Friendly Spar.

(Miguel James PoV.);

I don't have any words to describe what I was feeling about what I just overheard. I mean, I knew my father was not what he looked like now, and now everything just falls into place.

The signs were always in front of me, but I was ignorant, and of course, it's not like I had time to think about it. But now everything falls into one piece like a jigsaw.

I mean, a family man who looked boring enough had a fricking R33 in his garage, and in retrospect, his driving was quite smooth during the small amount of time I spent with him. Oh, hell no, the speech he gave me the other night. That was ripped straight out of Dom's classic lines.

Now I know what kind of world my father came from. Leon happened to be one of the less-known characters, and now I think I know what happened to him. He just settled down.

As per my knowledge, I don't think my dad is gonna team up with Dom again for vengeance for Letty's death. That means he would actually stay with us rather than risking it all. Now that is the good news.

Now for the bad news, I know that whoever was the goddess' big boss, he is not gonna let me sit out on this one. All I have to know now is when all of this is gonna come knocking.

Seriously, the stress was slowly getting to me. 'Nobody told me that this world would be this messed up,' I thought bitterly. If I had happiness when I found out about how this world has the modern family's plot, now it has turned to panic. I can protect myself. But what about the others around me? I have to get strong. Really, really strong. Or else when fate finally comes around, I will be helpless.

As of now, I have Frank Moses' skill set that has to be honed to perfection as soon as possible. With a newfound resolve, I decided to give my parents a bit of privacy and went on to continue my studies. After a while, I had memorized every single textbook in my possession, and I was ready for tomorrow's test.

But then I remembered something. The stunt that I pulled earlier this morning was not exactly discreet. I did evade the CCTVs, but the people around me surely must have taken something. I surfed through Facebook and YouTube to find any related videos that have been released by any bystanders.

After a few searches, I soon found my video. It had a few thousand hits each on YouTube as well as Facebook. But I was relieved to see that none of the videos had a clear shot of my face. It was either horribly blurred or it was just my back towards the camera. 'Wow. I guess this is the only time that I was happy that the technology is not that developed.' I thought with a sigh of relief. I mean, if I did the same thing a couple of years later, I am surely done for. I guess I really licked out on this and it was a good call to run before the media came around.

I switched off my desktop and lay down on my bed. I now have a reason to be stronger, and I need to do it fast. I can't predict the future always, and it is bound to veer off course anytime now. Even if my father is not going to be associated with Dominic Toretto anymore, it doesn't mean his past would never catch up to him at some point. Thank goodness that I have perfect recalling ability. I remembered every single detail of what happened in the movie in my past life, and it will get worse as time passes.

Dom is going face to face with Braga and his cartel that is going to put him behind bars with Brian becoming an outlaw. And soon they are going to pull a heist in Rio. And that would be at least two years from now. After that, the whole hell will break loose. They are gonna make a lot of final rides from then onwards. In short, I have to be ready for some psychotic arseholes who are potentially gonna hunt Dom's family down. Now that I am present in this reality, that means I will be thrown in the middle even if I evade, as the goddess hinted.

All those thoughts were giving me a headache, and I just silently prayed that I would have enough time to face this whole shitstorm that was brewing. After a while, I fell asleep. I woke up pretty early the next day. I decided to go for a run, and sure enough, I saw my dad getting ready for one too. "Wow, and here I am thinking I have seen enough strange things. What kind of divine intervention has made you rise up before the sun shined on your ass, son?" my father said with a very funny expression on his face. 'You don't know how close you got with that comment pops.' I thought with a small smile.

"C'mon, dad, don't make fun of me. I just thought I needed to improve my fitness. Also, I thought I could take another look at the community," I said with a stupid smile. "Alright, son.... Let's see what you got."

With that, my dad and I started the run. After a while, I clearly felt the improvements that I got. If I was the ordinary boy I was, I would have been heaving like a dog at the end of the few hundred meters. But now I have at least run four kilometers straight, but was still stout and energetic as a horse. "Oh....wait.... let me catch my breath son ...phew ..." I saw my dad breathe heavily by supporting his hands on the knee. "C'mon, dad, are you tired already?" I taunted my dad who just laughed it off. "I am not your age son.

We just laughed together. While we were just cooling it off by just walking, I saw a woman running and coming towards us. 'Damn… she's hot', she was running at a small pace and I secretly thanked gravity for what I was witnessing. And when I looked at my dad, it seems he was looking at me. You know, two guys needn't exactly speak a single word and we still know what's being conveyed and judging by my father's expression we were both thinking the same thing. But for some reason, he had a little wariness in his face.

While I was enjoying the scene in front of me, she came near us and stopped. "Hey Leon… Out for a run and who's this handsome boy?", she asked in a cheerful tone while checking me out. That sent literal chills down my spine. "Hey Desiree. You are out for a run as well I see", my dad said with not much of an emotion. "And this is my son, Miguel."

"Oh… you are his son. But I really didn't know that you had such an old son Leon. You look pretty young!" she just exclaimed. 'Is this woman flirting with my dad?', if mom ever knew, oh man I can't even imagine what would happen.

"Anyways, have a good day, people…" With that statement, she casually jogged away, her footsteps fading into the distance. My dad, still catching his breath, looked at me with an amused expression.

"Don't give me that look, son. And don't even think about telling your mom," he playfully cautioned me. After walking a bit more, we arrived at a nearby park.

"Come on, son, let's head back," my dad suggested as he began to turn around. I had a different plan in mind.

"Well, Dad, why don't you go ahead and run back alone? I'm going to get in a bit of exercise here at the park, and I'll catch up with you in a couple of hours," I proposed. Hearing my idea, he simply nodded and reminded me not to take too long since we had to visit my school later.

With my dad's figure fading into the distance, I entered the park, ready to start my workout. The early morning sun cast a warm and gentle glow over the area, and the park was still relatively quiet, providing a peaceful atmosphere for my training. I plugged in my earphones that had an upbeat music playing in it.

I began with a series of stretches, making sure to properly warm up my muscles while paying close attention to my form and breathing. Maintaining the right technique was crucial to prevent any potential injuries.

Next, I transitioned into calisthenics, performing a set of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats to build strength and stamina. With each repetition, I could feel the pleasant burn in my muscles, motivating me to push myself further. I now had a physique that most of the other humans would give anything too have. And it was my responsibility to forge it into a sharp and useful weapon.

After completing my exercises, I opted to spend some time honing my skills. As I delved into my shadow training routine, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. Startled, I removed my headphones and turned to find a girl with a friendly smile standing before me. 

"Hey there, stranger. I had no idea you lived around here Miguel." She greeted me. It was Penny, the goth girl I had encountered earlier. However, today, she was in a different guise, devoid of makeup, dressed in a simple t-shirt and snug black leggings, presenting a stark contrast to the image I had of her from that eventful day.

"Hey," I replied, slightly surprised by her presence but also intrigued. "Yeah, I live nearby. I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you to the park?"

Penny shrugged casually, her smile never fading. "Just felt like getting some fresh air and a bit of exercise. Plus, this park's got a great atmosphere. What about you? Training to become a superhero or something?"

I chuckled, appreciating her sense of humor. "Not quite a superhero, just trying to stay in shape and work on some skills. "Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she leaned forward a bit. "Ooh, can I help? Do you want to spar a bit?"

I hesitated for a moment, considering her offer. It was an unexpected proposition, but something about her enthusiasm made me feel comfortable. "Sure, why not?" I replied with a grin. "But we'll keep it friendly, okay?"

Penny's face lit up with excitement as she stood from the bench and moved closer. "Absolutely, just a bit of friendly sparring." She stretched her limbs briefly, preparing for the impromptu match.

We took a moment to establish some basic ground rules and boundaries to ensure our spar remained safe and enjoyable.  She took her t-shirt off and now just wore a sports bra showing off her proud figure. "Eyes up here Miguel…", she just quipped probably seeing me stare. I just shook it off with a laugh. We assumed fighting stances, facing each other in the middle of the park's open area.

Penny threw the first punch, a slow and controlled jab, which I easily blocked. Our movements were measured, and we maintained a playful spirit throughout, dodging, blocking, and occasionally landing light, controlled strikes. It was more about testing our skills and having fun rather than trying to defeat each other.

As we continued to spar, Penny displayed a surprising level of agility and coordination, making her a worthy opponent. She was well versed in martial arts. her punches had a good amount of strength to it.  After a while we started to fight a bit seriously. She was always attacking the openings while I blocked and returned some of my own attacks. After a while my skill bundle started showing. I easily started overpowering her even though it did take a bit of a time as i knew she was getting tired. The spar went on for a good while, and by the end of it, we were both a little out of breath ( I was not, but decided to look tired so that she wont feel bad ...) but wearing wide grins. It had been a genuinely enjoyable experience, and I was grateful for the unexpected encounter with Penny as it was a good way to test my skills.

"Wow… I never thought you would be this good", I said while grinning with a surprised look. "Right back at you Miguel. You are indeed a good fighter. Are you professionally trained?", she asked with a smile while putting her t shirt back on after drying a bit. "Err… yeah I did learn some while I was in Texas." I just lied. "Well what about you. I mean I never thought you could fight like this. Well you could have helped that day you know…". She just laughed at my comment. "Well when you happen to be an MMA trainer's daughter and if you have three brothers, you tend to pick some things up. And the first rule my dad always taught was the best way to win a fight is not fighting plus I knew you had it under control champ." She commented with a laugh and just mock punched my arms. 'Well this kitty has claws', I thought internally.

We just talked a bit more while it was time for me to leave. We exchanged our numbers and went separate ways. Back home so that I could go to school and start my high school days. I just took a quick shower after I reached my house. I quickly packed my bag and dressed up in a simple attire to meet my parents downstairs and together we departed towards Palisade High.