*KAWKAW*
Sunlight seeped into the room, and the sound of birds caw-cawing could be heard to announce the arrival of morning. It's a great start to a day! But even though morning had arrived, someone was still sleeping so peacefully. But not for long, as a faint stir from the bed hinted at their slow return to consciousness.
Truthfully, Jeff, who had been lying on the bed, slowly sat up and rubbed his still—drowsy eyes, his expression showing he was still half-lost in sleep.
"... It's morning already? Huh... What time is it? Seriously. It's 7:00 AM. How did I somehow wake up this early?"
Still sitting on the bed and registering that it is indeed morning, he then checked the time too, which indicated 7:00 AM. Though his face was blank, and it stayed like that. He spoke to himself.
"... When it was school days, I didn't even manage to wake in time the same as when I got work like yesterday... Ahh, whatever."
Saying so, he then paused for a moment, as another thought hit him that made his eyes glimmer!
"...Well, enough with that; I have something more important to do now!"
Yesterday was crazy. The thing that happened, and now all that led to this, was probably because of reading the book given to him by Marie. The book really changed him; it gave him the idea, and here are the results. Now, the rather blank face was changed to a determined one! As he then set aside his phone, putting it on the bed while he stood up and declared proudly to himself, That is it!
"… I'm going to be a vigilante...! Starting now...!"
.....Then a growl can be heard coming from none other than Jeff.
"..."
The silence was deafening.
"... Uhhh... Yeah, I need to buy groceries first before all that…"
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*PAP*
... After his bath, Jeff decided to go outside and buy groceries since it was looking empty and dry in the kitchen. The stuff that he bought was something he would definitely be eating, and there were a lot of different kinds of instant noodles that he bought—in around 5 flavors, which was going to be enough for him to survive for maybe months. Moving on, putting away the groceries. Here is Jeff dealing with something else now...
A book titled "Vigilante Man" and a notebook were placed on the table in the kitchen as the person who set them down then took a seat on a chair. He looked rather thoughtful as he looked at the books in front of him.
"... Hmmm, for me to start all this vigilante thingy. I have to think of something first, like Vigilante Man had all of them required for what he is."
"...I guess, first what I need… is my very own costume...!"
Now standing, he then went to a certain room, which was just beside his bedroom. Well, it's just another room, but in this room there was a lot of stuff stuffed here together. It's akin to a storage room made to be. Looking at the room's state, it can be stated as very messy.
"... Where did I put them? There's a lot of stuff here that I just put in here. Well, time to go scavenger mode."
Though there were indeed a lot of different things put together here, Jeff then finally found what he was looking for. Opening every box he set his eyes on—it's not long until, he opened the one with the things he was looking for.
"… Well, let's see what we've got here…"
Inside the box was clothing of different varieties. Putting his hands inside the box, he then only took what he actually needed for his vigilante costume... And what he comes up with is...
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Inside Jeff's room… there he is standing in front of a mirror; which was big enough to showcase him in all… he now had changed from his casual clothes to his supposed vigilante costume!
"...Hahahaha… well, it looks nice even though it looks frayed… still fits though!"
In all its glory, there's Jeff with his costume, wearing black combat pants. As well, also wearing a tactical combat hoodie, which is the same color as the former. Pretty decent, despite this supposed vigilante costume set being frayed, but that isn't going to be a problem.
Clenching his fists as he then looked at the mirror, there what stared at him back was a black-haired boy, and his black eyes were just staring back at himself as he looked all over.
"... Well, this is great… Now... what else…? Hmmm—Oh! Right."
Putting a hand on his chin as he looked thoughtful, there was yet again something sparked. He knew what he needed next. Though Vigilante Man, the MC from the book he read, didn't use any weapons, he would be needing weapons since Jeff didn't know how to throw hands yet. Thus, yet again, heading into the "storage" room—yep, that is what it's going to be called now.
A weapon that suits him right now will be that… Since he knows how to use it, albeit not much—since the last time he used it was like a long time ago? Yeah, it is.
Still rummaging through boxes in the room, he then finally spotted a box that had something sticking out from its opening, and it's the thing he was looking for. Pulling it out, the weapon was now revealed. It was a wooden baseball bat; although it looks small, it was still indeed a weapon.
"Well, well, well… my first time holding you again after a long time...", It felt nice on my hands, just like back then...
Taking a swing with the baseball bat, the swooshing sound could be heard as it was swung. The posture in which Jeff swung the bat showed that he was no novice. Rather satisfied that he can still do it after a long time which doesn't sound too bad; this in turn made it easier for him!
Now back to his room, most of what he needed was already fulfilled. Now, there he thought to himself again.
"Well, it's all going great, now what else…? Hmmmmmmmmmmm... The main character of the book Vigilante Man was someone who was the master of martial arts. His fighting prowess was described as godly. Ahh… in the end, I really need to learn them too."
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With his phone in his hands, there he is looking at the internet for help, like for him to learn martial arts… He has to learn it from someone… Though there was no one to teach him that, and thus all he can do is look it up on the internet, and the end result was...
"… This… This… ISN'T HELPING… How the heck am I going to learn martial arts? I need an actual guidance...!"
Still scrolling through the internet, as one will call doom-scrolling, he still can't find what can help him in this situation, like learning martial arts isn't easy. And definitely cannot be learned in a short time... Though not learning martial arts will be fine… or not. Still, Jeff really thought that as a vigilante, you need to know at least a little bit of martial arts; a person that only relies on their weapon is going to be on the short end of the stick. And that is not a good thing.
Still scrolling despite being on the verge of giving up, until finally something caught his eye. Eyes wide open, after looking at a certain post whilst scrolling in Deddit, an application where many will come here to find answers, and answers they will get! The post was made by an anonymous person, not that old too—as it was released about 2 months ago but still—there wasn't any views at all. In the post a video was embedded in it, and the title goes like this:
"Martial arts for beginners can be learned in under 1 minute. Must try... (real 100%)...??? Is this really real? Can people learn martial arts in under 1 minute...?"
Though hesitating, there was this certain feeling that welled up in Jeff's heart as he looked at the post this time thoughtfully.
And there he made his decision.
"...Well, it never hurts to watch it. Here goes nothing."
Saying so, he then played the video in the post as it loaded before finally the screen flashed... and there it showed a person—in a bunny costume that looked just like easter bunny. Their whole body was covered by the costume—not showing bit of skin, and this person also wore the bunny head of the costume that looked so goofy... was only staring at the camera…?
"...Huh...??? "
Staring is all this person did for the last 5 seconds...
"...HELLO THERE..."
"... What the—!, why she suddenly shouted… that made me jump a little...!"
Surprised by the sudden sound, the bunny, which finally spoke in a rather loud voice, was revealed to be a female. Well, despite being loud it sound girlish too, judging by the voice and tone. After saying their greeting in such a manner, the bunny then proceeded to continue.
"Ahhh… welcome…! So, if you're watching this, you must want to learn martial arts real fast…! Hey! Fret not, I'm here to help…!"
"Alright, she looks enthusiastic."
"So... will this help you to learn martial arts real fast…? The answer is—NOOOO!!! You can't learn martial arts that fast...!"
"HUH…?! Then what am I here for?!
"...BUT WAIT…! I'm not done… What I had said only applies to martial arts that are done in a traditional and conventional way... But there is indeed a martial art that you can learn like 100% fast!"
"...Dayum, she really had me going for no reason—and why did she do that? That's so unnecessary."
"...A martial art that you will be learning will be one that didn't follow the traditional and conventional way… Instead, THEY FOLLOWED THE UNTRADITIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL WAY."
"C'mon, get to the point already...!"
"BUT BEFORE THAT..."
"You can't be serious...!"
"For every martial art, even for the one I'm going to be teaching! It's important to maintain and reach top form for both mentality and physicality, but despite what I said, my martial art…! Can still be utilized, albeit won't be as effective…! That's why it is essential to do those...!"
"Wait, that is actually valid. I really need to train myself. But hold up, she's been talking about this martial art whose name I don't even know yet...!"
Looking at the video, the bunny, which had been speaking for over a minute now in the video, finally moved from the spot they had been standing in, now relocating to a spot where there stood 3 different kinds of dummies; a wooden dummy, training dummy, then there was the practice dummy, which were commonly used across various martial arts.
Staying still for a moment in silence as the bunny finally said something, albeit kind of seriously…
"Now we will begin learning… Before that, this martial art you will be learning is..."
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"...Gulp..."
Jeff gulped as he waited for the name drop of the martial art, as the learning too will commence…! And then...!
"THE SUPER-DUPER INFERIOR MARTIAL ART...!"
"...Huh...?"
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"...That's all for this time's lesson! Also, you want to improve your physicality and mentality?! Don't worry, I got you!! I had a video lesson just for that! And don't you worry, it will surely help you! So check it out…! And boom, Bunny out!"
"...."
Jeff, who had a blank face, was still looking at his screen even though the video had already ended. Though he didn't know how to feel about it, the martial art that he had now learned like that was somewhat true when it said you can learn it real FAST, but it was too literal, and even then—the martial art itself was really weird. Like, was every martial art like that? And there he spoke as he sighed.
"...Sighhhh....ughhhhh... Well, I don't care anymore… might as well check out the video she's been talking about."
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The apartment complex where Jeff lived had a total of seven floors, with the rooftop counted as the seventh. It was a pretty old building, but despite that, people still found it bearable to live in, mostly because the rent was cheap. Jeff also lived here for that exact reason… with money that was sent for allowance by his parents… not biological but foster… still wasn't enough for both himself and for paying the unit rent too… so Jeff decided to do a part-time job, and thus there is Dave, who helped him.
Jeff right now was walking upstairs, and luckily his unit was a floor below this, and where is Jeff currently going to? The rooftop.
Arriving at the top of the stairs, what welcomed him was a door, and without hesitation, Jeff then opened the door as the rooftop came into view.
"...Wow... I never came here before, but this is great for me…"
The rooftop was pretty much spacious with a lot of space and nothing occupying this rooftop... As there was also railing installed around the rooftop to prevent accidental mishaps, the vantage point from this rooftop surprisingly gave out a somewhat clear view of the city! Yeah, his apartment complex was kinda close to the city.
"Well, that's refreshing..."
Having the winds swooshing by as they caress people and envelop them in cold winds… Jeff enjoyed the moment while it lasted.
"Well, this is going to be where I train myself then."
And thus Jeff continued this peaceful moment by himself...
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Back to his apartment unit and straight to his room, he then sat on the bed as he thought to himself, Finished with all that… now all that's left is…
"... I can't just go places doing stuff and then using my real name; that's just unreal. So... should I go with Vigilante Man... Nahhhh... I copied him too literally."
In deep thought, Jeff then lay on his bed as he looked at the ceiling, just like any other time he did. Though thinking hard, it can't be that hard.
"Oh… boy... I just don't… huh...?"
There it clicked… pausing for a second there before talking again…
"Say that again myself..."
Telling himself to repeat what he had said as a grin starts to form…
"Yeah… Oh… boy..."
And that grin slowly turned into a smile as he finally sat back up, and there he confidently muttered...
"Yep… I got it now…"
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The time now shows 9:00 PM, and here Jeff is—walking around in an alley, wandering to and fro between backstreets. He's looking for something, some kind of situation or even just straight-up crime. That's it. After all, he is now a vigilante who enforces justice on his own terms...!
Yeah...! This is gonna be his first patrol as a vigilante!
Of course, still donning his vigilante costume…! But this time, he also was wearing a yellow smiling emoji mask… though he was thankful there was something like this in his Doraemon-like storage room, thus saving him trouble and even money to buy a new one, which he doesn't want to.
The mask was a must, though, since it's vital for the concealment of his identity. And there, strapped to his back and secured in a harness, was his wooden baseball bat.
Though it cannot be seen, currently, Jeff is smiling behind the mask.
"Where are the thugs that need to be corrected? Because here I am…! Appear already, come on!"
Still wandering around, and after taking a turn out of the alley—onto the street, he now found himself out in the open, where the streetlights buzzed quietly and the city felt strangely still. There were cars still going by on both direction of the road, but albeit too few.
Feeling a little disappointed that nothing is happening even now when he is out in the open, he can't help but lament quietly.
"...Sigh... Something has to be happening man..."
Disappointed. And then, as he turns to go back to the alley that he came from, what he was waiting for finally happens; a scream pierces the air.
"...Huh?! What is that?! Where is it??!"
Upon hearing the sudden scream, Jeff tried his best to pinpoint where it had come from. The sound led him to an alley across the street, and without hesitation, he broke into a sprint.
The scream was loud enough because it was probably closer than expected, and Jeff, who ran in the alley where the scream came from, now had turned right as he finally found the source.
From where Jeff stood, he could make out three figures in the darkness. The alley was dim, but as he stepped closer, it became clear two of them were mean-looking thugs. And they were about to harass someone… a girl. That's just unacceptable; he can't let that slide!
With them still not aware of someone coming into the scene, that's where Jeff starts to play his part…!
"HEYYYYY...!"
It was loud enough indeed; Jeff's voice has managed to attract and have their attention on him… and there Jeff is, standing firmly, his legs slightly spread, his hands on both sides of his waist, and with his head tilted only slightly upward… Aura pose...!
"....."
"....."
They looked at him... And...
It was silent, the silence was deafening. Jeff, however, felt like he was dying. Just why the heck—did he have to strike a freaking pose? And then finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them spoke.
"...Who the hell are you...?"
...! The moment he heard the voice, Jeff... knew this voice; he remembered it. It was the voice of that drunk guy back then…! And yeah, it was him—finally breaking free from his pose and looking at the 2 thugs in front of him through the mask's eye spot. It was really them…! Dayum, he didn't know what to do…!
"....."
"...Yo! Are you deaf or what? Didn't you hear what I asked you? Why are you acting and even posing like a weirdo in the middle of the night? You wanted to be made fun of...?"
"Go away, boy; you don't want this to turn ugly... We especially don't want to beat weirdo."
Though Jeff looked like he was panicking at first, because he really did. But now after they're throwing insults at him? That pissed him off really… Still scared? Yeah, but he knows he can't be wussing right now like he did back then and now things was at higher stake! After all, someone is in danger here!
He looked at the figures in front of him, and now with somewhat of a calm vigor, he steeled himself as he then walked to them, his hands already reaching for his bat strapped to his back. Then, in a firm and determined tone, he spoke.
"...Two cheap-shit losers with nothing better to do than harass people and waste your damn lives!"
"...! The heck you say?"
"You've got a foul mouth yourself; you're dead meat, boy...!"
Both parties are coming closer to each other, as they're ready for an all-out attack. Neither side is going to back away... And here he is, Jeff, still trying to take out his bat.
"You haven't got—you haven't—Dang! … what the hell…! What is up with this bat...!"
Struggling to take out the bat, and one of the thugs, seeing Jeff struggle, decided to take the opportunity as he then lunged forward and drew his arm back to generate power… and was ready to unleash hell on Jeff...!
But.
That will be his mistake…!
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Seeing as one of the thugs lunged toward him, Jeff just looked at him… but his expression was weird; they cannot see it but behind the mask... Jeff was smiling...? It darts back to when he was learning the martial art.
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"THE SUPER-DUPER INFERIOR MARTIAL ART...!"
"WELL, OF COURSE…! Hearing it for the first time, you will be surprised by the name… it is indeed inferior... BUT...! That's the whole point...!"
Moving closer to one of the dummies, Bunny then continued her explaining…
"This martial art is designed to work best for users who are good pretenders—those who can apply deception and become deceivers, fooling their opponents into thinking they're incapable of defending themselves. So ask yourself, Are you a good deceiver and pretender?"
After saying that, Bunny then straight up got into a stance and placed her hands just at chest level as she then readied them to strike. And then, she continued…
"...Deceiving your opponents, fooling them, and making them completely oblivious to you… That's the moment for you to unleash it. The element of surprise was also a core principle for this martial art to work, as the element of surprise will be used for you to strike at their VITAL SPOT...!"
…As she finished saying so, she then finally moved herself to demonstrate… a hand forward as it struck the dummy! But where exactly...?!
*POOF*
"... The vital spots that will be unlikely and might never be thought to be struck are the LOWER REGION...! SO STRUCK THAT...!"
The dummy that she struck lost its balance as it tipped over. Though the sound it made when she struck the dummy was soft since she was wearing a thick bunny costume…!
Now standing upright, she looked in the direction where the video was recording and spoke again.
"So now you know! It was such an effective technique, right?! And it's not illegal, trust me...!"
Or so she says... though Jeff, who had been watching from the beginning to the end of the video, looked rather blank, he thought it only looked like that… But the martial art, the technique, he had etched it into his brain, though... Why wouldn't he? Isn't that wasteful if he didn't? since he himself is a good pretender and deceiver when the situation suits him...! Well, it looks like this martial art was no joke at all…!
The lunging thug really thought he was going to get Jeff real good, but that backfired so horribly wrong.
As he was in mid-air, there—that was the moment Jeff made his move by leaning forward and drawing his fist back before releasing them forward… but it was too late for the thug… it hit him without him realizing what just happened… the fist made contact with his willy as the world grew silent—
THUD. Eggs cracking.
". ...!.!.!. .! KIAVGGHHHH-IGHHHSHSH... "
Holding where it hurt, the thug just cowered; the pain was endless as it slowly faded him into unconsciousness, making gibberish, mumbling sounds as tears also fell out from his eyes... That hurts.
"Jeez… that hurts my wrist, man... Your buddy got a titanium thingy or what, huh?"
"...!!! What the freak?! You psycho?! Punching that place, are you out of your mind?!…"
The thug was freaking out after witnessing that brutal strike from Jeff, but he wouldn't care. Well, ...maybe he did a little—punching that place was crazy! Imagine the pain...!
...But they had it coming, and doing what he just did, Jeff felt fulfilled, albeit just 50% like that. Anyways, he then looked at the remaining thug and said…
"What, you wussing out now? It's 1 on 1; you can't be wussing out… Oh, and... you asked who I am, right? Yeah… I am…"
Smiling just behind the mask, he then confidently announces who he is.
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"Vigilante Boy…!"