CHAPTER 37: It's A Fight Club! For Kids!

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[George's POV]

We walked into what appeared to be a large auditorium amidst the stares of the other groups. The bleachers went all the way around the room with all the groups sitting on their own.

I looked around to confirm what Professor A told us before we entered. After all, he could be lying to us. Let's see, most of the groups seem to be at least twice our size.

Should I say it's good or bad that he didn't lie to us? I might have been better off not having those bits of doom put in my mind all the time. At least I could have had been living without fear if he didn't tell us all the time that we weren't going to survive this thing.

I could have been a clueless deer who had no idea when he was run over by a vehicle. I would have been momentarily scared by the thought that we were outnumbered by most groups, but I would have recovered quickly since it wouldn't change my fate in any way.

So what should I do now? Go around and make connections? Probably not. I'm almost definitely going to be rebuffed by whoever I go to. What do I have to offer them?

Hmm...what if I give them insider information in exchange for them making sure I survive after the fight club is over? Even though I don't think I'll actually survive, I always need to have a plan just in case. Maybe this is because Alistair rubbed off on me?

We walked over to the bleachers and found ourselves a place next to this one group that for some strange reason, had a lot off weird looking guys in it.

"Now that everyone has arrived, let's start the convention!"

An announcer's voice came from somewhere.

"But before we do that, let's display the overall rankings for this bloc!"

A virtual screen appeared above us.

Rankings? Since when did they rank us?

"In first place, by an overwhelming number of votes, is Antonio from Group 9!"

Antonio? Who's that?

"In second place, is Emma from Group 4!"

"Wow! This is just like a reality show! Who could be in third place?"

The list went on and on, but they only showed the top ten. No one from our group made it there.

I was reclining against the bleachers and just enjoying the show.

"Can I say I'm really surprised that we have no one there?"

What the announcer said next really shocked me senseless.

"Now, as a reward for entertaining our viewers so well, the top ten are excluded from this week's fight club. Congratulations!"

Her words sent a wave of murmurs around the auditorium.

There's actually such a great reward for being in the top ten? Maybe I should try to get there, but how do I even do that?

"Hey!"

A shout came from the end of the room.

"Are you messing with me? I waited all this time, and just because some I got on a list, you're telling me I can't fight? Don't play with me!"

A guy who had his head shaved bald was staring at the ceiling, his face red.

Who's that guy? Is he really complaining about being exempted?

The announcer didn't reply for a few seconds.

"Well...if you don't want to be exempted, you can pass your exemption to someone else. But be warned, this exemption opportunity only lasts for this first day. Next time there will no such chance."

Her words made every person look at Antonio with eyes like hawks. I could practically see the bubbles over their heads reading 'If I get that exemption, I could actually survive'.

But unfortunately for them, Antonio shut down their hopes immediately.

"I don't care about stuff like that! I'm giving it to my brother, Donovan."

His brother? Is he the younger or older one?

A guy next to Antonio whispered into his ear and he whispered something back.

Wonder what they're talking about?

What do I right now? I'm clearly not the protagonist here, so do I try to make my presence known or stay in the background?

It sort of reminds me of one of the shows I watched in the past about a mob character in a world of protagonists. He wanted to change his fate as a side character.

Before, I found it exciting and admirable but now, I only see it as digging a grave for yourself and jumping inside. Why would you want to be a protagonist? It just means trouble for you.

All protagonists do is to get into trouble. I don't want that, so I won't be making myself known. Why would I put myself through all that pain? There's one thing that's for sure, I'm definitely not a character of that people remember.

But wait, haven't I made myself the comic relief? I'm always there for the main characters to beat on in order for there to be some comedy. What have I said in the past?

Scenes of my past actions flashed through my mind.

I'm totally a clown!!!

I snapped out of my internal monologue to find that I had been daydreaming for a while, so long that some groups had already started to approach each other and test the waters.

I just sat and watched them. It doesn't have anything to do with me.

My fly on the wall act lasted until someone approached me. It was the fat guy who was whispering with the Antonio guy earlier. He approached me with a smile on his face, the same fake smile I'm all too used to seeing these days.

"You're from Group 39, aren't you?"

How does he know that?

"Who's asking?"

He didn't answer but continued smiling.

I don't think I want to get involved in another scheme that could earn me another beating.

"If you'd excuse me, I'll be taking my leave now."

I got up to go to another spot, but he blocked my path.

"Just give me a moment."

"What are you doing? I'm not interested in whatever scheme you have going on."

"I'd advise you to reconsider. You might not know this, but we can actually influence things in another group and make things very difficult for you."

"More difficult than my current situation? I doubt it."

I pushed him aside and went to take a nap while I waited for the convention to be over.

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