15 Belongs to the Monkey Man

The final bell of school rang as the students of Aurelius Academy flooded from the school gates. Among them, a young boy could be seen carrying a backpack and walking with an arched back. He fashioned a large frown and looked extremely disappointed.

"'Lunchtime is over' my ass. You're telling me I couldn't grab a quick sandwich at least?" He mumbled. As he grumbled and audibly gritted his teeth, he noticed the students around him making a fuss and acting strangely. He followed their eyes only to see a familiar handsome person with black hair in a ponytail accompanied by his entourage.

Noa walked beside him quietly while Maxwell and Juniper followed close by. Multiple people greeted Arlo as he smiled and waved to his fans. After a few seconds, Arlo noticed a familiar face amongst the crowd. He and Isaac locked eyes and stared at each other for a few seconds.

'I thought he'd have done something by now. Was he really sincere when he told me he'd leave me alone?' Isaac thought inwardly as Arlo plastered on another smile and waved at him. However, behind him, Juniper could be seen with a scrunched face as veins bulged from his neck. He saw Arlo wave and smile at Isaac and to say he was frustrated would be an understatement.

Isaac chose not to stay for too long as he slipped past the crowd and walked away. He quickly made it off the school premises and started to walk toward the city instead of Ravenwood District.

"Hey look. Street trash is walking toward the city."

"He's probably off to commit his daily thieving."

Despite Arlo and his posse distracting the students, it didn't stop them from engaging in their usual gossip about Isaac.

Soon, Isaac made it to the populated city, away from his school. Now that he was mixed into regular society, paired with his rather stylish look that was his school uniform, many people didn't judge Isaac's origins because of this. The thought of a boy from an area like Ravenwood District dressed well and among the social elites was ludicrous. Therefore, Isaac could walk rather peacefully.

He continued into the city as he looked around and admired the surroundings. The skyscrapers, bright faces and colourful surroundings were something he didn't see very often in public. These things were nonexistent in the Ravenwood District, therefore he couldn't help but take a second look.

He hadn't been to the city very often, other than the times he would accompany his grandpa to work. The company he worked for sometimes built buildings in rich neighbourhoods so Isaac somewhat knew his way around.

As Isaac walked, he came to a small shop that fashioned the name 'Cosmic Costumes'. Countless costumes of fake police officers, scarecrows, clowns and even sexy nurses hung behind a glass window in the store.

Isaac wasted no time as he stepped in and simaltiously a bell rang after he swung the door open.

"Welcome!" Yelled an old man with glasses, most likely the owner of the shop. The man walked towards Isaac as if he were happy to see another person in his store. After Isaac took a good look around, he didn't blame him. The shop was practically a ghost town.

"Hello, young man. How can I help you today?" Said the man as smiled at Isaac.

"Hi, I was hoping I could find something similar to a Monkey Mask." Said Isaac as the old man raised an eyebrow to the peculiar request.

The last time Isaac had fought Jay, all he had protecting his identity was a small hoodie that uncontrollably fluttered around due to the wind. If he wasn't careful Jay could have seen his identity. He needed something more secure that he didn't have to worry about in battle.

"A Monkey Mask? I think I have something similar to that. Please, follow me." Said the man as he started to walk with an arched back in small but fast steps. While the man walked in the back, Isaac admired the costumes for sale.

"Do you not get very many customers?" Yelled Isaac to the man who disappeared for a moment.

"No. Not this time of the year. Just occasional customers who need a clown costume or a hotdog suit for a part-time gig. I've only been able to stay in business this long because sales at Halloween and Christmas are quite good." Said the man as he returned holding an object.

He arrived before Isaac holding a mask. Isaac looked at it and widened his eyes as he slowly started to grin. The mask featured sleek, elegant lines that accentuated the monkey's features. The eyes adorned with vibrant, piercing colours, seemed to radiate an aura of superiority and royalty. Intricate patterns, reminiscent of detailed tribal art, adorned the surface, lending an exotic charm. The mask's material, expertly crafted to mimic the texture of supple leather, added a tactile element to its appeal. It was a mask truly worthy of the name Monkey King.

Isaac couldn't help but grin widely as he laid his fingers on the mask. As he did, he felt a small piece of paper hanging from the ear of the mask. As he took a look, his heart sank at the sight.

"Excuse me, sir." Said Isaac in a low voice and trembling lips.

"This wouldn't happen to be the price tag that's hanging from the mask?" He asked with a forced smile.

"Yes. That's exactly what it is." Isaac took his hands off the mask as he took a step back.

"I'm sorry, do you perhaps have something that's… a lot less costly?" He asked with a nervous chuckle. The old man looked at Isaac with raised eyebrows and after a few seconds, he smiled as he asked him to wait.

'So much for blending in. Everyone thinks I'm swimming in gold.' Cursed Isaac internally as he looked around.

After a few seconds, the old man re-emerged from the back of the store as he held an object in his hand, covering his face from excess dust with his other.

"How about this?" Yelled the man in a muffled voice. Isaac looked at him as he quickly became dishearted.

"You've got to be kidding me."

***

The sun started to set as the once-busy streets started to become vacant. Countless police officers armed to the teeth walked and talked with each other. Despite appearances, their jobs were quite relaxing and quaint. After one got used to the prolonged standing and heavy gear, it could be quite enjoyable.

Because of this, the job was usually welcomed by family men and people who had something to lose in life. Nothing ever happened in their area. The most they would see was the same boy moving between the two neighbourhoods they were separating.

"I wonder why he's back so late." Said a female as she stood beside a man with a scruffy exterior.

"Who cares? If I had to guess I'd say he's out engaging in no good business." Said the man with his raspy low voice and scruffy appearance.

"What makes you say that? He looks like an innocent kid."

"That's why you haven't been promoted in over 7 years, Parker. You need keen instincts for this job. The eyes that can distinguish the scum from the others. He's out of Ravenwood District. That should be enough for you to make an assumption." Said the man as he walked away.

Isaac approached as he stood in front of the female who was eyeing the obnoxious man.

"Good evening, Officer Parker." Said Isaac with a smile.

"Hello, Isaac. What brings you here so late?" She said with a face of indifference. She believed people shouldn't be discriminated against based on where they are from, therefore she wouldn't show any animosity toward Isaac. However, at the same time, she didn't feel comfortable getting close to him.

"Extra lessons. Math is hitting me like a ton of bricks." The female eyed Isaac from top to bottom as she stared at his face.

"You look tired. Make sure you get enough sleep." She said as she gestured for him to proceed.

"I will. Thank you." Said Isaac with a smile as he kept moving forward. After a few seconds, the smile quickly faded as his face returned to that of a neutral one.

'It's always good to stay on the good side of at least one of these assholes.' He thought as he kept moving.

He yawned as he walked into an alleyway. Officer Parker was right, he was tired. He hadn't been sleeping very well, he had a terrible time at the costume shop and worst of all, he didn't have any lunch. He gave all his money to the old man at Cosmic Costumes so he couldn't buy any snacks. He just wanted to go home and dig into whatever his grandpa made.

"Are you ready? Tonight, Ravenwood District will be ours!" Yelled a man as others screamed in agreement. Engines revved as the ground trembled at their ruckus.

Their chants echoed through the alleyways as Isaac took a peek.

"Street Demons, Street Demons, Street Demons!" Isaac witnessed countless individuals on motorcycles with chains around their arms. They fashioned leather jackets that were labelled 'Street Demonz' and had bandanas wrapped around their heads and sunglasses on their faces.

'Really? Why couldn't I just deal with these losers later?' Isaac screamed internally as his frustration reached a new height.

'Whatever, at least this will be a good time to test my new idea.' He said as he dropped his backpack and withdrew something. He unknowingly frowned as he held his new mask in his hands.

"Alright, gear up boys. It's time!" Countless individuals roared as some of them loaded some shotguns and pistols they had in their position.

"Stop right there fiends!" A voice could be heard emerging from the darkness as the street demons consecutively turned their heads. After a few seconds, a person came into view. However, the gangsters had to squint and remove their sunglasses to get a better view of what was before them.

A man stood with a white shirt and black suit pants with fancy black shoes. A loose tie hung around his neck and he could be seen folding his shirt by the arms exposing his forearms.

However, this wasn't what the gangsters noticed first. Instead, it was the peculiar and vulgar-looking gorilla mask on his head. Long tusks could be seen protruding from it as it was covered in black hair.

The gangsters stared at the sight for a few seconds before looking at each other and breaking into uncontrollable laughter. The gorilla mask was laughable by itself as it looked overly intimidating. It instead looked hilarious and ridiculous.

The figure stood still as he said nothing.

"Get out of here, clown. Before we run you over." Said the leader as he looked back at his comrades. In the next second, the street demons heard a loud THUD as they witnessed their leader slowly fall off his bike. The mysterious figure stood in the same position as he juggled a few rocks in his hands.

After a few seconds, the street demons stared at the man with a face full of animosity as they pointed their weapons at him.

"Are you crazy?" Said one of them.

"No. I am the notorious Monkey King and I won't say it again. Leave the Ravenwood District." Veins bulged on the countless gangster's faces as a man stepped forward carrying a shotgun.

"You're dead." He said as he placed his finger on the trigger, seconds away from pulling it.

'Please work, please work, please work.' Isaac begged inwardly as he closed his eyes. He felt the Qi inside him as he started to command it. It travelled through his meridians as it quickly made its way to his head. He started to release his Qi into his eyes as he could feel the refreshing and invigorating energy rush through his eyes.

He felt the different parts of his eyes pump and vibrate at the sheer purity of Qi. He felt his Cornea, Iris, and Retina all embrace the new upgrade that the Qi presented them with. He felt the Optic Nerve that connected the eyes to the brain, crackle with foreign energy as they performed at a superhuman rate. His pupils enlarged as he snapped his eyes open, a glint of colour radiating from the surface of them.

He saw the bullets from the shotgun inches away from the barrel after it had just been shot, and paused in time as he started to count them. All time seemed to have stopped as he could see every aspect and detail of everything. He looked past the bullets into the shotgun's dark barrel as he examined every detail of the shotgun's insides. He looked around and saw the small ants, coordinated and harmonised. He inspected the cracks on the concrete below and how deep they went. He determined the weak points in the buildings around him. The old and vulnerable parts that were most likely going crumble and take the rest of the building with them.

He stared at the Street Demons, looking at each one individually. He noticed one had a bad leg, most likely from a past injury. He saw a broken pinky that hadn't healed as one could vaguely see the bone sticking in the wrong direction. He examined the motorcycles, noticing a few that had faulty engines and rusted parts. He looked down the alleyway he was in, looking past the darkness and seeing a man peeking from his curtains a few blocks away, watching the whole situation unfold as he widened his eyes and jumped a little at the sudden gunshot.

He looked around one more time as he admired his scenery. In this state, life seemed so quiet, so tranquil, clear and so peaceful.

He looked back at the bullets before him and in the next second, he disappeared. All time returned to normal as the gangsters witnessed the clown before them vanish, the bullets he had shot soaring into a brick wall. Before they could say anything, a speeding sidekick was rammed into the shotgun-wielding man's gut. He quickly dropped to the ground as he foamed from his mouth.

"Listen, I'm having a really bad day today. Despite that, I'll give you one more chance to leave." Said the man as he put his hands in his pockets.

It was an understatement to say the Street Demons were surprised. Not only had this man appeared from the darkness, but he also put down the leader and another one of their members with one attack. What was most surprising was how the man was dodging bullets.

"Attack him all at once! We'll outnumber him!" Yelled a man in the crowd. He seemed to have relit a fire in the gangsters as they regained a face full of determination, revving their motorcycle in preparation.

"I tried to warn you. Now, behold the might of the mighty Monkey Man!" As he said this, the street demons raced toward the man as he too disappeared from his position. He ran at inhuman speeds as the two parties closed on each other.

The Monkey Man started by jumping in the air, landing his foot on one of the street demons' faces, using him as a platform and kicking off of him. He landed his hands on another man's head as he shot his two legs and struck two other gangsters in the face simultaneously. The two gangsters crashed into a few of their comrades as the Monkey Man scoured his surroundings.

He stared at a man who was inches away from pulling the trigger of a handgun. The Monkey Man leapt into the air as the bullet soared past him. By no means was he faster than a speeding bullet, however, having the ability to determine the bullet's trajectory and dodging before the trigger was pulled allowed him to manoeuvre safely.

He yanked a metal pipe from a man's hand as he threw it precisely into the wheels of the gangster who shot at him, causing him to lose control and crash into a wall. The Monkey Man could then be seen jumping through the air as he unleashed a flurry of kicks onto his enemies.

***

Countless motorcycles and men could be seen littered across the ground and a single individual wearing a peculiar mask sat on one of the unconscious men. He laid his head on his palms as he looked to be waiting for something. In the next second, the man he was sitting on groaned and started to move slightly.

"Damn, enhancing my eyes to this level really leaves my legs in a sorry state. Other than my barely adequate speed, my attacks seemed to be lacking." Said the Monkey Man as he kneeled to the groaning gangster.

"Hey, can you hear me?" He asked as he tapped his knuckles onto the man's forehead.

"What do you… want?" Said the man as he barely had his eyes open.

"I've told you what I want about 3 times already. I want you to leave Ravenwood District. You have until the morning. Otherwise, I'll pay you all another visit." Said the Monkey Man to which the gangster gave a slight nod. The Monkey Man stood up as he prepared to walk away. Before he did, he paused in his steps as he turned around and looked back at the man.

"While you're at it, spread the word. Ravenwood District now belongs to the Monkey Man."

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Author's Note: Hello, if you are enjoying I'd appreciate the powerstones. They help a lot. Also, join the discord!

discord.gg/wfxxZv8j4B

P.S. Sorry about the slow updates. Got stuff going on irl. I'll try do better.