22 Do You Admit Defeat?
"You hold too much grudge, and that is why you can't do it," Dennis said to her.
"The higher your hate for the aliens because of what Earth has become, the harder it is to hide your nefarious intent," He added.
A dose of realisation suddenly hit everyone.
Klaapmmm~
The dagger in Rodrick's hand fell to the ground as he walked away.
"Hmm?" Dennis had a slightly bothered expression as he glanced in the direction of the figure that was moving out of sight.
"You know he lost his family to the extraterrestrials and vowed to never speak until he wipes them all from existence... his hate for them must be the strongest here, so..." Malik pointed out.
'Oh, so that is why he never speaks... I did not know that. Dennis had a look of understanding on his face as he kept his eyes glued to the direction Rodric vanished in.
'Trauma... I can get through this quite easily since I am not entirely attached to the emotions of this plane. I didn't physically witness what they did. I wonder how the original Dennis would have handled it,' Dennis's mind chalked up a memory of the past at this moment...
===========
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A desolate-looking street was plunged into chaos as the magenta hue skies rippled with intensity.
What was left of the decimated buildings in the street trembled, mirroring the ominous vibrations from above. Cracks snaked up walls like veins of impending disaster, and windows shattered.
An extraterrestrial ship, an ominous presence hovering in the sky, unleashed destructive torrents upon the vicinity.
Laser beams and concussive blasts erupted, tearing through structures with ruthless precision. The air was filled with billowing smoke and fiery debris, creating an apocalyptic scene that cast shadows on the unfolding catastrophe.
Amid the destruction, three kids, eyes wide with terror, navigated the disintegrating landscape. Their small figures darted through the crumbling remnants of a once-familiar neighbourhood, their footsteps drowned by the cacophony of collapsing structures and distant explosions.
A faded greenish towering building leaned precariously, threatening to crumble at any moment. The kids sprinted, adrenaline-fueled, as debris rained down around them. The once quiet street where they used to hide out after the earth-shifting incident now resembled a warzone.
As they reached a junction, a shockwave from an artillery strike sent them sprawling. They clung to each other, their breaths shaky amid the dust-filled air.
"Dennis! Kaori! Koor! Korr!" The youngest amongst them cried out while searching around, looking tattered and dusty.
"Dennis! Kaori!" He kept yelling their names while coughing repeatedly.
As the dust slowly died down, a figure dashed out from the corner and grabbed onto him.
He jumped back in fright but soon recognised the person to be one of the two he was searching for.
"Dennis!" He jumped into his embrace.
"John, are you okay?" A younger Dennis questioned his little brother.
John shook his head in response, "I don't see Kaori."
They both turned around and could see a heap of debris strewn across the place.
"Kao..." John was about to lunge forward when Dennis pulled him back.
A bunch of triangular-shaped hover vehicles were dislodging from the ship above. They were descending towards them.
Dennis placed John on his shoulder and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
"But Kaori!" He cried out.
"If we stay here, they will take us... let's hope she will be fine," Dennis responded with a heavy heart while tears streamed down John's face.
============
'I guess the original Dennis would have difficulty shielding his hate since he lost Kaori to them,' Dennis's mind returned to the present.
"I'll be back," He voiced while walking away.
....
Rodrick had arrived back at the location where the Gorritropod was kept and stood only a few feet away with an intense expression plastered across his face.
"I understand what happened, but do you want to leave things be?"
A familiar voice rang out from behind, causing him to turn around with a slightly shocked expression.
"See how you didn't even notice me sneak up on you this time. Rage can cloud the mind and pollute the senses," Dennis stated while walking towards him.
Rodrick intense expression calmed a little, but he turned to face the mutated beast before them with a myriad of thoughts running through his mind.
"You don't have to let go of your rage or hate... what you have to do is mask it. If you really do want to get rid of them as much as you claim..." Dennis paused as Rodrick turned to stare at him once more.
It was almost like Dennis was speaking to no one since he didn't get any verbal response. Yet, he continued.
"This is something you have to do."
Rodrick had a complex look as he stood silently for a while.
"Rruooohhhh!"
The silence was ruined by the roar of the Gorritropod.
Just like before, the entire place shook vibrantly while the constraints strapped to different parts of its body rattled intensely.
Unfortunately for the creature, none of the two figures before it was affected in the slightest.
Rodrick turned around and began walking away.
Although he didn't say a word, Dennis was inclined to believe that his statements had gotten to him.
Dennis stood in place for about a minute before thinking, 'It's about time I challenged Malik to a fight.'
He recalled his decision to fight his way up to the strongest to make sure that no one would ever look down upon Dennis anymore. The first person on the list was Malik, and although they were friends, he still needed to do it since it was also a way to test his improvement.
He had been Dennis for nearly two months, and it was time for him to slowly begin to change the narrative around that name.
'Come to think of it, I've not felt weird since I began personal training... maybe the side effects of high compatibility might no longer be an issue,' Dennis thought while turning around.
The Gorritropod was still thrashing about the place as it watched what was supposed to be its prey leave the premises.
....
....
....
In the dead of night, two figures stood before each other on a mountainside.
They each took on a battle stance as mild breeze swept across the vicinity softly.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Malik's tone showed how concerned he was for the person before him.
"Don't hold back," Dennis responded.
"Alright, partner. I hope you will forgive me for this," Malik's expression of pity was hidden by the dimness of the environment.
He slightly raised his left knee while putting one fist before the other, ready to strike.
"Come at me," He stated.
Dennis wasted no time before lunging forward while arching his left arm backwards.
Swwhii~
He knitted his fist and swung while in full motion.
The moment he was within range of three feet, Malik's left foot swept forward with incredible precision.
Twwhaackk~
Dennis's left arm was kicked out of the way while Malik's foot descended with speed as he proceeded to stamp it against the ground and spin towards the right.
In the process of spinning, his right foot swept towards Dennis's face. It seemed impossible for Dennis to evade as the first contact had already caused a little displacement.
However, just when Malik's outstretched leg was an inch from striking Dennis's face, he suddenly crouched his knees.
At that moment, it seemed like time had stopped for Dennis as he watched Malik's leg reach full range and suddenly threw a jab towards his inner thigh.
Bam!
Malik felt a shock rush through his body the moment Dennis's knuckles made contact with his inner thigh.
"Hngh!" He let out a groan while staggering backwards.
Dennis stood in place with both fists outstretched while watching Malik limp.
"Hnm... Hmm..." Malik tried raising his right leg multiple times but to no avail.
Under the dark sky, Malik squeezed his face in determination after internally deciding not to back down. Although he couldn't use his right leg now, he still had his left.
Malik limped forward and threw a fist at Dennis's face.
Fwwhii~
'He is still very quick despite the setback... good,' Dennis swiftly moved his head towards the side, evading the attack.
But next came a flurry of fists in quick successions.
Fwwhii~ Fwwhii~ Fwwhii~
Dennis moved from side to side, evading every single one of them while looking for another opening.
He didn't have to wait for too long as he decided to end it with his next strike.
Dennis spun to the side while grabbing Malik's right arm the moment he threw it forward for the umpteenth time.
Pulling it towards the back, Dennis slapped his other palm onto the back of Malik's head before kicking his one functioning leg.
Bam!
He slammed Malik onto the ground face flat and locked him in an inescapable position.
"Do you admit defeat?"
