The registration room for the Bottomless Pit Tournament buzzed with noise.
It was being held in Class 8A (Bapala and Tsebo's Class).
Teams pushed through the crowd, bragging, laughing, already treating the tournament like a guaranteed lose just a fun game to pass the time after all Shadow Kings were participating
Tsebo and Bapala slipped through the doors quietly.
They didn't have teammates.
They didn't even have a team name.
But they had fire.
At the front desk sat at familiar figure it was the Green Goblin of Saint Marx.
He barely looked up.
Bapala immediately recognized Mercy and wondered what he was doing here but didn't bother questioning.
"Team name?" Mercy asked lazily
Tsebo froze. His mind went blank for a second—then a small spark lit up.
"Neo Genesis," he said confidently.
Bapala raised an eyebrow. "Bro, when did we come up with that?"
"Just now," Tsebo whispered.
Before the Mercy could even write it down, a loud voice cut through the hall.
"Neo what?"
Treasure stepped up, hands in his pockets, grin sharp as always. Tlapa and Hakuna flanked him like hype men ready for a music video.
"Look at these guys," Treasure said, laughing. "They don't even have a squad, but they want to enter this tournament?"
Hakuna nudged Treasure. "Let them cook. Maybe they'll surprise us and lose by less than ten."
Tlapa added, "Neo Genesis? Sounds like a video game loading screen."
Bapala clenched his fists. Tsebo stayed quiet, staring at the tournament board lighting up behind the registrar as matchups were drawn.
One by one, the team names appeared:
Phantom Wolves vs Crimson Cyclones
Iron Hawks vs Steel Fangs
Shadow Kings vs Red Comets
Then, the final slot blinked before settling:
Neo Genesis vs Blazing Tigers
Treasure whistled. "Ooooh, Blazing Tigers? Bad luck. Those guys don't play games."
Hakuna smirked. "This is the end for you Tsebo."
Tlapa stepped closer. "Should've stayed home."
Tsebo finally spoke.
"No," he said calmly. "This is the beginning of something else."
The Beginning of the End
Bapala smiled wide.
Treasure's grin faded just a little.
Mercy handed them their registration slip.
Tsebo folded it, pocketed it, and walked away without another word.
Neo Genesis had no uniforms.
No chemistry.
No reputation.
But they had something stronger—
A reason to prove everyone wrong.
And the tournament…
was now officially underway.