A GTA Story: Welcome to G-block!!!

As they cruised through the city in Victor's car, music blasted through the speakers while the group sang along and joked around with each other, their laughter and banter filling the car. They weren't heading anywhere in particular. They were just enjoying each other's company while looking for something to get into as they explored the streets of District 10.

As Callaita by Bad Bunny played and Leon was singing his ass off along with it, Kane's phone buzzed out of nowhere, disturbing Leon's stellar performance. Shaking his head in exasperation as he saw Leon disappointedly put the volume down, Kane pulled his phone out of his pockets (inventory) and glanced at the caller ID. "It's someone I know." He said, prompting the others to glance at him.

Answering the call, Kane greeted his acquaintance on the other side of the phone call, his tone casual but friendly. "Yo, what's good?" He started. 

The guy on the other end was happy that Kane had picked up, and after exchanging pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "Kane, my little sister's having a birthday party tonight, and we booked Truth nightclub for the whole day. Thought you might wanna slide through for the party." He asked his tone of voice hopeful for a positive answer. 

Hearing that, Kane nodded to himself, recognizing that he was fairly close with the guy's family. So, he looked at the others who were eavesdropping on his conversation before answering. "Yeah, sounds good. Do you mind if my brothers come with me, though?"

The guy laughed. "Hell yeah, bring 'em." He answered, happy that he got the answer he was looking for. "The more, the merrier. Plus, If you could spread the word a bit, that'd be clutch since you're a celebrity now." He continued in a joking manner, referring to Kane and his brothers being featured in the week's Angels' News. 

Kane smirked as he heard those words. However, since the call was on speaker, everyone could hear, and Leon immediately chimed in, his voice dripping with humor. "Spread the word, huh? So, what's the payout for the promo? Are we talking serious cash or what?"

The guy on the line caught the joke instantly and played along. "Shiii, depending on how many people show up, you might walk out with a clean hundred grand."

The entire car erupted into laughter at the absurdity of those words. Victor was practically doubled over in the passenger seat while Perro slapped the back of his seat as he laughed. "A hundred grand? I already got my Instapic post ready, perro. Send the check," Perro joked, making the others laugh even harder.

Earning money in District 10—unless you have a plug—is extremely hard. Few people could just give out that much money, so they found it funny, even if it was a joke, that someone was ready to pay that much to advertise a birthday party.

After Kane tried his best to control his laughter, he brought the conversation back. "Nah, we'll pull up. You don't need a hundred grand for it. Just tell me where and when."

The guy gave him the details, expressing his gratitude and excitement for their attendance. After a bit more back-and-forth, Kane ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pockets (inventory).

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Since they already had something to do in the evening, the group decided to spend the rest of the day at Victor's house to relax and prepare themselves before the party started at 7 PM. With hours to spare, they kept themselves entertained with a lively game of NBA2k. The living room buzzed with the sounds of friendly trash talk, controller buttons clicking, and bursts of laughter as Perro and Gustavo argued over a particularly heated match. Kane sat back, occasionally offering advice that only seemed to annoy Perro further, while Victor tried to get in their heads as he would be the one playing after that game.

Leon, however, wasn't participating. He sat off to the side, focused on his phone. He was messaging someone, his face occasionally breaking into a slight grin. The others noticed but didn't say anything, respecting his space as they continued playing the game.

Leon was messaging Diamond, who was on her lunch break at work. Their conversation flowed naturally, and through it, Leon learned something that surprised him—Diamond worked for EMS and was one of the three Assistant Chiefs.

"No way," he texted, a smirk forming. "You're basically one of the big dawgs over there?"

Diamond replied with a laughing emoji. "I wouldn't say the big dawg, but yeah, I'm one of the bosses. Someone has to keep things together."

Leon chuckled to himself, feeling that walking up to her at the airport a few days ago was a pretty good idea. 

As the conversation continued, Leon also learned that Diamond had helped her sister land a job at EMS. Both of them possessed healing-based skills, a rare but highly valued ability in District 10. It was one of the criteria for applying to EMS. The revelation prompted Leon to joke: "Guess I don't need to worry about getting hurt anymore. I got a personal healer now."

Diamond smiled on the other end of the phone and quickly shot back: "Yeah, I have a feeling I'll be patching you up a lot. It's only been three days since you came back, and you're already starting trouble." She said, referring to the videos of him and his brothers in the Angels' News. 

Leon laughed aloud, drawing a glance from Kane, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He continued texting, their banter making the time pass quickly. At one point, Diamond asked him about his unique skill.

Leon downplayed it, as he always did. "It's nothing too crazy. Just helps me think a little faster sometimes."

Diamond wasn't convinced. "You're lying. Tell me what it really does," she said, not believing a single word he was saying.

An individual with that skill wouldn't be able to boss people around as he did with Perro after they shot those two Chamberlain members. Diamond even made a GIF of that moment to tease him about it from time to time.

It made Leon speechless every time she pulled it out, as the way the Angels focused on that part was rather embarrassing. Still, he had a thick skin and would always find a way to turn it around, making her the butt of the joke—and that summed up their relationship.

They barely talked about anything serious, spending most of their time clowning and roasting each other. They had only known each other for about three days, but they grew close quickly, as both were active texters who messaged each other every day.

Feeling the disbelief in the words she texted him, Leon sighed and upped his explanation just slightly. "Alright, fine." He paused for a while to think about what to say before continuing. "It speeds up how I process things. Like, my brain works faster than normal for a little bit. Helps me in tight situations."

He deliberately left it vague, not wanting to give too much away. Sharing all the details of his skill, Flow State, wasn't something he was ready to do, especially with someone he was still getting to know. While Diamond seemed trustworthy, Leon had learned from experience to keep some cards close to his chest and never disclose them to even the people closest to him. Of course, his two brothers were an exception.

In reality, his skill was far more impressive than he let on. When activated, Flow State increased the speed of his cognitive processes by a factor of 10. The world around him would seem to slow to a crawl, allowing him to analyze situations with precision and react faster than anyone else. His enhanced perception extended to his memory, letting him recall even the smallest details with absolute clarity. The ability wasn't just limited to mental advantages—it indirectly enhanced his physical performance, too. By anticipating movements and understanding his surroundings in real-time, Leon could act with almost superhuman efficiency.

However, such power came at a cost. Using Flow State for even 30 seconds left him mentally and physically drained, forcing him to wait three hours before activating it again. Back in the military, he had worked tirelessly to refine his control, learning to adjust the multiplier. At a reduced factor of x7, he could maintain the skill for two minutes, but anything higher quickly became unsustainable.

Despite its limitations, Leon knew Flow State was one of the best skills an individual could awaken with. Still, he preferred to downplay it when talking about it to others. Skills were personal, and in District 10, secrecy could mean survival.

Leon's thoughts drifted to his brothers as he continued messaging. Like him, both Kane and Victor had amazing skills. In fact, two people in the city could have the same ability—that was one of the laws of the world, set by the angels. Even when skills seemed similar, there was always a distinct difference.

Take Kane, for instance. His skill, Deadeye, heightened his focus and aim to superhuman levels, but only when he was shooting. It allowed him to see the world in slow motion, much like Flow State, but his ability was tied entirely to firearms. It was why Kane was one of the best shooters in District 10—his precision was unmatched, and when his skill activated, there was no missing his mark. 

Victor's ability, on the other hand, was entirely different. Combat Rhythm allowed him to perceive and exploit the patterns in his opponent's movements. By syncing his actions with these rhythms, Victor became nearly unstoppable in a fight, his movements smooth and deliberate, as if he were dancing through combat. However, his skill had a weakness—it struggled against opponents who fought unpredictably, with no discernible rhythm to follow.

Leon always thought about how all three of them had amazing skills. Forget just the three of them—a lot of people from the orphanage they grew up in awakened with incredible abilities. It always made Leon wonder whether the Angels had deliberately put them together, allowing them to bond before they grew up and became powerhouses in the city. However, since he never found any clues to answer that question, he never thought too deeply about it.

As Leon was deep in thought after finishing his daily convo with Diamond, Victor looked in his direction. "Yo, Leon," He called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You joining us, or what?" He asked, prompting Leon to look up from his phone, smirking.

"You sure you want me to? I don't wanna embarrass y'all."

Victor laughed. "Try me."

Leon pocketed his phone, his mood lifted. As he picked up a controller and joined the chaos, he felt that living like this with the people he loved wasn't such a bad thing.