Beyond Gods 30 Celebration

The name of the restaurant was,

Mama's Earth Pizzeria

Johan entered the small Italian pizza restaurant to be greeted by the scent of fresh bread, tomatoes, and herbs and spices. The walls of the restaurant were a warm homely beige and there were small square wooden tables organized parallel to each with plates and cups on them. Italian music played softly in the background giving the place a old fashioned feel. It reminded Johan of his cherished and joyful days on earth. Johan started salivating and eagerly thinking about what type of pizza he would order. He hadn't eaten a pizza in years and missed the feeling of biting into a soft warm gooey pie seasoned with tomatoes, meats, vegetables, spices and herbs.

Johan's attention was caught by a pretty skinny blonde haired waitress wearing a white tan top, black winter hat and ripped jeans. She went table to table pouring water for different customers and taking orders.

"Hey Johan!," yelled Tommy, "stop checking out the waitress and come sit here with us!"

Looking at the source of the voice, Johan realised that Gracie, Pedro and Tommy had already arrived and were sitting at a table in the restaurant. Johan walked over and joined them.

"The waitress is a cutie, right?," said Tommy winking at Johan, "You got good taste."

"Luisa the waitress is an old friend of mine!," said Gracie, "don't sodomize her with words bandejo!"

Johan sat down on an empty chair next to Gracie.

Gracie said, "El hombre! What do you want to eat?"

"I haven't had pizza ever since I was on earth," said Johan, "didn't think they had it here. I am feeling a Hawaiian slice."

"I was feeling the same," said Pedro.

Tommy grunted in agreement while eyeing the waitress.

Gracie waved his hands for the waitress to come. She came to their table winked at Gracie, and said, "Hi, boys. What would you all like today?"

"Belleza, we'd like a party size Hawaiian pizza," said Gracie, "and water for now. Gotta eat healthy. We are fighters."

"Johan was checking you out earlier," said Tommy, "you got quite the rump on you."

"Bandejo!," sneered Gracie, "you shame your mother!"

Luisa ignored Tommy's comment smiled and said, "You boys had a good day, you're all energetic."

"Johan won his first fight," said Gracie.

"With flying colors," said Pedro.

"Really!?," said Luisa smiling at Johan, "that is amazing, now I know who to call if I have troublesome customers!"

"Awwe shucks," said Johan rubbing his head and turning red.

Luisa laughed seeing Johan's reaction.

"You are adorable!," said Luisa, "I never met a shy fighter. I'll go and ask our chef to make a extra special Hawaiian pizza for you all."

Luisa flicked Gracie on the back of the head playfully and then walked to a room at the back of the restaurant.

"Ella está buena," said Gracie, "but she don't like active fighters, she wants you to choose combat or her."

"Italian woman," said Tommy with a sigh, "in this city, you can't make a decent living without fighting. It is what dictates the flow of money. The farmers gamble on the fights, we get money to buy food from the farmers and pay rent. That is how it works."

"No woman wants husband that can't provide," said Gracie, "so guys will quit fighting because of her, date her and then get dumped because they can't get a job. Thus, why a mamacita like her is still single."

"The land lords don't have to fight, right?," asked Johan, "they get money from rent."

"The government and army own and manage them," said Tommy, "us normal people do not. The sects don't want anything to do with this area due to the lack of opportunities and low levels of mana and talent in the area. Plus, the money you make from working for them isn't enough to sustain a living."

"The army can be worse than the cartel back on earth," said Gracie.

"Most people in the Looking Glass Realm's ghettos are first generation arrivals from earth," said Pedro, "this is sorta a gateway world between earth and the greater realms. They put the people who they haven't had the opportunity to screen here. We end up with the lower end jobs unless we get noticed by a sect."

"How do you get noticed?," asked Johan.

"You do well in the fight tournament," said Pedro, "and have a martial sect take notice of you and take you in ... or you are an attractive girl that they take in."

"Do the fighters use mana techniques?," asked Johan, "Everyone I see is just using brute strength and physical techniques."

"Mana techniques?," said Gracie, "the sects have access to them. Hombres that are thrown out of the army know a few that they charge an arm and a leg for to teach you. But, fighters here don't know any of them. It don't do you good, sanctioned tournaments have a divine lord overseeing it to prevent mana techniques, knowing a single mana based technique can be a game changer. An unskilled person can win, just knowing one technique. Plus, when money is involved, people will pull all sorts of tricks, including teaching game changing techniques to unqualified fighters. Gambling on fights is big business."

"The divine lords," said Pedro, "see us fighting like dog or chicken fights back in Mexico. They gamble on us with other elites for supplements and resources that we couldn't dream of getting our hands on. People from the city gamble on smaller things, money, woman, food ... so I guess that don't make them much better than those elitists."

"Which reminds me," said Tommy, "I'm betting some guys are gonna be pissed back at the gym. No one expected you to win when they saw who you'd be fighting. You pulled off a miracle."

"New nick name," said Pedro, "you are no longer the ghost, you are now the miracle. You should consider staying with one of us rather than at the gym."

Johan quickly decided against it, he knew living with friends would distract him from his training. This recent win was just the beginning of his ascent to strength.

"No," said Johan, "I like living at the gym, I can train whenever I feel like it. Its more convenient."

"Dedicated to living the fight life," said Pedro with a smirk,"you are a motivating man."

"Hey boys," said Luisa, "here is your pizza!"

They looked up to see Luisa standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding up a large wooden plate with a delicious steaming, freshly made Hawaii pizza. She placed the pizza on the middle of the table.

"Enjoy boys," said Luisa with a wink, before walking away.

"Smells great," said Johan, "Thanks Luisa."

Johan's stomach growled in anticipation.

"Dig in hombres!," said Gracie, "especially you Johan, I know you don't get a salary, so you gotta enjoy this all the more."

They eagerly began to grab slices of pizza and chomp them down.

The pizza was everything Johan had remembered and more.

"I'll tell you what," said Tommy in between chewing pizza, "after this is over, I'll try and hook you up with Lucia. The man of the day needs a woman. It will complete your day."

"If it is Johan," said Gracie, "I am fine with it, because he is a good man ... unlike you Tommy."

Tommy laughed.

"Just don't give up fighting," said Pedro with a wink, "you got too much potential."

"I won't," said Johan smiling.

Johan looked at Pedro, Tommy and Gracie hungrily chowing down on the pizza and was grateful for having such good friends.

"Thanks guys," said Johan, "if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to win that fight. You put in so much time to help me prepare."

"Our pleasure," said Pedro.

"We are friends," said Tommy, "and friends help friends without question."

At that moment, looking at his friends, eating good food, and having won his first real fight, Johan thought to himself with a smile, [This is the best day I've had since I left earth.]

Chapter end