READ: Match of the Decade, chapter 1

### Setting

Granhampton, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy

## CHAPTERS

### Next Chapter

Match of the Decade, chapter 2

The town was abuzz with chatter. People in the barbers laughed over the fliers hung all over town. **MATCH OF THE DECADE: THE VIKING BERSERKER VS. The FACE OF AMERICA**, read the fliers that were placed on every wall and telephone pole. Akiba was trailing behind his friend Rikko who was haphazardly putting up posters on any surface that he could. He watched Rikko manically staple up posters while trying to help out fliers simultaneously. A text from Aurelia fresh in his mind: *Hey baby, I’m missing you. Come home and give me cuddles*. Laughing, Akiba didn’t realize that Rikko had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. The two crashed to the ground after Akiba plowed right into Rikko.

“What’s the big deal, dude?”, throwing his hands in the air. “Fucking warn me before you decide stop full-ham.”

He looked up and found Rikko blushing and acting like a smiling idiot, while talking to a girl. Wait, a girl? It’s true a girl made the conscious decision to talk to Rikko, and a pretty girl at that. Akiba watched in wonder while his friend attempted to get laid. The girl was a pretty asian girl, not unlike Rikko’s girlfriend Torii. Akiba yawned, looking to the sky. *Where is William and Cash?* Bored, Akiba grabbed Rikko by his collar and dragged him back to Botwulf. Outside the gym, Akiba could smell the BO and sweat through the closed door. Rikko was complaining about not being able to talk to the cutie, but Akiba disappeared inside to escape the whining fool.

Inside, Akiba could hear the deep grunts of Cash as William beat him to a pulp in the ring. Cash was not a bad boxer, but William was a special kind of beast. William’s intelligence allowed him to judge his opponents abilities, their patterns, and how to throw them off. Although, that doesn’t detract from William’s immense strength only rivalled by Cash’s and dwarfed by Ragnar’s. William’s blond hair was drenched in sweat and his face only slightly bruised. His blue eyes glowed in the dark room, and his smile beamed when he saw Akiba.

“God damn dude, Cash almost got me that time.” Akiba watched William help up Cash who obviously had been thoroughly trashed, “He had me on the ropes earlier, but i flipped the script on ‘em”

Akiba threw his arm over William’s shoulder and walked him towards the punching bag. William listened intensely as Akiba explained the bets pouring in and told him the odds for victory against Ragnar. The conversation flowed for over an hour before William got a text from Sarah. As always when Sarah calls, William has to leave, without fail. In his absence Akiba grabbed Rikko and Cash and dragged them down to the bar. The party lasted till two in the morning when the trio take a taxi back to Cash’s apartment where they crashed.

The next morning Akiba woke up to the sun glaring in his eyes, groggy and hungover he made aggs and kicked the two idiots on the ground to wake up. He heads outside where he sees an expensive hybrid outside. His girlfriend was sitting on the hood on her phone.

“Shut up Iris, mom’s birthday is next week and you ARE going to dress up for her dinner.” Aurelia glared when she made eye contact with Akiba, “alight bye, and don’t you dare forget the fucking dinner on Sunday.

She flipped his phone shut and looked Akiba in the eye, “You asshole, why didn’t you come home last night?!”

“Good news came up, we went out to celebrate.” Akiba drank his coffee, standing in a bathrobe, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, “Cash’s place was the closest to the bar.

Akiba paused, looking deep into Aurelia’s eyes before sighing and apologizing, “I’m sorry sparrow, I promise to always text you if I’m going to have a wild night.”

Aurelia’s eyes softened as she blushed, “You dumb lug, you know I can’t be angry at you for long.”

“That’s what I’m counting on” Akiba grabbed her hand and pulled her close, kissing her on the head.

He walked past Aurelia and got in the car. He lit a cigarette and told her to “gun it”. The wheels squealed loudly before the car flew down the street. Aurelia took him back to his apartment where he showered, changed clothes, and brushed his teeth. They went to lunch with William and Sarah at a local deli. They talked about the upcoming match and about William’s upcoming wedding. The couple reveal their pregnancy to Akiba and Aurelia, who are ecstatic for the amazing news.