“So, Brandon, where are you going after school?”

It was the eighth, and last, period in Killian High School. Unsurprisingly, the students were getting restless. The teacher was still talking on the stage about some math formula, but only a few were listening.

Brandon was among the few.

Brandon Bai was an Asian American. He was tall, but the pair of glasses on him made him look more like a nerd than a sports player. He was listening to the teacher and taking notes. Hearing the question, he glanced at the one asking the question and shrugged. 

The one asking the question was Selena. A blonde, tall girl, Selena was almost the opposite of Brandon. While Brandon spent time and effort on this class, Selena was only in this for the credit needed to graduate. Even as the class continued, her mind was no longer on the course. Rather, it was on what she would do in twenty minutes when school is over. 

Seeing the lack of reply from Brandon, Selena wasn’t insulted. She should’ve expected it the moment she asked the question.

Ever since the school year started, Selena has noticed Brandon wasn’t like the others. While the others snapped out their smartphones any chance they got, Brandon was more dedicated to what was taught in class. She respected his determination, but she also hated how dull the man was. 

Meanwhile, Brandon didn't care about what Selena was thinking. After all, Selena’s opinions didn't matter to him. The coursework at hand, though, does. To be honest, Brandon doesn’t enjoy what’s being taught in class. He found the math content to be confusing and even boring. But he had a job that he wanted to get into in the future, and it involved math. He had no choice but to force himself to listen.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Selena jumped off her seat like it was on fire. While some students ran for the door, Brandon carefully finished the notes and copied down the homework assignments due tomorrow before packing everything into his bag and walking out of the classroom. 

As Brandon made his way from the second-floor classroom to the first floor, he heard some noise. He wasn’t going to check out what happened until he heard a familiar voice.

He sighed.

Brandon started breaking open the crowd and heading toward where all the chaos came from. It wasn’t a difficult task. When he reached the center of the circle, a frown has found its way onto his face. 

Four figures were inside the circle. Two of them were tall boys with playful smirks on them. The third was a curved girl who was holding onto one of the boys. The fourth one was a small Asian. 

Jaison. Brandon’s brother. 

“What’s going on?” Even as Brandon asked, he knew the basics of what has happened. Regrettably, even he had to admit that his brother had some less than ideal characteristics. For example, he feels targeted easily. He also has a thin skin. They were in a public high school where students came from all backgrounds. It was certain some of them weren’t as nice as others. While Brandon himself could ignore the foul words of those who he deemed unimportant, Jaison couldn’t do the same. 

“Brandon!” Jaison raised his chin at the other three. He was obviously furious. ”They called me a spy and told me to go back to Japan.”

“First of all, our parents were Chinese,” Brandon commented. He glanced around and saw a crowd forming. That’s a problem. He didn't want to waste time on unnecessary problems. He would rather learn a new coding language. “Also, that’s prejudice. I can sue you for racism.” 

One of the boys was slightly taken back. 

“You don’t have any proof!”

“What happened took place in a crowded hallway and you’re telling me I don’t have proof?” Brandon didn't back down. ”Look. I have better places to be in. If you want to argue the legal issues, fine, but be warned my father is a lawyer. Also, I am planning to major for law in college and I have done quite the preparation. If you want to spend this time doing something else, be my guest.” 

The part about the law major was a lie, but Brandon was acting so confident it might as well be the truth. 

The girl and the second boy looked to the first boy, who was staring at Brandon. Brandon returned the glare. This was the benefit of living in a country like the United States. Words can be so much more powerful than physical strength. Judging from all the muscles on the boys, Brandon wouldn’t be able to fight them off. Thankfully, he didn't need to.

The first boy backed off. 

“Fine.” But before he left, he stared at Jaison again. His message was clear. This isn’t over.

The crowd started to disperse, somewhat in disappointment. Brandon turned and headed for the door. Jaison quickly caught up.

“You should’ve sued them.” The younger Bai demanded. “That will teach them a lesson.”

Brandon sighed inside. His brother was a high school sophomore. He was two years under Brandon, but sometimes Brandon felt like his brother was behind him for more than just two years. 

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“Why?”

“I told you. To teach them a lesson.” 

“Why would I want that? I’m not their parents or their teacher. It’s not my duty to educate them.”

“But it will be really satisfying!”

“Yes. Satisfying. And what can I get beside satisfaction?” Brandon shrugged and the two reached an intersection. Brandon paused for three seconds and checked the traffic of the whole intersection before crossing. “If I really sue them, it will ruin their lives.”

“Great!” Jaison’s hatred for the three students was obvious.

“And chances are they’ll come to us for retribution. What’s the point? Why bring harm to ourselves for no reason at all?”

Jaison tossed his hands into the air in frustration. He was more frustrated when his brother didn't even see his gesture. 

“But they’re really bad people. They talk shit about a lot of my classmates behind their back. I once heard they call you a psychopath.”

“Ok.” 

“What do you mean ok?”

The two reached a crosswalk. It was a red light, but there weren’t any cars coming. Jaison was about to cross when Brandon grabbed onto his arm and held him back. A few seconds wasn’t worth risking his life.

“Brandon, did you hear what I say?” 

“Yes, I did.” Brandon turned to his brother. “Look. If a wild dog bites you, will you return the favor?” 

“Uh...no?”

“Then why would you think exchanging punches with a bully is a good idea?” Brandon could see some bruises on Jaison. “Those people are the very definition of cowards. They prey on those who are weak and shy away from those willing to stand their ground. If you allow yourself to be angered by them, you have dropped to their playing level. You need to learn to be unfazed by what they say.”

That was when Jaison has had enough.

“Stop being so condescending! You’re not in my class! Of course, they chose to back off when they saw a twelve grader! If you’re put in my place, you won’t be doing any better than I am! Don’t act like you’re any better than I am!”

With that said, Jaison picked up the pace and sped down the road. Brandon stood in his track for a few seconds, silently going over what just happened. He quickly realized what he said might be too harsh for his brother. Then again, it wasn’t exactly his fault. 

He only said what he thought was right. There’s no fault in that. It wasn’t his problem his brother couldn’t handle it. 

----------------------------------------

Jaison ran straight home. His parents were away at work, but lucky, he had the keys to their family’s house. As soon as he entered, he tossed his bag on the ground and ran straight down to the basement. 

He heard his brother walking into the room and proceeding upstairs, but he didn't really care. 

All that went through Jaison’s mind was the bullies. Mark. Dicken. Jasmine. The trio was like a gang in the class. They backed off today, but they would only be more aggressive when he goes back to class tomorrow. 

Jaison has had enough. Ever since day 1, the trio took pleasure in poking fun at him. He tried Brandon’s approach. He really did. But after a few days of keeping a straight face, he finally decided he would stop being the victim. As he fought back, the trio took more pleasure in insulting him. 

Jaison didn't know what he was looking for in the basement, but he did know he needed something he could fight back with. 

The basement was filled with random things. Some of these items dated back to decades ago since the Bai family has owned this house for a long long time. Once, Jaison’s father found a pack of rats at a dark corner of the basement. The animals managed to live freely for years. 

Jaison’s eyes landed on an old baseball bat. He picked it up and weighed it, but he quickly frowned and put it down. It was a good weapon, but there was no way he could bring this into school campus without the trio seeing it.

He would surely enjoy smashing one of the bullies in the head with the bat. 

Slingshot. That could come in handy...

Wood nail. If he could put this under Mark’s seat... 

Suddenly, Jaison saw something. It was a pair of watches resting on an old wooden box. The watches were completely white, and there was just something about them that made Jaison’s heart beat quicker. He walked over and picked one of them up. 

He ran his finger across the surface of the watch.

The next second, Jaison’s eyes went blank and lifeless. His body was still inside the basement, but his mind was at somewhere completely different. 

At this moment, Jaison found himself in the middle of what felt like a whole universe. There was no ground and there was no sky. He was just floating there in thin air. The boy suddenly panicked when he realized where he was, and that caused his mind to exit the universe and return to his body in the basement. 

“Wow!” Subconsciously, Jaison wanted to toss the watch as far away as possible. But his logic returned. He has seen enough movies and tv shows to know this is usually how the main character gets sudden power. 

Maybe there is something with this watch that can give him the power to deal with the bullies in the right way?

Jaison tapped on the watch again. This time, he felt a gentle pull from the watch on his mind, and he allowed the pull to do its job. 

His mind entered that universe again. This time, Jaison did his best not to panic. His choice was correct. He managed to stay floating in the universe. 

“Nice!” Jaison gave himself a slight pat on the back before looking around. Perhaps it was because he was no longer limited by his physical body, but he could see anything in the universe, no matter how far away it was. 

There was a layer of fog that covered most, if not all, of the universe, but there was still a small area of open space. While it was no more than the size of a classroom, Jaison was happy to find out it wasn’t empty.

The first item he saw was what he could only describe as an armor. Just like the watch, the armor was white from top to bottom. A small screen was on its left arm. Jaison waved his hand, and the armor flew over. The boy ran his fingers along the surface of the armor as his eyes lit up in amazement. He tapped the chest of the armor, which snapped open, revealing an empty slot. 

If only he could take it out of wherever this is into the real world. Jaison thought quietly as he circled around the gadget. This armor would make him kick ass. Unfortunately, he didn't think it was possible. That was when a strange message suddenly entered his mind. As if he was guided by a mysterious force, he tapped on the armor again. 

He felt something weighing down on his body. As he left the watch universe, he found something that made him want to scream in excitement. 

The white armor was not only outside the watch. It was also on him.