"I can't-" Sweat poured onto the ground as raindrops, the boy breathed heavily and failed to recover from the fall. "Too much-"

Fatigue slowed An Thần down and dulls his reflexes, which were prone to a cheap shot or back attack. The boy missed some powerful, accurate punches as he tired, which signified the training concluded for the day. Thần headed back; showered and rode to school as usual. He rejoined Lâm and the boys at the outdoor basketball court and played some hoops.

"G, you're on fire today-" Lâm applauded his friend after continuous 3-point scores. "What's up with you?"

"Easy-ass score-" An Thần smiled; conducted the half-handshake and noted about his regular exercise. "You should join my running-"

"Nah, fam'-" Lâm refuted; performed a 3-point shot. After the ball fell through the hoop, he chuckled. "I got my own exercise-"

Lâm ran afar to receive another pass from the boys and dunked with his teen spirit. An Thần observed, silenced.

"Something troubles?" the ghost questioned; enjoyed the youthful presentation in front. "This friend of yours does have good physics."

Thần nodded, but sensed an odd feeling. After a dog fight, his friends behaved strangely, the mind thought; nevertheless, an invitation of the Telebubbies might cause that behavior. Either way, Thần had to finish these uncompleted tasks - confronting a gym master and shoo-ing that queer ghost away.

Regarding spiritual entities, people said that if one could grant their wishes, they would begone themselves. An idea came to mind, and after school, Thần traveled to the city's public library. He searched for books containing the First Guardian and relative information. Seeking for a while, Thần reached a conclusion.

"Blasphemy!" the ghost cried in furry which trembled the nearby shelves. "Lies, filthy lies stains on our honor!"

Compared to the ghost version of the story, these historical texts illustrate that the First Guardian succeeded in their mission and retired in old ages. The ghost's name was also mentioned in the reading - Captain Phuc lived happily ever after in a far far away land.

"You did live good-" An Thần chuckled after reading these summarized stories of how a revered captain of the First Guardian became a happy farm-ville citizen. Historians clearly portrayed some illustrations of the captain's life, including his business which sold nuts. "O-shit, you sell nuts now?"

Curious, An Thần read the next description of that "nut" business of the ghost. Phuc's nuts, the big bold heading caught the eyes, Captain Phuc had big and small nuts. The captain had a variety of nuts, from black to white, shell and no shell. Some said they smelled delight; some said they tasted refined. The man sold his nuts for a crowd of customers all day, from north to south, they came to grab those hot salty nuts. Some grab a sack of nuts, a picture of some boys grabbed some nuts, and discovered some large, ol' pairs. The captain dipped some banana cream until the nuts soaked completely; then gave some to the housewives and let them suck just right.

"Wait a minute-" An Thần halted and re-scanned in a serious manner line-by-line. "What the fuck am I reading?"

The captain befriended children, and let them fiddle with his nuts all day. Some would be shy and hid behind their parents, but the captain told them it was fine to come out. The captain hugged the children and comforted them since it was not queer, he swore. The parents chuckled and licked the cream right off the new Phuc nut's bat sometimes; said it was a good day to take pictures as well. The girls, also, enjoyed the new fresh nuts and had to eat one of those ol' salty originals. Especially, loyal, twin customers pleased to share their stories. They both shared Phuc's nuts among the girl scouts after and swallowed the tasty nuts down their throats.

"Tell me this shit ain't queer-" An Thần raised his eyebrows; looked at the dumbfounded ghost and conflicted. "Are you ready to come out?"

"The gods forsaken us all-" the shocked ghost cried; slowly sat on the floor and hugged his face. "Souls of men sacrificing for greater peace, now become tarnished and distorted."

"I-I'm sorry-" When the gut felt a sudden, deep sorrow, An Thần realized that their emotions were connected; and, consoled. "Let's just do something else."

"Hey, keep it down-" a woman disrupted the conversation; her eyes gazed questioningly at the boy who was talking to himself. "What are you doing?"

Thần perplexed and quickly grabbed a random book. The boy acted; expressed difficulty in reading these contents.

"Hmmm- true-" the woman reached for the book and skimmed a few lines. Closing the book, she nodded, since only people in the area would know how to read that. "However, I see you are interested in the content, how about giving it a try."

"Well, actually-" the boy scratched his head and tried to come up with some words. "I do have some interest."

The woman expressed her approval; and left the book to the boy's hand. Her arms, the ghost speculated, posed finest muscles which were only seen in trained personnel. Perhaps, that woman used to hold a military position, the specter concluded, and became a civilian after the service. Judging from the book's cover, it displayed a vintage outlook with some ancient texts.

"I look so dumb-" An Thần hugged his beated red face and cried to himself. "Now people would think I am an autistic."

"Child, let me see the book-" the ghost urged the boy to read the content. "It seems that the woman is interested in you."

"R-Really?" The boy flustered and started to comb his hair with one hand. "I-I mean she seems nice to me."

After analyzing the content, the book described a traditional martial arts technique which utilized the dark to gain advantages in fighting. Shadow techniques, the specter looked at his experience in the past, used widely in the Southern martial artists. Mastering that technique could help users gain a boon point in the shadow. Moreover, it seemed odd when one could find a book like that in a public environment. An odd feeling surged in the ghost when discovering that point of view. It then dashed away and searched for the woman, but found nothing. It looked to the boy who pursued left and right - tired and sweaty - demanded an answer. The specter told the boy to keep the book and research thereof.

The afternoon came fast in the sky. As An Thần walked home on an alley, he discovered a group of flamboyant Nika shoes on the way. When the eyes met, they began to walk up with a smile.
"Shit, why now!" The boy confronted the approaching group. His eyes scanned the environment for a chance to escape, but the group already spread their men at most of the escape route. "They are too crowded."

"Calm down, remember the training-" the specter conditioned the boy. "Let's practice what we learned."

An Thần surrounded by the enemies, the mind concluded, so letting an enemy trigger the fight first should become a good option. Since the boy learned to disarm, he easily knocked out the first one. Next, he performed multiple counters to weapon assailants in a successful chain. That triggered a flow in combat, which the ghost called chain combo. That chain combo would help Thần to weave additional kills or knock out together by chaining moves to targets and pressing the attack again. As a result, the boy evoked a frenzy state, allowing him to target and execute enemies faster.

Before initiating that frenzy effect, one had to prepare the mortal body, which involved cardio exercises to increase lung capacity and condition the heart. Consistent exercises improved blood circulation from the lungs to the muscles. Thus, one had to perform strength training - which aimed at crucial muscle groups to develop as a fighter. In the end, one would establish endurance in the power core of arms, legs, and chest.

Pow!

An Thần's last blow concluded the battle. Since that had been the first time for the boy to use such techniques, the mortal body suffered minor wounds. Well, the specter agreed, the more duels the more experience the boy would acquire.

"Thank you-" A male student approached the wounded savior and grabbed some cash from his pocket. "Here's the money I have."

An Thần hesitated with the offerings; and looked to the invisible entity to inquire some insights.

"Spoils of war-" The specter validated the situation; since in times of war, citizens would offer such gifts for those who saved them. "Take it or leave it."

"Powerrrrrrrrrrrr~" Gomboc lingered its desire in the air, only which the boy could hear. "Prideeee~"

An Thần refused after a fracture of seconds. The specter and the male student approved that action. Then, the student implored his story of offering the bullies from time to time. The offering would multiply every time they returned and demanded more of.

"I'm scared to fight back-" The male student pleaded since it would become an impossible action against a pact of violent assailants. Moreover, he would be afraid to tell his parents about the situation because of the payback. "But I see you fight like a true warrior."

"Aye, no big'-" An Thần shook his head; smiled lightly - of course, since all the escaping paths were blocked, the only way out was to move forward. "Just do the do."

"True, true-" The male student agreed and said he used to meet a man with that dauntless attitude. "I can guide you to him."

When curiosity sparked the mind, An Thần accepted the invitation and followed the male student to a shop named 'Fcuk Long'. The coffee shop air mingled with aromatic dreams, little wonder that became an ideal place for people who wore attire - to be precise, elegant and noble - read books . The male student waved the newcomer to a corner, where a Lê Quý Đôn student sat alone at a long wooden table.

"Oh, tis you-" The Lê Quý Đôn student seemed to know the newcomer. Realizing the newcomer was aware of the Nika shoes, he exhaled and expressed a friendly welcome gesture. "Please, sit with us."

Thanh Thuận, one of the Gym Leaders, used to get along with other leaders. One day, the Fervent Master changed their policies. Instead of protecting the school's disciples, they had to collect offerings to fund the organization, which confused and caused controversy between the loyal servants. Many times Thuận brought that matter to the table, the Fervent Master refused to discuss further. Therefore, gym leaders had to act upon the fervent master's will - to collect offerings as much as possible; otherwise, the master ostracized those who failed the task. Such a matter alarmed a dire situation to the Pokemen since the forefathers established that organization to protect its disciples. The fact a newcomer defeated a gym leader was undeniable, Thuận noted, but others would come and seek their revenge.

"Alright, I guess it's time for questions-" Thanh Thuận sipped his Oolong milk tea after a brief summary. "What do you want to ask?"

Many questions stirred in the mind of a newcomer, so he had to organize in a proper order.

"Tell me more about yourself?" An Thần questioned the one in front. "What business do you deal in the Pokemen?"

"A milk tea enthusiast," Thuận claimed. He became a servant of the Pocket Men to serve the goods. He seek solely on problems of the society and tried to solve them with manners and logic. In the meantime, Thuận strove to gain more knowledge to reach a higher league. "A higher league is waiting, my time will come."

"What is this, higher league-" An Thần questioned the milk-tea enthusiast. "I thought you only served the Pocketmen."

"A sect of ideas and concepts of the true world-" replied Thuận after sipping his milk tea. Becoming mature in life should be a point of view, Thuận stated; and, when that day came, one had to select a path - either living a normal life or die trying an adventure life. Look around, he proposed, men in An Nam lived in a common sphere for eternity without knowing the world outside. After graduating from schools, one could join a sect with an adventurous life. "However, only some would survive in the process."

"Seems interesting enough-" nodded the ghost and further elaborated. In the past, the specter knew a few sects which cooperated with the First Guardian in the last defense. Perhaps, it might recall some familiar faces if receiving a chance of meeting. "Sects play a role in our defense line in the last battle, maybe joining one could help in this case."

"About this revenge of the leaders-" Thần demanded a response. "What will happen to me?"

Thuận elaborated that the leaders had started a hunt when the newcomer asked. Gym Masters already spreaded the pact to attack the newcomer onsite. While finding a solution, Thuận urged the newcomer to become stronger and survive the conquest of defeating leaders.

"Here is something that I hope could help-" Thuận presented a green band to Thần. The maker weaved that silky band with a mark of nature. The mark, ☶, symbolized one of the eight signs which signified "mountain". "Try it on and see if it fits."

The armband snug; fitted his arm when Thần tried on. Moreover, a good omen emerged - clarity and dexterity, the mind described.

"The way of nature will help you in certain aspects-" Thuận noted at the green arm band, thus, looked at the male student and gestured a motion to lead the guest to his way. "May you find victory in the conquest."

An Thần traveled and brought news to the table of a street food corner. The group laid out a map of the district, there pinned 2 points - east and south. A Pokemen's leader intrigued Dipsy since the group never acted friendly towards others. Dipsy never faced Thuan before, however, rumors said the man received high credits from the Fervent Master. Therefore, that cooperation seemed too good to be true. Since An Thần had cleared the west and met the milk tea enthusiast at the north, he had to select the next destination. Discussing information, the table drowned deep in thoughts and consideration.

"I say we bust 'em nuts-" Lâm brought a direct decision towards the situation. Some problems could only be solved with brute force. In the district, the East sedated a crowded skateboarding field where the hippy community conjoined. The sunny gloves rang an idea to that place, perhaps, a thrifty event would commence there. "My men and I can take the South-side."

"I do have men prepared at the South-" Dipsy added the details on the table. However, silence was golden, he noted, therefore one had to infiltrate in that location quietly. In the district, East-side sedated a large community park where the greens thrived as An Thần remembered. The green armband rang a reminder to that place, perhaps, a good benefit would occur there. "Sometimes it's better to knock rather than barge in."

A decision occurred where Thần had to select beforehand. Since an invisible entity and Gomboc shut their response, he had to think deeply for the next campaign. In the end, An Thần had to clear all of them.

"Yes, fam'-" The next campaign excited Lâm. "We will beat some ass soon!