Counting My Losses

"Darn you, Henry, purposefully making me lose on both sides," Gideon curses inwardly.

"Thanks for the money, loser!" Troy mocks Gideon continuously.

Henry is hurriedly taken to the infirmary and Emma returns to her seat.

She feels quite embarrassed; the last scene that led to her victory keeps replaying in her mind, along with the male students gossiping about it.

Darn, that Henry's so lucky," one boy comments.

"Right? Imagine getting a peek at what a beauty like her is wearing," another adds.

"Who would have guessed he's such a pervert?" a third chimes in.

"I didn't like him before, but now he's my role model," another boy remarks.

"Shut up, perverts! You boys are shameless," a girl scolds.

"Huh? Are you jealous because even if you are naked, nobody would look at you?" one boy taunts.

"What the... Who says no one's going to look at me? I'm a hottie!" the girl retorts.

"So you want us to look at you, huh? Now who's the oervert?" another boy teases.

"With ugly people like you around me, I would be irritated if you looked at me," she concludes.

"Yep, that's what she says" Another boy adds and they all laugh at the girl.

The class becomes noisy again as students quarrel, gossip, and laugh, each trying to make their voice louder.

Now, even most of the top ten martial arts students who were previously observing are now discussing and disagreeing.

Meanwhile, Gideon is already beginning to have his fill of Troy's annoying victory insult.

"Who's the loser? Gideon! Who's the ugly b*stard? Gideon!" Troy sings.

Gideon simply uses pieces of paper as earplugs to avoid hearing Troy's annoying chant.

The teacher finishes writing down her ratings of the students and her observations, then turns to face the other students.

"Now, this is how we'll handle the remaining rounds," she starts, and the students keep quiet to hear her out.

"There will be a holographic card on your desk, except Emma. Each contains numbers 1-29. You'll tap on it to reveal your numbers, and the two people who pick the same number will face off against each other. Any questions?" The teacher asks.

Gideon raises his hand.

"Yes?"

"Do we get a chance to swap rivals? And can we surrender without fighting?"

"The answer to both questions is 'no.' You can't swap, and you can't surrender, but you can tap out in some situations," the teacher says with a flat expression and tone.

Gideon nods in understanding, and another girl raises her hand.

"Yes, Beatrice?"

"Shouldn't girls change their uniforms? We don't want what happened to Emma to repeat, plus it's not going to make us comfortable if boys are peeking at us," Beatrice asks.

She's one of the top ten students and is the kind of girl who thinks very highly of herself and considers others beneath her.

Gideon doesn't know why, but her question annoys him.

"She's thinking like a child, skipping out on reality, what a laugh." Gideon thinks, annoyed on the inside. But on the outside, he wears a lazy expression.

"No, miss, you don't get to change your uniform. 

You don't fight to protect your panties; you fight to survive. In a battle, no one would have the luxury of time to look at you. In a battle, every second matters, every sloppy movement is a mistake that could be fatal. Now, let me ask you; what would you do if you were attacked when you're naked? 

Would you run around looking for something to cover your body with, or would you fight to live?" The teacher asks Beatrice.

"The latter, ma," Beatrice answers with an embarrassed face, understanding how silly her question is.

"Good. Now, if you don't want anyone to look at you, make sure to silence those who do. That's your weapon; you don't hide your weapon, you use it to defeat your enemies. Do you understand, Beatrice?" The teacher asks.

"S-silence them?...she's scary!" Everyone in the class thinks inwardly at what she said.

"Yes, ma," Beatrice says before sitting down.

"Hey, remind me not to peek at her ok?"

"Smart here buddy" Two seatmates converses.

Meanwhile, Emma has a sad expression because she now realizes that her victory isn't a victory; it's a mistake.

If Henry had attacked her when she jumped back, she would have lost. If he had dodged her attack, she would lose because she'd be too embarrassed to fight properly. Somewhere along the lines, she thinks that Henry let her win.

"Maybe Gideon's right; I'm naive and simple-minded," Emma thinks to herself.

The teacher continues.

"We'll be starting from number one. You can tap on the hologram to reveal your numbers," the teacher says as a hologram facing downward appears before every student's table.

Following the teacher's instructions, everyone taps on it, revealing their number.

"Hmm, number seventeen, huh? Who's my opponent?" Gideon thinks as he looks around, searching for the person with the same number.

"I just hope it isn't Priscilla; I can't fight her now, or any of the top martial students." he hopes as he continues scanning.

"Oh? Would you look at that, fate does want me to really spank your ass, boy," Gideon's search is interrupted by a voice, a familiar voice.

Looking at the person who said this, he sees Troy smirking at him.

"Hey, you're my sparring partner. Ready for a beating?"

"Huh? Who's going to beat who?" Gideon says calmly as he stares at Troy.

*Why?! Why the heck am I paired with him? Damm fate, I was hoping I would find someone to release my frustration on, not the other way round* Gideon thinks.

Troy is going to be a tough rival for Gideon, because Troy has defeated some of the top martial arts students in a brawl.

He's not among the top martial arts students because he doesn't meet the criteria. He's chubby, lacks flexibility, and relies on his family's special skills way too much. That's why his rating is low in martial arts, but in a one v one, he's a formidable opponent.

Annoyed by Gideon's calmness, Troy shouts, "I'll defeat you within five minutes, and you won't even have a chance to land a blow!"

"Oh? We shall see," Gideon says, maintaining his calm demeanor.

*fuck this! Need to think if a way to survive quickly.* Gideon curses inside once more.

Other students begin to show rivalry with their opponents, making bets and taunting each other.

Some have the chance to face off against opponents they've hated for a long time, so it's a win-win for most people.

Meanwhile, Priscilla's opponent is a boy, one of the top ten martial arts students, and he's making a bet with Priscilla.

"If I defeat you, you'll be my girlfriend, and I can do whatever I want with you. But if I lose, I'll become your slave," Hart Drafus Farmer says.

"Sure," Priscilla agrees without much thought.

"Hehe, I think you're underestimating me, but I'll win, and you won't go back on your words," Hart says.

The teacher notices the heated rivalries spreading in the class and smirks before saying, "Now, shall we begin?"