NOVEL NEXT 33: Alleyway Beatdown
Crossing her legs and tapping her chin, Valencia leaned back in her chair. “It’s... kind of complicated. It was back when my body was a fair bit younger, a handful years after rebirth. I was around thirteen by then, I believe, since I chose to start around eight. As usual, I was getting into fights left and right. Of course, it was a little harder because my body was a lot smaller and people didn’t take me too seriously.”
“Isn’t that part of the fun? A certain challenge?” Sylvia raised an eyebrow as Valencia seemed to not look back on those memories with fond eyes. “Get those emotions running, isn’t that what you always said?”
“I mean... yeah,” Valencia shrugged, agreeing with Sylvia’s words as a long sigh left her lips. “It’s just that I feel I’ve grown past that mindset. But yeah, those fights really did get the emotions running. I’d also restrict myself to not use too much power for my age.”
With Sylvia murmuring “Sounds difficult,” Valencia nodded before continuing, “So, it started like this...”
---
A decade prior...
Crouched behind two trash bags near the entrance of an alley was a pair of hoodie wearing figures. Dressed in head to toe with baggy clothes, one figure leaned over to whisper to the other. “Not many people are coming by...”
With the two men facing the street, they were unaware as a third, smaller figure stood behind them. Tying her long purple hair back into a ponytail, the girl listened in as the two figures continued their conversation.
“It’s understandable, bro, gotta be patient, we just came to this city and still don’t know the best mugging paths,” One man patted the other on the back. “Don’t worry, our ceiling is much higher in this city because the general number of people who have powers here is less, and people are generally weaker.”
“And it’s warmer,” The shorter man replied, “It’s nice that we got to move a little further south.”
“It’s so hot in this outfit though,” The first man sighed, pushing his hood back to reveal a beanie. Turning around to stretch his legs, the man nodded towards the girl crouching behind them before turning back around.
With the man scooching to the side to make some room for her, Valencia continued to nod along as she crouched in between the two conversing men.
“Do you think we could start our own organization?” The now hoodie-less first person pondered out loud, pulling out a pair of binoculars to spy on the pedestrians.
Unable to hold on any longer, Valencia decided to answer, “Let me know if you do, I'll make sure to beat your organization into the ground.”
With both of the two men doing a double take, Valencia leapt back as the two came back to their senses.
“Who are you!?” The second, shorter and plumper man barked, pulling out a knife from within his sweatshirt. “Little missy, you better get out of here before we make you pay for it. We don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but don’t think you’ll be let off easy.”
“Me? Pay? For what? Water so I can wash myself after being so close to you two?” Valencia scoffed, miming a shower motion while standing in the middle of the alley, “And don’t worry, I won’t let you two off easy either.”
With the other man pulling a machete out from his baggy sleeve, Valencia could only raise an eyebrow as a quiet silence fell over the alley. Hearing only the sound of her own breaths, Valencia just squatted down further into a ready position as the two men considered their options.
“If you empty your pockets, we’ll let you go, kid. I can tell you’re barely a teenager, if that, you don’t have what it takes to beat two men.” The now-machete wielding man grinned, taking a half-step forward. “You have one minute.”
“To win?” Valencia grinned as a faint hint of purple began to spark around her finger tips. “I can do that.”
Rushing forward, Valencia laughed as the dagger-wielding man yelped “She has powers!” Closing the distance, Valencia leapt into the air, planting a knee into the first man’s chin as a knife and a machete sliced through the position she was in a second prior.
“What’s this?” The second man yelled, rushing forward with wild swings. “Y... You’re DELUSIONAL!”
Cackling at the faint hysteria edging its way into his voice, Valencia planted another jumping kick into the first man’s stomach before using it as a platform to flip away like a nimble gymnast. “Watch and learn, then.”
With her feet and fists glowing purple, Valencia ran up the side of the wall, dodging a couple slashes and redirecting the others before kicking off the wall to sail through the air. Using her powers to accelerate herself in the middle of her path, a jackal-like smile spread across her lips as she made what looked like a ninety-degree turn midair without losing her momentum.
Watching the two men pause, Valencia flashed forward and sang an “Amateurs~” before kicking one man in the crotch and planting a solid fist into the other’s jaw.
“What’s wrong, cat got your tongues?” Valencia asked, pausing for a moment as she caught the machete with one hand. With a stream of blood flowing out of her palm, Valencia cocked her head to look behind her. “What, never seen someone do this before?”
With the knife-wielding man frozen in both fear and astonishment behind her, Valencia shook her head and turned her attention back to the man in front of her. “Since you two won’t talk, I guess you won’t mind if I just do... THIS.”
Cackling, Valencia launched her bloodied hand forward and clenched the man’s face. Sensing a knife approaching her from the back, Valencia twisted and flicked a finger to accelerate it further. Watching the man stumble and get pulled forward by the knife, a haze of glee flashing behind her eyes as she watched the man stab his ally.
With her faint purple glow enveloping the entire machete wielding man now, Valencia slammed the man into the alley wall and let out a flurry of blows as a fountain of blood sprouted in the alleyway.
A couple minutes later, Valencia slumped against the wall as the two men laid in pools of their own blood. “I’m... beat.”
Feeling the wound in her palm begin to pulse with pain, Valencia closed her eyes for a moment before sliding down the wall to lay on the ground. Cracking one eyelid moment, Valencia confirmed they were breathing—albeit with labored breaths—before hauling herself back upward.
Taking several staggering steps forward, Valencia groaned as a wave of fatigue washed over her. Looking down, Valencia shook her head, murmuring “It’s going to be a pain to wash off all this blood” before falling to her knees onto the pavement.
With the urge to sleep beginning to dominate her mind though, Valencia could only focus on her strained crawl forward—unaware as a certain small girl began sprinting up the sidewalk.
