I HOPE YOU ENJOY. 

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"Damn, my T-Rex died!" I said as I ran away to safety from the enemies

I looked at the time, 5:38. Sigh, time to get ready for school. I stood up from my chair and stretched. Now, my daily routine. Shower, eat, brush my teeth, make food for lunch, ready my things, and now on my way to school. Oh wait, my cologne.

*Psst psst*

"Sniff Sniff" 

Aaah yeah, I smell good. Now, let's go. I exited the house and went on the road. Let me introduce myself. Hi, my name is Mateo Valentino, age 15 and living a life in the province. My hobby is playing games, yeah you guess it. A kid who play games all day long. 

Yeah I know, Introvert, but it is not what you think it is. My friends nowadays are bad, real bad. They will ask you to go drink alcohol with them, smoke with them, hang out with them until night and get caught by the cops or the barangay tanods because of curfew and lots of more bringing troubles around the barangay. 

That's why I don't want to hand out with them, so I only just stayed at home. Other than these kind of troubles, you want know about our school? It is chaos, people always fight, every, single, day. 

They even made squads and each of these squads really hate each other. There are 3 squads, the Denial Squad, Shadow Strike Unit Squad, and The Elite Squad. 

All of my friends are in the Shadow Strike Unit squad which is great while our enemies are in the other 2 squads.This is some kind of cringe gang happening here. And I don't want join. 

Okay, here we are, our small high school. This is going to be a another tough and boring day. I showed my school ID to the guard and entered. As I walked, there are a lot of people scattered around in groups.

I felt like I am being watched by them that I want to put my hood on. Even my trusted Shadow Strike Unit Squad, I fear them.

I fought it and entered inside my classroom. The room was loud, laughing, talking, shouting. Some are studying, playing with their phones, talking normally with their friends.

Some of them are in groups and separated from the other groups. In each of the group of people, I could read which Squad they are in by looking at their faces. This era man, I missed the elementary era.

I saw Elyzer, my friend, alone in his chair playing with his phone. He didn't join any squad, he is just a neutral guy. I approached him.

"Yow wassup, what are you playing there?" I greeted and went behind him to look

It was the same  dinosaur game I was playing this morning. I shared the game to him because he was so interested to it after watching me play it.

"Eyyy bro, just playing Dinosaurvive" he replied

"Wait, can you let me see your progress?" I asked and put my hand on his phone

He let go, I took it and looked around his base. He has a good beautiful base than mine. There's walls around to protect it from wandering aggressive carnivorous dinosaurs and other creatures.

His tamed creatures are scattered, 8 Dodo birds, 2 Carbonemys, 12 Dilophosaurus, 3 Phiomia, 4 Parasaurolophus, and 5 lystrosaurus. I am impressed, he did a lot of things in his first thanks to me who learn this game's confusing mechanics for hours and hours and teached them to him.

"Did you just tame every creature you see?" I chuckled

"What? Isn't that what you do in your first time?" he replied, putting both of his hands at the back of his head

"Nah, I am too lazy to feed them all so I only tame Dilophosaurauses and turn them into my killing machine. And of course parasaurauses for my storage and vehicle"

"What dinosaurs you have now?"

"Hmph, a lot, T-Rex, Raptors, Camarasaurus, Amargasauraus, Danemonosaurus, Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, and basic tames. I still haven't tame a Gigantosa-"

*Thud*

!?

"Yeah!" 

"Punch him!" 

We got startled, we heard shouts and crash. We looked behind, someone is thrashing and fighting at the back of the classroom. It was Benjo, one of my childhood friends fighting with Clyde, one of my worst enemies and from the Denial Squad. 

The others are cheering and watching them fight. They tugged each other on the shirt, both of them tripped over to the ground. Clyde is on the ground, Benjo on top. 

Benjo raised his fist for a punch. Suddenly, someone kicked Benjo on the chest. It was Clint, one of Clyde's friends who helped him. 

"How you like that!" Clint shouted

The suddenly, someone did a flying kick on the chest of Clint. It was our small friend Bawayan, one from the Shadow Strike Unit Squad. 

"Waaataaa!!!" 

Clint crashed to the table behind him. He has an angry expression while looking at Bawayan taunting at him. The group from The Elite Squad rush over them to stop he fight. 

"Let's continue this at the Battalion Ground, it is more better there" One of the Elite Squad said, smiling to what just happened

"Looks like The Boxer versus The Dodger is going to fight. This is going to be exciting" I heard a whisper behind

Fight and fight and fight, yeah yeah yeah, what's so addicting about it anyway? Enjoying watching a fellow human getting beaten up? And what happened to you guys, you aren't the friends I knew from elementary. 

"Hey, Mateo, wanna go and watch the fight?" Elyzer requested

"What? No, I hate fights" 

"You sounded like an officer. C'mon, just go there and cheer for your friend that's all, easy right. We will just stay at the Shadow Strike Units Squad's turf and we will be fine" Elyzer replied as if everything is fine

"If they see me with the Shadow Strike Unit Squad, they might think that I am in their enemy squad. I don't know how to fight. That fight with me and Clint from elementary, that was just a dud and stupid. Neither of us won" 

"What do you mean, I am watching with the SSU squad for a while even tho I am not with them, no one fought with me"

I looked at my body, slim, thin and tall. I looked at his body, he is a bit smaller than me but has big muscles and big body.

"It's because you have big guns! No one wants to fight with those kind of guns" I replied

"Look, just support a friend and be a good friend okay. I promise no one is going to fight with you"

I looked at Benjo, talking with his fellow squads about the fight that is going to happen.

"You know what, okay. I will go and watch but only for today"

He smiled, I gave him his phone back.

"You are going to enjoy it brother"

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*RIIIIIIIIIIINGGGG*

The bell of dismissal rang. I followed Elyzer out of the classroom.

"First, member of squads will be coming to lead the fighters to the fighting ground" Elyzer said

"Wait, how fast does the news spread?" I asked

"Very fast, not even an hour, all of the people in this school will know it" he replied

As I looked around, I saw a group of people marching raising and waving a flag. The flag was drawn with a strong muscly forearm with designs on it with deadly skulls and the words The Elites written.

I looked back at our classroom, Benjo with a group emerged out, Bawayan holding a flag. The flag was drawn with a dark shadow delivering a heavy strike on and a opponent and shadows face designed around it and the words written Shadow Strike Unit.

They lead Benjo at the back of the school, heading to the back exit gate. 

"Now let's follow them. The Elites will wait for Clyde and they will follow behind us"

I followed Elyzer to the SSU Squad, merging with them. We went outside at the back exit. Bawayan went infront and faced us raising and waving the flag.

"Second, they will sing their squad hymn on their way to the fighting ground" Elyzer murmured

"Ready to sing squad!!! In 1... 2... 3!"

The squad started singing and chanting loudly as they stomp. I heard loud singing from behind, I turned around. It Was The Elite Squad following from behind, also chanting and stomping. 

What in the autistic...

I remained quiet, Elyer chanted with the SSU Squad. Him knowing the lyrics of their song, made me realize he has been doing this for a while now without me knowing. We went to a small familiar path going inside the forest. 

We went deeper, their singing echoed, the leaves rustled, the dried pine needles on the ground crunched as we step on them, birds chirping, they flew away as we went deeper, the deep cooing of birds echoed. 

This is so stupid, I should have went home. I hope The Elites won't see me clearly with the SSU. I have to put my hoodie on to cover my identity. After a few minutes of walking and their loud chanting, we went a bit uphill and was met by a big wide clearing of grass. My eyes widened. 

"Wait a minute, this is our hang out spot when we were kids!" I blurted out

"Yep, surprising right" 

"Whoever showed this location to the others, I am going to kill him" I muttered

We followed them to a corner and stopped. Bawayan stabbed the pole of their flag to the dirt ground. The clearing is quiet, nostalgic vivid memories started flooding in. 

The others started cheering Benjo up. The Elite Squad entered, still chanting, going to the other corner. Then the Denial Squad entered, one of them raising and waving a flag. Their flag was designed with people fighting like in a revolution. 

There is a letter Defeat that has been X out. Maybe it means they deny defeat that's why their Squad name is Denial? I don't know!!!!! 

The went to the other corner. There are corners because of the high peak uphills around this clearing. The place was very cleaned up, only short grasses on the ground. When we were young, this place was full of dried pine needles, giving it a brownish environment. I miss that, that was better and nostalgic. 

"Have a seat and watch" Elyzer said while cleaning the spot where we could sit on

I sat down beside him. The squads were noisy, they encouraged their fighters while the Denial Squad are chitchatting. Why am I even here, this is just so stupid. I want to go home. 

"Welcome back to the Battalion Ground!!!" a loud announcing voice from the middle

I looked up, a guy from the Denial Squad is announcing. Huh? Battalion Ground? You call this place Battalion Ground!? Fucking bitches, we called this place our Hangout Spot! 

Hell naw

"It is a place where fighters fight, rumble and brawl! And now today, we have familiar fighters who is going to fight! And surprisingly, they are our idolizing fighters!" 

The announcer raise his arm towards us, Benjo stood up, shaking his body, cracking his knuckles and the bones on his neck, hopping, warming up. 

"From the Shadow Strike Unit, 65 kg, mesomorph, musculine, and dangerous who we have known who is good at boxing. With 12 wins and 5 losses" 

"This is going to be exciting!" I heard Elyzer whispering to himself

"He is known for giving heavy blows to his opponents, quick and agile fighter. May we call fooooooOOOOOOR-- BENJOOOO KID-EEEEEN!!!" 

Benjo started walking towards the middle while punching the air, shadow boxing and showing off his skills. 

Oh wow, he is surprising fast. 

Benjo kept punching the air and dodging. People in the Shadow Strike Unit Squad and from the Denial Squad shouted and jeered. 

"Go Benjo!

"Take him down!" 

"Destroy his win streak!" 

"You have our trust to beat the undefeated!" 

"And now for our next fighter!" 

The announcer raised his arm towards The Elite Squad. 

"From The Elite Squad. 59 kg, taller, musculine and also dangerous. The fighter who we have known to have good dodging skills using his keen eyes, senses and speed, nearly dodging any attacks and the undefeated with 9 wins and no loses"

Undefeated!? Holy shit no loses with this lots of people. I will guess there are about 400 of us in here. 

"May we call fooooOOOOOOORRRR- CLYYYYYYYYDE- LITOOOOOOOO!" 

Clyde walk out from his squad and started walking towards the middle to face Benjo. He taunted as he walk. He then stretched and hopped to warm-up. People from The Elite Squad and some people from The Denial Squad also shout and jeered. Everyone settled down. 

"If there is a betting in here, I would put my money on Benjo" Elyzer said

"Go Clyde!" 

"No need to fear the boxer! He is just a piece of shit!" 

"Go for the win!" 

"The fucking undefeated!" 

Despite the Denial Squad don't have any fighters, they picked an enemy squad's fighter to cheer on like nothing. 

"A lot of people have been waiting and wishing for this fight between The Boxer and The Dodger to happen. We will see who will remain victorious!" 

The announcer point his finger at Benjo. 

"Fighter, are you ready!?" 

"Ready!" 

The announcer point his finger at Clyde. 

"Fighter, are you ready!?" 

"Yes I do" 

The announcer then went between the fighters and raised his raised his arms to prevent any fight. 

"In my count. In 3......!"

Both of the fighters went into their stance. 

2......! 

I leaned closer. I bet this is going to be boring like that last time I watched here. Pin, lock each other, and no more. Boring. 

"1.....!"

Both of the fighter's muscles tensed, ready to attack and block. 

"Fight!" 

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Barangay- district, ward, village, neighborhood, subur", or borough

 Roles and Responsibilities:

The Barangay is the smallest administrative unit in the Philippines, and it plays a vital role in governance and community development. They maintain:

Peace and Order: Maintaining law and order, mediating disputes, and providing assistance during emergencies.

Health and Sanitation: Implementing health programs, maintaining cleanliness, and providing basic medical assistance.

Infrastructure Development: Overseeing the construction and maintenance of local infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and public buildings.

Social Services: Providing assistance to marginalized groups, such as the poor, elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Disaster Response: Coordinating disaster response efforts, providing relief assistance, and implementing disaster risk reduction measures.

Community Development: Implementing programs and projects that promote community development, such as livelihood training, education, and sports development.

Barangay Tanod - Village Watchman or Barangay Watchman

"Barangay Tanod" is a Filipino term that translates to "Village Watchman" or "Barangay Watchman" in English.

 Role and Responsibilities:

Barangay Tanods are volunteer community watchmen who serve as the eyes and ears of the barangay (village). Their primary role is to:

Maintain peace and order: Tanods help keep the community safe by reporting crimes, preventing disturbances, and mediating disputes.

Provide assistance* They aid residents in need, such as helping lost children, providing first aid, or assisting during emergencies.

Support local authorities: Tanods collaborate with the police, barangay officials, and other local authorities to enforce laws, regulations, and community rules.

Conduct patrols: They conduct regular patrols around the barangay to deter crime, monitor suspicious activities, and provide visibility.

SSU - Shadow Strike Unit