Unexpected

ZENJIRO HIGH SCHOOL

At the entrance gate, Denis is standing beside the gate waiting for Rylan. The sun reflects on his full black shades and his jacket is not making it any better.

Rylan approach the gate with Zack and Yuki walking by his side.

"It sure is hot today." Rylan says, as he unbuttoned his collar.

As they approached the gate, a gust of wind carried with it the scent of blooming flowers from the gardens inside.

"I could really go for an ice cream right now," Zack said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

Yuki chuckled. "You and your sweet tooth, Zack. Maybe we can grab some after we finish up here."

Rylan smiled at his friends. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get this done quickly so we can enjoy the rest of the day."

"Hold it!" Denis intervene, raising his hand to signal the group to stop.

"Huh? Who are you?" Zack asked.

"Heh, I'm glad you asked." Denis says, smiling while fixing his shades. "The name's Denis Malone! A bonafide boxer and certified champion!" He says with full confidence.

Denis strikes a pose, puffing his chest out a bit and standing taller. His jacket flutters slightly in the wind, adding to the dramatic effect.

"A boxer? Seriously?" Zack raises an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"Certified champion? How come I haven't heard of you?" Rylan says, looking confused.

Denis grins, adjusting his shades. "I keep a low profile, you know, let my actions speak for themselves."

"He's lying right?" Rylan whispers to Yuki.

Yuki stifles a chuckle and nods subtly. "Seems like it," She whispers back.

Zack shoots Denis a curious look. "Alright, Denis Malone. What's the deal here? Why are you stopping us?"

"Heh, I'm glad you asked." Denis says again while fixing his shades. "I'm here to recruit that kid!" He points towards Rylan.

Rylan looks surprised at being pointed out by Denis. "Recruit me? For what exactly?" He asks, with a mix of confusion and curiosity in his expression.

Denis chuckles, adjusting his shades once more. "For my boxing team, of course! I see potential in you, kid. You've got the right stance and attitude," Denis says, trying to exude more confidence than he probably feels at this moment.

Rylan exchanges glances with Zack and Yuki, who both look amused by the situation. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not really into boxing," Rylan responds, declining Denis's unexpected proposal.

"Heh, you can't fool me, kid." Denis says, approaching Rylan. "I know that you liked boxing, I even heard you say that you want to be a boxer."

Zack and Yuki exchange a glance, clearly intrigued by Denis's persistence. Rylan chuckles, slightly caught off guard by Denis's claim. "You heard that, huh? Yeah, I have an interest in boxing, but it's more of a hobby than a career path for me."

Denis folds his arms, still wearing a confident smile. "Come on, don't let talent like yours go to waste. Join my team, and I'll make sure you become a champion in no time!"

Rylan scratches his head, considering Denis's words for a moment. He glances back at Zack and Yuki, who both shrug, leaving the decision up to him.

"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Denis, but I think I'll have to pass this time. I still need to finish high school," Rylan finally responds, declining the offer once more.

Denis's confident demeanor falters for a moment, but he quickly recovers, nodding understandingly. "Fair enough, kid. The offer stands if you ever change your mind. Just remember, Denis Malone never forgets a promising talent like yourself!"

Rylan nods appreciatively, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Denis."

As Denis walks away, Zack lets out a low whistle. "Well, that was unexpected."

Yuki chuckles. "I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him."

"Well, let's get that ice cream."

IRON BOX GYM

"Where's the kid?" The old man asks to Denis.

"Uh... Eh... I failed to recruit him." Denis says, feeling ashamed to himself.

The old man looked at Denis then turned his back. "I knew you'd failed. You're not fit to be a recruiter, stick to your training. You have a title match coming up."

Denis stare at the old man, his eyes widened by the mention of a title match. "How did you..."

"I have my ways." The old man says before closing the door of the gym. Once outside, the old fix his hat and look straight. "Let's see how good this kid is." He says with a smile.

AMUSEMENT PARK

"Man, I haven't been here since the school started." Zack says, as he inhales the fresh air coming from the nearby beach.

"Where's Rylan?" Yuki says, looking around the park.

"I don't know, maybe he got lost again."

Darren chuckles, "Wouldn't be the first time for him!"

"Darren!" Both Yuki and Zack shouts in unison.

"When did you get here?" Yuki asked.

"I've been here for a few minutes now, just enjoying the view," Darren replies with a smirk.

Yuki shakes her head, "Always sneaking up on us, aren't you?"

Zack laughs, "Well, we should probably start looking for Rylan before he ends up in some kind of trouble."

...

"Damn it... I got lost again." Rylan says. He approach a nearby alleyway where there are not many people. "How did I ended up getting lost? I'm sure, I was following them earlier."

Rylan is frustrated as he finds himself lost in an unfamiliar alleyway, wondering how he managed to lose track of his friends despite trying to follow them earlier.

"Hehe. Look who it is." A voice speaks behind him. Rylan turns around and saw the five students who tries to rob him yesterday.

"You remember us, kid? We're here for some payback." As the man speaks, another student holding a wrench steps up. "I would love to hit you again with this wrench."

Rylan clutches his forehead that is wrapped around with bandages. He drops his bag to the side and gets into a fighting stance. "I would love to destroy you guys again."

The situation escalates as more students wearing the same uniform as the other five students approach from behind, surrounding Rylan in the narrow alleyway.

Rylan smiles, "You guys sure loves to fight in groups." He teases.

With a subtle nod, Rylan takes a step forward. The clatter of footsteps echoes off the brick walls of the alley, creating an intense atmosphere as the confrontation reaches its peak.

"You know, I've been looking for a good challenge," Rylan remarks with a smirk. "Let's see if you can handle me one on one, or are you all just talk and numbers?"

With a sudden rush of movement, the students begin to encircle Rylan, aiming to overwhelm him with their numbers.

As the students close in, Rylan's focus sharpens. He quickly assesses the situation, analyzing his opponents' movements and positions. With swift agility, he dodges a flurry of punches and kicks, countering with precise strikes that surprise his attackers.

Despite being outnumbered, Rylan maintains his composure and uses his surroundings to his advantage. He maneuvers through the alleyway with skillful grace, exploiting the tight spaces to evade incoming attacks and create openings for his own strikes.

But that didn't last long, as one of the students lands a punch to his face breaking his eyeglass on the process.

Rylan staggers back momentarily from the punch, his broken eyeglasses falling to the ground with a clatter. He wipes the blood trickling from his split lip, "You'll regret that," Rylan growls, his focus intensifying as he readies himself for the next onslaught of attacks.

A metal comes flying beside him, Rylan dodges to the side but then he notice a fist coming towards his stomach. He tries to sidestep but the punch is to fast, the fist lands a blow to his stomach causing him to fall to his knees.

Another punch follows to his face making him fall to the ground, he tries to stand up but he got kicked on the stomach causing him to fall on the ground again.

Rylan struggles to stand up, feeling the pain from the repeated blows all over his body. The students loom over him, their expressions filled with malice and triumph.

"So you're all talk, huh?" One of the students laugh.

"You can't even defend yourself." Another student chuckles.

"Alright, move guys. I'll finish this." The student wielding a wrench says. He hold the wrench up over his head ready to smash Rylan's head with it.

But someone grabbed the wrench from behind stopping him. A tall figure emerges from the shadows, grabbing the student's arm before he can bring the wrench down on Rylan. It's Zack and he doesn't give off the calm vibes anymore.

"Enough," Zack says in a stern voice, his grip firm on the wrench. "This ends now."

The students are taken aback by his sudden appearance, unsure of what to do next. Rylan, still on the ground, looks up at him in surprise.