Chapter 138: What you are fighting for!


    "Well do you think he was telling the truth?" Ashley asked.


    After speaking to Mac, the two of them were unsure about what to do next. Threatening Mac wouldn''t do anything and in the first ce, he might have just told them alike to get them off his back. He was the type of person who if he didn''t want to tell you anything no matter what you did, he wouldn''t tell you.


    But Mac did give them some information and why would he lie? It wasn''t like Mac would gain anything by making Noivs go down to the harbour for no reason, it seemed too petty and another thing had stuck out to Novis.


    The fact that Mac had said Dan isn''t who they thought he was.


    Once sses had finished for the day, Novis had made the decision to tell the others. He wanted their opinion on the matter.


    After hearing the news form Novis, Scarlett started to worry. She remembered seeing Dan hurt that one time and not only that. Somehow, he was the first one to arrive when Scarlett was in trouble before. She didn''t think about it much but just how did Dan know where she was?


    "I think Mac might be onto something," Scarlett said sounding a little concerned.


    "I agree, I think there I no harm going," said Alex "Although practising is important Dan''s safety is even more important. There is always the tournament next year but Dan is our friend."


    ****


    That day when Dan woke up to the sound of the rm on his phone. He immediately picked up his phone to stop the ringing, he had been up all night dreading this day. He then looked at the date once again to confirm.


    "Thursday." On the front screen, there was also a text from Kyle, reminding him that the fight was going on today and he should be there on time.


    Dan hated this feeling most, the night before a fight. It was different when he was going to y the game with Novis and the others, he got nerves but they were nerves of excitement. These nerves he somehow would have to change it into anger.


    He didn''t know who his opponent was yet he had to suddenly imagine himself hating and hitting the person, fighting like his life was on the line. It took a certain mentality for a person to do that and over the years Dan had slowly phased it out. But now once again he would have to go back to being called the wild dog he was when he was younger.


    Before heading off to school Dan did his usual morning routine, The day care was busy and everyone had woken up to get ready to school. Some of the kids were only six or seven years old so there was a lot of preparation to be done.


    Dan went into the kitchen and started to cut up pieces of bread while Hayley helped to dress the kids and get all their stuff ready for school. Once the pieces of bread were cut up nicely, Dan then would wrap them up and ce them into a lunch box.


    That''s when the sound of crying could be hearding from the living room.


    "Why can''t I get my own Bag, why do I have to share with Amy!" The boy cried.


    Hayley wiped the tears away from the boy''s face.


    "What''s wrong with sharing, Amy''s your sister right?" The boy nodded in response. "And you love your sister right." The boy nodded once again. "Then it''s normal to share things with the one you love, she''s just looking after it for you okay?"


    The boy seemed to cheer up a little after Hayley''s words.


    "Now remember to protect your sister right, make sure no one bullies her."


    The little boy nodded and then hurried away to walk to school with his sister. When they walked off Dan noticed, that they weren''t the only one''s sharing bags and many of them had old and tattered clothes.


    Looking at the kids walk off into the distance, reminded Dan what he was fighting for. The only thing that was keeping this orphanage running was Hayley and the moneying from Noir. Even now they were just barely hanging in there.


    "I''ll make this a better ce."


    Before heading to the harbour Dan decided to head to the bridge onest time before his match today. The match waster in the afternoon but Dan felt like he had no time for school at the moment.


    Once the match and fight were over, then Dan could concentrate on the game with the others again, of course, if they let him back. If Novis and the others didn''t want him on the team after leaving them for a few days, then Dan totally understood that.


    But when Dan arrived at the bridge, he was surprised to see Tony there.


    "Hey, shouldn''t you be in school?" Tony said looking at Dan.


    "I got an important thing I have to deal with today," Dan said. Tony continued to throw out kicks and punches in the air. He was busy shadowboxing away and Dan was always amazed when watching him. "Do you always train here?" Dan asked.


    "Yeah, I like this spot, not many peoplee down here, and you can hear the sound of the river echoing under the bridge. It''s my escape zone."


    Dan then decided to join Tony side by side and started to do his own shadow boxing. Dan still had no idea who his opponent would be for today, so it was hard for him to picture someone in his head.


    Then suddenly as he was fighting an image did appear in his head, and it was Tony who was by his side. Dan then started to wonder what it would be like to fight Tony once again, had he improved himself fromst time?


    Regardless shadowboxing with an image of Tony in his mind was great for him. He couldn''t imagine going up against an opponent who would be stronger than Tony.


    That''s when Tony had decided to take a break and grab a drink of water, he was carefully watching Dan at work and it seemed like he was focused more than usual today. His kicks were supper sharp, his punches were straight not sloppy like before.


    Tony could tell whoever the image in his head was, he was a high-ss fighter.


    "Well, I got some stuff to do." Tony said, "I''ll meet you here at the same time as usual if you still want to practice?"


    "Yeah sounds great," Dan replied.


    Dan stayed and shadowboxed a few more rounds before deciding to get some rest and a bite to eat. It was important to not overwork himself but at the same time, fighting was the only thing he could do to get the fight off his mind.


    The whole of Noir, and the orphanage was relying on him to win this fight. It was a big responsibility to have on your shoulders at the age of sixteen.


    Finally, it was time for Dan to head to the harbour.


    This time when Dan had arrived outside the warehouse, they let him right through no questions asked. The warehouse was busier than usual, it was jam-packed with people from all sorts of different gangs, there were even some who hade from other towns.


    Nearly half of them had already been taken over by the Ruman family and the other half had some sort of alliance with the Noir gang. Todays match determined the fate of all the people in the room today.


    Kyle came out to Dan and took him to the corner of the warehouse.


    "I''m sorry about this Dan, if you can''t do it, I''ll fight." Kyle said, "This isn''t something I should force you to do."


    Kyle was strong but after fighting him the other day, Dan realised how much he had grown. If the two of them were to fight half a year ago Kyle would have won the fight eight times out of ten. But now it waspletely different. Dan couldn''t even imagine himself losing.


    "I''ll do it, we have to, for all our brothers and sisters back at the orphanage," Dan replied.


    Although Dan and Kyle weren''t real brothers they were just as close, at the orphanage they shared everything with each other and at school, Kyle always looked out for not just Dan''s back but everyone''s. That was where the nickname big brother hade from.


    And even when he left, he never gave up that role of Big brother and continued to support the orphanage. Kyle saw them all as a real family and never once saw them any differently.


    "Here," Kyle said as he handed Dan a pair of MMA gloves. "Don''t want you breaking your wrists now."


    It was time for the fight to start and a circr ring had been formed from the crowds of people. Bets were ced with odds in favour of the fighter from the Ruman family but Dan didn''t care, he always was the underdog.


    A neutral gang member from another town stood in the centre of the ring. They had been brought over to make sure that both gangs agreed to the rules and wouldn''t intervene if a fight was to break out.


    "Now introducing from the gang Noir, the Wild Dog, Dan!"


    Out of the crowd of people from Noir''s side, stepped out Dan into the ring. He had his top off and was wearing shorts for flexibility and on his hands were white and gold MMA gloves that his brother Kyle had gifted him.


    "And now from the Ruman family, a cold-hearted man who was once a champion in his own home country, Tony the tigeerrrrrr!"


    Then out from the Ruman''s side, out of the crowd stepped out a familiar face.


    "Tony?"


    ****


    Special thanks to edboy49, _Kaitlin_ just, AsuraNineThoughts, and MacMorris_Byrd for the gifts they really help me make my dream of be a full time author true.