"You think you can steal my people and not face the consequences? Think again!" Matt screamed as he stomped even closer.
The red-haired boy smiled as he stepped backwards. "If you want a duel that badly, I'll still give you one."
Then everyone in the room sensed a shift in the atmosphere before a notification appeared in front of them.
[Spectating Duel]
[Warning: those who interrupt the duel are liable to face penalties.]
A subtle glow appeared around Matt's body and one of the opposing students as if to indicate the duelists.
"Hey, isn't that Theo?" One of the spectating students whispered.
Indeed, Theo was emitting a soft glow all over his body, seemingly having been chosen as the red-haired student's champion for this duel.
Matt looked on in outrage. "How dare you make Theo fight me!"
"Make him? I haven't made him do anything." The red-haired transfer gave an amused shrug.
"I don't know what kind of trick you pulled, but I know Theo, and there is no way he would ever leave me. You must have used one of your abilities on him, and..."
"Matt, shut up." Theo interrupted. "If you knew me so well, you would have expected something like this."
"...What?" Matt muttered, taken aback, before seeing Theo's look of disappointment.
"Being treated as the 'Leader' of Blood Punch has made you delusional. You think the only two options are for people to worship or fear you, and you won't have it any other way, so I'm done."
"You could have talked to me instead of... Whatever this is?" Matt offered, yet that only seemed to incense Theo further.
"Talk to you? I tried, and maybe if you had listened, none of our friends would have been torn apart like that."
"How is that my fault? They chose to follow me." Matt dismissed in indignation.
Theo sneered in response, his face turning cold. Seeing Matt had no intention of taking responsibility for his actions, Theo could not be bothered to respond anymore.
Theo abruptly dashed forward, as if he remembered he was in the midst of a duel, throwing a punch towards Matt, who was still caught in a wave of emotions. Despite being unprepared, Matt successfully blocked the punch and launched a smooth counterattack. The pair rapidly fell into a rhythm where they continued to exchange blows, and it was clear to onlookers that both combatants were familiar with each other's fighting style.
"I've never seen Theo fight so seriously before."
"Wow, Matt is really taking a beating this time."
"Theo is winning against Matt? That's quite the upset."
Victor listened to the random comments of the spectators and reached his own conclusion while he watched.
"Matt is going to win."
Rosa nodded in agreement. "Definitely, staying on the defensive is not Matt's style. The moment he decides to change tactics, Theo will struggle to handle it."
Rosa was right. The only reason Theo appeared to have the advantage was because Matt still hadn't launched a proper counterattack. He seemed to be struggling with a decision, as he had an unsure expression on his face throughout the fight.
Theo sent another round of attacks towards his opponent, and this time a punch managed to slip past Matt's guard and smashed right into his nose. Matt was sent staggering backwards slightly dazed as blood began to leak down his face. Matt's expression then changed as he seemed to come to a decision at that point.
When Theo tried to press his advantage, following up with another strike, this time Matt didn't bother with defense and threw another punch in response. Both attacks landed at the same time, but this time Matt only retreated one step while Theo stepped back thrice.
With the space bought from this exchange, Matt attempted wiping the blood off his face, smearing his hands with blood. At that time, Theo had recovered well. And both of them stepped forward, continuing their battle. However, in the first few exchanges, it became increasingly obvious that Matt was the superior combatant.
There was a reason Matt led the Blood Punch gang, and it was due to his incredible combat ability.
After enduring a few punches, Theo decided to change tactics, mixing his moves up with kicks and some grabs. But due to their incredible familiarity, Matt was able to deal with all without much difficulty.
After an unsuccessful punch, Theo retreated and attempted a roundhouse kick, but Matt quickly read him, sprinted forward, and knocked him off balance with a punch of his own. Theo tried to catch himself, but Matt quickly swept his feet, sending his opponent crashing to the ground. Matt quickly followed up on his attack by mounting Theo, who was lying prone and still recovering from the fall.
Matt then began to vengefully rain blows down on his friend turned traitor. In response, Theo raised his arms to protect his head, yet his defense proved futile as many attacks still managed to reach his face. Blood spurted from Theo's nose, smearing Matt's knuckles with even more red as the attacks continued.
For the second time in his life, Theo felt the threat of death loom over him as successive punches fell down, each one stronger than the last with no sign of stopping. With no other options available, Theo desperately activated his ability. Matt was completely caught off guard when Theo's body slid out from underneath him, stopping a few meters away.
Theo swayed and stood up just in time to block another punch with his arm. The shock flashed across Theo's face as he staggered back. Matt's punch was way stronger than Theo expected, allowing Matt another opportunity to knock him off his feet. Matt dashed forward again, tripping Theo, causing the pair to enter a similar situation to the one before, with Theo lying prone and Matt on top, raising his bloody fists for another round.
Theo desperately tried activating his ability to escape, but this time he wasn't so lucky. Theo still didn't have much practice and control over his ability, so although he was hoping to slide backwards to escape again, his lack of control caused him to slide sideways instead. Matt was also much more prepared this time, so he held Theo by the shoulder as they both slid a few meters to the side.
Theo's eyes flashed as he attempted to activate his ability for the third time, but having expected that, Matt interrupted him with a punch to the throat. Theo, strangled of both air and focus, writhed about on the ground, gasping for air. A notification interrupted Matt as he raised another fist.
[The opponent has forfeited the duel.]
Matt was already in the middle of a punch before he could read the notification, so he was surprised when he felt a repulsion force as his fist drew closer to Theo. Ultimately Matt wasn't able to overcome that force, and his hand was sent crashing into the ground, smearing it with a bloody print.
Matt felt a shadow casting over him and looked back to find the red-haired transfer standing behind him with a lax expression.
"You win. Now get out of here, unless you want to fight all four of us." Observing the other transfers surrounding him, Matt slowly rose to his feet. Although the fight was short, Matt was already worn out, and he didn't think he could win against four people by himself, so he made the prudent decision to retreat. Matt clenched his teeth and stared at the red-haired student before casting a glance down at his former friend. A storm of emotions rumbled on his face before he retreated, making his way out of the cafeteria.
With the commotion over, most students weren't in the mood to stay in the cafeteria any longer. A sense of urgency filled all of the onlookers as many of them gained additional motivation to practice their abilities. Victor and his friends were no exception. However, there wasn't that much time before afternoon classes started, so they just decided to debrief on what they saw before heading to class.
"Wow, so much drama on the first day." Elaine mused
"I never thought Theo and Matt would fight like that. Theo always seemed to follow him so faithfully. Something really bad must have happened."
"Did you not hear? Theo says their friends were torn apart. What do you think he meant by that?" Jax frowned in thought.
"He probably meant it literally." Victor offered an explanation. "Do you remember the assembly yesterday, where Matt's friends were on stage injured? I doubt they volunteered for that role."
"Are you saying they were forced to be up there as a demonstration? Why would the school do that?" Darius asked.
Rosa paused to gather her thoughts before suggesting a theory. "You know Matt and his group have been having problems with the school staff for a long time. What if yesterday was finally the day they decided to make their move? Plus, the assembly could also be used as an example of the consequences of going against the school."