The days that followed, Ian’s schedule was filled. His days would start with him waking up early to go train with the guards. Afterwards, he would go to work at Zoey’s if it was a workday and stay there for the entire day.

  If it wasn’t a day he was scheduled to work, Ian would go for a stroll around the village before getting some lunch. After eating, he would meet up with Ellie at the training grounds, spending most of the day training with her. Once the sun started to set over the horizon, Ian would go do the remaining training he didn’t complete in the morning.

  He was a bit upset he wasn’t able to hang out with Kevin or Emmett, but it didn’t matter; he knew they were doing their own train or enjoying their break. They would eventually meet up again.

  As the days moved by and the founding festival approached, everyone got more excited, working harder. Ellie trained harder with Ian, managing to shrink the distance to 7 meters. She even started to block attacks that came from different directions.

  Ian felt like his break was mostly wasted, but after days of repeated use, his gauntlets had nearly caught up with him. However, it didn’t look like they would reach his requirements in time for the tournament. If he had to guess, they would only give him 97 percent of his power after almost three weeks. Soon, it would be time for them to head back to the capital.

  …

  “So, you’ve been taking the meds for nearly a month and have had minimal side effects. How do you feel?” Professor Al asked.

  “At first, I thought this was a waste of time. Sure, the medicine was helping me calm down, but I still could feel the rage within me. Now, I’m calm, focused, and more… relaxed. I’m able to take note of things I would’ve missed before.” Darren stared at his hands, examining them.

  “That’s great to hear. After nearly a month in a controlled environment, you have shown some massive improvements. However, this has been for a controlled environment. We’re going to need to test the effects of the medicine during a stressful situation.” Professor Al flipped through his notes on his clipboard.

  “You mean you want to stress test the medicine's capability?”

  “Yes, correct. I need to see how well the effects of the medicine are when you are under pressure.” Professor Al looked up from his notes.

  “What did you have in mind, Professor?” Darren gave a curious look.

  “The Founding Festival is in about a week. During the festival, a tournament will take place. I want you to participate in the tournament. In doing so, I can observe your stress level, fighting capabilities, and how focused and calm you can be.”

  Darren raised an eyebrow, “You want me to enter in a tournament to stress test the medicine?”

  “Correct. In participating in the tournament, you will be under multiple unpredictable situations. It is perfect for a stress test of the medicine.”

  “Okay, Professor. I’ll participate in the tournament. Not only because you want me to do so, but because I’m interested in testing my capabilities. Plus, it’s been a while since I fought someone, so this is a great opportunity.” Darren cracked his knuckles in excitement.

  “Perfect, then you should go get signed up for it soon. If I’m not mistaken, sign-ups end in a couple of days.”

  “Sounds like a plan, Professor. Finally, I get to test my skills once again.” Darren became visibly excited, yet remained calm.

  …

  “Pah ha ha, you really need to be more careful, Emmett.” Kevin patted Emmett on his back.

  “How was I supposed to know that rock was loose? It broke the moment I grabbed onto it.” Emmett responded.

  Kevin and Emmett were walking through the village, chatting with each other after not talking for a while. The afternoon sun is shining on the busy village.

  “Still, if you didn’t have earth abilities, you would’ve been a dead man.” Kevin grabbed Emmett’s shoulder, shaking lightly.

  Emmett, rocking himself to exaggerate how much Kevin was shaking him, said, “I wanted to do some training, so what better way to train my abilities than to do some free solo rock climbing?”

  “You did kill two birds with one stone while climbing, literally. You managed to shoot down two silver-ranked sky hawks with a precise stone shot. I’m kinda jealous. I would’ve loved to gain some strength from hunting.”

  “Well, I mean, I didn’t really kill them with the first shot. I just managed to tear a wing off of them. I had to climb back down and finish the job. Sadly, I suck at cooking, so when I ate them, they tasted awful. I’m pretty sure I got some pieces of feathers stuck between my teeth.”

  “Speaking of eating awful food, let’s hit up Zoey’s. I’m starting to get hungry. If I'm not mistaken, Ian should be working today.”

  “I don’t appreciate how you associate Zoey’s name with bad food.” Emmett got a bit defensive.

  “Oh, is the big, strong boyfriend getting protective over his sweetheart?” Kevin said in an overly sweet and teasing voice.

  “Keep that shit up, and I’ll put you down,” Emmett responded

  “Sure you will, buddy. Like, we don’t know who won the last time we fought.” Kevin kept teasing.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “We’ll see about that during the tournament. If we don’t get to face each other during the tournament, then whoever makes it the furthest will be considered stronger.”

  “Alright, you got yourself a deal.” Kevin raised his hand up for a fist bump.

  Emmett looked down at Kevin's fist. A smile creeped on to his face as he raised his own fist to meet Kevin’s.

  “I can’t wait to put you in your place, Kev.”

  “I’d like to see you try.

  *humph* “Whatever, let’s just get to Zoey’s. I’m starting to get hungry.”

  Shortly after walking for a whole lot longer, Kevin and Emmett arrived at Zoey’s. The two of them entered the restaurant and were greeted by Zoey.

  “Good afternoon. Will you be dining in or carrying out?” Zoey asked in her customer service voice.

  Emmett walked up to Zoey, giving her a quick, gentle kiss on the cheek. Zoey softly pushed Emmett back, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Not while I’m working, Emmett.”

  “Sorry, Babe. It was an unconscious act. Anyways, Kevin and I are going to be dining in today.”

  “Okay, follow me.” Zoey grabbed two menus before leading them to their table.

  Kevin and Emmett took their seats on opposite sides of the table. They watched as Zoey walked back to the service window to grab others’ orders. While she did that, Chip walked up to them with a notepad.

  “Sup, losers. What can I get for yuh to drink?”

  “That’s no way to talk to customers, pipsqueak. Say it correctly.” Kevin teased.

  “Fine, I guess you don’t want to order then.” Chip started to walk away.

  “Wait! We’re ready.” Kevin back tracked real fast.

  Chip smirked before turning back towards them. “Okay then. What can I get you two losers?”

  Emmett looked at his menu and said, “I’ll have the seasoned steak of the day with the steamed buttered vegetables, a side of the soup of the day, and a water.”

  Chip wrote down the order in his notepad before turning to Kevin. “What about you?”

  “I’ll have one of Ian’s specialty creamy ramen with a side of the house salad. Oo and tell Dave that I want one of those melon-flavored specialty milk drinks. I don’t know how he does it, but those always hit the spot on a hot sunny day.”

  “Dave’s not in at the moment. Ian is running the kitchen for the time being,” Chip said as he wrote Kevin’s order.

  “Is that so? Well, maybe I should give him a little visit in the kitchen,” Kevin said as he got up, heading to the kitchen.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Chip tried to warn Kevin.

  “It’s fine. I’m Ian’s best friend,” Kevin said as he kept walking.

  Chip, standing next to Emmett, said, “I tried to warn him.”

  Kevin stepped behind the counter, pushing the drapes aside so he could enter the kitchen. Stepping inside the kitchen, Kevin said, “Ian! How yuh doin'-”

  *dong*

  A pan went flying into Kevin’s face, knocking him back a bit. Kevin, holding his forehead, said, “Dude, what the hell was that for?”

  “Kevin? What are you doing here? You almost broke my concentration.” Ian turned to see who he hit.

  “I was coming to bother you, but it seems like you were ready for it.”

  “Oh, sorry. I was so focused on the rhythm of cooking that I unintentionally threw the pan at you, thinking it was Chip.”

  Kevin’s face showed confusion. “Why did you think I was Chip? And why would you throw a… You know what? I don’t need to know.”

  “Well, since you’re already here, can you help me by cleaning the dishes? Chip was supposed to clean them half an hour ago.”

  “That explains a lot… Sure, I guess I’ll help since I have nothing better to do while I wait for you to finish making my food.”

  “Thanks man. I’ll make sure your food is ready by the time you finish washing the dishes.

  For a few minutes, the two of them don’t say anything. Kevin washes the dishes while Ian cooks multiple orders.

  Eventually, Kevin asks, “So…where’s Dave? It’s rare for him not to be in the kitchen.”

  “We were running low on some ingredients, so he went to get some. He’s also going to take his lunch break afterwards, so I'm in charge for the time being.” Ian didn’t look away from the steak he was searing.

  “Didn’t think I’d see the day he would let someone else take care of his precious girl.”

  Ian gave Kevin a side eye before turning back to the steak. “Are you referring to Zoey or the kitchen?”

  “Yes,” Kevin responded.

  “Well, Dave trusts us, Crest, to take care of his precious girls. We know how to treat them. Unlike someone I know.”

  "What are you trying to say?” Kevin turned to Ian after putting away the last clean dish.

  “I mean, you suck at treating girls correctly. That’s why you're still single.” Ian turned to Kevin and held up a bowl of ramen. “Your food’s ready.”

  Kevin grabbed the bowl, his stomach growling at the sight of it. “That was fast.”

  “I said I would have it ready by the time you finished washing the dishes. Now go back to the dining room and eat. I’ll step out once I’m done with the last few orders. The lunch rush is almost done. Oh, and while you’re at it, take Emmett’s food too.” Ian handed Kevin a plate with a perfectly made steak and vegetables.

  “You got it, big man.” Kevin grabbed the other plate and started walking out of the kitchen. He made his way over to his table, setting down the two plates of food. Shortly after, Chip came over with their drinks. With no time to waste, Kevin and Emmett began to eat.

  The two of them continued talking while eating. They made jokes, said stupid comments, and laughed as they enjoyed themselves.

  Partway through their time there, they saw Dave walk in through the back carrying a crate into the kitchen. Soon after, both Dave and Ian walked out of the kitchen and brought in more crates. After some time, Dave brought in the last crate, closing the door behind him.

  Kevin and Emmett watched them move around while they ate, whispering to each other. There was plenty of noise coming from the kitchen. Once the noise stopped, Ian stepped out of the kitchen holding a plate of food, heading their direction.

  Ian, taking a seat at their table, said, “Okay, finally on my lunch break. So, how have you two been? Have y'all been getting ready for the tournament?”

  “Oh, you know we have, we weren’t going to waste our time relaxing, unlike someone we know.” Kevin made a jab at Ian.

  “Ha, ha, I already told you that I couldn’t do any real training. All I could do was help Ellie with her training.” Ian began to eat his meal.

  “Whatever you say, buddy. I just hope you don’t chicken out when we face off in the tournament,” Emmett added.

  “You want to go? I’ll fight you right now,” Ian said with a mouth full of food.

  “Ladies, ladies, calm down. Save it for when we’re in the tournament, okay? Besides… I can easily beat both of you.” Kevin smirked at them.

  “Oh, those are fighting words. Keep that up, and I’ll kick your ass before the tournament,” Emmett said.

  “Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try.”

  Kevin and Emmett stared each other down for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, they both backed down and laughed.

  “I’m so excited to face at least one of you.” Kevin leaned back in his chair.

  “Yeah. good thing we only have two more days before we have to head back to the capital,” Ian said through a mouth full of food.

  “I take it that you’ve packed everything already?” Kevin asked.

  “Sadly, no, I have had a chance to do so,” Ian replied.

  “Neither have I. I still have a few things to sort through,” Emmett said.

  Ian ate his last piece of food before saying, “Don’t worry, today is my last day working, and I’m not training with Ellie anymore, so I’ll be able to get things in order before we leave.”

  “Good, then until then, let's enjoy the bit of time we have left and relax,” Kevin said.

  “Agreed. No need to be tired or stressed out before the tournament,” Emmett added.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Ian stood up, grabbing his plate. “I can’t wait to beat both of you in the tournament,” Ian said before walking back to the kitchen.

  “Like you’ll have a chance against us,” Kevin said out loud so Ian could hear.

  Without saying a word, Ian responded by flipping Kevin off before disappearing into the kitchen.