the truth(5)

The alley was silent for a moment, save for the occasional rustling of leaves from a nearby tree. The five older teenagers stood in front of Michael and his friends, blocking their path. The leader, still rubbing his wrist where Michael had twisted it, scowled.

Teenager Leader: (growling) "Alright, you little brats. You asked for it."

Michael let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head.

Michael: (mocking) "I was hoping we could just walk away, but I guess not."

The tension in the air exploded as one of the teenagers lunged forward, throwing a wild punch at Michael. Without hesitation, Michael tilted his head to the side, dodging it effortlessly before driving his fist into the guy's stomach.

The teenager let out a choked gasp, stumbling back as pain shot through his body.

Emily, always quick on her feet, ducked under a swing from another opponent and delivered a swift kick to his shin, causing him to stagger. She followed up with a punch to his jaw, sending him reeling.

Marie, calm and collected, sidestepped an incoming strike and grabbed her attacker's arm, twisting it behind his back before shoving him face-first into a nearby wall.

Ethan, stretching lazily, smirked at the guy charging him. He dodged to the side at the last second, tripping the teenager and sending him crashing to the ground.

Alex, ever the strategist, analyzed the battlefield before ducking a punch and landing an elbow to his attacker's ribs. The teenager groaned and took a shaky step back.

The gang leader, watching his friends get handled so easily, gritted his teeth in frustration.

Teenager Leader: (furious) "You little punks—!"

Before he could finish, Michael was already moving.

Realizing brute force wasn't working, the gang switched tactics. Two of them rushed Michael at once.

Michael blocked one punch with his forearm while dodging the other, countering with a sharp uppercut to the first guy's chin. The second one tried to grab him from behind, but Michael elbowed him in the ribs, spun around, and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling.

Emily found herself facing two at once as well. One swung a pipe at her, but she ducked just in time, the metal whistling past her head. Using her smaller frame to her advantage, she weaved between their attacks before driving a knee into one's stomach and sending the other crashing into the pavement with a spinning kick.

Marie remained composed, catching an incoming punch and redirecting the force back at her opponent, sending him stumbling. She then swept his legs out from under him with precise efficiency.

Ethan smirked as one of the gang members tried to grab his hoodie. He grabbed the guy's arm, twisted it, and flipped him over onto his back with ease.

Alex found himself outnumbered for a moment but quickly adapted, sidestepping one attacker while blocking another's strike. He grabbed a nearby trash can lid and slammed it into one of their heads, sending him crumpling to the ground.

The gang leader, now fuming, clenched his fists.

Teenager Leader: (snarling) "Enough of this! Get them!"

His remaining goons regrouped and charged in all at once.

Despite their earlier dominance, Michael and his friends weren't invincible.

The gang members, realizing they couldn't win in a one-on-one fight, started attacking in pairs or trios.

Michael barely dodged a sneak attack from behind before taking a solid hit to the shoulder. He grunted but retaliated instantly, driving his fist into the offender's stomach.

Emily took a punch to the side but ignored the pain, countering with a brutal kick to her attacker's knee.

Marie, usually untouched in fights, found herself momentarily overwhelmed as two attackers rushed her at once. She managed to block one punch, but the second landed on her arm. Gritting her teeth, she retaliated with a devastating elbow strike.

Ethan, while still confident, took a hit to the ribs when one of the gang members managed to slip past his defenses. He let out a low chuckle.

Ethan: (grinning) "Okay, maybe you guys aren't completely useless."

Alex took a heavy hit to the side, making him stagger, but he recovered quickly, slamming his knee into his attacker's gut.

Despite a few bruises, Michael's group was still in control.

Michael wiped a small trickle of blood from his lip and sighed.

Michael: (bored) "Is that really all you've got?"

The gang members, now breathing heavily, were starting to waver.

Sensing their advantage, Michael and his friends decided to end it.

Michael caught the gang leader's incoming punch and twisted his arm, forcing him onto one knee. Then, with a single devastating kick to the chest, he sent him flying backward.

Emily flipped over one of her attackers, landing a precise kick to his jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Marie effortlessly dodged an incoming strike and landed a perfectly timed punch to the temple, knocking her opponent out cold.

Ethan, now having fun, simply sidestepped his opponent's attack and tapped him on the forehead.

Ethan: (grinning) "Night-night."

With that, he casually kicked the guy's legs out from under him, making him hit the pavement hard.

Alex, ever efficient, caught his attacker's wrist, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him into a nearby wall.

Within moments, all five gang members were either unconscious or groaning on the ground.

Michael dusted off his jacket, shaking his head.

Michael: (mocking) "That was just sad."

The gang leader, now struggling to even lift his head, glared at him weakly.

Teenager Leader: (panting) "Y-you little…!"

Michael crouched down in front of him, his expression completely unimpressed.

Michael: (smirking) "You thought you could pick a fight and win? Pathetic."

The gang leader gritted his teeth but didn't respond.

Michael stood up, looking at his friends.

Michael: (grinning) "Well, that was fun. Let's go."

With that, Michael and his friends turned their backs on the defeated gang and walked away, leaving them broken and humiliated on the ground.

As they disappeared into the distance, Michael let out a small laugh.

Michael: (mocking) "Trash."

The alley fell silent, the gang left in their own misery.