Dust and silence choked the air inside the crumbling Hostel hideout. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls from the force of the clashes. Daniel was breathing heavily now, his shirt torn and bruises rising across his body. Chuck's knuckles were bloodied, and Justin still wore that smirk though it had begun to crack.
"You're tough," Chuck admitted, circling Daniel, fists ready. "But not crew-head level. Not yet."
Justin's eyes glinted. "He got lucky. That's all."
Daniel wiped the blood from his mouth.
A heavy thud echoed behind them.
"I think he was waiting for me."
Everyone turned.
Zack Lee stood there, fists taped up and fury in his eyes. "No one touches my Daniel except me and gets away with it."
"Zack," Daniel breathed, relief washing over him.
Chuck scoffed. "Two on two, huh?"
Justin raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. Let's make this fun."
The moment was a blur of fists, elbows, and raw power. Daniel took on Chuck, already familiar with his brutal rhythm, while Zack tangled with Justin, exchanging powerful blows that shook the floor.
Chuck was fast, his technique refined from years of street brawling. But Daniel had fought monsters. His footwork grew tighter, his counters sharper. This time, he wasn't just dodging he was predicting.
Zack grinned through a busted lip as Justin's Muay Thai kicks glanced off his guard. "You're quick," Zack said. "But you hit like a mosquito."
Justin snarled and lunged only for Zack to duck, pivot, and slam a clean uppercut into his gut. Justin stumbled back, winded for the first time.
With timing forged in countless fights, Daniel and Zack moved together.
Chuck threw a wild right.
Daniel parried, stepped in, and slammed his fist into Chuck's chin with everything he had.
Justin went for a knee.
Zack caught his leg mid-air and twisted, flipping Justin into the concrete floor.
And then
Silence.
Chuck and Justin groaned on the ground, defeated.
Daniel exhaled, chest heaving. "Thanks for showing up."
Zack smiled, wiping blood from his lip.
They stood side by side, surrounded by unconscious enemies. No flashy celebration. Just mutual respect and a silent promise:
The war with Hostel was only beginning.
But together, they wouldn't lose.