Bet

Tylem retrieved his fist with a smile, letting the fear and anxiety sink in.

"I…" Arian's mind was lost, his heartbeat out of control. That one fist was just too frightening. It had left a lasting impression on him.

However, the robust boy had different thoughts.

Martin picked himself up, his voice croaky, "You shithead. We were just messing around. Was there a need to take it this far?"

Right now, Martin's embarrassment overshadowed the fear and pain he felt. In the corner of his eye, he saw Loki watching them with an indifferent face, those stagnant sky-blue eyes of the beautiful boy seemed to mock him.

Tylem was a great fighter, but Martin couldn't allow the situation to end here with all these onlookers. When word spread, he and Arian would be made a laughing stock.

In Ivla, reputation was far too important. There would no longer be a chance for them to join the famed Onel society. In order to fulfill their goals, it was necessary for them to succeed; their families were depending on them.

It was part of the reason Martin attended Ivla in the first place.

Arian's face dropped when he saw Martin provoke the mysterious student. However, he remained silent, "Damn it all…"

"Are you a thug or something?" Martin scolded, continuing, "We're in school, but you're using your fists just because of a little friendly skirmish."

The spectators watching Martin were in 'reverence' of his shamelessness. Clearly, Arian had been the one to escalate the fight first, but he had made Tylem into the evil tyrant.

"If you're that great, how about we play a game of basketball with a little wager?" Looking down on Tylem, Martin pushed. "Heh, the loser has to kneel before the winner and slap themselves red."

Martin's sore wrist was still throbbing in pain, but he masked the unease he was feeling. If this mysterious student was unwilling to play them in a game of basketball, he and Arian would be unable to restore their lost honor and shattered pride.

Furthermore, Martin was too frightened to engage Tylem in a physical fight, but basketball was different. It was a game, which had many rules, that he specialized in.

"You shouldn't accept, bro." Kaden whispered. "Martin and Arian are both at the national-level for seventh graders in basketball."

"In Ivla, their skill in basketball is renowned throughout the entire student population." Kaden grit his teeth. "In the last national Inter Middle School basketball competition, Martin and Arian carried the team to the finals."

How thick-skinned was Martin to challenge an unknown student to a game of basketball? The spectators were looking forward to the mysterious student's response.

The majority of them felt like Tylem wouldn't accept. It was a sure-fire loss.

'Is there a reason I should do what you say?' Tylem was about to say this; however, he recalled his little sister and the Onel society.

In order to fulfill the plans he had in store for Ava and Onel, coupled with other reasons, he needed to build up his reputation in Ivla first.

Furthermore, he was quite familiar with basketball. In the orphanage, this was the sport he had played the most.

Martin was getting desperate when he saw Tylem's silence, and he was about to continue pressuring the mysterious student until a low voice lifted him back up from hell.

"Very well," Tylem stated. "What are the rules?"

"Bro!" When Kaden heard Tylem accepting the arrangement, he began panicking.

"Nice, I'll admit you have some guts, mate." Martin's smile was malicious. "How about this, we'll play a two-on-two."

"First to ten, following the standard basketball rules, Arian and I will play against you and your friend over there." Martin proposed.

Kaden was about to ask Tylem to rethink this; he would do nothing but drag him down. However, the latter had agreed in a flash.

"Sure." Tylem agreed without much thought.

"Great! Let's go then. We'll meet you guys on the main court." Martin grinned, departing from the cafeteria with Arian close behind.

Martin was not afraid about Tylem backing down. If he did, it would be considered his victory regardless. In Ivla, it was crucial to keep one's word.

Even though Arian felt that the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor, he couldn't help but be afraid and doubtful. This was the deep mental scar that Tylem had left with him.

The students in the cafeteria who had been watching the quarrel were also eager to see the outcome, and almost all of them followed the two basketball athletes.

"Man, I wish I had your confidence." Kaden was unsure of what to say.

In basketball, he was average at best, but now he had to fight with his bro against two national-level basketball players?

Of course, he would never back down since Tylem had agreed. Kaden was many things, but he was not a person who would abandon his friends.

"We've got this." Tylem smiled, joking, "Upon seeing your regeneration abilities, I'm now sure that you're a superhuman. You've got to lend me a hand here."

"Pft, you're right. Let's just do this." Kaden laughed. In the end, wasn't it just kneeling with his bro if the two of them lost? It wasn't a massive deal.

In truth, Kaden's face was still a bit sore from the brutal hit, but it was no big deal.

"Great." Tylem and Kaden departed to the courts as well. Unknown to them, there would be a massive crowd awaiting their arrival. News of the bet had spread.

It even reached the ears of Onel.

* * *

The sun was intense as its bright glare shone down on the main court.

Atop the concrete floor, two basketball hoops with rims made from carbon steel stood on each end. The outdoor court was well-maintained.

The temperature meant that the hotblooded youths were all sweating. In the main court, well over sixty students were having a fiery discussion, many of which were girls.

During their youth, girls admired athletic boys who were good at sports. Arian and Martin had numerous fans cheering them on every game.

From the students who had gathered from the cafeteria, although Tylem's speed appeared fast, none of them thought that he would win the bet today.

Basketball was much more than a game that relied solely on speed. It depended on numerous factors: accuracy, dribbling, height, playing the rules to your advantage.

There was much more as well. Tylem was around the average height for a seventh-grader, and both Martin and Arian were taller than him.

When Martin had his wrist crushed, he had not realized Tylem was that short.

Now that the pain was mostly gone, all that remained was his embarrassment and the desire for revenge. Martin grinned, "You showed up, after all."

"Yeah." Tylem watched the robust boy dribble a red basketball with fantastic control.

"You think my bro would go back on his word?" Kaden sneered.

"Who knows." Martin smirked. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out after your loss."

"I'm looking forward to the sight of a pig kneeling before me." Glancing at Arian who was still dejected, Martin rolled his eyes.

The tens of girls noticed Tylem's intelligent appearance, some of them blushed.

"Hey, who's that cutie? The one with the silvery-black hair."

"God, he's pretty hot. Too bad he's versing our Brother Arian and Martin."

"Yeah, what a shame."

In that crowd, a beautiful girl with long black hair was pushed to the back. Lynne was dressed in the typical Ivla female uniform, which was a white blouse wrapped in a deep-blue blazer followed with the short-pleated skirt and black tights.

"Brother?" Lynne had also heard the news of a transfer student getting into a bet with Ivla's famed basketball stars. Of course, she had to see for herself if it was Tylem.

Upon confirming it for herself, Lynne's face was full of worry. However, if she tried to step in for her brother, her dreaded presence would do nothing but worsen things.