21 REASONS TO PHUCKING PHIGHT! // Phighting Fanfiction

Chapter 4 // Slingshot

Skate could do nothing but stare at the iced cocoa. He watched as the ice slowly drowned in the sweet drink. It shrunk as it collided with the glass walls of the cup, desperate to get out alive. This time, he was alone -- Boombox had to get his music box fixed since it wasn't working in the morning. He hunched over his chair, his eyes glued onto the liquid delight. The noise in the cafe got louder and louder. He took a deep breath in as he zoned into his thoughts. That question he wanted to ask his friend started to build up. How does Zuka know who Slingshot is? Is it possible that a cheerful guy had been participating in brutal phights? Or was it Zuka being a forgetful man again?

He watched as Slingshot served coffee to the table next to him. He bit his tongue, rehearsing what he was going to ask. Finally, he lifted his hand in the air. After Slingshot placed the napkin next to the lovely, decorated coffee, she turned to see the skater.

"Oh! Hey, Skate! What's up?"

"Hey, Sling! I just wanted to ask you a question,"

Skate gulped to clear his throat. He paused for a few seconds before opening his mouth to speak.

"Do you know this man by the name of Zuka?"

Sling's bright smile turned into a serious one. However, he doesn't seem to want to answer Skate's question. However, the skateboarding punk wasn't going to cut it.

"You participate in those phights?"

The bright-mood cafe fell silent. Most of the customers stopped before looking towards the duo. The quiet void was slowly killing Sling as he looked around. Even some waiters were curious about the unknown energy between these two. Skate bit his bottom lip. He wanted to know what was happening but didn't mean to attract attention. Sling thought twice about laughing it off. He had never seen his best friend being grave. Finally, the cyan-horned waiter leaned closer to Skate.

"Can we please take this outside?" Sling whispered in a cold and friendly tone.

Skate flinched. Sling's words shook Skate's spine violently. He was nervous to come outside. He had a nerve-racking feeling that Sling was going to stab him in the back. However, he knew he had taken the one-way route; there was no coming back. He gave a faint nod before getting up from his seat and walking out with Sling, looking back at the iced cocoa.

Slingshot closed the door behind him. It was like going through a different dimension. Once warm welcome at the cafe entrance to a dark graveyard of wasted scraps and pests. Skate flinched as the broken pipe above them dropped freezing water on his arm. He felt adrenaline erupting like a volcano inside him. Skate knows that the phights were a bloody battle. Probably a cocky psychopath like Zuka would be crazy enough to participate in them. But Slingshot was not like Zuka. He ran a cafe full of delicious sweets. So why in the name of Inpherno was Slingshot doing in the phights?

Slingshot then turned to his friend with a grim expression on his face.

"How do you know I participate in phights? Is it that old Zuka who told you about it?" Slingshot asked sternly, which made Skate back away into a wall.

"Look, dude! I'm sorry if this stuff is sensitive to you. I-I'm just worried-"

"Worried? Worried about what?" Slingshot interrupted quickly. Skate gulped.

"You know. The phights? I heard from the next-door neighbours that phights were made for the most brutal people, the never-ending cycle of phighting each other and possibly getting killed. I mean, look at Zuka! Nobody could survive his explosions!"

Sling twisted their face in confusion, unsure what on earth Skate was talking about. 

"Are you kidding? Phights are not that bad!" Slingshot exclaimed.

This doesn't ease Skate's nerves.

"Dude! People die in it! I'm surprised how you're even still alive!" Skate argued.

"What are you on about? I had been in phights for almost two years and nobody died!"

Skate's jaws dropped when Slingshot mentioned his start date.

"You had been doing this for two years?! And I didn't know about it?"

Slingshot bit his bottom lip. It would be difficult to convince his best friend that phights weren't just brutal battles between two sides. The rumours had got to him, brainwashed into the world of the dark hoax of brutal phights. He places his paws on both of Skate's shoulders.

"Look. A phight isn't just a violent war ground. A phight is a practice field for a catastrophe!"

Skate paused.

"Catastrophe?"

"You don't know about it? Firebrand announced that there was a rip in the space matrix. He mentioned that he could sense bad news from the other side. So he gathered us into battlefields and honed our battle skills in preparation. That is what we call the phight,"

Skate couldn't swallow the information his friend was feeding him. Phights were supposed to be brutal and blooded battlefields. And a deity who was fascinated by mortals planned all of this? Skate's information was starting to contradict itself. Skate stared at the soaked concrete. Every drip of water splashed onto his shoes. It was either that Slingshot was telling the truth or that he was keeping a dark secret. Slingshot then stared at his skateboard.

"I think I know why Zuka was quite interested in you," Slingshot added, "I remembered you had that skateboard when you were only a year old,"

"How do you remember that-"

Slingshot cuts the skateboarder off, "Skate. You're a gear demon. Your 'parents' lied about you. You were born with that board,"

(A/N: If you say "Harry Potter reference", I'm going to phucking cry /hj)

Skate shook his head in disapproval.

"Well, how do you know all of this? Not like you stalked me ever since I was born," Skate questioned his friend, squinting his eyes.

Slingshot kept silent, folding his lips and lightly biting on them. 

"Wish I could tell you, but he told me not to,"

Skate hated the intense energy between him and his friend. They never had a conversation that went into a dark rabbit hole. He slowly forced a smile.

"You know what. Maybe a phight isn't as bad as it seems," Skate spoke, cutting the darkness with his bright tone, "How about this: I go to the phight with you and see if I like it or not... Though I would need to take a break from those sick skateboard trick videos,"

Slingshot smiled. It was settled, the two of them walked out of the dark hallway and outside the cafe once again. 

"Meet me at Zuka's truck tomorrow! I'll tell him that you are going to practice!" Slingshot exclaimed as he stretched his cramped arms, "Wanna race? Bet I can beat you by a mile!"

Skate smirked, "You wish!"

The sun was setting. It was about time that Boombox would rest in the apartment. Who knows what this guy is listening to? He would be listening to pop, rock or electronic. No matter the limitless options, Skate would hear the music from his next-door neighbour. After a long bus trip back alone, he met the DJ's apartment door. His hands were clenched into soft knuckles as he hovered them over the door, carefully arranging the words he was going to say. 

Knock knock.

"Hey, Boom! I want to tell you something..."