Have you guys played Pokemon?
If yes, you would definitely recognize Charizard.
The opposing planet had 13 Charizard-like creatures spiraling in midair.
They were orangey red in color and were periodically spitting flames from their mouths.
How were my monkeys supposed to go against such strong opponents?
The 13 flaming dragons were different in sizes and one seemed to be carrying something on its back.
I kept my desert eagle and got my 98K ready.
I took aim at the different looking one.
My mind was kind of blank. I did not know how to process the fact that such creatures existed in this universe.
My hands started trembling and that was when I understood that I had no talent in controlling guns.
I was unable to steady my aim.
Amidst it all, I saw a person riding on the dragon.
Kill the king first.
However, I failed to take aim or even match up with the dragonâs spiraling speed.
The 98K was heavy and burdensome.
I turned around and saw that the monkeys had abandoned me yet again.
The dragons could easily burn my mini forest down, there was no point in climbing up a tree.
The opponent made a move; the dragon plunged toward us.
It was not practical for me to engage my 98K again.
I could only use my desert eagle. I made a shot and the recoil had me plopping onto the ground.
I had chosen these two weapons to look cool but, that obviously backfired. No pun intended.
My arm was numb from the shot.
I had no idea where the bullet landed, but by the time I raised my desert eagle again, the dragon was already before me and had used its claw to hold me down.
Half my body was trapped, and I finally got a clear look at the person on the back of the dragon.
It was a man, or rather, a boy.
âWhere are you from?â the boy asked
âI... Wait, you?â I replied incoherently.
âPlanet Earth, huh? A Chinese at that,â he said with a smile.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I didnât know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, I stammered, âYou... you too?â
âYouâre the third earthling that Iâve met so far,â he shared.
âThere are others like us?â
âYes, but I have destroyed both of them.â
I looked around and caught sight of his booklet. LV8.
âWhy are you LV8?â I asked, astonished.
âLooks like you know nothing. You wonât be of any use to me,â he stated disappointedly, his eyes on my helmet.
Was he letting his guard down now?
âIs it even fair for an LV2 to be matched with an LV8?â I argued.
âThe match is random. Plus, level does not determine strength. I was matched with an LV7 back when I was still at LV4, but he really wasnât that big of a deal,â he said nonchalantly.
âWhat do you know about this place? If youâre going to kill me, I donât want to die an ignorant fool,â I exclaimed.
âMy sentiments exactly. Letâs exchange useful information,â he proposed.
âAs in?â
âWhen did you arrive here?â
âYear 2017.â
âIâve been in 63 battles before you arrived, and I have yet to lose. Youâre my 64th enemy. Out of the 63 of them, only three were earthlings. They were English and Japanese. Theyâre all dead now. Youâre the only person, apart from me, who speaks Chinese.â
âIsnât this one of lifeâs greatest blessings? Meeting a friend in a foreign place?â I tried.
âDonât. Iâm not going to fall for that,â he deadpanned.
âOh.â
âI came in 1995 and you came in 2017. How long have you been here?â he continued.
âA month and a half.â
âIâve been here for five years but I did not grow at all. It should only be the year 2000 but youâre telling me you arrived in 2017. 17 additional real years have gone by... do you think we have a way out? Itâs no longer the same year. It wouldnât be a problem, of course, if the time and place are all messed up. We are meeting in a parallel universe.â
âThat sounds impressive,â I commented.
âThese fire dragons are creatures that live on my planet. I have them because theyâre my
favorite creatures, so Iâm guessing you like monkeys?â
Monkeys? Do I like monkeys?
I recalled my memories from 16 years ago. Before Dad and Mom divorced, I really liked Monkey King Sun Wukong.
My favorite part of visiting the zoo was getting to observe the monkeys.
Despite their separation, I had always hoped for us to visit them together.
I turned to the trees and saw that the monkeys were looking back at me with worried eyes.
These monkeys are my favorite and the dragons are his favorite...
So the lady from before was into wolves?
What were the aliens thinking? Why exactly were they studying us?
âWhy are you stone-walling me? Answer me,â he demanded.
âYes, I do like monkeys,â I hurriedly said.
He smirked haughtily. âA bit weak, donât you think?â
âCan I ask a question?â
âGo ahead.â
The dragon lowered his head, the flames in its mouth ready to fire upon order.
âAs an LV8 participant, do you know how to leave this place?â I asked.
He shook his head, smiling. âIâve never thought of leaving. These 13 dragons have undergone multiple evolutions over time, thanks to the booklet.â
âYouâre capable of succeeding in every battle, but you seem to have forgotten something.â
âWhat?â he asked, his head cocked slightly.
With great effort, I freed my right arm from under the dragonâs claw and reached into my pocket.
I could feel the hand grenade.
âVillains die because they talk too much,â I shouted.
âTalk too much.â
âMuch.â
...
I released the safety pin and threw the grenade into the dragonâs mouth.
The flames in its mouth swallowed the grenade.
Before the boy could react, the grenade exploded, blowing the dragonâs head off and killing the boy as well.
The dragonâs body fell forward, its legs suspended in the air, giving me the space to break free.
I crawled out from his grip and ran toward the upturned box.
I put my booklet on the ground, on top of a torn page.
Revive Gou Dan. It was something I had prepared beforehand.
I had also managed to train the monkeys to stuff the page into the book if I got into trouble.
It was to ensure that I had a second chance.
The other twelve dragons started coming for me, but I was already standing before the box with grenades in it.
As they rushed toward me, I understood that these creatures were fictional and had no wisdom of their own. Any attempt to smarten them up would be futile.
They could only listen to their masterâs commands.
The twelve dragons encircled me, 12 flaming balls shooting from their mouths.
I cried out, âWhy is it always me?â
âAlways me?â
âMe?â