Shiro's short pov
"How many attacks happened last week?" I asked So, my voice carrying the weight of frustration I barely tried to suppress. With Ken absent, So was the current standing co-leader of the Phantom Six. To be honest, things were getting pretty rough without Ken handling everything on his end.
"Eight, and that's just on our faction. The Akamis were attacked five times, and the Dark Knights were hit seven times last week."
I took a slow sip of my coffee, the bitterness grounding me as I tried to process the sheer number of attacks. This is getting serious. What the fuck was Ken thinking?! We needed him here, and instead, he was with JRK. This is getting out of hand, and if we didn't act soon, we'd be crushed before we even had the chance to retaliate.
"Any news from Akami?" I asked again, my grip tightening around the ceramic mug.
"None, Shiro."
That answer only worsened the pit growing in my stomach. Silence from the Akami Army? That wasn't like them. Either they were overwhelmed, or they were planning something in response to these constant attacks. Neither option was reassuring.
I sighed and pulled a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it with a quick flick of my lighter. The flame danced for a moment before disappearing, leaving only the ember glow at the tip of my cigarette. The first inhale burned my throat slightly, but the smoke clouding around me felt like the only thing keeping me grounded.
"What should we do?" So pressed, his voice edged with urgency. "Things are getting messier by the day. We have to act before we lose our grip entirely."
I looked up at him, studying the tension in his stance. He wasn't wrong. If we didn't move now, this war would spiral completely out of our control. I could feel the weight of responsibility settling heavier on my shoulders.
"Get everyone. That includes the Akami Army." I stood up, walking over to the window. The school grounds stretched before me, students walking about, oblivious to the war brewing in the shadows. They had no idea what was coming.
"Also, reach out to the Dark Knights. And King, if possible. We're going to need every last one of them."
So hesitated for a moment, then gave me a nod before pulling out his phone, already sending out the necessary messages.
I exhaled a long trail of smoke, my grip tightening on the cigarette. The horizon was darkening, and the air felt heavier than usual, as if the city itself was bracing for what was about to come.
Hurry the hell up, Ken... or it'll be too late.
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Ryu's pov
"Where are they?"
I looked up when someone suddenly spoke in front of me. Come on, man! I was playing Honkai Impact! If my Kiana dies, I swear I'll take Lim down with her!
"You know, Lim? I'm not a missing monkey tracker, right?" I replied, barely glancing up from my screen. The battle was getting intense, and I didn't have time to babysit people.
"Briana's looking for them. Maybe she has something important to say. You're on your own with this one."
Look at this idiot—leaving it all to me when I have no clue either! I squinted at him before scoffing.
"Just get out of my face, Lim, or I might just tie you and your Briana together."
He could see I was about to lose—he better leave before I actually beat him up.
"Tie us together, huh? You're so dead."
Oh, so now he's trying to scare me? Does he really think that'll work? I even scare my own ghosts!
"Just get lost already, or I'll really tie the two of you together—Agh!"
Suddenly, a strong grip grabbed my head, making me freeze. Uhhh... Where can I buy a coffin? I feel like I might need one soon.
"What was that again, Ryu? Care to repeat what you just said?"
I gulped. I wasn't done writing my last will yet! Please, grant me a little more time before Briana ends my life.
"Hehehe, that was just a joke, Briana! I'm a comedian, remember? C'mon, maybe they're in the living room." I laughed nervously, quickly diverting the conversation. Thankfully, she ignored me and walked off—probably checking if Jin and the others were there.
I exhaled deeply, looking up at the sky. Thank you for this second chance at life. I swear I won't waste it! Even though I didn't want to, I followed Briana. I'd rather not join my grandpa in the afterlife just yet. Damn it! I was having a great game, and now it's ruined! But I guess this is better than disappearing entirely—I still want in on the action.
When we reached the living room, everyone was already there. Looked like we were the last ones they were waiting for. Damn!
"Alright, now that we're all here," Ken started the moment we walked in. I sat beside Claine because I knew that no matter where I sat, she'd follow me anyway. It's tough being this handsome.
"We're not just here for training. Jin, Kev, and I also discussed the future of the group. So far, with everyone here, we only have around fifty members in JRK, which is still too small compared to Phantom Six."
I get what Ken's saying. Even if we have strong members, we can't ignore the fact that we're not strong enough to beat Phantom Six—not yet.
"We decided to have an organized structure. Right now, we have three leaders, one co-leader, and three captains. The rest of us here are the most promising fighters."
"Have the roles been decided yet?" Lim asked, making us look at him. "Because if they haven't, I'd rather not take any position. I'm tired of being a captain, and we all know that the three leaders are Jin, Ryu, and Kev."
Damn, 'Leader' sounds cool. Has a nice ring to it!
"That's right, they're the leaders, and it's up to them to decide," Ken said before turning to Jin. "Have you filled the ranks?"
Jin nodded, holding a piece of paper. Kev and I stood beside him. Jin showed us the paper he was holding. So this is it, huh? Not bad. I couldn't help but smile, thinking about how we started as a small group, and now, we can finally hold our own.
"We are the three leaders of JRK," Jin began, immediately capturing everyone's attention. "Our co-leader will be Briana Naomi. As we all know, Briana's judgment is perfect for this role. I trust her, and you all should too."
That's true. Aside from being terrifying when she's mad, Briana has sharp intuition and decision-making skills—especially during our first encounter with Phantom Six. Her actions back then made a huge impact.
"The first captain will be Kailey Yuzu. I believe in her. I know she can handle this role."
Jin added before handing the paper to Kev. I saw how Kailey looked down after hearing that. Hmm, something fishy's going on with Kailey, huh?
"The next captains are Jake and Jerome Maki. You guys have been fighting together for a long time, so we counted you as one. Your judgment and data gathering will be a huge advantage, alongside your powerful duo."
The Maki brothers definitely deserve this. They also helped Jin and Kai when Akami's group caught them off guard. We owe them big time.
"And the last captain is you, Ken. Not just because you're a strong fighter, but also because you're our key to beating Phantom Six. No one knows them better than you do."
Kev handed the paper to me. It was my turn to speak.
To be honest, Jerzey Lim should've been included, but he refused before we even announced it. Everyone expected him to be a captain, though. Such a shame.
"As for the training, there are twelve of us here. As the strongest members of JRK, it's our responsibility to become even stronger to support the others. For the next two weeks, we'll be training together. We've divided the group into three teams."
"In my team, I'll have Jake, Jerome, Kise, and Claine with me. Kev's team will have Ken, Atsushi, and Kailey. Jin's team will include Briana, Jerzey, and Blake. That's all." I handed the paper back to Jin.
This next part is the most important announcement—he had to be the one to say it.
"And for the final announcement..." Jin took a deep breath. "We will no longer be called JRK. From today onward, we are Crows Zero. We are the core of this group. Let's do our best to reach the pinnacle of all clans. We will beat Phantom Six and become number one."
From this day forward, things are going to get even more interesting...
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Kev's pov
I'm currently watching the progress of my team. As I observe, Kailey Yuzu is becoming stronger and stronger as time goes by. Her judgment and style in fighting have improved significantly. She's more focused now than before—her movements are sharper, her strikes more precise. It's like she's finally finding her rhythm, molding herself into the fighter she was meant to be.
On the other hand, Atsushi remains the same in terms of his aggressive style, but there's a noticeable shift in his defense. It's getting better, tighter, making him a more formidable opponent overall. Then there's Ken. A gifted fighter. He's even stronger than me and Jin. It's terrifying how he can take on Briana, Ryu, and Kailey all at once and still come out on top. Having him on our side is nothing short of an advantage—no, a game-changer.
As I continue to observe, Ken suddenly plops down beside me, casually munching on rice balls like we're not in the middle of an intense training session.
"We're called Crows Zero now, huh? It sounds way cooler compared to Phantom Six." He chuckles, and I find myself smirking at his remark. The name has a ring to it. Crows, huh? I can still remember why Jin decided to change our name to that.
*Flashback - A few days before the training*
"You want to change our group's name?" I asked Jin, surprised by his sudden idea. He had mentioned it earlier, but I didn't think he was serious about it.
"Yeah, I do." He responded, his gaze fixed on the sky. We were at our hideout, just the two of us, taking a break from everything.
"We can, but what do you want to change it to?" I asked, leaning against the metal railing on the rooftop.
Jin didn't answer right away. He seemed deep in thought, his eyes following the drifting clouds. Then, a small smile formed on his lips as a crow landed on his outstretched hand.
"Crows. I want us to be called the Crows."
Crows, huh? I kinda liked the sound of it, but I was curious about his reasoning.
"Why Crows?"
"Because, just like crows, we band together, sharing the same ideals and goals. We fight to become second to none. But the most important part is—we are free. Just like crows, we are free to do what we want, but as a group. And as a group, we're going to fly higher and higher until no one can reach us."
I stared at him for a moment, then at the crow as he gently let it go. We both watched as it flew away, disappearing into the vast sky.
"We started from zero, and soon, we will become the best." Jin extended his hand toward the sky. "We'll fly just like the crows, higher than anyone who dares to stop us."
Maybe I was right in following him. Maybe Jin is the one who will fulfill Akira's wishes, not me.
"Started from zero, huh? Crows Zero might be a better one." I said absentmindedly.
"Crows Zero, huh? Well, starting today, we are now the Crows Zero."
"Crows, a bird with freedom and unity, a bird that strives to reach beyond the skies. I kinda like the idea of that." Ken muttered beside me as we both watched Atsushi and Kailey sparring.
"Jin has a mind capable of motivating us, even pushing us to our utmost limit." I commented. His dedication alone is enough to boost the morale of the clan. He's the true asset of the Crows Zero.
"Yeah, you know, Phantom Six used to be like this too?" Ken mused, his expression thoughtful. "Shiro's dedication to reaching the top was enough for my former clan to become what they are now. But things change as time passes, and now, I'm happy that I'm part of the Crows."
I looked at him, his words resonating with sincerity. His honesty was evident in his eyes, and in that moment, I knew I could trust him. He wouldn't go through this much trouble just to betray us in the end.
"Looks like they're done, Kev. Let's go." Ken said, standing up. We walked over to where Kailey and Atsushi were catching their breath.
"So, Kai, how was it?" I asked Kailey Yuzu as we approached them.
"To be honest, I definitely crushed him, but his defense is improving, making it hard for me to land solid hits." She answered while wiping sweat off her forehead.
"Is that so? That's great then. We have to get stronger while we have the time." I handed her a bottle of water.
"Thanks. By the way, where's Jin?" She asked, her tone casual, but there was something about the way she said it that caught my attention. I smirked.
"Why? You miss him already?" I teased.
Her face turned bright red. Confirmed.
"Shut up, Kev! I just need something from him!" She snapped, glaring at me.
I chuckled. "Right, if you say so. He's probably outside."
"Tss. Bully." She muttered under her breath, making me stifle another laugh. I didn't expect Yuzu to fall for Jin, but now that I see it, it makes me want to laugh even more.
"Kev, let's go. It's 6:30, our call time to meet with the other members." Ken reminded me. I nodded, and Atsushi followed as well. Our schedule was set—6-8 AM for personal training, 9 AM-6 PM for team training (including breaks), and from 6:30 PM onwards, we had our clan meetings. Every other day, we sparred with other teams for fun and to test our progress.
"Do you think we can take on Phantom Six after this training?" I asked Ken as we walked.
He glanced at me. "To be honest, I'm not sure if we can beat them yet, but I'm sure we'll be stronger—maybe close to Akami Army and Dark Knights, or even on par with them."
I exhaled, feeling some of my doubts ease.
"Don't think too much about things like that. Let's just focus on getting stronger, okay, Leader?"
Yeah, he's right. Our focus should be on becoming stronger. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Maybe you're right. Let's go find Jin." I said, and with that, we continued walking, ready to take on whatever lay ahead.