Chapter 35: Bad Boy

ELTON

This cannot be happening!

All I had to do was fight with some guy, pick a deck card from another man's front pocket, and win the challenge. Easy peasy, right? If only...

It's Tuesday evening. A night for an unpredictable challenge thrown my way, one where I would be forced to work with the Pendragon boy, out of all the possible candidates. I know that Armstrong is trying to screw with me, and I am not surprised by this, but if he thought partnering me with that boy was enough to throw me off my game, he is sorely mistaken.

I can work with anybody to achieve my goals; that's not a problem for me. I also don't think that boy is bad. He was just lucky enough to catch my sister's attention, which irked me, but otherwise, I have nothing against him.

This is not an insurmountable obstacle in this challenge.

What I did not anticipate, however, was that my opponent would pull a fast one on me. He used a judo move to catapult me away from the tatami in such a quick strike that one would have to see it to believe it.

As I came at him, guns blazing, he grabbed my shirt, pulled me down as he fell backward, and used his foot to toss me over his head violently. I landed away from the tatami, giving him just enough time to go after my partner and grab the deck card from his front pocket.

Oh, my Goddess!

I could see my entire future wash away in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It all happened very fast, and he took advantage of the time he had to pursue Pendragon, who was open wide to being plucked.

Even if he wanted to fight him, what would he do with his hands handcuffed behind his back?

As much as I wanted to rush back to the tatami, there simply wasn't enough time to stop him from retrieving the card. I was doomed! How could I be so arrogant like this? How could I have underestimated my opponent so blindly?

This is it for me. I lost the tournament and all my family's hope to secure our future.

How could I be so stupid? I am so angry right now! But I simply don't have enough time to stand in his way. By the time I recovered from the fall and got back into the ring, my opponent was all over Pendragon. He wasted no time going for the card in his front pocket. That's how I would do it as well if I were him.

With his hands handcuffed behind his back, Pendragon was quickly approached by my opponent. As he ran towards him, he tried to counterattack by kicking him with his right foot. What Bradley did not count on was that the guy would grab a hold of his foot.

That's it! I'm done now.

When Bradley realized that the guy was holding his foot in place, after he tried to kick him, he swung for the fences. In an unpredictable move, he used the guy's hold of his right foot for support while he gyrated his body and hit him with his left foot.

The whole thing happened in mere seconds, so Bradley had to think very fast. He took no pity and wasted no time. He hit the guy in the face with his left foot, causing him to fall down from the violent blow. At the same time, Bradley's body also fell on the tatami with nothing to soften the impact.

Without his hands to soften the blow, he hit the floor hard, flat on his face. It was difficult to watch, but it all happened very fast. When he turned around on the tatami, his face was covered in blood. His nose was bleeding profusely from the hard hit, so the referee stopped the match and called for a medic to tend to him.

Everyone who was watching this play out was very impressed by how committed he was to not giving in. He didn't have to do any of that. It would be no detriment to him if he just stayed quiet and let that guy steal his card. It wasn't his match to lose, it was mine.

The fact that he went through all this trouble for me just takes my breath away.

While Bradley was being tended to by the medic, my opponent had time to recover from the hard kick on the face. It was not enough to leave a scar, just a redness on his face by the side where he was hit. By then, I am ready to go again.

Honestly, I was so floored by Bradley's counter-strike that I was having a tough time coping with reality. How did I not lose this challenge? I should have lost it. I am gobsmacked that Bradley had it in him to pull something like this. That boy is a ninja!

"Couldn't you just let me have the card? Did he bribe you or something?" My opponent was sulking while the medic worked on Bradley.

"I just found out we were going to be paired together! When would I have time to bribe anyone?!" I snapped at him, feeling aggravated. Trust me, if this was a matter of money, I'd be happy to pay. He certainly earned it. But I know he would be offended if I even tried to offer him some compensation for what he just did for me.

Minutes later...

We were given another go, but this time I was ready for it. I will not be caught off guard again.

With rage in my eyes, I sucker-punched him when he tried to come for me. While he dropped on the tatami, I walked up to his partner and picked the card from his front pocket without any difficulty. Then, I walked back to where Bradley was.

"Are you okay to fight? I can ask them to suspend your match if you want to." I asked him, worried about his health. His nose looked bad, his face looked beaten from the nasty fall.

"I'm fine, Your Highness. Don't worry about me." He replied without missing a beat.

I would have suspended my match until I was treated, but I understand him not wanting any special treatment. The soldier removed his handcuff to use on me, and Bradley had a minute to feel his free hands once again. He touched his face and felt his nose, there was still some medicine that the medic left there when he treated him.

After the partners were handcuffed and the match proceeded, Bradley's opponent thought he would have it easy now that he was injured. I am not going to lie, I would feel very guilty if he washed out because of me. I know it was his decision, but that is not how the public would see it. And I would be with them on that.

Within seconds of the match, his opponent was down on the ground from a blow to the neck. It was as quick as it was violent. When Bradley approached the guy he faced in handcuffs, he thought he would use the same tactic on him. Cute.

As he kicked Bradley, he not only grabbed his foot but also pulled his leg and elbowed it. The guy screamed in excruciating pain, which was pulling focus to this match - everybody in the room who was not fighting was already watching it anyway. Bradley calmly retrieved the deck card out of his front pocket while the guy screamed his pain in our ears.

Then, he showed the card to the referee, effectively ending the match.

"Who are you, Pendragon?" I was thoroughly impressed but equally terrified of him.

"Someone who cannot afford to lose, Your Highness." He replied dryly.

I am so beyond gobsmacked that I can't even put into words how I feel right now.

Who would have known that Bradley would be so ruthless? *shocked*

A|N: BOOM!

Surprised?

Me too. This wasn't even the song I wanted for this chapter!

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Love,

Léo.