Somewhere on the battlefield.

"Where's An Thần?" Hoàng Lâm stood on his knees in short breath. Redness spilled half of his face with sweat dropping as heavy rain. Lâm skimmed the environment to look for his friend, but failed to recognize. He, thus, foraged unconscious bodies on the floor; eventually, found the subject. "Damn it!"

"Ain't that something-" Phong swung his bats, but failed to hit the dodging target. "Begone, you piece of shit!"

"Mother fucker!" Lâm quickly recovered from the dodge and threw a left hook. A direct hit - the enemy responded to the fisted bear claw with redness out of his mouth and stepped backwards. "Get the fuck out of my territory-"

Huff!

Hoàng Lâm spitted when the macho student swung his bat to the body. Lâm flew a few steps backwards; began to see blurriness in his view. Perhaps, that blow concluded the battle, his mind vaguely thought, since his strong men had fallen.

"Know your place-" Phong intimidated his last enemy with joy, then gestured to the macho student to finish off the business. Phong knew everything about them, from the strongest to the weakest. As far as he was concerned, prey on the weakest ought to lure the pack onto the bait; and now, the strongest fell on his knee as Phong expected. "Today, victory is ours!"

A cold, chilling vibe suddenly crawled onsite which caused Phong to caution that phenomena left and right. The macho student, as well, felt that awe sensation and questioned himself the direction of that phenomena, but failed to identify.

"Beneath the dark we raiseth-" among the unconscious bodies, many voices raised in an audible frequency. "By thy nameth, we blesseth on the f'rsaken."

"What the fuck!" Phong cried aloud and commanded the macho student to protect him. "Show yourself bitch-ass punk!"

Boom!

A blow from out of the dark sent the macho bodyguard afar. Paralyzed, Phong expressed and dumbfounded. While the eyes were wide open with short breath, his bones weakened and muscles failed to respond to his will. The will opted to remain still, however, the mind hurried to flee the scene. Phong failed to describe that awe feeling in the lifetime as if the hunter was the hunted.

Swoosh!

A hand grasped on Phong's neck. Suffocating. Terrifying.

"Wh-who are you-" the prey's eyes reflected the man whom he thought had been eliminated. Moreover, a strange, chilling purple aura of death crawled from that person's body as misty tentacles immersed the environment. Looking at the man's eyes, the mind cried, pupils expanded an inhuman deep black. "What do you want!"

"From the abyss gaveth thy salvation-" The misty purple tentacle crawled on the prey's face and found its way sliding in the inner flesh. That inhuman being chanted in many voices which caused the shaken prey to inhale air in short gaps inconsistently during the inaudible scream. "By thy nameth, the deep awaits."

Poc!

A stone, again, from out of the blue knocked the creature out cold.

"The po-po's comin-" an anonymous student dragged their terrified leader out of the mess; commanded the remaining members aloud. "Pack y'all shit and leave now!"

"Shit, we gotta go-" Hoàng Lâm embraced his wounded side; approached slowly to his unconscious friend. Lâm placed one hand on An Thần's shoulder and the other on the waistband; demanded the gang to quickly retreat. As for his friend, he murmured. "I got-chu, hang on tight!"

Two sides retreated as soon as the flashy red light and noisy siren presented on the scene.

....

The battle on that day caught attention to many. Although the news reporter mentioned it in a short news section of the day, the incident posed a trivial commotion to news media. Despite the news, An Thần returned to his normal days, but with some bandage on his head. He started his daily routine, studying some advanced math, history and literature. After the bell rang, students ran straight to the cafeteria. As for An Thần, he came to the outdoor door with the boys when finishing his meal.

"G-, you good?" Lâm approached his friend. "How is it?"

"Headache, exhausted-" An Thần responded and looked at the friend who was covered in white bandage. "Are you a mummy, fam'?"

"Early Halloween, fam'-" Lâm replied and both of them chuckled. During the gaze on the blue sky, Lâm continued that they had conducted the best performance. He acknowledged with a dense voice and sat comfortably on the opposite cushion chair while rubbing both of his hands. "Blood pays blood."

Many wounded from the mess, Hoàng Lâm recalled in a white, sanitized room, and his friend's mother gave a furious visitation not long. Gazing at his unconscious friend, Lâm recalled the presentation of a terrifying inhuman being. At that time, the mind denied his meager friend would become such an awe creature; however, after witnessing the purple aura of death, Lâm ought to accept the unspeakable reality. He, then, observed both of his own hands - abrasive, rough and scar - and gripped tightly.

"Yo, G-" Lâm uttered in hesitation. "You have something to share with me?"

An Thần starred; silenced as an act to demand for more information. Lâm sighed and shook his head. Lâm switched the topic to a news just received - one of the Telebubbies leaders just asked them for a short meeting.

"G- this gonna be fine-" Lâm uttered and stretched with some crackling sounds from the back. "We will go and find out."

After school, the boys started their journey to a destination. While traveling by foot, the ghost observed the scenery. Sài Nam, located in the South of An Nam, was built to become an ever growing city. The ghost used to visit the city during the war; compared to the current state, men of An Nam brought peace to everclear skies and shaped concrete buildings with vivid colors. The humid climate still remained, the ghost recalled, and the breeze still floated among crowded people.

The ghost could gaze at the skyline as if to try and reach the blue skies above them. Some corners still presented their vintage history. Passing by hundreds of coffeehouses, bars and clubs, the ghost aware of these places proposed an abundance of culinary choices and those who crave for more could explore one of the many parks or one of the many other recreational venues. The street also shared different cultures as men of An Nam left their mark not just on the development, but also upon the identity of the city. Perhaps, the First Guardian's sacrifice proposed a vital point of history, that specter shedded tears, after all, from a small city of few contrast has grown into a new culture of variety where men united.

The boys headed to a street food vendor. Sitting on a plastic red chair, a faded hair student gestured for them to sit.

"The duo from the basketball court!" That faded hair student consumed the fried beef balls and welcomed them. "Y'all bastard just stole my victory!"

Two boys gazed into each other, confused. Thần was aware of the Lương Thế Vinh uniform; noticed the identification area on the left chest displayed "Bảo Minh". Lâm startled and looked onto An Thần as if he just realized a thing. Students in his school passed on stories of a small group of students that conquered their territories by force. That small group gained more fame from time to time; eventually, it became a gang organization under the name of Telebubbies. People failed to know their motive and actions, but it seemed they acted on their own interest.

"Hungry?" Bảo Minh pointed a stick of beef balls at the duo; and continued his leisure. "I don't bite-"

"Ehm-" Lâm scratched his cheeks and hesitated. "Since you're inviting us here-"

Suddenly, when Bảo Minh looked at them, the duo startled and sweated. The boys waited until the faded student concluded his meal, then began a conversation. Once upon a time in Lê Quý Đôn high school, one of the elite schools in the city, a group of students formed a club called Pocket Men. These trainers, Minh described, like to prey on weak students, "Pokemen", from other schools to enslave them. These slaves would give them lunch money and bolstered the conquest of expanding territories. Trainers worked in many areas - arts, sports and other activities; usually wore flamboyant Nika shoes to indicate their loyalty to the fervent fathers - the Gym Masters.

"Tell me I ain't trippin-" An Thần whispered to the ghost nearby since the boy had just been discharged from the hospital. Thần, thus, realized that he ought to acknowledge that hallucination state, for only himself conversing with an invisible entity. "Shit, fuck me-"

"Pay some respect, G-" Lâm noticed a lack of attention from his friend; worried that he would anger the revered guest. "Stop talking to yourself-"

"We, the Telebubbies, must stop this ubiquitous spread-" Bảo Minh raised his voice to concur a notion. These trainers grew like weeds in the land of Telebubbies, so they ought to stop that bane phenomena. As for the duo who brought dread to the enemy, the Telebubbies acknowledged that boon act and urged to propose an offer. "Please ask if y'all have questions."

Many questions indeed occurred inside of An Thần, but he needed to organize it one-by-one.

"What's your motive?" An Thần inquired the guest concisely. "What do we gain after this?"

"Fame and honor-" Bảo Minh responded delightfully to the doubtful one. The motive ought to keep simple - honor the true sun. Therefore, their mission focused on worshiping the true sun. The Telebubbies would honor those who helped and advocated for them if necessary. Telebubbies connected to many districts in the city, which proposed a wide range of support in real time. Moreover, Telebubbies could consider rewarding the devoted personnel with some of their exquisite gifts. "We treasure our connection as the sun from above."

"Who are you?" An Thần questioned. "And why are you inviting us?"

"I'm Bảo Minh, code name Dipsy-" Bảo Minh replied and summarized his role in the gang. In the past, Minh used to be a weakling among his peers. The trainers bullied him from time to time, stole his lunch money and forced him to conduct bad deeds. Until The Sun Child appeared and rescued him from the pitch black, the revered child bestowed him the code name with a mission to rescue those lost their ways. They gathered intel from many sources, of course, the background of the duo as well. As the gang sensed the suitable vessels for the job, they initiated the invitation. "So, what's y'all answer?"

"Child, this children-gang seems to be interested in us-" the ghost concluded. In perspective, it could see some benefits while conducting some missions for them, such as real-time support and network intel. In times of war, intel posed crucial tactics before preparing further actions. "Maybe it could lead to some information about my past."

"Reach for the power~" Gomboc raised many voices, but its intention seemed unknown. "Power is crucial~"

Thần drowned in deep thoughts. The mind opened up options to choose; knew deeply once he selected, the future would change.

"I see-" Bảo Minh smiled and accepted the answer. He presented a box for the duo. "This is a welcome gift, use as y'all please."

An Thần opened the box, which contained a pair of gloves. The maker embroidered them with the symbol of the Telebubbies - a smiley sun. As his hands tried on the products, An Thần felt a difference in hand movements - agile and flexible. Bảo Minh expressed a sense of approval; and before leaving, he noted the next meeting would happen here when the duo completed the mission - confronting the current district's Gym Master.

However, before dueling with the Gym Master, the specter had to assure that the boy's physical condition would endure for the next battle. He then introduced An Thần to physical training which used to train boys into men.

"From now on, you must train on my watch-" the ghost coached the boys to run laps in the early mornings before going to school. "You must either try hard or die hard."

Zap!

"Stop it, you gay bitch-'' the boy received an annoyed, electrical zap from the specter; and proceeded to run faster. "I'm tryin' my best here!"

Zap!

"Stop talking, more doing-" the ghost urged the boy to finalize his running laps. "Move it soldier!"

It had been weeks since the boy accepted his mission; however, the physical condition progressed slower than the specter expected. Dueling demanded nimble footwork, good reflexes, and endurance. Thần had to develop these qualities, with the foundation of endurance.

The ghost initiated a sparring session with the boy. These sessions required the trainee to launch powerful, precise strikes while dodging the trainer attacks. In reality, death matches usually lengthen in time and opponents just rushed forwards; thus, endurance had to become the core of power, speed, and accuracy for the unknown duration.

"Strike faster, you slow turtle!" The specter punched the boy whose force flew him afar, sighed deeply. "Again!"

In times of war, soldiers trained exercises that boost their stamina. The right exercises would condition their circulatory system and strengthen their muscles.