Chapter 10: A bet is to decide the alpha-twin!

By the time Grandpa and I made it back to Dadan's hideout, the remnants of breakfast were long gone, and the tables were wiped clean. I could practically feel the irritation radiating off the old man. He always hated missing out on a good meal. Not that I felt sorry for him—he'd chosen to spar with me instead of eating, and I was still nursing a bruised arm to show for it.

'Serves you right, you overzealous old coot,' I thought, a grin spreading across my face. But before my grin could morph into a chuckle, Grandpa's gaze swung my way, sharp as a knife. I felt a shiver crawl up my spine, and the grin slipped from my face like a fish from a net.

*Clank!*

The front door creaked open, breaking the tense silence. Ace stepped out, looking surprised to see us both standing there. His eyes did a quick once-over, taking in my dishevelled appearance—scratched up, bruised, and with a swollen arm to boot. His lips curled into a grin that screamed trouble.

"What?" I snapped, already irritated by his stupid, smug face. Ace was never one to miss an opportunity to rub salt in a wound. As long as there were no serious injuries, he would mock me for stupidly allowing myself to get hurt, no matter my situation.

"Oh, nothing," he said, his smile wide and fake as a 3,77-dollar bill. "Just wondering who's been knocking some sense into whom. Doesn't look like you were having much success with it." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, and I could tell he was enjoying himself way too much.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but before I could retort, a thought crossed my mind. Today was perfect for setting the record straight and shutting him up. "You know, Ace," I said, letting my voice take on a mocking tone, "speaking of knocking sense into people, remember that bet we made last year?"

The effect was instantaneous. Ace's grin vanished, replaced by a fiery determination that burned in his eyes. "Oh, I remember," he shot back, his voice laced with challenge. "And today's the day I finally get you to call me your big brother."

I could see he was convinced he'd win. He thought his time out there in the side streets, picking fights and gaining experience, had made him stronger than me. What he didn't realize was that I had been pushing myself just as hard, if not harder.

Grandpa, ever the spectator when it came to our sibling rivalry, gave a loud, hearty laugh. "A fight, huh? Well, don't make it too long, boys. Jackson, try not to kill your brother," he said with a grin, clearly enjoying the prospect of watching us go at it. As usual, he wasn't about to interfere. In his mind, a good brawl between brothers was just another way to bond. He moved off to the side, finding a comfortable spot to sit down, and pulled out a packet of rice crackers to munch on.

As Grandpa settled in to enjoy his snack, Ace and I squared off in the middle of the clearing. The atmosphere should have been tense but familiar, a comfortable sort of tension that always preceded our little duels. Yet I was completely relaxed. Ace cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening as he assumed a fighting stance. I could see the fire in his eyes, a fierce determination to prove himself. He thought he had grown stronger, but he had no idea just how much I had improved.

"Ready to get your butt kicked, Jackson?" Ace taunted, trying to psych me out. His confidence was almost palpable, but it didn't faze me. I just smiled back, calm and collected.

"You're about to find out why I'm the alpha-twin," I replied coolly, my stance relaxed. Form this day on, he would have to acknowledge me as the older brother.

Ace made the first move, launching himself at me with a burst of speed. His fist came flying at my face, a straightforward punch with all his strength behind it. But to me, it felt like he was moving in slow motion. I could see every muscle in his body tense, every ounce of effort he was putting into the attack.

I easily sidestepped his punch, my movements fluid and precise. Ace stumbled slightly, surprised that I had dodged so effortlessly. Before he could recover, I flicked my wrist, delivering a light jab of tough love on top of his head. He let out a yelp of pain, clutching the growing lump as he stumbled back. It must be a familiar sensation since this was how grandpa would 'train' us.

"What the—" Ace grunted, glaring at me in confusion. "How did you—?"

"You're too slow, Ace," I said, shaking my head. "You're gonna have to do better than that."

He growled, not accepting the situation for what it was. Now charging at me again, this time throwing a flurry of punches and kicks in my direction. Each strike was fierce and fast, but to me, they were still painfully slow. I dodged and weaved through his attacks, my movements a blur as I avoided every single blow.

Ace's frustration grew with every miss. He put more and more strength into his attacks, his punches becoming wilder and more erratic. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land a single hit on me.

"You're wide open," I said calmly, stepping behind him and delivering a quick kick to the back of his knee. Ace's leg buckled, and he fell forward, barely catching himself before he hit the ground. He spun around, glaring up at me from his crouched position, sweat dripping down his face.

"Shut up!" he snapped, his voice strained. "I'm just warming up!"

Ace pushed himself back up, his fists trembling with effort. I could see the frustration in his eyes, the disbelief that I was so much stronger than him. He lunged at me once more, throwing a wild haymaker aimed at my head.

I didn't even bother to dodge this time. I reached out and caught his fist in my palm, stopping his punch dead in its tracks. Ace's eyes widened in shock as he realized just how easily I had stopped him. I could see the panic starting to set in, the realization that he was completely outmatched.

"Sorry, Ace," I said softly, squeezing his fist just enough to make him wince. "But you're not ready yet."

With a swift motion, I delivered another fist of tough love, causing him to wince and fall to the ground. Ace let out a gasp of pain, the air rushing out of his lungs as he hit the dirt.

For a moment, he just lay there, stunned and breathless. I could see the defeat in his eyes, the realization that he had lost. I stepped back, giving him space to get up, since it became clear that he was done.

My brother groaned, pushing himself up on shaky arms. He looked up at me, his expression a mix of frustration and resignation. "How…?" he panted, struggling to catch his breath. "How did you get so strong?"

I shrugged, trying not to look too smug but still smug. "Training I guess?."

Grandpa chuckled from the sidelines, clapping his hands together. "Bwahahaha! Well done, Jackson! You didn't even break a sweat!"

Ace shot him a glare, clearly not in the mood for Grandpa's commentary. "And who asked you?! Laugh it up and get lost old man!"

I walked over to Ace, extending a hand to help him up. He hesitated for a moment, his pride clearly wounded, but eventually, he took it. I pulled him to his feet, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Don't feel too bad, Ace," I said, not even trying to sound encouraging. "You might have lost a twin but gained a cool and strong older brother. Not too bad of a deal, don't you think so?"

Ace scowled, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Damn you! Starting tomorrow I will do the same stupid training you did! Just wait until next year, I will catch up in no time!"

Soon enough grandpa left us two alone, giving us the chance to sneak into our secret hideout we haven't been there in 2 or 3 months despite having 'decorated' it quite a bit.

As we walked there, sharing laughs and more promises, I couldn't help but think about how much things had changed over the past year. Ace was stronger, both physically and mentally, and so was I. We'd both grown a lot, thanks in no small part to Grandpa and his 'tough love' and of course because of my system. My brother now was practically a different person from the brother I knew just a week ago. That made me curious.

"Hey, Ace," I said, looking at him seriously. "What did Grandpa say to you back then? You know, when you were feeling down?"

Ace's smile faded a bit, his eyes growing thoughtful. "He told me…"