From Bullets To Billions

All of the schools from the west side of Brinhurst had gathered, and among them were five schools that had formed an alliance with Clapton.

The leaders of each school had brought along a small group of their most capable students. They were spread out around the large cage in the center, their eyes fixed ahead, waiting in tense anticipation.

That was when they saw it, a group of around twelve students walking confidently toward the gathering. It was a fairly balanced mix, with a large number of girls and a similarly sized group of boys.

But what truly caught everyone's attention wasn't just their numbers, it was their appearance.

They were all dressed in similar outfits. Not exactly uniforms, but clearly coordinated. None of it looked like any standard school uniform. If anything, the clothing resembled gym or athletic wear, stylish, sleek, and far too cool for a regular school day.

"Heck, aren't those the girls from Seaton Academy?" someone whispered, eyes wide.

"Damn, they look hot in those clothes," another student muttered. "I've been following them on Binstagram for a while, but they look even better in person."

"I knew Seaton was participating, but I didn't think they'd show up wearing their sponsored gear."

"Wait, that's what it is? Sponsored gear? Then what about the guys? And hold on, I thought Seaton was an all-girls school. Why are there boys with them?"

"That's because they're not all from Seaton Academy, you idiot," someone corrected. "Those guys are from Konsoon!"

"Oh… so they finally showed up, huh?" a third voice chimed in. "Looks like things are really heating up. But still, why are they all wearing the same outfits?"

Many of the students around the cage hadn't yet put two and two together. They hadn't made the connection between the group led by Max and the growing brand of athletic wear that had been spreading all across the city.

They'd heard the rumors, of course, whispers in the hallways and glimpses on social media, but few had fully connected the dots.

Some students had figured it out, but not everyone. Now, seeing students from both Seaton and Konsoon wearing the exact same line of clothing, the realization was slowly settling in.

'That does make me wonder,' thought Print, one of the students watching from the edge. 'Why are they all wearing the same gear? Why push it like it's some big sponsorship deal? Is there something bigger going on here?'

On the way to the event venue, Aki and her group of girls had unexpectedly run into Mayson and his group of boys.

Since they were all part of the same effort, working together in whatever madness was about to unfold, they decided to walk side by side. It helped ease the tension just a little, the nervous energy bouncing between the two groups rather than building up inside each person alone.

But the moment they arrived, that small bit of comfort was stripped away.

Both Aki and Mayson wore identical looks of dread as they scanned the area. The place was already swarming with students. School after school had already arrived, forming intimidating pockets of chatter, rivalry, and expectations.

"Where is he?" Mayson muttered, panic rising in his voice. "Where are those guys? Shouldn't they have been here already? I mean, they're the ones who planned this whole thing, shouldn't they at least be here before us? Right? Right?"

Aki didn't know what to say. She had been silently hoping the same thing, that Max would be there, waiting for them with that calm, controlled presence of his. But now? With no sign of him?

What were they supposed to do without their leader?

"And I wore this stupid uniform too," Mayson added, tugging at the edge of his athletic shirt. "Like he told us to. I'm starting to feel like we all got scammed out of our money!"

"No…" Aki said firmly, shaking her head as if to steady her faith. "He'll be here. He will."

Together, the group moved to one side of the large cage that had been set up for the fights. Across from them, on the opposite end, stood Clapton and their allied gangs, clearly relaxed, clearly confident.

Rick was the first to speak, his voice cutting through the noise.

"Hey! Where the heck are the rest of you?" he yelled, eyes locked on Mayson. "You seriously gonna make us wait? You're the ones who organized this whole thing. If they're not here, then you better pick five fighters from your crew right now and step up!"

Crondo leaned toward Mayson, his expression tight with worry.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea," he said under his breath. "Even if we do send five of us in, against them? It's going to be a lost cause, you know that."

"You giving up before the fight even starts?" Mayson snapped back. "We don't have to follow their rules. We can just wait. That's all we need to do."

"You think we're gonna wait around?" Rick barked from across the cage, clearly reading their lips. "I see you whispering, fish lips! We gave up our numbers just so this could be fair! If you don't throw five fighters in that cage in the next sixty seconds, we're coming around and kicking your asses ourselves!"

No one could tell if Rick was actually serious about his threat, not even the students within the alliance. Especially not those from West Brinhurst, who were quietly watching everything unfold with wide eyes and clenched jaws.

But in the end, it didn't really matter. If Max and the others didn't show up soon, then this whole event, the plan, the statement, the unity, would fall apart.

"Oh hey, there's more of them, look!" one of the Clapton students suddenly pointed toward the pathway. "That guy… that's the one who came to us the other day!"

Heads turned instantly. Those from Seaton, along with Mayson and his crew, shifted their attention toward the newcomers, and that's when they saw them.

Three individuals, walking side by side with casual confidence. Each of them was wearing the same style of jacket as the others, but as the wind passed through the park, it blew their jackets open slightly, revealing the vivid inner linings that set them apart.

One flashed a bold green.

Another, a soft but striking pink.

And at the center… a vibrant red.

"Don't you know?" Joe said with a smirk as they walked closer. "The main characters always show up last."

"What the crap?!" one of the students near the front blurted out, squinting to get a better look at the trio.

"Did they bring an adult with them? What is this? I thought this was a school fight, not some random guy jumping in."

"Hey, hey!" Steven shouted back, clearly offended. "I'm not that much older than you! And for the record, I'm not even fighting. I'm just here representing part of the group, alright?"

As they kept talking, more and more students began to murmur among themselves, side-eyes darting across the crowd. Something wasn't adding up.

Who, or what, exactly was this Bloodline group?

"Where's Max?" Aki asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He'll be here," Joe replied, trying to sound confident. "We just haven't been able to get in touch with him yet... but he'll definitely show."

Even as he said those words, Joe couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt inside. Until,

The sound of an approaching car broke through the tension.

Everyone turned.

A sleek, luxurious black car was driving straight up into the park, its tires crunching over the pathway without a care for rules or road signs.

"Why is a car even driving in here?" Print muttered, eyebrows furrowed. "What the heck is going on now…?"

The car came to a smooth halt, turning slightly to the side before stopping completely.

The driver's side door swung open,

And out stepped another figure wearing the same signature uniform as the others, only this time, when the wind caught his jacket, the lining shimmered silver.

"I will now be presenting to you all…" Aron announced, throwing his hands wide open as he walked over to the door, voice booming for the crowd to hear,

"…the leader of the Bloodline Group!"