Squabble

"It's 2 o'clock."

"Where should we go next?"

"ARCADE!" Without waiting for the duo, Anna left in a rush.

"Oh?" Both Link and Khai turned to where Anna ran to and saw "UOE", short for "Universe of Enjoyment".

"Right, I forgot that she was hungry to go to the arcade." Link sighed in resignation. "You like arcades?"

"Arcades,," Khai muttered. "I've never been in one."

"What?" Stopping on his tracks, Link was shocked. "Seriously?"

"I have heard of it before, though." Khai quickly explained.

He wasn't someone who was just born yesrerday, afterall.

"Wow, have you been living under a rock, or what?" Link patted his shoulder in an attempt to make him feel better. "Don't worry, me and Anna will show you what childhood looks like."

"Ah, sure." Khai was speechless.

Why was he getting the feeling that he was being pitied upon?

He did have a childhood, just not the normal one.

"Yeah, I guess being locked up isn't a childhood.."

"What?" Link was alarmed.

"Oh, no, nothing." Khai smiled lightly.

"Mm, alright." Link was a little guilty but they didn't have a chance to dwell on the matter as they arrived at UOE.

The music was loud, it reverberated around the area like waves.

Like them, the students there were enjoying their last day before the first day of the academic year. Many students walked to and fro, happily laughing and smiling.

The atmosphere was a lively place to be in.

"Where'd she go?" Link looked around but was unable to spot Anna.

In the midst of looking for her, a student bumped Link's shoulder.

"Well if it isn't Link, the self proclaimed genius."

More than an accident, Khai could tell that it was intentional. The power of the bump almost sent Link staggering backwards.

"Ha?" Link looked at the student that bumped him in hostility.

"You looking for a fight, punk?"

'So agressive..' Khai was in awe at the guy's courage.

The student before them was a whole foot taller than Link! Even his clothes didn't hide the muscles that were protruding out, indignant of being hidden.

"Hey, keep it down, will you." A guy whispered in the student's ears.

"Chimpanzee?" Link recognized the newcomer.

"Hm?" The guy slowly turned his head towards Link, "Link?"

The student looked at the newcomer. "Chimpanzee?"

"Shut up!" The guy snapped at the student, brows furrowing in irritation.

"Uh- Sorry, Aaron."

"Ha, I get it now.." Link chuckled. "You're the guy I replaced. Sorry, I don't remember irrelevant people."

Now that Link saw Aaron, he had a flashback to when he was inserted in the roster. Back then, he was introduced to the student he replaced but he didn't care at all, forgetting his face and name.

"You.." The student was angered. "Don't get cocky just yet, the coach will kick you out as soon as they notice your incompetence!"

"Haaa?" Displeased, Link's brow twitched. "Incompetence? That's rich coming from a guy who lost to a freshman, you must be really ashamed of yourself, hm?"

"What?" The student wanted to charge at him but Aaron held him back.

"You never shut up,, do you?" Aaron butted in.

"Of course! Why would I, the superior one bow down to a low-grade trash?" Link confidently stated.

Khai was surprised. 'Where's all this hostility coming from..'

Although Link was aggressive and arguably an impulsive person, Khai could tell that he wasn't one to charge in a fight recklessly.

He didn't expect him to corner a student just because of a mere bump.

"Watch your mouth, Link, it might fall off if you're not careful." Aaron's tone became heavier.

"Then you better watch your lapdog, you might find its teeth carved out from biting the wrong people." Link didn't back down at all. More so, it looked like he was inciting Aaron to take him on.

"Who're you calling a dog?" By now, the student beside Aaron was burning with rage.

"Obviously, the one who follows their owner like a slave."

"Fuck you!" The student could no longer take the insults and threw out a punch.

"Enough." A single word from Aaron and the student was subjugated immediately.

"I cannot take this lying down!" The student wanted to protect his pride.

He wanted to beat Link's ass!

"Then how about we take it to a match?" Aaron said.

"Match?" The student and Link were both riled up.

"Of course, nothing official. The courts are closed for today."

"Then?" The student was eager to prove himself.

But how were they supposed to have a match without a court?

"There." Aaron pointed at a machine inside the arcade.

When they looked over, they saw a basketball simulation machine; the ones that are mostly present in any arcade.

"Whoever gets the most points, wins." Aaron smiled.

"A kids' game? You're joking, right?" Link looked at him with disgust, obviously in contempt.

"There's no need for you to participate if you're scared." The student didn't let the opportunity to mock Link through.

He badly wanted to protect his pride. As a third year, the fact that he was replaced by a freshman was ridiculous!

Perhaps beating Link would show him what a real Xialan basketball player was and make him quit.

"Scared?" Link was quite fasinated with the word.

"That's where you're wrong, Little Dog." He added with a smile. "It's boring if we don't add stakes, no?"

"Li- little Dog!?" The student looked livid!

How dare someone call him little! He has never been described as little ever since he got out from his mother's womb!

'This humiliation.. I'll pay it back a hundred folds!'

Aaron looked visibly annoyed. "Not everything is a gamble, Link."

He turned deaf ear to Link's provocative nicknames, seemingly used to it.

"Not everything is worth fighting over, too." Link sighed.

He glanced at Khai, "Let's go."

"Wait, we have to find Anna-"

"Shush!" Link tried to shut him up but failed.

Khai was shocked. "What?"

"Anna? She's here?" Aaron's expression changed.

"Ugh, how annoying." Link faced Aaron, his expression was nowhere near amiable. "You abominable chimpanzee.. touch even a strand of hair on my sister and your head will come rolling down in a heartbeat."

"Hey, hey. Are you sure that it ain't your head on the chopping board once everything is over?" Aaron didn't back down.

"Ha, fighting over everything! Can't you two learn to get along?"

A girl entered the fray with swift moves.

Chop! Chop!

A vertical chop to the head was delivered to both arguing parties.

"Anna! It's good to see you!" Aaron's entire personality turned a complete 180.

He didn't even mind how Anna hit her.

His hostility all went down the drain, greeting Anna as she appeared behind them.

"How have you been?!" He closed in, intending to give her a hug.

"Hey, what did I just say, you dumb chimpanzee?" Link stepped in, blocking him from getting closer to Anna.

"Ha?" Aaron stopped in his tracks. "Who gave you the right to claim ownership over her?"

"Ownership?" Link let out a dry chuckle. "She's my literal other half, moron."

"No matter how you're related to her, you're just a parasite sucking off of her! Compared to us, who can bring her to greater heights, a connection in flesh and blood mean nothing!"

Link stepped a foot closer to Aaron. "I dare you to say that again."

"Hey! Hold it!" Anna went in between the two. "No one owns me! And you! Don't you dare say that to my brother!"

Aaron's eyes twitched, seemingly irritated at how Anna was fervently protecting Link. "You fucker! You'll me face one on one today! Loser has to leave, right here, right now!"

Link chuckled, "HAHAHA! Sure, I'll make you regret ever stepping foot into this mall!"

They walked deeper to the UOE, heading towards a basketball arcade game.

"H-hey!" Anna was speechless.

It was decided, just like that?

"They're really going to fight to their deaths some day, I can feel it.." She muttered in surprise.

"Wait for me!" Aaron's goon followed suit.

He was confused why his supposed match turned to Aaron's match. But he didn't mind as Aaron was better at him in sheer shooting skill.

"Are they long time enemies?" Khai's eyes were twitching non-stop.

Anna sighed, "They're.. no, We're cousins."

'Cousins?' Khai was in disbelief.

"We don't look like one.. but we have a complicated family history to thank for that."

"Ohh.." He felt that it was wrong to ask further about it and pointed at crowd that they disappeared into. "Shouldn't we follow them?"

"Huh?" Anna looked at him, almost as if in disdain.

"Are you kidding? I promised that I'd show you what childhood is!" She grabbed his hand, "Do you see how miserable your face is? That's the look of someone who hasn't had any fun in his life!"