Marcel vs Kevin

An hour and a half later, Marcel arrived at his grandma's house, only to find Joan, his grandma's friend, waiting there.

The moment she saw Marcel's battered state, she leapt from her chair in shock.

"What in the world happened to you?!" she exclaimed.

"Just an accident, Mrs. Joan, Nothing to worry about," Marcel replied with a warm smile, trying to downplay his injuries.

Joan rushed to fetch the first aid kit from his grandma's room and spent the next half-hour tending to his wounds.

As she worked, Marcel vented about his chaotic day.

"Where's Grandma?" Marcel asked, locking eyes with Joan.

"Patricia went out to get some things. She'll be back soon. You can wait for her," Joan replied.

"I'll take a quick walk around instead. I won't go far," Marcel said, standing up.

He knew he needed to see a doctor—his ribs felt cracked, though he was pain tolerant didntMean he didn't feel something was wrong.

He had only given Joan a vague summary of his day, leaving out the worst details.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows as Marcel made his way toward the doctor's office.

Just as he was nearing his destination, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Kevin.

"Hey birdie, What happened to you? Got your butt kicked again? Did you run to Grandma's to cry about it?" Kevin taunted, his malicious grin widening as he took in Marcel's bandaged and torn appearance.

"And what's with the bandages? A little too early for halloween, don't you think?"

Marcel's heart raced, his earlier confidence wavering as fear crept back in.

He kept his head down, hoping Kevin would lose interest and leave.

But Kevin wasn't one to let an opportunity for cruelty slip by.

Kevin, a towering 6'1" brute, was notorious for his sadistic tendencies.

He thrived on others' pain, and mercy was a concept he didn't understand.

Rumors swirled that he only showed kindness to his inner circle.

Taking him on in a fight required a group, and even then, the odds were slim.

"You know, Marcy," Kevin sneered, his voice dripping with malice, "I think I'll leave my signature on you.

Everyone else is doing it, so why not? A tooth or two should do just fine.

"He smirked, clearly amused by his own cruelty.

Marcel's voice trembled as he asked, "What did I ever do to you? Why do you want to hurt me so badly?"

"Because it's fun! I love the way you plead as you get pummeled, It thrills me," Kevin barked, his maniacal laugh sending chills down Marcel's spine.

"Just close your eyes, and it'll be over in a second."

Despite the fear gripping him, Marcel took two cautious steps back and raised his fists.

The action surprised Kevin—Marcel had never fought back before.

Kevin's grin widened, so sinister it stretched from ear to ear as his aura thickened, making the air feel so dense, making Marcel feel he couldn't breath.

He relished the thought of crushing Marcel, who had always been an easy target.

But this time felt different, and Kevin could sense it.

The challenge ignited something dark within him.

A surge of energy from his earlier encounter with the moose flashed through Marcel's mind. He adjusted his loose glasses, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he whispered to himself, "I'm grateful for today."

Kevin didn't hesitate.

He lunged forward, closing the distance in an instant, and swung a wide left hook aimed at Marcel's head.

Marcel's body moved almost instinctively, his fear momentarily overshadowed by a strange calm.

He blocked the punch effortlessly and countered with a swift left strike to Kevin's stomach.

The blow knocked the wind out of Kevin, forcing him to stumble back.

For a moment, he looked stunned, his vision blurring as he struggled to regain his footing.

"That force…" Kevin muttered, his voice strained.

Before he could recover, Marcel closed the gap in a flash, landing two quick hooks—left, then right—square on Kevin's face.

The impact was brutal, leaving Kevin's head ringing.

"Shit," Kevin groaned, raising his hands to protect his face.

But his exposed stomach became an easy target.

Marcel seized the opportunity, driving a powerful punch into Kevin's midsection, giving off the feeling of a nuke passing right through him.

The force sent Kevin flying backward, crashing into the ground.

Marcel's heart pounded with exhilaration.

This wasn't luck.

This was him, standing his ground.

His grin widened as he embraced the rush of the fight.

Kevin scrambled to his feet, his eyes burning with confusion and frustration.

He charged at Marcel again, swinging a right lower hook.

Marcel adjusted his stance to defend, but Kevin feinted, bringing his right fist down with deceptive speed.

Marcel sidestepped just in time, narrowly dodging the blow.

Seizing the opening, he grabbed Kevin's arm and, using his shoulder, executed a flawless throw.

Kevin crashed into a nearby trash bin, the impact scattering debris and the contents in his bag everywhere.

Fear and pain flooded Kevin's mind.

He had never felt anything like this.

His body ached, and for the first time, he felt genuine fear.

Something had changed, Marcel wasn't the same person he had always known.

Before Kevin could recover, Marcel rushed forward and delivered a devastating drop-kick to his chest.

The force left Kevin gasping for air, his body hitting the ground with a painful thud.

"Ughhh…" Kevin groaned, clutching his chest.

Desperately, he crawled toward Marcel, his hands scraping against the concrete.

Marcel, though exhilarated, felt a sharp pain in his chest.

His ribs ached, a reminder of his earlier fight with the moose.

He needed to keep moving.

With one last look at Kevin, still struggling to rise, Marcel turned and hurried toward the doctor's office.

As he walked away, he heard Kevin's ragged breaths and saw him lying in the dirt, surrounded by scattered belongings.

For a brief moment, Marcel felt a wave of satisfaction.

Kevin, the bully, had lost. To him.

"How amusing," Marcel muttered to himself with a grin.

"A lot can really happen in one day."

No one had witnessed the fight.

No crowd had gathered to cheer him on, just as no one had been there to help him in the past.

"What was he doing here?" Marcel wondered. "I really hoped someone would've seen that."

But the route to the doctor's was always quiet.

The fight was over, but the victory would stay with him.

Forty-five minutes later, after being examined by the doctor, Marcel met his supposed friend Cerci.

She looked at him examining the bandages, and Marcel asked trying to not give her the chance to begin her interrogation, "Where's that monster of a dog you own?"

"Oh, I sent it on an errand. It'll be back in a jiffy," Cerci replied, hopping around Marcel in circles.

Suddenly, they heard noises coming from the direction they were headed.

They stopped in their tracks.

"That's Kevin," Marcel said, a calm smile playing on his lips as he recalled their earlier encounter.

"Looks like he's in a tough spot."

"Ah, one of the folks you're scared shitless of," Cerci teased, hoping to rattle him.

But Marcel's calm demeanor surprised her.

"You may not believe me, Cerci, but we fought a while back, and I won," Marcel said, his tone confident.

Cerci stared at him, doubt flickering in her eyes.

But Marcel had never lied to her before.

"I see," she murmured.

Marcel took a deep breath and said, "Cerci, I think the rumors are true.

I'm an awakened.

I discovered that today.

I don't know why, but my gut tells me you know more than you let on."

Cerci hesitated, rolling her eyes before finally saying, "We need to ta—"

"Please, help them!" Kevin's voice interrupted, desperate and pleading.

"You going to help him?" Cerci asked.

"Why should I?" Marcel replied coldly.

"Do you even understand your abilities?" Cerci pressed, but Marcel shook his head.

Realizing his grandma might be back, Marcel decided to leave.

"Hey, show me that ability of yours later, if it even exists," Cerci said, her tone teasing.

Marcel smiled and nodded in agreement.

Instead of retracing his steps, he chose a different path to avoid Kevin and his group.

As Cerci watched the ongoing fight, her expression turned pale.

"It can't be! Of all people!" she whispered, her voice trembling.

She walked into a lonely alley, a dead end, where her dog waited, wagging its tail. "Good boy!" she praised, patting its head.

"We need to meet someone briefly, then you'll get your treat," Cerci said, rubbing her dog's belly.

With a single step, she and her dog appeared behind the unconscious Kevin and his group like ghosts.

"Kevin… he's an awakened, isn't he?" Cerci asked, her stern face capturing their attention as they stared in shock.