Chapter 31: BARRRONNNN!!!
Jin had shoved Sylvia out of the way; and took a powerful hit for her. Sylvia went pitching away from him; and had struggled to regain her balance from his push.
"Run, Sylvia!"
Quickly, she started running away. She didn't think twice about it. Though, she certainly did look back. What was going on?
From the impact of the powerful blow, Jin was knocked down, both his chest and his face aggressively collided with the pavement.
He clenched his teeth, and raised his head up from the floor; blood trickling down from his nostrils, given that he had crashed face-first into the ground.
He placed his palms onto the floor; and was about to push himself up. When suddenly the figure used its foot to stomp him on his head in a downward motion; knocking him down yet again.
"You ain't going anywhere, so just forget about it…"
'Shit! I'm in trouble…why'd he just attack us? His uniform, I only had one glimpse at it but…he's gotta be a cop…'
The figure then moved his foot and rolled Jin over to his back. Their identities were promptly revealed to each other. Coincidence froze their hearts.
The figure wore dark shades, possessed a well-groomed beard, chiseled face, and brown hair.
Upon taking his physique into account, recognition dawned on Jin's face. "Y-you're that c-cop…"
The figure was that officer who, on the last day of school, had pinned Jin down to the floor; and cruelly burnt his back with the help of a fire Ability.
His name was Officer Clarke.
He towered over Jin; his nose callously looking down at him as the rain burst down from the grey skies and showered the surface with water bullets.
He stood in the rain with a menacing stance, ruthlessness voiding out from his body and effusing through the air.
A smirk molded itself on his face as he peered down at Jin. "Hey, you're that kid who ran away from me…" his droning voice desperate yet soothing.
"I ran away," Jin gritted his teeth, "'cause I didn't do anything! You just wanted to turn me in so that you get a little promotion point or two!"
The officer faintly furrowed his eyebrows, and stomped on Jin's leg, causing him to groan while writhing in pain.
"Speaking to a law enforcement officer like that won't getcha nowhere but behind bars, little shit…"
Jin remained silent this time.
"Now, what're you think you're doing here?"
Once more, Jin chose not to respond to the officer for he feared getting into even more trouble.
"Answer me!" He snarled, stomping on Jin's stomach this time.
As soon as he had done so; Jin's body jerked from a belly trauma. He began to hold his abdomen, rolling side to side in agony. Curling up like a paranoid millipede.
"I'm repeating myself! What. Are you. Doing here?"
"I was just standing with my friend, when out of nowhere, I saw that you were going to hit her … with a baton behind her fucking head!"
"That's it!" The officer hissed, "I've had it with you, kid!" He extended his baton with his eyes downcast at Jin.
"That's no way to speak to an officer and I told you that already. For this, I'm gonna burn your ass to ash before I turn you in, little punk!"
He stood in the heavy rain, glaring at Jin like a man-eating monster that lurks in the shadows, waiting to ambush its prey. Prowling, menacing Upon looking at this man, Jin could see nothing but evil.
The officer held an extended, metal baton in his right hand, when suddenly it incinerated; combusting into loud, sputtering, malicious flames that would devour anything in its path.
Then, that smirk reappeared on the officer's face as he raised his flaming baton. Charging it up with force to in turn swing and hit the teenage boy in his presence.
"Since I can't teach you how to respect me—I know for a fact my flames of hell will!"
He was about to swing down at Jin. When suddenly he received a powerful kick to a knee of his. His body jolted back. The kick was from below.
He took a step away from Jin; and started looking at the place where had received the blow. Upon doing this, he could see a filthy mark on his uniform from Jin's dirty shoe sole.
Quickly, he averted his eyes from his pants and directed them at Jin. Now brimming with malice, he began to grit his teeth uncontrollably. His body shuddering on its own, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
No doubt about it—he was ready to retaliate.
Jin knowingly started to attempt fleeing right away. His heart was racing in his chest as he tried pushing himself up from the pavement. He turned the opposite direction of the infuriated officer and was about to make a run for it.
But unbeknownst to him, the officer was about to fire something at him that would knock him off his jittery, trembling feet yet again.
The officer uttered, "To hell with that! I'd allow you to go there, but not alive!"
Then as Jin got on his feet again; the officer raised his left hand, and took aim at Jin; his palm pointing outwards. A smirk had appeared on his face as this said hand combust into flames.
A round, scorching fireball conjured up; hovering in his palm while manifesting from his energy. Furthermore, before Jin could take three steps, the fireball bolted from the cop's hand and went flying toward his body.
Consequently, the fireball hit Jin to the middle of his back. The force it had exerted onto his body caused him to get knocked over again. His body crashed into the ground, and his white shirt quickly was set aflames.
He rolled over to his back and started squirming around in light of putting the fire out. As soon as he had put the fire out with the help of the surface he laid upon, a screen appeared before his eyes and lingered.
[HP: 7/10]
[New Task: Defeat your opponent]
[Reward: 235 Exp]
'Only 235 exp? How did it even show 500 as the reward for taking Alura down? Fuck it, no time to think about that. I don't stand a chance. I gotta get outta here now and fast!'
While laying flat on his back, Jin tossed his eyes up at the officer who stood no more than four metres away from him. The cop was charging up another fireball and his hand seemed to be aiming for Jin's head this time!
'It's raining. The water might mildly mess with his fire ability…'
As soon as the officer's hand jerked back like a gun would when one pulls the trigger, Jin quickly rolled rightwardly and the fireball missed him this time. It went hitting the precise spot he lingered at before evading the attack.
The officer was even more infuriated. He quickly took aim again, and was about to shoot his fastest fireball yet, when suddenly his body jolted forward. Throwing off his aim yet still sending the fireball blasting towards Jin's body.
Despite having his aim thrown off, the fireball still succeeded in hitting Jin's leg as opposed to his initial intent of hitting the upper body. Jin had been knocked down for the third time.
The officer still had no idea what hit him and had thrown off his aim. He was about to collapse but quickly steadied his balance again. He had regained his balance only to receive yet another blow from the behind.
His body jerked.
Swiftly he spun around, and in an instant, he managed to land eyes upon a figure, but in the other, the figure was gone followed by a strange warping sound.
Before he could turn around, he received another hit, this time to his left lower quadrant—resulting in an excruciating kidney shot.
He was confused and at rage concurrently. His anger took up its remote and started to take control of his body. His baton was still in his dominant hand so he quickly caused it to incinerate.
He began to spin it in a circular motion. A luminous contrail of sputtering, red flames followed his baton. Soaring through the air. And eventually, the figure who was still unbeknown to him finally received a heavy blow.
The unbeknown figure received the spinning blow to the back of his head, and fell to the pavement. The officer looked down at the figure, and grabbed it by its head. The figure's identity had been concealed by a monkey mask. Officer Clarke yanked it off of the person's head.
His identity was revealed.
When Jin saw who this figure truly was, his eyes widened as he instantly became dazed.
He stopped attempting to get up, and quickly cried, "Baron!'
"You're a another kid, huh?" Officer Clarke entangled his fingers in Baron's jet black hair. "That other kid shouted out your name. He's your friend, ain't he? Well, good for you, elf, I'm sending you straight to hell alongside him … just how nice of a guy am I truly?"
Suddenly, Baron had disappeared, leaving Officer Clarke, whose smirk now disappeared as well; holding nothing but air.
What's more, Baron started teleporting at jarring speeds; disappearing and appearing over and over again. And everytime he reappeared in a different place, he delivered a blow to Officer Clarke.
Jin knew that at this rate, the cop would be taken down. But he also knew that there was no telling what this cop could do with his Fire Ability, and what the limits of this ability was.
Officer Clarke had received over fifty hits yet he managed to keep his balance.
Suddenly, the wholeness of his arms erupted into flames; burning away the short sleeves of his uniform. What's more, as soon as he received a hit, he started anticipating the next one.
When Baron had punched him to his face, he quickly retaliated with a powerful, balled, flaming fist. Rotating his body. Pivoting on his toe. He launched his fist into Baron's abdomen in an upward motion. Performing a stunning, sputtering uppercut.
The uppercut was even so powerful that it had raised Baron up from his feet for a split second.
Baron's eyes quickly bulged as he dropped to his knees. He doubled over. He groaned in pain, holding his abdomen as he brought up quantities of his own blood in his mouth. He slowly spat out the mouthful of blood onto the pavement; and collapsed right then.
Having seen this, Jin's eyes moistened and he screamed to the top of his lungs. "BARRRONNNN!!!!"