Ch 410 - Challenge Accepted!

"If they don't manage the whole run, I'll make them suffer," the tall student laughed as he looked at the exhausted teachers on the running track.

By that time, several of the teachers had fainted. Very few of them were athletic or even took regular walks.

Most of the teachers had had enough after only a few laps. However, the principal was acting as the referee and it was his job to strictly record the number of laps each teacher ran.

No one blamed or hated the principal because they all blamed Alex instead. Alex saw the hate in their eyes but just laughed. He didn't care what they thought of him.

Billy was the next person to collapse on the track. He fainted and fell to the ground unconscious.

As he came to, he was utterly humiliated.

He thought, "My uncle is a very powerful person and I was also a very important figure at Preston University. Now, because of Alex, I have been made into a joke. I'm so insulted."

Billy and the other teachers just wanted to crawl away, but before they did that, of course, they wanted to take their anger out on Alex.

Their reputations and dignity had been completely destroyed.

By the end of the day, all of them were suffering from exhaustion, and all asked the principal for a leave the following day.

**

And the next day, Class 6 arrived at the gym for Alex's first PE class.

Usually, PE was their favorite class because the old teacher hadn't cared to monitor their behavior, so the students had been free to do whatever they wanted. They assumed that it would be the same with Alex. They were already planning how they would spend their time as they walked to class.

"Come and have a cigarette with me in the bathroom," said one boy.

"Let's play cards," said another.

The tall athletic student walked over to the others.

"Dylan, what are you going to do in this PE class?" Lance asked him.

Eric overheard him and remembered that Dylan had said the previous day that he wanted to challenge the new teacher to a sports contest.

"Dylan, are you going to play cards with us today?" Eric asked.

"No, I can't today. I've got other things to do." His eyes seemed to be searching the stadium.

Dylan was a very popular student from Class 6. His scholarly achievements were poor, but his family was rich and powerful and he was a natural athlete. Tall and well-muscled, at only seventeen, he could already compete with adults in most sports.

In the past, Dylan was one of the few students to take PE class seriously. He usually took the opportunity to practice jumping, long-distance running, and playing basketball. He was generally accepted as the school's most accomplished athlete.

And he was not only highly regarded within Oak Ridge High School but also more widely in Baltimore City. The previous year, he had won first place in the city's long-distance running competition. Many sports teams had invited Dylan to play with them, hoping that he would join them after he graduated.

"What's the matter?" Lance asked him curiously when he noticed that Dylan was clearly searching for someone.

"I want to see what that new teacher is made of. I'm going to challenge him to beat me at any sport that he chooses."

"Great. That's going to be great fun to watch. There's no way he'll beat you," Lance replied as a group of students gathered around to cheer for Dylan.

They all knew what an excellent athlete Dylan was and were one hundred percent sure that he would excel against the new teacher.

At that moment, Alex walked over leisurely.

"Everyone, stand up," he ordered the students.

His voice was not loud but it was authoritative. The students of Class 6 all stood in a row, most of them stood with their heads drooping, feeling lethargic and resentful.

"Liven up, everyone. Now, make me happy and run five laps of the track," Alex's said loudly.

"Hello, Mr. Ambrose," Dylan said as he stepped arrogantly onto the track.

His physique was impressive and he made Alex look small in comparison.

"What do you want?" Alex asked him.

"If you're really a PE teacher, you must be good at sports. I want to challenge you", Dylan said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked calmly.

"Well, I'm the best sportsman in the school and I challenge you on behalf of my classmates. Do you dare to accept my challenge?" Dylan said loudly.

All the Class 6 students became very excited.

Alex's face remained relaxed.

"Look at that! Mr. Ambrose is too scared," said one student.

"Anyone who dares to accept a sports challenge from Dylan is crazy. No one can beat him," declared another.

But then Alex said, "Sure."

The class exploded into gasps and cheers.

"Dylan threw out his hook and the new teacher took the bait," laughed another.

"Dylan has competed against most of the top sports players in Baltimore and has never failed. I think the new headteacher is crazy to accept," said another.

People were shaking their heads and watching Alex carefully.

Of course, Dylan was also very happy because he thought he had won already. The whole class was on his side.

"Teacher, you haven't even asked me what the challenge is," he said.

"It doesn't matter." Alex shrugged.

"Good. You can't back out now. The one who loses—" Dylan started to say, then he looked thoughtfully at the school gate.  "If you lose, you have to go back to wherever you came from, how about that?"

"What if you lose?" Alex asked.

"If I lose? There's no chance of that. Everyone will tell you that I always win. I have never tasted failure." Dylan said conceitedly.

He continued, "Even if you were a professional sportsman, you should be careful when facing me. Everyone knows that I'm a sporting star whereas you're just some school PE teacher. How can you possibly expect to win against me?"

Dylan looked very smug.

"Well, you better get ready for your first taste of failure," Alex replied with a glint in his eyes. Then he remembered that Dylan was really only a kid and he needed to keep it friendly. So he added, "I mean if I beat you of course."

"If you beat me? Okay, whatever you want." Dylan didn't care. He knew he would win.

"Good," Alex nodded.

At that moment, Billy and Leonard approached them.

"Mr. Ambrose, are you accepting Dylan's challenge?" Billy asked happily. He knew what an accomplished athlete Dylan was. Alex was sure to be humiliated.

"Go away," Alex told him rudely. He couldn't be bothered to deal with his pettiness.

"How dare you?" Billy's face turned the color of beetroot. He was livid as he realized that Alex saw him as a joke. He clearly didn't have a trace of respect for him.

"Well, you're in for a shock. You clearly don't know how good Dylan is," he said smugly.

This would be Alex's humiliation and he had no intention of missing the opportunity to make the most of it.

"In the long jump, the world record is 8.94 meters, and Dylan can jump 8.92 meters," he added. "The world 800 meters record is 1:40.89, and Dylan can run it at 1:41. Not only has he competed in national competitions, but he also holds the silver medal level from the international championships."