Chaoter 17: Doctor's Appointment

Joshua was in the zone.

Seated comfortably in the corner of the buffet, he was already on his fifth plate—a towering stack of fried chicken, grilled meat, noodles, and enough rice to put an entire village into a food coma.

His stomach had stopped protesting after the third plate, as if it had accepted its fate. His appetite was out of control, and frankly, he was too busy enjoying the feast of a lifetime to question it.

BZZT. BZZT.

His phone vibrated violently on the table, rattling against the plastic tray.

Joshua glanced at the screen.

Vaughn.

He blinked.

Oh shit. The appointment.

He had completely lost track of time.

He hurriedly grabbed his phone and answered.

"Where the hell are you?!" Vaughn's voice blared through the speaker.

Joshua winced, pulling the phone away from his ear.

"Relax, man. I'm just around the corner."

"Around the corner my ass!" Vaughn scoffed. "You know what time it is?"

Joshua glanced at the clock on the wall.

2:58 PM.

Two minutes before the appointment.

"...Still not late."

Vaughn sighed dramatically. "That's not the point, dumbass! I expected you to be here early! When have you ever been on time for anything?!"

Joshua grinned. "Always a first time, right?"

Vaughn groaned. "Bullshit. You were late to our first college lecture. You were late to every study session. Hell, you were even late to my graduation party!"

Joshua laughed. "That last one wasn't my fault. Who the hell throws a party at 4 PM?!"

"NORMAL PEOPLE, YOU FREAK!"

Joshua waved him off. "Whatever, man. I'll be there in a minute."

"You better, or I'm prescribing you a full-body colon cleanse out of spite."

Joshua nearly choked on his food.

"WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!"

Vaughn cackled. "Try me. I got the power, bro."

Joshua shook his head, shoveling the last bit of his food into his mouth before standing up. "Alright, alright, I'm coming. Don't give my intestines a death sentence."

Vaughn clicked his tongue. "Fine. But I'm still making you piss in a cup."

Joshua groaned. "Wonderful. Can't wait."

Stuffed but feeling ridiculously energized, Joshua stretched and began walking towards the clinic, just a block away.

He felt… light, despite eating enough food for three people.

His movements were smoother, faster. He had noticed it earlier, but now he was sure—his body felt like a well-oiled machine.

Something had definitely changed after that transformation in Wrath.

But he'd think about that later.

Right now, he had a date with a pot-bellied doctor.

As Joshua pushed open the clinic door, the soft chime of a bell rang through the air.

At the front desk sat a stunning blonde woman—long, wavy golden hair, bright blue eyes, and lips painted a bold shade of red.

She was gorgeous.

But then—

She opened her mouth.

"Sorry, the clinic's closed for the day."

Joshua blinked.

"...What?"

The woman tilted her head, looking at him like a confused puppy.

"I said, the clinic's closed. You gotta come back tomorrow."

Joshua frowned. "I have an appointment with Vaughn."

Her eyes widened slightly before she looked down at her desk, frantically flipping through some papers.

"...Oh. Uh. Who are you again?"

Joshua sighed. "Joshua."

She gasped. "OH! You're that guy! The one Vaughn said looked like a starving orphan!"

Joshua twitched.

"He WHAT?!"

Before he could launch into a rant about how Vaughn was a dead man, a familiar voice rang out.

"Hey, nerd. That you?"

Joshua turned—

And there was Vaughn.

Vaughn Solis was exactly as Joshua remembered.

A 5'10" dude with a slight pot belly, thick glasses, and an undeniably smug grin plastered on his face.

He looked half-professional, half-lazy as hell—wearing a white lab coat over a wrinkled shirt, looking like a doctor who just woke up from a nap.

But as soon as Vaughn got a good look at Joshua, his eyes went wide.

"Holy shit."

Joshua grinned. "Sup?"

Vaughn took a step back, dramatically pointing at him.

"Bro… you on steroids?!"

Joshua laughed. "Nah, man. Just working out. Strict diet and all that."

Vaughn squinted, rubbing his chin like he was analyzing a science experiment.

"...Bullshit."

Joshua smirked. "Jealous?"

Vaughn scoffed. "Pfft. No. I love my body the way it is. This pot belly is a sign of wisdom and experience."

Joshua burst out laughing. "More like a sign of too many late-night snacks, old man."

"EXCUSE YOU?!" Vaughn gasped, placing a hand over his chest like he was personally offended.

The blonde receptionist suddenly spoke up. "Oh my God, you guys sound like an old married couple."

Both men immediately turned to glare at her.

"Shut up, Becky." Shouted Vaughn.

She shrugged, popping a piece of gum into her mouth. "Just saying. If the shoe fits~"

Vaughn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why do I even hire you?"

Becky grinned. "Because I'm hot."

Joshua choked on his laughter, while Vaughn just sighed.

"Come on, nerd. We got a lot of tests to do." Vaughn muttered, waving for Joshua to follow.

Joshua cracked his knuckles. "Lead the way, doc. Let's see if I'm still human."

And with that, they stepped into the examination room—

Unaware of just how weird things were about to get.