19 Chapter 19: Stand and Price

Chiko was dead serious in getting the ball back from Jin Woo. With the latter position at the court as well, everyone else around them seems to have agreed to let them play.

Thus, Chiko stood with his back bent forward like a bull ready to charge.

"What is he doing? Is he really going to fight another one on one against the Korean guy? What about our match?" Gantes asked Yang who is both starting to recover from their injuries.

"The match will continue once they give the ball back. Those foreign players claimed that the ball was theirs. Chiko disagreed and as a result, they challenged him if he's worth owning the ball." Yang replied with all seriousness. He too felt extremely familiar with the foreign faces but he too just can't pinpoint it out yet.

"Wow. All of that commotion for just a ball?" Gantes commented.

"Let's just hope Chiko wins though. Or else, we will automatically lose against Rino's team and the deal will push through."

"Huh. What's the really big deal?"

Trying to recall their deal, Yang paused for a while and replied,"As per what I remember; if they win, I will be jobless by tomorrow, You will have to bow to them every time you see them and Chiko will be forever banned in this school I think-."

"GOOOO CHIKO! WIN THAT BALLLL! I BELEB IN YOOOOOO! WE BOW TO NO ONE AHO, AHO!"

Meanwhile, Mr. U-bear and Mr. Gaje seem to have finally settled with their own deal.

"So in other words, if that balut vendor happens to lose completely against our Star Pointers, you are willing to leave this place and be my assistant for one year? You will agree to my commands like a servant. Did I hear that correctly?" Mr. Gaje reiterated their agreement as proposed by U-Bear.

"Exactly. But if that balut vendor kid wins, you must leave this place at once and never return. You are not to recruit the balut vendor kid. How about that?" U-Bear added, his gaze was full of mysterious confidence.

"Are perhaps planning to train that balut vendor kid? Do you really think a balut vendor has a chance against our Star Pointers? Hah! Should I remind you who they actually are again?"

Mr. U-bear shook his head and said, "I don't really know their rank according to your star point system thingy, but I do know some of them." then he looked at the three Foreign players one by one,

"That Korean guy is the current Tekong of Korea's number one sepak takraw team. Jin Woo is his name if I am not mistaken."

Then he shifted his gaze to the Malaysian, "And that guy is the famous Malaysian striker Diros Rihays. Once set the world record for fastest spike until it was later beaten by Jhey Rhey."

And lastly, his gaze fell to the tomboy Chinese girl, "And that girl is someone I have never seen before. But with just one look at her posture, demeanor, and fitness, I can almost guarantee that she is another excellent sepak takraw player."

Smiling cockily, Mr. Gaje said, "You have good eyes, memory, and judgment as always. But you are still trusting a nobody balut vendor?"

Mr. U-Bear replied with another warm smile, "Gaje, we have been in a sepak takraw team for more than four years. When did I ever fail in my prediction?"

Hearing the reply, the cocky smile of Mr. Gaje quickly dissipated and his gazes went cold,

"...not even once." He hated to admit it but it's true. During their time as teammates, U-bear's judgment and prediction were always on spot. Whether it was inside or outside court, this beast of prediction was always accurate. Perhaps, too accurate that he would sometimes curse him for spoiling the fun.

Mr. Gaje also hated U-Bear because of this. He reconned that if only he had this kind of luck, as what he claims it to be, then he could have been far richer a long time ago thru his gambling addiction.

Mr. Gaje felt excited but nervous at the same time. He always wanted to win against U-Bear. It doesn't matter if it's thru a game or thru life achievements. But today, they will be competing thru betting on who'se going to win.

Will it be the star pointers that he was so proud of? Or the unknown balut vendor who is rumored to have won a score against the takraw God?

After finally calming himself down, Mr. Gaje finally spoke,

"Indeed, not even once your prediction failed. But today, there are odds that you still haven't figured out perfectly. And thus I can bet with all my confidence-"

And he looked straight at Mr. U-Bear's eyes with full certainty.

"That my Star Pointers will crush your balut-smelling vendor boy."

And right after saying those words, a loud shout came from the court,

"Play!"

The match against Chiko and the Star Pointer Jin Woo has finally started.

Chiko was breaming with determination to win the ball with all his strength. His eyes were locked at the ball on Jin Woo's hand like a tiger spotting its prey. The two other star pointers were standing just outside the court acting as lineman and referee for the match.

Whooosh!~PANG!

Jin Woo started his service with a simple inside kick. It was aimed straight at Chiko's right side corner to test the latter's reaction - of course, it was another tricky spinning serve.

And with Chiko learning from the first few rounds against Rino's team. He quickly applied his counterattack plan.

Fwooshhh!~

The moment the ball went past the net, Chiko was already waiting at its destination spot.

"Fast reaction!" was Jin Woo's thought. But he soon smiled confidently,

"But can he return it safely?" Diros, who had been standing at the side know Jin Woo's style a lot. What seems to be an ordinary spinning-inside kick serve was actually a trap.

The moment Chiko's foot was about to touch the ball, the spinning effect finally took effect and the ball suddenly went downright fall.

"What!?"

It was like a homing missile that suddenly lost its initial target and decided to dive down!

"Gotcha. First blood, EZ!" Jin Woo confidently declared.

Mr. Gaje also smiled with utter joy. This unique spinning kick was a signature move perfected by Jin-Woo himself. Not even him at his peak was fast enough to react against these sudden directional changes of the ball.

Gantes, Yang, and Rino's team, all looked shocked and anxious at the same time.

POOOHNG!~

"What!?" Mr. Gaje's eyes were about to pop out of their socket.

"We arr jast starteng meyt! " Chiko mumbled as he managed to receive the ball perfectly with a split second frontal stomp. The ball landed perfectly at the toe cap of his 'new but old' rubber shoes, and the spinning effect was nulled by his solid foot base.

Poof!~

Whooo~

The ball was tossed high this time, Chiko immediately positioned himself for a kill by facing the net with his back.

"Here it comes!!" Yang, Gantes, and Rino's team were waiting for this moment. The legendary spike of Santi is currently being replicated before their very eyes!

At the same time, the other star pointer, including Jin Woo himself was still doubtful despite seeing it a while ago. At the moment, Chiko was not exuding that suppressing effect that Santi made them feel every time the latter executes a killing spike.

Chiko was just about to perform the spike that he remembered perfectly but his muscles suddenly twitched. While in mid-air, Chiko remembered the pain that follows after performing such a spike. It took him a few hours of sleep and probably a couple of pain reliever tablets just to recover from such muscle shock.

His mind went blank and so were his eyes at that moment. Fear of pain started to creep into his mind and his energy and focus quickly died down.

As a result, the ball hit his shoulder and it resulted in a foul. It was Jin Woo's score.

"Gahahahah! Do you see that? He can't even do a simple spike despite having a good setup! EZ win for me!" Mr. Gaje celebrated the first point, Mr. U-bear ignored him and continued to observe Chiko calmly. There was a warm yet mysterious smile that continued to remain on his face no matter how Gaje tries to provoke him.

Everyone else was doubtful but Yang seems to have a good idea of what Chiko is going thru.

"Chiko..." He too has seen how Chiko suffered last time.

He was, after all, the janitor that carried the unconscious Chiko after his unexpected match against Santi. He saw the inflamed leg and hamstring muscles after replicating the perfect rolling spike by Santi. It was only supposed to be a spike to be done by professional sepak takraw players. But Chiko managed to replicate the execution perfectly despite his body being not fitted for such muscle pressures.

He saw how Chiko unconsciously shook in pain later until he had fallen asleep. Yang could only imagine how painful it was.

Suprisingly, Chiko has an outstanding body and natural recovery. With such a condition, normally it should have taken him about a week to completely heal, but the latter managed to recover after six hours and even escape from the nurse's room undetected! After that incident, he had never seen Chiko after that incident, until today.

"What are you doing? Did you do that in purpose?" Feeling insulted after getting an easy score, Jin-Woo started to berate Chiko.

"Do you even understand what is really at stake here? Do you have any idea what kind of ball the Santi ball is that you have been trying to claim all this time?"

After all the blabber, Chiko's gaze was still abnormal. His body was trying to process and recall all the pain he had gone through after his first encounter and execution of Santi's roll spike.

"What am I gonna do?" Chiko muttered anxiously to himself.

His mind and body remembered the pain very well. And at this moment, he is too scared to do that spike again.

Should he just surrender?

"Are we gonna play or what? You look like you have seen a ghost. Why are you shaking like a scared dog?" Jin Woo continued to rattle.

Sighing helplessly, Fu Chin finally spoke,

"I knew it this match is a waste of time. There was nothing to prove at all. A ball as expensive as a Santi ball should not even be touched by a nobody."

"Let's go. This is a waste of time. I am sleepy." Diros said as he was about to turn to leave.

"Weeyt." Chiko's voice suddenly echoed. This time, with a renewed boiling energy,

"You sed dat ball is esspensive? Haw match?"

Fu Chin and Diros just rolled their eyes not wanting to answer but Jin Woo took this as an opportunity to brag,

"At least fifty thousand dollars each! Are you impressed? I also own one you know." Jin Woo was proudly standing when he suddenly felt a sudden change in the air.

Fu Chin and Diros also felt the disturbance in the atmosphere and stopped their steps,

"Wait.. this..."

"Suppression?"

Meanwhile, Mr. U-bear smiled excitedly while Mr. Gaje was confused. Yang, Gantes, and the rest also felt the abnormality but their reaction was full of excitement.

"Deeed... you sey pipty thousand dollars for dat ball?"

There was an unexplainable fire in Chiko's eyes. His muscles are shaking not because of fear, but because they are warming up.