13 Chapter 13: Bay 23

Leon stood at the entrance of the bay, surrounded by a sea of eyes that sought to deduce everything about him with unwavering intensity. 

Despite the weariness that weighed heavily upon him, he maintained his composure, knowing that his every action would be dissected by the curious onlookers. 

A small satchel hung from his shoulder, the rewards for everything he endured and suffered through. 

As he took a step forward, the crowd's gaze shifted to the satchel, their curiosity piqued by the mystery it held only to avert their gazes to resume their.

Leon scanned the room filled with bunk beds, ignoring the lingering stares, until he found an empty bunk tucked away in the corner. 

As Leon approached, he made eye contact with the kid with the open top bunk as he held up his hand while showing a pleasant smile.

Noticing the direction he was walking coupled with the atmosphere of the bay, the kid who was supposed to be his new bunkmate hastily gathered his belongings and bolted to another bunk, leaving Leon alone.

*Sigh*

'Of course.' Leon thought, plopping his satchel onto the bunk before messaging his forehead.

Leon could only sigh, already resigned to the possibility of being excluded due to his victory in the prestigious diamond bracket. 

It wasn't surprising that others, especially younger individuals, might feel annoyed or jealous when someone is praised more than them for winning a tournament considered more important than theirs.

Leon understood the importance people placed on recognition and respect, but he also recognized the potential consequences of overshadowing others for the sake of elevating someone who had yet to fully prove themselves.

As Leon unconsciously scanned the room, he sensed that if he didn't assert this value and strength to these kids, they might do something reckless.

The chatter in the room gradually resumed, but the curious gazes lingered even after Leon finished unpacking. 

Along with his prizes, Leon was given a small ration of personal care supplies though it wasn't anything special.

Leon was given a medium-sized towel, a small tube of toothpaste similar to those found in hotels, a bar of soap, and a purple plastic toothbrush.

When he attempted to retrieve his Pokéball that contained Teddiursa, a chubby kid across from him immediately began panicking, crazily shaking his head back and forth in a silent warning. 

Though Leon noticed the boy's reaction from the corner of his eye, he didn't directly acknowledge him, understanding the unspoken message without needing to read between the lines.

'Now that I think about it, I haven't seen a single pokemon in these barracks.' Leon thought, noticing that none of the kids had their Pokémon out, which struck him as odd. 

He knew they had Pokéballs, as he had seen some of them holding, polishing, or storing them to the side. 

'I guess there's some rule that prohibits taking your pokemon out.' Leon deduced, putting Teddiursa Pokéball back in a pouch for safe keeping.

Leon's gaze briefly landed on the obese kid who had helped him earlier, the other kid immediately ducking his head from the sudden eye contact sensing.

Visibly shaking at Leon's prolonged gaze, he decided to ignore him and put all thoughts aside due to his accumulated mental exhaustion.

Leon climbed onto his bunk, fitted with the sheets of that previous owner, he was eager to rest for the night and prepare for whatever stupid excursion he'd end up getting into next. 

However, his attempt at sleep was interrupted when five teenagers suddenly approached, looming over him with curious expressions.

"You're that Leon kid right, the diamond bracket winner?" One of the kids smiled with Leon letting out a small sigh before rolling over to his side to face him.

"Names Tucker, winner of the silver bracket a couple of weeks back." Tucker held out his hand as Leon cordially took it, but instead of standing up Leon continued to lay on the bed.

"We're about to play dice, you want to come?" Tucker asked, his smile growing longer as he outstretched his own kindness while willing to include him.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm kinda beat right now so I'm gonna turn in for the day." Leon then swatted away Tucker's friendly gesture, letting it fall to the ground without hesitation.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're too good for some dice." Tucker, a little annoyed, passive aggressively beckoned to Leon who rolled his eyes.

"No one is too good for dice, but I'm tired kid-" Leon, who could be considered to have a minor gambling 'problem', would totally be up for some dice if he wasn't so drained.

"Hey show some respect, you're the youngest here!" One of the kids barked at Leon, as if eagerly awaiting an opportunity to aggressively intervene in the conversation with Leon responding by playfully holding up his hands.

"Oooooooooooo, so scary~" Leon playfully joked, attempting to diffuse the tension with his own humor yet none of the kids even cracked a smile.

They simply stared at Leon, seemingly unable to form any expression that wasn't riddled with slight contempt.

Leon's eyes briefly scanned the surroundings, noting the pitiful or anxious gazes directed at him as the situation unfolded.

"I'm guessing not only courtesy eludes you." Leon lightly quipped under his breath, slightly annoyed at their silence as the kid scrunched his brows while clearly hearing him.

"What's that supposed to mean!" The kid pointed at Leon who looked at the pointed finger.

"It means that you guys don't got a funny bone is your body and don't f*cking point your finger at me." Leon swatted the kid's hand away as the kid immediately took a step forward.

"Whoa there, calm down Casey." Tucker held back his friend, but Leon remained unfazed by Casey's approach.

"I don't know what this guy's problem is Tucker, we shouldn't have even tried to invite him-"

"My problem?!" Leon pointed at himself, unbelieving in Casey's delusions as the conversation started to spoil.

"I just wanted to relax after getting my ass kicked but I guess it was my fault so let me apologize, Catherine." Leon purposely said Casey's name wrong as a vein appeared on his forehead in anger.

"I'm sorry that I upset during your time of the month-"

"THAT'S IT!" Casey lunged at Leon who simply raised an eyebrow at the sight of him being held back by his friends.

"Calm down Casey!"

"Yeah, he isn't worth it!"

"Seriously!"

The three of them held back Casey while Tucker held up his smile, stepping in between Leon and Casey.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Tucker tried to show himself as friendly, forcing a slight chuckle as all of this was a joke only for Leon rolled over onto his back and close his eyes.

"Maybe we can hang another time." Tucker's gaze turned cold as he narrowed his eyes, looking at the indifferent Leon, who simply waved him off.

"Sure, sure~" Leon's tone made it clear that he was humoring Tucker, who then turned around.

Leon adjusted his position, but as he pulled the covers over his body, one could briefly see him start to slowly rip his own sheets before completely covering his being.

In the middle of the night,

Five figures, ranging in age from 10 to 15, made their way to Leon's bunk as he quietly slept on the bottom bunk.

They all slowly trekked through the dimly lit barracks, their steps silent as if they had done this many times before.

"Hey Tucker, are you sure we should do this on the first night, what if he comes around during the weekend?" The youngest kid curiously whispered to not Casey, but to Tucker who was spearheading this endeavor.

"He obviously thinks he's better than us, couldn't you see how he treated Casey?" Another whispered at the side as Casey gripped his fists tightly.

"That kid had the chance to join the fold but he refused." Tucker's voice whispered out a clear tone of annoyance as his eyes stared at the supposed sleeping Leon. 

"This place has a pecking order and just because he won the diamond bracket doesn't mean he can come in here all arrogantly." Tucker's face darkened as he recalled the interaction between him and Leon, noting the lack of respect in his gaze, as if Leon was looking down on them.

Any newbie would have been grateful for his outstretched hand, yet Leon didn't seem interested, not only in Tucker's gesture but in Tucker himself. 

When Tucker first saw Leon's eyes, they showed not even the slightest interest, as if Tucker wasn't a threat and meant nothing before him.

"So it's up to us to show him how it works around here." Tucker whispered, casting a sidelong glance at his friends' cruel smiles before turning forward. 

He then made his way to the side of Leon's bed and gestured with his head for the others to get into position.

"We'll go on three-"

*TWACK*

Before Tucker could finish, Leon's eyes shot open, and without hesitation, he buried a fist wrapped in a ripped cloth into Tucker's acne plagued face. 

His features rippled upon the impact of Leon's bony fist, his jaw shifting to the side as Tucker staggered backward, caught off guard by the sudden punch.

As Tucker tried to regain his composure and make sense of what had just happened, Leon remained resolute, his expression unwavering as he rushed forward.

"GET HIM!" Casey's shout resonated loudly, signaling for the other three to attack Leon all at once. 

The lights flicked on, casting a stark light on the barbaric scene unfolding before the entire bay. 

This sudden turn of events not only woke up all the other kids in the barracks but also drew their attention to the unfolding fight. 

Instead of intervening, the other kids began to cheer them on, some even going as far as to turn on the lights to get a better look.

One of the teenagers rushed at Leon, lunging at him only for Leon to weave under his tackle while suddenly grabbing the back of his shirt.

Using the teenager's own momentum, Leon guided him by shoving his face into the steel pillar holding his top bunk up.

*THUNK*

Teeth and blood flew from the impact, the teenager's body immediately going limp as the jarring blow induced unconsciousness.

*BAM*

Leon was struck across the face but instead of faltering backwards, Leon flung his head forward into the attacker's face.

*Crack*

Leon's forehead slammed into his nose, slight cracks pulsing through as the force slightly fractured the bridge of his attacker's nose.

"Urgh!" The teenager grunted, blood spewing out in response as he fell to his knees while clutching his nose, blood pooling in his hands by the second as it dripped onto his pants.

*BAM*

Wanting to knee him in the face, Leon was unable to take advantage of that moment as another teenager tackled him.

Trying to force him down, Leon immediately squared his hips while leaning forward knowing that if he was tackled to the ground it would be over.

Sliding on the floor as a result, the kid couldn't even think to pick him up as Leon raised his elbow before digging it into his back.

"ARCK!" The kid yelped, the muscles in his back tensing causing him to weirdly jerk his back to the side as Leon pushed himself free.

"YOU BASTARD!" Casey yelled out, using this opportune time to approach from Leon's blind spot.

*BAM*

Leon was punched in the face once more, but like last time, he absorbed the entirety of the exchange but this time grabbed Casey's arm.

As Leon fell backward, he swiftly twisted toward the ground, simultaneously pulling Casey's arm over his shoulder. With a fluid motion, he planted his right foot down while garnering more momentum to use to his advantage.

Leon's face reddened from having to lift all of Casey's being, though the stress was slightly taken off from the momentum he had briefly gathered as Casey's eyes widened at his feet lifting off the ground.

Leon used everything to pull Casey's arm over his shoulder, still falling with Casey, he skillfully moved as he used Casey's own body to regain his balance before unleashing Casey onto the ground.

*BAM*

*COUGH*

Casey felt the rush of air leaving his lungs as he painfully exhaled upon impact with the solid ground beneath him.

*BAM*

Leon quickly delivered a sharp punch to Casey, hoping to incapacitate him temporarily so he could focus on the others still standing.

His action was right as he barely managed to dodge an overextended right punch from the nearest teenager closest to him.

Then as if on instinct, Leon planted his right foot before bringing his left hook swiftly into the teengaer's side.

Leon's fist slammed into the teenager's being, however his experience caused his fist to briefly connect with his liver.

However, even this slight contact was enough to cause some internal damage though It wasn't the pain that was the true factor in Leon's action, but rather the body's reaction to the attack. 

When an organ is attacked, the body can temporarily shut down to prevent further harm which was evident as the teenager fell to the ground.

'Thank you Bobby.' Leon internally praised his hobby along with his boxing instructor who he hired to coach him in his free time.

*Twack*

Leon wound up his foot before slamming it into the kid's jaw as his eyes rolled back while he gazed upwards.

*BAM*

Tucker, finally on his feet, was immediately tackled to the ground, his balance already skewed from his senses being dulled by Leon's earlier punch. 

On the side, Casey struggled to find his place as he found his legs consciously giving out under him while trying to stand on them. 

He looked at his other three friends, who were either unconscious or too engrossed in their injuries to care about external factors. 

Meanwhile, Leon punched Tucker in the face as he fell to the ground. Rushing towards Tucker, Leon grabbed his shirt with one hand and held him down, choking him with his collar. 

'I got to make an example of these kids.' Leon instantly concluded in his mind that if he let his opponents go, someone would try their luck again. 

After that interaction between Tucker and the gazes that morphed from contempt to pity forced his already unwilling mind to completely harden his resolve.

Leon decided against sleeping, instead acting on the aching premonition boiling in his stomach. He tore the sheets and wrapped them around his fist. 

Remaining in a dazed state, he stayed aware of his surroundings and when he heard whispers, he didn't hesitate to make the first move, aiming to catch them off guard.

Raising his wrapped fist into the air, Leon's merciless eyes met Tucker's dazed face before he slammed his fist into it.

*TWACK*

*TWACK*

*TWACK*

Blood splattered onto Leon's white beater with some splotches appearing on his cheek as Tucker's nose was slowly being turned into mush.

Leon's actions were unforgiving as the cheering slowly started to die down under the repeated one-sided battery slowly overwhelming the fight.

Tucker couldn't even plead, gargling on his own blood as whenever he could muster out a breath it was interrupted by Leon's fist.

The cloth around his fist started to slightly rip as the continued contact with Tucker's teeth caused minor cuts to accumulate, but Leon persisted.

"S-Stop." Casey weakly let out a sound of dismay as he watched Leon ruthlessly strike Tucker's face repeatedly.

*Splat*

Blood spurted from Tucker's mouth, and they all lost count of how many times Leon punched him. Some of the kids began to realize that Leon wasn't going to stop.

"Stop him!"

"If he kills Tucker then we'll get in trouble!"

Anxious voices jarred some of the stronger kids into action, and two bulky kids in particular rushed to stop Leon's punches. 

They yanked him off of Tucker, but Leon squirmed, trying to pry himself free. 

Despite their efforts, he managed to break free and returned to throwing punch after punch into Tucker's helpless face.

"YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!" A teenager yelled worriedly seeing Tucker's state deteriorate faster and faster.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Leon forced out a crazed laugh, trying to portray himself as unhinged, as he tried to lunge at Tucker, who was beaten and barely breathing.

"Leon, you need to calm down." Suddenly, two bulky arms wrapped around his armpits, immediately immobilizing Leon.

"Let go!" Leon acted even more deranged, wanting to show that he was a maniac, since most people didn't mess with someone they perceived as crazy.

However, as he squirmed, Leon was immediately bothered by the realization, within a matter of seconds, that breaking free from this hold was impossible.

'What the hell?' Leon questioned his options, though he continued to maneuver crazily within his grip.

"Chad!" A kid gasped, recognizing the teenager who usually intervened in fights once they reached a certain point. 

His hulking figure stood out, his eyes hidden behind messy brown hair, and his darker-toned skin suggesting he might be from Unova.

"Listen Leon, they'll take your pokemon if you go any further." Chad urged Leon in a monotone manner, seeking to pacify him and surprisingly, Leon immediately started to calm down.

"Let me go." Leon spoke plainly, feeling incredibly uncomfortable at feeling for a true little kid for the first time since he hadn't had many experiences so far that truly made him feel his age. 

However, having Chad essentially hold him in the air while his tiny legs dangled really did the trick.

"Leon I can't just-"

"Chad is it?" Leon tilted his head upwards, noticing Chad's hesitant expression, although his eyes were hidden behind his shaggy brown hair.

"Yes it-"

"I'm going to bash my head into your nose if you don't release me in the next five seconds." Leon smiled, anticipating Chad's rebuttal only to be met with silence. 

After witnessing Leon's fight against the kid named Reggie, Chad doubted that Leon was lying. 

Everyone's sponsors had more or less seen his fights, which resulted in secondhand raving about the tournament which was the prompted reason for his isolation.

Though, none of them had actually seen his fights, so many thought it must have been overblown until Leon proved them wrong by mercilessly beating five older kids to a pulp.

Chad, however, never cared for petty things like being jealous of others' success as instead, he understood how it felt, especially since most of the kids there were scared of him. 

Chad decided to believe in Leon and set him down, and Leon looked over at Tucker, who was starting to regain consciousness, only to become livid at the sight of Leon.

"YOSHU-"Tucker slurred out, three of his front teeth missing as he sought to angrily reprimand Leon only for a shadow to loom over him.

*BAM*

*COUGH*

Leon immediately threw a fast jab at Tucker's neck, catching everyone off guard as Tucker stumbled to the floor while clutching his windpipe.

"LEON!" Chad yelled out, yanking Leon back though the latter didn't fight it while holding his hands up.

"Believe me when I say that I honestly was going to listen to you, but then I saw his zit face and couldn't help myself." Leon calmly pleaded his case to the furious Chad who understood that he had misplaced his trust.

"But I didn't want him to ramble on anymore so I decided to punch his windpipe, to save all our ears from his slurred words and before you guys say anything, you're welcome." Leon wiped the blood from his cheek, smiling at the surrounding kids, who immediately avoided his gaze.

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE LISTEN UP CAUSE I'M ONLY GONNA WARN YOU ALL ONCE!" Leon suddenly yelled out, causing them all to flinch at the high tone of his voice.

"I get that you all hate me and that's fine, I could care less what you twerps think of me!" Leon gestured to them all before patting to himself.

"But like it or not, I'm here to stay and I'm not afraid to make that VERY clear!" Leon then gestured to the five brutally beaten kids, all victims of his relentless actions.

"So as long as you simply hate me from a distance, we'll be good, understand?!" Leon asked aloud, noticing some heads nodding in agreement. 

He then turned to Tucker, who was visibly shaken, holding his three lost teeth in the palm of his hand.

"Tucker is it?" Leon smiled, causing Tucker to recoil instinctively in fear of any retaliation

"You better watch your back, cause one way or another I'm going to jam a f*cking dagger into it." Leon voiced out loudly, trying to really sell the narrative that would let him be unbothered by these surrounding members.

Although eventually Leon would need to gather people under him, he first needed notoriety, and this opportunity was the biggest one he could make in the shortest time.

"Hey kid, you can't kill him here." Another teenager angrily shouted, realizing he would get in trouble if Leon killed Tucker.

"I'm not going to kill him here, oh no." Leon showed a heartfelt smile towards the teenager who voiced his opinion, calming some of the other kids' nerves as they saw him so relaxed.

"I'm going to kill him on the streets when no one is looking." Leon's words suddenly made the air stale as Chad walked forward with a furious matter.

"LEON!" Chad walked in front of Tucker, standing as his impromptu protector 

"What, he only said that there's no killing allowed here, right?" Leon gestured to his surroundings as the nods confirmed his words.

"So I'll just wait until I find him alone on the streets and then, y'know." Leon made a cutting motion with his neck as Tucker's face paled.

"Y-yosh can't isht against the rules, tell him Chad! Tell him!" Tucker screamed in defense while voicing his concerns to the certified warden in the barracks. 

Chad remained silent as he combed through his mind. The more he thought back, the more his smolder worsened, until he shook his head.

"The rules state that killing is only forbidden in any of the Aradios properties, however the streets are different and although it's frowned upon it's not against the rules." Chad side-eyed Tucker who with his disheartened eyes peeping through his bangs.

"Did you hear that Tucker, that means you'll be gutted like a piece of meat?" Leon sought to instill more fear into Tucker, forcing Casey to stand up.

"You can't just kill us-"

"But weren't you going to do something even worse to me?" Leon's voice boomed louder, immediately waiting for someone to inject with this opinion as Casey's mouth closed.

"What, because I'm the new guy, fresh blood, that just gives you the right to come to MY bunk and assault ME!" Leon yelled at Casey, taking a step forward as the latter too two steps back. 

"And you three." Leon pointed at the three stragglers, one still unconscious as the others tried to pull themselves away, attempting to blend into the crowd.

"I-it was their idea-'' One of them immediately sought to plead his innocence only for Leon to scoff.

"I don't care whose idea it was or if they held you at gunpoint, you're on the list." Leon squinted his eyes as the kid avoided his eyes.

"Call me Santa, cause I'm about to deliver an ass-whooping to those who get on my bad side." Leon joked out, expecting even the slightest chuckle only for silence to permeate in the surroundings.

"Santa's a thing here, right?" Leon scratched his head, seeing some nods as he clicked his tongue.

'This generation I swear.'

"Anyways, if you have to remember one thing then know that I always double down." Leon clapped his hands before spreading them outwards.

"Now all of you can politely f*ck off, shoo shoo." Leon dismissively shooed his hands as if trying to sweep them away.

"Let's go back to sleep everyone, let's not delay anymore." Chad suddenly voiced out before all of them promptly left the encirclement.

Casey noticed that the other two had abandoned them as he helped Tucker up, slinging Tucker's arm over his shoulder.

"Sweet dreams."Leon chuckled venomously from behind both of them, causing their skin to crawl. 

After everyone left and the lights turned off once more, Leon sighed as he stared at the top bunk. He didn't take pleasure in killing; far from it. 

However, he wasn't one to shy away from murder. 

Just because he constantly spilled blood didn't mean he liked the color red and he especially didn't like messing with kids, but at least right now, he didn't have a choice.

Leon did what he had to do, and he'd never feel sorry for living in the present if it meant he could live easier tomorrow. 

Sitting on his bunk while throwing away the bloodied wife beater, he saw Tucker and his goons shuttled into their beds as he let out a sigh.

'Whatever, that's a problem for future me.'