Path to Strength

Yuji Shinakawa - First Person.

It had been a few days since my first meeting with Takemichi and Toman, since then I hadn't spoken to the blond man again, mainly because I was deeply involved with my training. In these few days, my body has strengthened slightly and the muscle memory that I had in my old body has started to appear.

Also, some Moebius delinquents tried to attack me, but I was able to subdue them with extreme ease. Ordinary teenagers were no longer a problem for me, as long as they were not too many or carrying weapons. This all earned me a divine fame at school, mainly due to the fact that I always prevented Moebius members from hurting anyone.

To the first-year students I was like a protector, to the second-years I was a person they should respect, while the third-years simply kept their respect to a minimum, since I had taken down several older students.

It's not like I was asking for this kind of recognition, as I was just defending myself and testing my strength in the process.

I also started running at night, as during this time the body becomes more active, as peak muscle function and strength are reached most of the time during this period. This helped me to train even longer and harder.

And that is exactly what I was doing at the moment.

With the quiet sound of the night, I ran quietly through the streets, the cold wind hitting my skin and passing a pleasant feeling through my body. I didn't even care about my surroundings, focused only on keeping my breathing steady as I continued to run.

It is amazing how, even after days of running at night, I have never been approached by thieves. At most a few bullies tried to intercept me, but I quickly knocked them down. From the looks of it, the teenagers of this world are even dumber than where I come from, because even though they have a financially stable life due to their parents, they still join gangs and commit crimes.

I am not talking about those forced to join, but those who join willingly.

"Why do I still stop to think about? This is a world where gang fights happen around every corner. Everyone settles things with their fists, people like that can't be very smart."

As I walk along, I slow down when I realize what I just said.

It seems I'm a bit of a hypocrite, I didn't really try to talk to the bullies before I hit them in the face.

I laugh at this, a slight smile forming on my lips.

I think I should review this behavior.

.

Bash!

A familiar sound rang out a few feet away from where I was standing. Curious, I stop running and start to listen, before long I can hear several chuckles in the distance along with what sounds like something hitting flesh.

A fight? It sounds like a group.

This sort of thing was really not my problem, and I could just go home, but the idea that someone might be getting beaten up did not leave my mind, which led me to walk in quick steps toward the source of the sound.

It didn't take me long to find dozens of motorcycles parked in a park, the lampposts illuminating a group further ahead, who seemed to be laughing as they stood around a fight.

Maybe they are members of Moebius, and from what I can see, more than 10 of people. I guess I should just go away and leave it at that, it's not my problem if someone got into a fight with this group.

I try to convince myself that this is not my problem, but that feeling doesn't seem to subside, so, just to be sure, I approach the group cautiously, so as not to be noticed by the several people in the place. As I thought, when I get closer, I confirm that they are members of Moebius.

But this not being a sufficient reason to get involved in such a dangerous situation, I try to look among the various people to see what was happening inside the circle.

What the hell?

With some difficulty I can see what looks like an ordinary looking boy and a girl in the middle of the circle. The boy was beaten senseless by three Moebius men, while the girl had horror on her face as several men crowded around her. The boy, who was probably her boyfriend, tried to reach her, but was quickly subjected to a wave of punches from all directions.

"Oh? He hasn't fainted yet? How about we treat his girl while he watches us?!" It was one of Moebius' men, the others around roaring in agreement.

The boy had blood all over his face, which was smashed into the ground by one of the Moebius men, only his eyes able to watch as the men tried to remove his girlfriend's clothes.

"No! Please don't!" The girl screamed and did everything she could to free herself from the hands of her attackers.

This irritated them, which earned her a few punches in the face to keep her quiet.

At this moment, I clenched my teeth and felt a vein pop on my forehead. The hatred I felt at the moment could not be described, so unable to stand by and watch, I ran towards the group while roaring like an animal.

This seemed to get the attention of the Moebius members, who turned around with irritation on their faces.

"You bastards, I'm going to crush every one of you!"

After seeing a beating and an attempted rape, I was unable to restrain myself, reaching for one man in the group and hitting him as hard as I could in the jaw. I felt his teeth break over my fist, but I didn't care.

Even a life unable to speak is too little for these people.

I turn to the rest of the group, who seem stunned by my sudden arrival, along with one of them being sent flying unconscious. Not caring what they are thinking, I continue to advance, attacking each of them without holding back.

It doesn't take long before they realize the situation and attack all of them together. This proved to be a challenge for me as I was punished by several attacks, but I still kept punching and kicking like a tank.

Of course, I am more polished than a tank, so my attacks proved even more destructive.

I continued to fight them all using all the strength and skills I have developed in this body, not restraining myself for a single second, the hatred I was feeling preventing me from doing so even if I wanted to.

. . .

Third Person.

The fight continued, and even with the numerical advantage, Yuji proved to be a monster as he continued to slaughter them. The remaining members were startled as their partners fell one by one, even as they rallied to attack the boy who suddenly appeared.

"Shit! Let's kill him!"

One of them shouted and pulled a pocket knife from his pocket, the others seeing this and agreeing as they pulled out their respective blades. Yuji, stepping on the face of one of them, turned his gaze to those remaining who carried weapons.

His eyes moved through them, counting six of them in total. The boy didn't even seem to care that they were carrying knives. He clenched his fists tightly, which by now were stained with blood that was definitely not his own.

Although he was overcome with anger, Yuji was not being careless with these armed people. Definitely not, he wouldn't attack knowing he couldn't win, but after facing dozens of them, he knew that even if armed, Yuji would hit them with relative ease, he would just need to keep a little more careful.

So, in this way, the boy advanced towards the remaining six, engaging in a fight where they would constantly try to stab him while he would dodge and counter with a powerful punch that would instantly knock them out.

While this fight was going on, the beaten boy moved toward his unconscious girlfriend with difficulty, holding her with his arms in an attempt to protect her in case the one who came to help him failed to defeat Moebius' men. He wanted to help, but in his current state, just staying conscious was hard work for the boy. So he just chose to pray that Yuji would win the fight and save him and his girlfriend from this terrible situation.

. . .

Yuji had just taken down three of them, with only three more to go before the fight was finally over. Even though he was facing dozens of men at once, he felt he could go on for hours, a clear demonstration that his stamina had increased monstrously. This increased his confidence in facing large groups, not needing to be cautious if faced with multiple enemies.

Unbeknownst to Yuji, what appeared to be a whitish aura formed around his body, seeming to embrace him as if protecting him and helping him in the fight. The remaining three, although they could not see the aura clearly, were able to see only as if the air around the boy's body distorted slightly before their eyes.

This startled them, but Yuji didn't seem to mind their sudden reactions as he went forward and punched one of them with such force that it crushed his nose and sent him flying into a tree. The two, seeing one of them being attacked, tried to stab Yuji, but their hands were quickly intercepted by the boy, who crushed their wrists with the force of his grip and landed a kick that knocked them both out at the same time.

He sat down on the ground and took a deep breath, the adrenaline in his body subsiding as the pain from his injuries began to show. Some bruises could be seen on his skin, and small cuts were visible on his arms, but Yuji didn't even change his expression at this as he turned his gaze to the beaten boy and his girlfriend.

The boy's eyes were closed as he gripped his girlfriend tightly, and Yuji can't help but admire his willingness to protect her.

"He's unconscious, but he's still holding her tightly."

He reached up and pulled the phone from his pocket. It took him a while to get used to the cell phones dialing again, but he eventually got the hang of it. He called the police and explained what had happened.

A few minutes passed and Yuji could hear the sound of sirens approaching. The boy didn't want to deal with the cops, so he just gathered the Moebius members in one place and started to leave the scene.

"Thank you..."

It was a whisper, but still, the voice caught the attention of Yuji, who turned to the beaten boy.

A smile formed on his lips and he turned away again.

. . .

Walking back home, Yuji had a calm expression, despite the icy night wind hitting his wounds, sending him spikes of pain. This was because, even though he was injured, he ended up preventing a horrible act, so his injuries ended up being worth it, at least in his view.

But despite this, Yuji was still angry, even though he showed a calm expression on his face. He knew that this was Kisaki's plan, and by stopping this, he knew that one hour or another he would be in his crosshairs, meaning an inevitable confrontation.

Yuji wasn't afraid of that, he knew he could win, even if Kisaki had Mikey in the palm of his hand, but Kisaki didn't make Toman the biggest criminal organization in Japan by luck. His mind was something to watch out for, as Yuji didn't know who he would hurt to get at him.

Having stopped the horrible act he had architected, Yuji knew that Kisaki had no limits when his goals were involved.

'Looks like something big is coming.'

The boy shook his head in displeasure, a sigh escaping his lips as he turned the corner of his house, his eyes showing surprise when he spotted what looked like a person crouching in front of a box.

'Huh? What is this person doing here?'

He thought curiously and quietly approached towards the person, trying to reveal his presence as soon as possible. He didn't want her to think he was a bandit or something.

"Hey, do you need help?"

He asked, this seeming to get the attention of the person, who turned around, revealing it to be a girl that Yuji immediately recognized.

'Hinata Tachibana?'

He felt confused, what would this girl be doing on the street at night? Was she waiting for someone or something?

'Oh, no! I found an abandoned puppy and I'm taking care of it."

Hinata smiled slightly, and seeing this, along with her actions at the moment, Yuji deduced that Takemichi was a lucky man to have this girl fall in love with him. From what he remembers of the anime, he knew that Hinata was kind, protective, and empathetic. She was always supportive of Takemichi, and was always concerned for his well-being.

'It's a shame she's destined to die so often.'

Yuji thought wistfully, but didn't let that show on his features as he walked closer until he was next to the girl, where he crouched down to look at the little animal in the box.

The little one looked like an ordinary puppy, with a yellow coat and characteristics commonly seen in street dogs. Luckily, he already had his eyes open and looked a little less than two months old, considering his size.

"He's been here how long?"

He asked as he stroked the puppy, who nestled into his hand without showing fear.

"I found him this morning, and since I can't take him, I've been taking care of him here."

Hinata replied, her eyes seeming to analyze the actions of the boy, who seemed to be enjoying himself with a smile on his face as he played with the puppy. To her, Yuji didn't seem like a bad guy, so it would be great if this he could take the puppy.

"He seems to like you."

Yuji heard the girl say, but didn't look at her as he picked up the little guy and took him out of the crate, hugging him as a way to warm him up. This seemed to work, as the animal nestled in her arms.

The boy didn't have to think long before deciding what he was going to do.

"I'll take him."

Hinata hearing this, cracked a gentle smile and stared at the puppy in the boy's arms.

"That's good, bye bye puppy."

She nodded as she smiled, Yuji chuckling slightly at this action. He turned to leave, but stopped to look at the girl.

"My name is Yuji Shinakawa, thank you for taking care of this little guy, not many people would do that."

Hina was taken aback when the boy suddenly introduced himself, but she didn't stop smiling.

"My name is Hinata Tachibana, and since it's like this, thank you for taking him, unfortunately I couldn't do it."

With a final nod of goodbye, Yuji turned and continued to walk back to his home, he gingerly looking at the little one in his arms.

Well, I guess I need to give you a name.... How about..."

"Fenrir?"

. . .

Unbeknownst to the teenager, a bespectacled figure in the darkness watched the entire course of events, from the confrontation with Moebius to the encounter with Hina. The figure's eyes showed anger, but he seemed unwilling to make a move against Yuji.

He knew that he would be unable to beat him.

Therefore, he decided to wait.

"Yuji Shinakawa... You must stay out of my way."