as well use this to test my strength." He stepped forward, casually swinging his arm in a circle.
"Well, well, well… so you finally decided to show yourself," the young man taunted, stepping closer to Alex. He was almost a head taller, using his size to intimidate him. "The name's Goro. Remember it, because after today, you won't forget it."
Goro took a few steps back, gripping his spear with both hands. "Draw your weapon!"
Alex tilted his head. "What? Do I look like I have a weapon? Just attack whenever you're ready." He stood there without a stance, looking completely unbothered.
"You—!" Goro's face burned with anger. "Don't get too cocky!"
With a roar, Goro charged, thrusting his spear straight at Alex's head. "This will teach you to take me seriously!"
Alex didn't move. At the last second, he tilted his head slightly. The spear tip whizzed past, missing by inches.
Goro gritted his teeth and launched into a flurry of attacks—thrusts, slashes, quick feints. The air filled with sharp swishes as the spear cut through space.
Alex dodged them all. With only the slightest movements of his head, he evaded every strike effortlessly.
Goro's frustration boiled over. "Try dodging this!" He swung his spear in a powerful horizontal arc.
Swish!
The attack hit nothing but air.
"Huh? Where did he—?"
Before Goro could react, a force slammed into his face. BAM! Alex's fist connected squarely with his nose, sending him stumbling backward. He landed hard on his backside, clutching his face.
"Did I win?" Alex asked, glancing at Bora, the tribal chief.
Bora blinked in disbelief. "...Yeah, I guess so."
"Alright then. I'll be heading inside the Capsule House to rest. You guys can carry on," Alex said, turning away.
"NO! NO! NO! THIS ISN'T OVER!" Goro shot up, rage twisting his face. "NOT UNTIL YOU KILL ME!"
He lunged at Alex again, spear aimed straight for his back.
The crowd gasped.
Alex didn't turn around.
Just as the spear was about to pierce his head—
Ting.
Alex caught the spear. With just his index finger and thumb.
The entire tribe fell silent.
"You don't seem to recognize the difference in our strength," Alex said coolly. "I guess I'll have to show you."
He vanished.
Pow!
Goro's eyes widened as pain exploded in his stomach. Alex's fist was buried deep in his gut. A split second later—thud—Goro collapsed to his knees, coughing.
"Argh… H-How did you…?" he wheezed.
"Enough, Goro," Bora said, stepping forward. "You lost. As a warrior of our tribe, you must accept that. Stand down. If you attack Alex again, I will personally exile you from the tribe."
Goro's hands clenched into fists. His pride was shattered, his defeat undeniable. After a long pause, he exhaled sharply. "...I understand." He gritted his teeth. "It's just… the way I lost… It was humiliating. I lost control of myself. But I admit it—I lost."
After a moment, he looked up at Alex. "I'd like you to join us for the feast tonight. Please accept my invitation as an apology."
Alex studied him for a moment before nodding. "I understand. I'll join you later."
He turned and headed toward the Capsule House.
"Ah! Wait up!" Mellon suddenly ran after him.
Alex glanced at her. "Aren't you supposed to be helping with the preparations?"
Mellon hesitated before fidgeting with her fingers. "You know… I heard there's a tradition during the feast." She peeked up at him. "You sit with the person you like."
Alex blinked.
"I-I mean, it's not a date or anything!" she stammered. "I was just thinking… maybe we should sit together? But, you know, the whole tribe will be there, so it's not like—"
A smirk crept onto Alex's face.
"Sure. It's a date, then."
Mellon's eyes widened. Then, a bright, excited smile spread across her face.
Hooking her arm around his, she tugged him toward the house. "C'mon! We have to get you ready for the feast!"
Power level
Alex :(weights) 120
goro : 30