The arena lights shifted.
Not dimmer.
Sharper.
White beams cut through the air and landed on the center stage where two microphones stood, polished and waiting. The crowd quieted instinctively, the way it does when something formal is about to happen. Not a game. A declaration.
From opposite sides of the stage, THKM and Lola stepped forward.
They were not dressed like teachers tonight.
THKM wore a dark blazer, posture straight, expression unreadable. Lola wore a clean, elegant coat, hair tied back neatly, eyes calm but alert. Together, they looked less like instructors and more like hosts of something irreversible.
The giant screen behind them displayed a single line.
GAME FIVE. GRAND FINAL.
The crowd roared.
THKM lifted his microphone first.
"Students," he said, voice steady, trained, carrying across the arena. "Tonight is not just about winning a match."
Lola took the second microphone smoothly. "Tonight is about pride, responsibility, and what you are willing to stand behind when everyone is watching."
Murmurs rippled through the audience.
The camera panned across the seats. Engineering students. Health track students. Business and computing majors squeezed into aisles. Phones raised. Faces tense.
Then the camera cut to the two teams.
Wings Gaming on one side.Bad Dragons on the other.
They stood facing each other across the stage.
No handshakes.
No nods.
No smiles.
Just distance.
XH stood at the front of Wings Gaming, shoulders relaxed but eyes sharp. NS stood half a step behind him, jaw set. JP's hands were in his pockets, unreadable. TZ looked like he wanted to move already. HS had returned from the restroom moments earlier, face pale but determined.
Across from them, the engineering team stood looser, almost casual. KM wore a confident smirk. Their carry rolled his shoulders like this was already decided.
Lola raised her mic again. "Before the final match begins, both teams have requested to speak."
The crowd gasped.
THKM turned toward Bad Dragons. "Engineering Major. You may speak first."
KM stepped forward.
The mic amplified his footsteps.
He took the microphone with a grin that looked practiced.
"Let's keep this simple," he said, voice smooth, loud, deliberately slow. "We've beaten you twice already. We know your tricks. We know your patterns."
Boos mixed with cheers.
KM continued, eyes flicking briefly toward Kitty and June in the front row. "So let's make this final match interesting."
The arena hushed.
"If Bad Dragons wins," he said clearly, "Kitty and June will join us for an evening dinner. No excuses. No backing out."
The reaction was instant and explosive.
Gasps. Shouts. Whistles. Phones lifted higher.
June felt her chest tighten, but she did not step back.
Kitty did not move at all.
THKM's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lola's lips pressed together.
Before XH could speak, THKM lifted his microphone. "Health Track. Do you accept."
XH stepped forward.
The mic felt heavier than he expected.
"No," he said.
The word cut cleanly through the noise.
KM laughed. "Then forfeit."
XH's eyes did not leave him. "They're not prizes."
The crowd roared again, louder now.
Then something unexpected happened.
June and Kitty both stepped forward at the same time.
Not to the mic.
But into XH's peripheral vision.
They did not speak.
They did not touch him.
They simply looked at him.
And nodded.
Once.
Slow.
Certain.
XH inhaled.
Then he raised the mic again.
"Fine," he said calmly.
The arena froze.
"But if we win," he continued, voice steady, "Thoon, HTN, and SRM will attend dinner with Health Track."
The reaction detonated.
Engineering students exploded in protest.
Health Track students screamed in triumph.
Thoon's smile vanished.
HTN scoffed loudly. "You think we'd agree to that."
XH did not look at them. "You already did when you opened your mouth."
Lola lifted her mic quickly. "Is this your official counter wager."
XH nodded once. "Yes."
Lola turned to the engineering side. "Do you accept."
KM hesitated for half a second.
That was all the crowd needed.
They sensed blood.
KM smirked again, forcing confidence. "We accept."
The noise was deafening.
THKM raised his mic again, cutting through the chaos. "There will be no handshakes."
The camera zoomed in.
Both teams remained still.
No gestures.
No respect offered.
Just eyes locked.
Then the Headmaster stood.
The arena fell silent in a way that felt unnatural.
He walked slowly to the center, took the third microphone, and waited until every camera was on him.
"This wager," he said calmly, "is now official."
A wave of reaction rolled through the seats.
"Confirmed by the university," he continued. "The result of Game Five will decide the terms. No reversal. No appeals."
Mr. Kim's voice was not present tonight.
Only authority.
Only pressure.
The Headmaster's gaze swept the teams. "Show us what you deserve."
He stepped back.
THKM spoke again. "Before you enter the booths, we ask one thing."
Lola finished the sentence. "Please say something to your audience."
The mic went first to Bad Dragons.
KM did not hesitate.
"We're going to crush them," he said bluntly. "No miracles. No lucky moments. This ends tonight."
Boos mixed with cheers.
Then the mic was offered to Wings Gaming.
For a moment, no one moved.
HS swallowed hard.
JP glanced at XH.
NS nodded once.
XH stepped forward.
He took the mic.
The arena felt smaller suddenly.
"We don't bow," XH said.
The crowd quieted.
"We don't bend."
Students leaned forward.
"We don't get scared."
Even engineering fans stopped shouting.
"They call themselves dragons."
A pause.
XH's eyes lifted slightly, scanning the crowd, stopping briefly where Kitty and June stood.
"Dragons can bleed."
A collective intake of breath.
"And tonight," he finished, voice low and certain, "we're going to make them bleed hard."
The reaction was not immediate.
It was delayed.
Then it hit like thunder.
Cheers. Screams. Chanting. Stomping.
Kitty felt her chest tighten.
June felt like she had forgotten how to breathe.
For a brief moment, both of them saw something radiant inside XH.
Not anger.
Not ego.
Something dangerous and beautiful.
Aura.
Near the back of the arena, a woman in a simple coat watched silently.
June's mother.
Her eyes narrowed.
She did not like what she saw.
Because she recognized it.
THKM and Lola stepped aside.
The teams turned without another glance and walked toward their booths.
No handshakes.
No apologies.
Only the sound of footsteps and the weight of everything that had been said out loud.
The countdown appeared on the screen.
GAME FIVE BEGINS IN 60 SECONDS.
The arena held its breath.
This was no longer just a game.
It was a line drawn across the campus.
And someone was about to cross it.