Chasing Dreams (Discontinued)

Chapter 244: Villain

Renji Tachibana planned on continuing until he reached Vermillion City. However, something caught his eye. Upon seeing a dusky little town barely lit in the protection of the night, Ren decided to land and reminisce.

Ren landed on a water tower, visually consuming everything his eyes allowed him to see.

"Nothing has changed." Ren said.

Onyx Town looked as crappy as he remembered. The streets were filled with kids scurrying in the dark past curfew and misguided teens trying to fall into the gangster lifestyle.

Ren's face sank after realizing his town remained stagnant. He wished he could do something to make things right and bring the crime down somehow. But in his current position, there was little that he could do.

"Hey get off of there, are you tryna take the water from us too!" An old lady screamed from her apartment window.

Ren glanced in her direction and was happy the imperceptibility of the night hid his face. He dashed across the sky and quickly struck the ground, deciding to travel on foot.

"Wow, that wasn't as graceful as I thought it'd be." Ren frowned. After spending three years in the spirit realm, he had a better grasp of his powers than before. But Ren's newfound experience came with a new set of problems.

"My body is a lot heavier than what it used to be." In addition to learning new ways to utilize his powers, Ren put on a lot of weight to compensate for his sudden growth spurt. He is now 6'4 an inch taller than Erica and Maija, one inch shorter than Makoto, and 16 inches taller than when he first left Onyx Town.

Ren looked at his arms, and he was glad most of the weight he gained converted to muscle. It'd save him having to hear Maija complaining about how lanky he was or Suzume being disgusted if he were overweight.

Ren felt his face and frowned. His hair had grown too long and ran down his back, reaching his ankles. Ren walked over to a small thrift store and looked at his reflection.

"Holy crap." Ren touched his bangs. "I look a lot like Natsu."

Much to Ren's surprise, his roots started to show once his hair reached a certain length. Black hair sprouted from Ren's head and flowed down, pushing most of the blue out.

"I also need to shave." Ren commented, reflecting on his patchy beard. He sniffed his armpits and nearly vomited. "I need to bathe too."

***

It didn't take long for Ren to find his old apartment. The halls were narrower than he remembered, and his head nearly touched the ceiling.

"I guess cheap apartments don't compensate for tall people," Ren complained and walked up to the door. On the door frame, Ren noticed markings Natsumi carved into the door, signifying each time he got a bit taller.

"I forgot she used to do this." Ren smiled and ran his hand against the door.

"Ay, you better back the fuck up if you know what's good for you."

Ren looked over his shoulder and felt a gun sink into the back of his head.

"Slowly." The voice added.

Ren took a deep breath. He should've known he'd run into trouble. Before he left, Natsumi got into trouble with one of the rival gangs. She had a bad gambling habit and was terrible with money.

Considering how long they've both been away, some of the gang members were likely scoping the house just in case someone returned.

"What do you want?" Ren asked, staying perfectly still.