Sidekick fell to the ground with a wheeze as they were knocked down once again. "And bang, you're dead... again," Hero sighed, bored. "I have a feeling someone didn't train like they were asked to."
Sidekick gulped at Hero's strong tone. "I'm sorry, I- I had so much to juggle and-"
They were cut off as Hero kicked them harshly in the ribs, "I don't care! You can't have too much to juggle if you have to save the world! Oh sorry hero, I couldn't save that family in the burning house because I had an important class test," Hero mocked.
Sidekick bit the inside of their cheek, trying to hold in the tears.
"OH! And now you're going to cry about it?! Jesus Christ, I've recruited a wimp! A good for nothing wimp!-"
"Stop it,” Sidekick growled.
"Oooooo!!! Acting all tough now I see. And what are you going to do about it?" Hero jeered.
Sidekick heaved breaths and slowly stood up. they felt a voice in their head, screaming at them to stop and not do what they were about to do. but they ignored it. They raised their fists and stood in a fighting stance.
Hero chuckled, "Oh, bring it on."
Sidekick hadn't fully recovered from all the attacks from previous days, so Hero had even more of an advantage. They gulped and quickly stepped in for a punch. Hero was quick to grab their wrist and pulled their back right up to their front, keeping Sidekick in a chokehold.
Sidekick let out a cry.
"This is your last chance, give up now and learn your lesson, or, continue this little cute fight and learn your lesson. Ill give you a tip, the latter will end in more pain," Hero whispered in Sidekick's ear. Sidekick grinded their teeth. They could prove to Hero how strong they were, they could show them what they were actually made of. Or, they could not embarrass themselves in front of their old idol and be in less pain.
"I tap out," they whispered. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that."
"I said-" Hero's grip tightened, giving Sidekick the message to never raise their voice at them, "I said uhm.. I tap- I tap out." Hero's laugh sent shivers down Sidekick's spine and suddenly they were sent sprawled onto the ground as Hero dropped them.
Just as Sidekick went to get up, a heavy boot landed on their back and Sidekick was shoved to the ground, "Stay. down."
Sidekick didn't even dare to ignore that command. Hero was angry at them enough.
Hero circled around Sidekick slowly. Each footstep inclining Sidekick's terror. "You're sloppy at training, you're making excuses, youre talking back, and then you try to fight me?! My my Sidekick, that's really something," Hero emphasized the word with a hard kick to Sidekick's ribs.
Sidekick let out a cry and slowly tried to curl in on himself, "HNG- Hero, please!”
“What? Can you not handle it? I have fought so many Villains and battles and you can't handle one kick!”
Sidekick whimpered, “Please, I-I cant! Not today!” “You can't choose the days of your battles!!! You find yourself standing face to face with a villain one day, you can't just beg them to wait another day. You gotta stick out your chest and fight. Fight like a hero.”
Another kick. And another. Sidekick found their breath being knocked out from them. They let out uneasy gasps. “You've gotta toughen up. And there's only one way to do it.” Hero kicked them over and over. It felt like it was never going to end. Sidekick tried to get at least one moment of peace, but the kicks were brutal. And all on their ribs. Where no one could see.
Hero froze at the sound of rustling behind them. They quickly looked behind them but couldn't see anything. The alleyway was empty. Sidekick was wheezing on the ground, trying to normalize their breathing back to normal.
“I can't afford to get caught, c’mon, quick!” Hero yanked Sidekick up by the shirt and dragged Sidekick over to the car. Sidekick let out cries but Hero quickly put their hand over Sidekick’s mouth, “Shut it! Nobody can save you!” At least, that's what they thought.
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