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"THAT WAS TOTALLY CHEATING! Max would have beaten that Westberg fraud! Even his hair looked stupid!" Jokers' Toni complains while sitting beside Jokers at the auditorium.

     The auditorium was packed with students; not only white uniforms but the brotherhoods as well. The white uniforms sat on the left side with vice president Gavriil and the rest of the Elite members, while the brotherhoods sat on the right with president Ian.

     All of the members of Jokers were already on their feet when the final rankings were announced. Half of them were pissed because of the unexpected results, but the other half - including Krist - was standing because they were seated at the back since Ian graciously decided that they sit based on ranking, so Krist could barely see the screen in front of them.

    "I'm honestly baffled. How did Westberg Academy get a perfect score? It would make sense if he's at least second and not first. The representative from Highlands High looked exquisite. He should be the one with the perfect score." Siren explains as the rest of the members of Crazy 8 - who of course are still wearing masks - nod their heads to agree with their leader.

     Hans, who's sitting in front of him, looks back and agrees to the marquis's opinion. "I don't really mind how Max wasn't able to get to the top three, but Westberg seriously didn't deserve first place."

     "It's either those judges are blind or Westberg cheated! Max should have ranked first!" Rome suddenly shouts at the back, forcing Krist to make him sit back down so he wouldn't make a scene any further.

     Everyone was at the auditorium, getting fired up by the results from the"Beauty" portion of the competition. It was actually a sight to see. This might be the only time where the White Uniforms and the Brotherhoods are united as one. Max would have loved to see such unity in them.

     "They seriously cheated. Westberg must have done something to make the judges favor their school," Ervin stated this time on the other side of the auditorium where the white uniforms are.

     "Right?! Those guys are such assholes! I've hated them ever since their victory last year!" Ari angrily answers, obviously as pissed off as Jokers were, which made Felix laugh. It was funny since Ervin looked calm and collected but he's a Jack, while Ari looked barbaric even though he's a Rose. Those two could seriously switch places and no one would notice.

    Ari was beside the aisle since no one wanted to sit beside him other than his friends. On the other hand, sitting beside him is Felix who's also sitting beside Ervin.

     "Okay, let's first settle down. The contestants are going to the battlegrounds now," Felix says, trying to calm Ari down since his ears are almost as red as his hair because of anger.

     "Where do you think it would be this time? Last year it was at an amusement park. Maybe this time it's at an aquarium," Ervin guesses.

     Another student from Class II-A who's sitting beside Ervin crosses his arms and suddenly butts in, "The battlegrounds six years ago was at the aquarium. It was so intense to the point that some contestants had to jump inside the aquarium where the sharks were. Someone almost died, so it's unlikely that it would be at the aquarium again."

    Ervin slowly looks at the Mr. Brains & Brawn enthusiast. He got ready to say something to him, but then Marcus suddenly stands from his seat and pointed at the large screen in front of them. "It's Max!"

...

"How did you feel about the results? Were you disappointed, or did you already expect it?" A reporter asks Max who's already wearing the new uniform that's actually just a regular PE uniform. The only difference is that sir Barron still allowed him to wear his BND brooch, so he pinned it on the collar area.

     "I'm a bit disappointed; I'm not gonna lie. But what's done is done. Thankfully the advantages weren't as amazing as I thought it would so it's not really a waste," Max answers before directly looking at Kingston Creed who's also being interviewed just two meters away from him.

     "So you don't think winning that advantage is needed?" the reporter then asks.

     Kingston looks at Max, and Max smirks at him before looking back at the reporter.

     "You know what, I'm actually glad that I didn't get the advantage. Winning the pageant with advantages makes it seem like you only won just because of that. So imagine if you win this, despite not having those advantages, then wouldn't that be more interesting?" Max asks back. Of course he didn't really mean all that, but he just wanted to see how Kingston would react.

     Kingston Creed stares at Max. He was annoyed by what he heard, but he smiles it off as Max stares back at him too.

     "Good luck Mr. Creed. It would be a shame for you to lose with all those advantages your face worked so hard for," Max surprisingly tells him, almost making Kingston's composure break.

     Kingston angrily clenches his fist, but he tries his best to smile it off as he replies, "You too...Sinclaire."

     Max smiles back and eventually takes his leave like nothing happened. He heads to the luxury bus that's being guarded by two large men with shotguns. Inside, you might end up being confused because it looks like a private jet with amazingly comfy seats, which only made sense since all the contestants are elites. It would be a scandal if they used a regular bus.

     "Max!" Someone shouts as soon as he got inside the bus.

     Max looks upfront and sees Nox and the rest of the White Uniforms sitting on their designated seats at the far back.

     "Come sit here!" Nox shouts, pointing at the empty seat beside Asahi, who's silently reading a book beside the window.

     Max smiles at them and sits beside Asahi while Nox and Nicolás sat across them. Nox then looks at Max and seriously tells him, "I know you're not the type of guy to get scolded so openly, but I don't think you should provoke Kingston Creed like that. There's a reason why their school always wins."

     Max sighs and brushes his hair back before looking outside the window where Kingston is still being interviewed. "I know Kingston and I know his capabilities, but he's no king. He might be strong, and he might be a better fighter, but his attitude will drag him down. If he breaks just because of petty provocations then it's his fault, not mine."

     "You talk as if you're any better," Asahi suddenly says without even looking away from the book that he's holding, making Max and the other white uniforms look at him as well.

     "You should be aware that every major event that's happening in the Kings' Castle is being announced in the lower houses. We are aware of the barons' submission to you, and we know your capabilities. But based on everything that we've heard so far, your attitude isn't perfect either," Asahi brutally says, but Max doesn't deny it.

     He nods his head to agree to the statement and answers, "I am fully aware of that. I have overestimated myself; I'm not going to hide that fact. I also know that I've been overconfident and have always thought that everything will bend according to my will. But rest assured, my stay in J.S High has made me realize how small I really am, so there is nothing for you to worry about."

     Asahi puts down his book and looks directly at Max's eyes. "I do hope you're not an 'all bark no bite' kind of guy," he then tells him.

     Max was supposed to ask him what he meant by that when Nicolás suddenly butts in and says, "I'm not really obsessed with someone's attitude like you guys are, but you should still be careful Max. Didn't the Dukes' base get bombed?"

     "So you've heard of that too?" Max asks, and the three nod their heads as an answer.

     "We were all surprised because something like that never happened before, even in our houses. No one can just place a bomb on a brotherhood base and miraculously get away with it, especially in J.S High. It's definitely fishy. That's why we think that president Janus and the Brotherhood Association must have found who the real culprit is, but they're keeping quiet about it to keep the system going," Nox shares, suddenly making Nicolás hit his head.

     "This isn't the time to be making conspiracy theories Nox," he scolds. And then he leans close to Nox's ear and whispers to him, "And did you forget that president Janus is Max's uncle? You shouldn't be saying such things."

      Nox realizes that small fact and immediately covers his mouth from shock. But even though Nox didn't intentionally say it to offend Max in any way, Max narrows his eyes and contemplates what he said.

     Could he be right? Did his uncle Janus actually find the culprit but is keeping quiet about it?

     But for what reason? Why would he hide that from them?

     "Kingston! How many interviews are you going to take?" Everyone overhears Magnus ask as Kingston got inside the bus and sits beside Gengxin near the front.

     As soon as he sat down, a man in a black suit enters the bus holding a chart. He stands in the middle and starts taking the attendance to make sure that all the contestants are already inside the bus. Afterward, the driver arrives and they soon drive off.

     "Alright, as soon as we arrive at the location we will then attach your targets and hand you your high-tech paint gun. For those who won the advantage, your will receive your additional items afterward," the man explains.

     "Now let us discuss the rules. Except for those with the advantages, each gun has a total of twelve bullets. You can target anyone and anyone can target you. But no matter who targets you, if all four targets are shot, you are automatically out. The targets have sensors, so your name will be announced if you lose. You must leave the battleground as soon as you are called," the man explains, and everyone nods their head in understanding.

     "Everyone of you is allowed to utilize everything that can be found in the battleground, but you must not leave the borders. You may engage in physical combat, but it is highly encourage that you strategize instead of attacking heads on. Other than that, the main goal is to be the last man standing. There are twenty minutes before we arrive at the location, so you may rest by then," the man finishes before taking his seat as well.

     Max looks out of the window and takes a deep breath. He watches the cars driving past through them and starts counting until his eyes started becoming heavy.

     Max has been training for almost a month, but yesterday he did nothing else but rest like what BND instructed him to do. Others would have trained more, but Max meditated and went to sleep. He knows that he's not the best fighter, so training all night won't miraculously make him better. He practiced and trained with the best of his abilities, and that's all that matters.

     "I have to win no matter what..." Max whispers underneath his breath before grabbing BND's brooch from his collar and holding onto it tightly. "I have to...for my house," he adds before finally falling asleep.

     Asahi, who's silently reading his book, glances at Max. He slowly puts his book down and stares at the brooch that Max is holding. Max might have lied about being an underling, but Asahi wasn't stupid. He knew that Max had a lot at stake compared to any of the contestants here because his thirst for victory could be seen even for a mile away.

     "For a serf, you're very ambitious," Asahi tells himself before gently pulling Max towards him so Max could rest his head on his shoulder. "Let's see how far these ambitions of yours will take you," he adds before taking his book from his lap and silently reading again like nothing happened.

...

Max yawns and rubs his eyes as he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He then fully opens his eyes and sees Asahi and the rest of the white uniforms already standing from their seats.

     "Wakey-wakey Mr. Sinclaire, we're here," Nox says, and Max immediately stands up.

     "We're already here?" He asks, and the three move aside so Max could see where they're actually are.

     Max moves close to the windows on the right side of the bus. He couldn't contain his surprise when he saw an abandoned school building standing right in front of them.

     "This is our battleground?" He asks, still staring at the school.

     "Now I understand why they made us wear this stupid PE uniform," Asahi complains before walking out of the bus. The three then follow him out, joining the other contestants who were already waiting outside.

     "Good afternoon contestants, and welcome to your battleground," an almost robotic female voice announces from the speakers found around the abandoned school.

     Unlike earlier, there wasn't any press anymore. It was almost completely quiet, and everyone wouldn't deny how eerie the atmosphere is.

     The twelve contestants stand in a straight line as twelve other men in black suits arrive with a briefcase of their own. They then walk their way towards each contestant. They open their suitcase, revealing four targets and a gun that's similar to what BND gave to Max during his first assessment.

     They take out the targets from the suitcase and start attaching them to their left arm, right leg, back, and chest. As for Kingston who won the advantage earlier, he has an extra target attached to his stomach. Afterward, they hand them their gun and left the scene.

     "There are at least a hundred cameras found inside this building. You are being broadcasted nationwide, so cheating will be difficult. Once inside, we will give you ten minutes to choose a hiding spot in the battleground, which means you are not yet allowed to shoot anyone within that timeframe. After the ten-minute countdown, a school bell will be heard, and the Battle Royale will officially begin," the female voice explains, and the contestants nod their heads in understanding.

     Max takes a deep breath and looks at the other contestants who have serious expressions on their faces. They've only shown their composed and relaxed expression earlier, but now every one of them looked fierce and ready.

     So Max takes a deep breath and looks up front to take note of their battleground. The school is a long L-shaped building, and it has four floors. The battleground isn't as big as J.S High, but it isn't entirely small either, so finding the other contestants will still be difficult.

     "Good luck, and let Mr. Brains and Brawn begin," the voice announces, and right after that, a loud alarm goes off, immediately making the contestants run inside the building.

     Max runs inside too, following behind the other white uniforms. All the contestants dispersed, and Max notices that most of the contestants, including Kingston and his gang, ran up the stairs. The other white uniforms were about to follow, but Max immediately stops them and says, "Follow me."

     The three looked hesitant, but the first to follow him was Asahi, so the other two just followed.

     Max ran around the first floor, looking for the perfect room to hide. But after a couple more minutes, the four finally enter a classroom, and Nox immediately closes the door and locks it.

     "O-Okay...I don't know what you're planning...but was it really necessary to run around the entire floor?" Nicolás says while catching his breath.

     Max eases his breathing as well and walks in front of the blackboard. "Yes," he answers before picking up a small chalk that's on the ground. Max then looks back at the other white uniforms and asks him, "Do you guys trust me?"

     The question honestly surprised them, and no one wanted to answer. Well, except for one white uniform.

     "No," Asahi answers with a serious expression. "We don't know if you're here to use us. You might as well trap us here and shoot us all now, so why would we trust you?"

     "Well, you followed me here so that's a start," Max answers with a grin, almost making Asahi chuckle. But then Max's expression becomes serious as he explains, "Trust is not given, it is earned. But if you do not give me a chance to prove to you that I am trustworthy, then we will all fail."

     "So you're confident?" Asahi asks him.

     "There are twelve contestants. In my calculations, in the first thirty minutes, at least half of them will be killed off, and the other half would be us and Kingston's group."

     "How sure are you that we'll survive within that thirty-minute timeframe?" Nox then asks next.

     Max looks at the three and smiles at them. "It's because we're from brotherhood houses, and thirty minutes won't be enough to make us fall," he says with complete determination and confidence that it almost made the other white uniforms believe in him. There's just something about the way he spoke that it almost felt commanding yet inspirational.

     Asahi was still unsure of it, but he takes a deep breath and nods his head. And just as soon as he did so, the school bell was immediately heard throughout the building, now giving them permission to shoot.

     The four looks at each other intensely. Nicolás glances at his gun and then at the exit door. For a second he was tempted to run away, but he takes a deep breath and says instead, "Fine, I'm in."

     "I'm in too," Nox then says.

     "So you guys are ready to trust me?" Max asks again, and even though he already asked it, the four couldn't help but be surprised.

     Asking for someone's trust takes a lot of confidence because it means you trust them first. Regardless of their answer, if they stab you in the back your trust will be useless. But Max had complete trust in them that the other three couldn't even believe it.

     The three white uniforms look at each other, waiting for one of them to answer.

     "Alright, we trust you," Asahi answers on everyone's behalf. "What's your plan?" He then asks.

     Max smiles victoriously and faces the board. Without saying anything, he starts drawing something on the board. While doing so, Max honestly felt nervous. The target on his back was completely exposed, and there are three of them who can easily take him down, and that fact terrified him.

     Max asked if they trusted him, but he knew damn well that everyone lied because Max doesn't trust them either. What he trusts are their curiosity and desperation. They're curious about where this will go, and if Max continues to act confident, they'll believe that he'll be a benefit to them like how they'll be a benefit to him. Because Max is aware that he's not the best runner nor fighter, but he's damn sure that these three will fill everything that he's lacking.

     "Here we go," Max finishes before stepping away from the board.

     The three white uniforms who were waiting looked at the board with shock. They couldn't believe that Max was able to do this in a span of a minute.

     "We ran around the first floor earlier because I needed a rough structure of the floor plan. Currently, we are in this x mark here. I chose to hide in this location because—"

     "It's the camouflage spot. Usually no one hides near the entrance, and we wouldn't be seen on the other side of the building either," Nicolás casually explains, making Max remember that these students are their house representatives for a reason.

     "That's correct," Max says before pointing at the stairs. "And this one here...this is the key to our victory," he says before circling 'stairs #1 and #2.'

     "Elaborate please," Nox says while approaching the blackboard with both hands on his waist.

     "Everyone is in the higher floors right now so they'll be fighting each other up there. I have something I call the fool's surprise. It's a trick that I've tested when I battled Master Joker," Max explains before putting an X mark on stairs #3.

     "Fool's surprise?" Nox and the two other white uniforms ask in unison, and Max could only grin in excitement.

- END -