The crowd’s loud cheers still echoed faintly through the arena, bouncing off the steel beams and open air. The energy, which once had burned out like wildfire, was now slowly fading into the tired hum of the audience’s talking, laughing, and stretching after the adrenaline they got from the last match.
Ryan was standing next to the railing as he slowly made his way to the sitting section, took a seat, and sat on it. His heart still racing. That fight, the draw—that was something that he couldn’t get off his head that easily.
Aiden and Daniel both stood tall, bruised but still smiling faintly. It wasn’t just a fight for them; it was a feeling of respect and rivalry. A promise between two monsters to never stop pushing each other up.
’That was... so fucking epic,’ Ryan thought as his mind replayed the whole match once again—the precision of Aiden’s strikes and Daniel’s effortless footwork; both of them were epic.
They both looked at each other once as they both started walking towards their respective clubs.
’The bond between them is crazy. It’s like a cycle that never breaks; it’s a loop at this point, I guess. Even if they fought one day again, I bet it’d still end up in a draw.’
A chime echoed in his mind as the blue light of the system flickered in front of his eyes.
[DING!]
[Host, analysis complete. Conclusion: Daniel Rainsford was holding back during the match.
Ryan blinked as he straightened his back a bit. ’He was holding back? System, what the fuck are you talking about? There’s no way that he will—’
[Affirmative.]
It’s the truth, Host. My data scan showed inconsistencies in Daniel’s energy output. His movement pattern and strength level dropped mid-fight. He chose not to finish it.
Ryan frowned as he questioned back. ’Then... why? Why do you think that?’
[Possible reason: emotional restraint. Daniel might be hiding something from the world. Perhaps he didn’t want to break Aiden’s spirit. Or maybe... there’s something deeper. A secret strength. A hidden skill.]
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes drifted to where Daniel was standing, staring at him. ’A kind of secret, huh? It actually... makes sense.’
He remembered the way Daniel grinned at the end—confident, calm, and feeling like he was not exhausted like Aiden got.
’Maybe, he just wanted it to be that way. Maybe he just wanted to keep the rivalry healthy and push Aiden more.’
He got lost in his thoughts as the announcer’s voice filled the air once again, loud, which pulled him out of his small bubble zone."Ladies and gentlemen! The current match, the fight between Muay Thai Club and Taekwondo Club, ended in a draw."
The announcer paused to take a breath as he continued. "So, that means both the teams are now eliminated! Now only two clubs, which are still in the competition, are... the Boxing Club and the Kickboxing Club."
Ryan’s head turned upward without wasting a single second. He looked towards Maya and her team—she stood tall among them, arms folded, smiling confidently that they’ll be the ones to win the final. Her hair was tied up tight, and her face was still marked with faint bruises from her fight earlier, but still she looked like she was ready to burn the stage down once again.
The crowd cheered wildly, and students got up from their seats as they started chatting, laughing, and stretching their bodies to make the stiffness go away.
The entire stadium buzzed with anticipation once again, but Ryan’s head was spinning.
He turned his head towards Arthur; his voice came out low. "Hey, Arthur... are you going to fight this time around?"
Arthur, who was leaning against the wall beside him, arms crossed as his sharp grey eyes were half-lidded, had an expression that was unreadable as ever.
He didn’t answer him immediately. Then, after a slow pause, he said in a low, deep, detached voice. "Maybe I will, or maybe I’ll not."
Ryan frowned as he heard his answer. "What’s that even supposed to mean?"
Arthur tilted his head a bit, closing his eyes completely as he spoke the next words with a low voice. "It depends on him; if he comes up, then I’ll too."
"Him?" Ryan blinked, clearly confused. "Who’s he, Arthur?"
Arthur didn’t reply back to him; he just simply exhaled as he leaned his head back against the wall and slowly shut his eyes as if the conversation was over.
Ryan stared at him for a moment. ’Yeah... this shit again, ending the conversation just like that.’ Ryan looked towards the Kickboxing Club. ’Depends on him? Who the hell is he even talking about? Why is this guy always so damn fucking mysterious... ughhhh’
He sighed as he ruffled his hair. ’Ugh, seriously, man? I’ll lose my mind someday trying to understand him and his usual riddles.’
[DING!]
[Host, suggestion: you think too much about his behavior. Maybe... just try befriending him.]
Ryan snorted under his breath as he heard the word befriend. "Befriending Arthur? Yeah, maybe when the sun rises from the west."
Still, part of him knew the system was right. Arthur wasn’t just cruel—’Ugh, seriously, man? I’ll lose my mind someday trying to understand him and his usual—he was just distant; maybe there was some kind of reason behind that wall of silence.
Ryan stretched his arms a bit as he stood up from the chair. "I’m going to hit the restroom." He let out a quick yawn as he said that.
Arthur cracked one eye open as his voice came, calm but faintly curious. "Are you okay?"
Ryan looked at Arthur as he gave a bright smile. "Yeah, I’m fine." Ryan said with a small wave of his hand. "Just need to clear my head; I’ll be there for a while."
Arthur gave a lazy nod and went back to resting.
Ryan slowly made his way towards the restroom, which was a bit far away from the dugouts. The corridor was quiet except for the distant buzz of chatter coming from the main hall. The excitement of the final match still lingered in the air.
He froze, ears turning in instinctively.
"Hide those packets well," one voice hissed—low, harsh, and with a touch of caution mixed in.
Another voice replied back, deeper and calmer than the previous one. "Yeah, I know. We can’t disappoint him now. He finally trusted us with this job. Don’t screw it up, or else we’re doomed."