Chapter 16: (Segal 1)

At the gym, Augustya's physical test was about to end. He was weary but trying his best to make a new record of plank. Also, this was his last attempt to get rank D. 

He had been holding a plank for more than 7 minutes. Seeing Augustya's dedication, other players started cheering and howling at the boy.

"Go 14." 

"Boy, you can smash him."  

"14. You can do it."

The adrenaline and cheering boosted Augustya's mojo as sweat was dripping from his forehead. His hands were fumbling yet he stayed there.

The examiner's sharp eyes were on the clock and the Augustya posters. This type of test was to check the fighters' core strength and endurance and see how many minutes they could hold it for.

The average fighter had to do it for 6 minutes to pass this exam. 

The examiner said: "11 minutes up."

'Breath in, breath out.' Augustya had been reciting this mantra to calm his mind. 

Finally, Augustya collapsed on the surface and stared at the white ceiling. 

"14 minutes and 34 seconds. A new record held by the youngest child," the examiner announced and grinned at him. 

Pancho came over and wiped his sweat with a wet towel.

"Kiddo, you did well."

"Stone, my hands are hurting," Augustya said in a teary voice. 

Finally, Augustya's physical test ended on a good note. For the first time in a while, Augustya felt proud of himself.

Sadly, Julie and Zekrom were not there to cheer him up. Today, Julie had her fight, so she was in the backstage area. Since last night, Zekrom had disappeared.

_____________

[POV ZEKROM]

 I was filled with schadenfreude to meet my old friend. He taught me many things, and now it was time to pay him back. Ground floor where A list criminals were locked in chains and Segal was there too. He was locked in four walls of titanium and a few layers of shield, as if he might try to escape from prison. 

My expedition began as I entered the ground floor. The dim red light of the tunnel made my body shiver as I listened to my footsteps in the stillness. I felt as if someone was crawling beneath the ground. 

¥Doctor, why are you walking slowly?¥ Crocs, the nurse bot, asked in a mechanical voice. I snapped back from my thoughts and glanced at her. 

"You should be delighted that I am with you," I said with ego, mimicking the doctor's voice. 

I disguised myself in a doctor's uniform and imitated his voice with a voice changer that I stole from a particular woman. Cough! A dog couldn't change his old  habits. Sadly, that trick didn't work on the droid.  To get through the identification, I plucked out the eye of the doctor to use its iris. No reply came from the nurse bot. 

Finally, we arrived at the segal cells. I watched his miserable face through the  glass wall.  I glared at him with disdain. Besides, he looked different compared to our last meeting.   His giant torso was locked in chains and looking bony with no fat. A pungent smell was coming from behind the bars as if he had not showered in months. 

"Bastard! Is Natch D treating you better?" I asked, and an evil grin appeared on my face. 

 But no reply came from behind his jail bars.

"Doctor, it's time to feed him," Nurse bot said to me as she handed me the metal trolley. 

"Crocs, open the door." 

¥Authorisation restricted.¥

"Sh*t," I cursed. 

"How do I unlock this?" I asked her in a cold manner and showed off my D grade acting. 

'Shit. Does she recognise me? Stupid Zek, why did I say that?' My mind was in turmoil, and scratched my cheeks in fear. 

"Doctor, you have to give your thumb an imprint and retina scan to open the cell," The nurse robot informed me, and I let out a sigh of relief.

After unlocking the door, I stepped into the cell with a metal trolley, as I shouldn't have left the torture ingredients behind.

"Meg, wipe the croc's memory, and put her in sleep mode," I ordered Meg. 

→As you wish, King Zek.← Meg said.

→ Robot 5656 wiped her memory data. Put her in sleep mode.←

¥Good night.¥ Nurse Bot froze and fell to the ground instantly. 

Some wondered how I could hack this. I didn't have such a rare talent with me, but I knew a few tricks and with the power of begging you could do anything and also money. 

"Give me data about Segal," I commanded her.  Doing this, my heart fluttered like an innocent boy getting his favourite toy. Such a beautiful life I had

→ Segal 

 Age: 49

Height : 6 feet 3 inch 

Species: No data found 

Fighter : A- 

Personality : dishonesty and average I.Q.

Records: He killed 332 people in his life

 span and is an A grade most wanted criminal.← A holographic image popped in front of my eyes. Somehow I read the numbers. 

"Sad! You didn't cross your 333 target, Segal," I laughed at him and walked closer to him. Seeing him up close, I noticed he was uglier, and  nasty. 

His face was covered in bruises and blisters as  the scent of dead fish bursted into my nostrils. 

*Pa* My handprint was imprinted on his dark cheeks. Feeling satisfied, I hit him twice. 

*Pa. Pa.* But that guy wasn't in the mood to wake up. 

I sighed. "Oii, you uncorrupted man. Wake up." 

Being frustrated, I kicked his stomach. 

Then I remembered a few drugs that were put on the trolley. 

"Segal, let's play doctor doctor. You are my patient, and I will heal you."  A devilish  smile appeared on my face.

I took a syringe and poked him in the arm. The crimson blood was gushing out of his arm, making the white floor dirty. Satisfying! 

Yet there was no sign of awakening.

I filled the same syringe with an unknown drug that was on the trolley and thrust that onto his thigh again. Moreover, the doctor had advised us not to poke the syringe twice as hard as I did. In my defense I was not a doctor.

"Ahh!" A low moan came out of his mouth.

"Now, wake up, ugly guy," I howled in excitement. 

"Hmmmm! Meg, check his heartbeat." 

→ His heartbeat was faster than usual. 

His brain wave increases with each passing second.←

"Explain in simple words." 

→(☉｡☉) He is going to wake up soon.←

After waiting for 20 minutes in a stinky room, Segal finally decided to wake up.

"Hello, Segal. Miss me?" 

His cold, dark blue eye scowled at me. But the chains had been holding him back from striking.

"Hehehe!" I was grateful he was in locked chains. 

"Muff fuu muff." A muffled sound escaped from his disgusting mouth.

"Can't hear you! Say something." 

Segal wiggled his body forcefully and glared at me with murderous eyes.

I stepped back a little in fear. 

"Uffff..ufff." A grin appeared on his face as he was mocking me. My long, slender legs rose in the air, and  kicked his belly.  

"Who told you to smile?" 

On impulse, I took the surgeon's knife and cut his cheeks.

"Now better." Knowing his personality, he was one of the most talkative Igrius I knew. 

Something was wrong with him or then Pandora had done something with his vile mouth.

"Meg, can you read his mute mouth?"

→I certainly can try to read. For that, you have to activate the translator mode.←

After a few attempts, I managed to activate translator mode. Meg translated for me, →You fool, unlock my chains, and I will tell you who is more powerful! ← Listening to this being said with the girl's voice, I felt butterflies in my stomach rather than threatened. 

"Remember, you killed my bastard father." 

"Woofffff." 

 I didn't need Meg's translation for that, as I understood what he was saying.

I was enraged that he killed my vile father.

My promise to my late mother was destroyed because of his madness. 

"You don't remember me," I said in an enigmatic voice.

"Remember Pandoras. The one who makes your life miserable."  His eyes turned bloodshot as I said that  word.

→It's beyond my data. Apologies, King Zek but I can't translate this.←

"O_o"