Shelly PoV
Damien smiled as Toren was busy with his toy. "He's a good kid."
I smiled back. "Yeah, he is."
"Rawr! The Rampdos is gonna get you!" Toren yelled, making the toy jump at Damien's face.
Damien laughed and pretended to be scared. "Ah! No! Save me!"
Toren grinned. "Don't worry, Damien! I'll save you!"
Cassian smirked as he glanced up from his phone. "Awe, how sweet. Damien and Toren playing together."
I giggled. "Isn't it? They're so cute."
Toren pouted. "I'm not cute! I'm a tough guy! Rawr!"
"Sure, you are, buddy," Cassian said. "Sure, you are. But, I bet you can't beat me in a round of Capumon Clash."
He blinked. "Capumon Clash? What's that?"
"A game on the phone where you fight with Capumons," he said. "You can use different attacks and stuff. It's pretty fun. Here, I'll show you."
He handed Toren his phone and showed him how to play. Toren's eyes lit up as he saw the game. "Wow! They even have Rampdos!"
"Yep."
Toren sighed. "But me don't have phone on me. Too bad."
Damien took out his phone. "You can use mine, little buddy. It's not like I need it right now, anyway."
Toren grinned. "Thanks, Damien!"
Damien grinned back. "No problem, buddy. Now, let's see if you can beat Cassian in a round."
I watched as Toren and Cassian battled, their phones flashing with colorful lights. Toren was having a blast, his eyes glued to the screen. Cassian was smirking, obviously enjoying the challenge. Damien was watching them, a small smile on his face, his red eyes glinting with amusement.
Toren frowned as he lost. "Dang it!"
Cassian laughed. "Ha! I win!"
Toren pouted and crossed his arms. "Rematch!"
"Sure," Cassian said. "But you're going to lose again."
Toren glared at him. "No way! I'll win this time!"
They played again and Toren was still losing. He groaned in frustration. "How are you so good at this?!"
Cassian smirked. "I've had practice. I've been playing this game since it came out. It's my favorite. I have one of the rarest Capumon, too. Want to see him?"
Toren nodded. "Yeah!"
Cassian showed him a picture of a green dragon.
"Rayore! Wow!" Toren said, his eyes wide in amazement.
"I have one too," Damien said, holding his hand out for his phone. Toren gave it back to him and he opened his Capumenu. "See? I have a Rayore too. I caught it in a raid."
Toren's eyes widened even more. "Whoa! You're so cool, Damien!"
Damien laughed loudly. "Not as cool as you, buddy. You're the coolest."
"Rawr! I'm the coolest!" Toren giggling.
"Hey, let's battle," Cassian said, his eyes glinting. "I bet I can beat you, Damien."
Damien smirked. "Oh, you're on."
Toren wanted to look at their phones as they battled. I sighed and reached over to grab him. "Toren, sit down properly."
"No! I wanna watch!" he said, wiggling out of my grip.
"Fine," I said, sighing. "Just be careful. Don't lean too far forward or you'll fall out of the car."
"Okay," he said, turning back to the phones, his eyes glued to the screen.
Damien gave Cassian a run for his money, but he was barely hanging on. He managed to win by the skin of his teeth. Toren clapped and cheered.
"Wow! You won!" he said, grinning. "You're so cool, Damien!"
Damien grinned. "Yep."
Cassian grumbled. "Let's go again."
Damien chuckled. "Fine. I'll take you on again."
They went for another round. This time, Damien lost.
"Ha! I win!" Cassian said, smirking.
"Good game," Damien said, huffing. "You're pretty good at this."
"You're not too bad yourself," he replied. "But I'm still better. Want to go for another round?"
"Sure," Damien said, smiling. "I'll beat you this time."
"Boys, we're here," Zara said as she stopped at an arcade in the better part of town.
"Thanks, Zara. You can just drop us off," Damien said. "You can stay here and rest if you want while we head in. I can drive us back home later."
"Thank you, Master Damien," Zara said. "I'll do just that."
Damien smiled and we all got out of the car. Toren was still bouncing up and down. He was so excited to be at the arcade.
The building was large with a neon sign that read 'The Arcade'. Despite its generic name, the building was anything but ordinary—stone arches framed the entrance, and golden chandeliers glimmered through the tall windows, casting a warm glow onto the sidewalk. It looked more like a fancy casino than a place for kids to play games, and I couldn't help but feel a little out of place in my simple jeans and sweater, my wavy orange hair falling messily over my shoulders.
Toren, still bouncing with excitement, grabbed my hand, his black hair flopping into his eyes as he tugged me forward. "Sis! Let's go, let's go!" he squealed, his voice brimming with anticipation.
"Alright, alright, slow down," I said, laughing as I adjusted my grip on his hand, my blue eyes scanning the entrance. Damien and Cassian followed close behind, their earlier Capumon Clash rivalry seemingly set aside for now, though I could still feel the undercurrent of tension between them. Damien's red eyes caught the neon glow of the sign, a small smile tugging at his lips as he glanced at Toren, clearly pleased to see him so happy.
We stepped inside, and the interior was even more impressive. The air buzzed with the sounds of arcade games—beeps, boops, and the occasional cheer from players. The polished black marble floor reflected the colorful lights from the games, and a massive digital leaderboard hung overhead, flashing high scores and animated characters.
Most of the people here weren't kids like Toren, but teenagers and some even a bit older than me, Damien, and Cassian, their voices loud and overlapping as they crowded around machines.
Toren's grip on my hand tightened, his black hair flopping into his eyes as he spun around, taking it all in with wide-eyed wonder. "Wow, sis! Look at all the games!" he exclaimed, his voice barely audible over the noise.I smiled, brushing his hair back with my free hand, my blue eyes scanning the crowd. "I see, buddy," I said, my tone soft but firm. "Let's pick one to start with, okay?"
"How about a racing game?" Cassian said, smirking.
"Me not a vroom-vroom boy, but I'm game!" Toren said, grinning.
"Cassian is pretty good, little buddy!" Damien said.
"Pretty good?" Cassian echoed, his voice smooth and teasing. "I'm the best, and you know it, Damien. Once I'm done wiping the floor with the kid, I'll be sure to remind you of that!"
Damien scoffed as he folded his arms. "Toren is a newbie. Take it easy on him."
"Rawr, me still gonna win!" Toren said, smirking.
"Alright, tough guy," Cassian said, smirking, "Let's see what you've got."