From Bullets To Billions

Clutching a hard-fought victory, Aki walked back toward her teammates with a dazed but triumphant smile stretching across her face. Every fiber of her body felt drained, like all the adrenaline that had carried her through the fight was suddenly slipping away, leaving her trembling and barely able to stand.

Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Her legs threatened to give out beneath her at any moment. But she kept walking, step by determined step, toward the bright, beaming faces of her team.

"Aki, you did it!" one of the girls cheered, rushing over to her.

The others followed quickly, gathering around her in a warm circle of support. They offered their arms and shoulders without hesitation, letting her lean on them, holding her up so she didn't have to carry her own weight anymore.

"Yeah, who knew you had that in you?" another girl from Seaton High added with a wide grin. "You took down that monster of a woman. If we'd known you could fight like that, maybe we wouldn't have had to join the Bloodline group in the first place."

The girls' excited chatter shifted suddenly as they turned their eyes toward Max, who had wandered off, away from the group. Their excitement soured slightly, just moments earlier, they had scolded him for not properly congratulating Aki. And now, of all times, he was stepping aside to take a phone call?

"It's okay. Don't blame him," Aki said softly, though her breath was still uneven. "It's obvious there's something bigger going on. Max... he's not just a regular high school student like the rest of us."

"Stop making excuses for him!" another girl blurted out, exasperated. "Ugh, I hate it when people get blinded by love."

As for the call itself, Max was on the line with Wolf, an ally of the Bloodline group and someone Max considered incredibly important. The man had been instrumental in helping him behind the scenes, and the fact that he had reached out now, at this moment, wasn't something Max could afford to ignore.

Wolf had called him directly, not the other way around. That alone made it urgent. Especially since it came so soon after the Rejected Corps had reached out to Max themselves.

"What the heck is going on?" Wolf's voice snapped through the receiver the moment Max picked up.

"Does this have to do with the Rejected Corps?" Max asked, already suspecting as much.

"So you do know," Wolf replied, his voice sharp. "Let me get straight to the point. They contacted me. Directly. Didn't go through you like they usually do. They asked me to help them out."

That fact alone told Max everything he needed to know. The Rejected Corps must have been truly desperate if they were bypassing him and reaching out to Wolf. Not only did it show they respected Wolf's strength, it showed they were short on manpower and needed it now.

"And what did you say?" Max asked.

"Of course I turned them down," Wolf replied, without hesitation. "Told them straight. My loyalty is with you. If you're not involved, I'm not going. Simple as that."

Max remained silent for a moment, taking it in.

"I figured that answer might ruffle some feathers," Wolf continued, "but I had no choice. I'm not getting tangled up in their mess on my own. I wasn't hired by them, and I don't want to dive any deeper than I already have. But I assumedsomething happened between you and them. I would've appreciated a heads-up instead of getting blindsided by a call like that."

"I understand," Max said. "They came to me first. I couldn't help them, I'm tied up right now. That's why they went to you next. You did well. More than I expected, honestly. I just need you to stay on standby… in case something major happens."

"Alright," Wolf replied. "But listen, if things escalate with the Rejected Corps, there might not be any amount of money that could convince me to step in… not unless I believe you can actually win."

There was a pause before he added, "You've gotten stronger, Max. But you're not that strong. Not yet."

The call ended there.

Max let out a slow breath and turned back toward the group. As he returned, he saw it was now their side's turn to send someone into the cage for the next match.

On the opposing end, Bazma had also returned. She rubbed her neck absentmindedly, still shaken. The final moment of her fight played again and again in her mind like a broken reel. She had never been that close to passing out before, never like that. It had scared her. One moment she was in control, the next... nothing. Her body had shut down. The blackout had felt like something had reached into her memory and stolen a piece of her.

"What was that?" Rick's voice growled from behind her, his fingers tensing against the cold metal of the cage. "You said you were the strongest woman in all of Brinherst… and then you lose. To another girl!"

Bazma kept her head low, her lips pressed into a tight line.

"There's a reason I accepted you into the alliance, and you just proved me wrong," Rick spat.

The members of her school team shifted uncomfortably. Some wanted to speak up, to defend her, but they couldn't. Not right now. Not with the alliance hanging by a thread.

"I'm sorry," Bazma said quietly. "I wasn't expecting her to fight dirty. She pulled on my shirt, spat in my face, "

"Excuses!" Rick shouted, cutting her off. "We're already backed into a corner, and now this? If you think you're still part of this alliance after a performance like that, then you're dreaming. You were one of my guaranteed wins!"

Bazma knew better than to talk back. Saying anything now would only make things worse. If they were kicked out of the alliance, it would be devastating. Without Rick's protection, their school would be swallowed whole. And since Rick had made his alliance public, backing out now would make him look weak, and next time, his threats wouldn't carry any weight at all.

"At least the last three…" Rick muttered under his breath. "They're people I can rely on."

That's when they all looked up.

From the entrance of the cage, a figure had stepped inside.

The jacket, distinct and unforgettable, with that striking green inner lining.

"That's… that's the Messenger!" one of the Clapton boys shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.