Just as Kemit was feeling smug, a stir broke out at the edge of the crowd. A group of varsity football players, led by Aaron, pushed their way through.
Georgie, walking right beside Aaron, gave Mike a subtle wink. It was clear that the football team's timely arrival was likely his doing.
"Mike, I thought you joined the Mathletes. How'd you end up beefing with Kemit?" Aaron asked, greeting Mike as he stepped up.
"Who knows? Maybe I'm just too handsome for my own good. People get jealous," Mike shrugged, acting like a total egomaniac.
"You're something else, man," Aaron laughed, giving Mike's shoulder a friendly punch. Then, he turned his attention to the group of wannabe thugs. "Kemit, whatever you're planning today, lay it out. I'm game."
Aaron was a big deal as a senior, and he knew exactly how Kemit and his crew operated.
Following their captain's lead, the football players—many of them still in their pads—glared at Kemit's group with zero friendliness.
"This doesn't involve you guys..." Kemit muttered, his heart sinking as he saw the football team backing Mike.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure at the back of the crowd. Swallowing his fear, he doubled down. "Mike, are you just gonna hide behind your friends like a coward? If you're a real man, step up and go one-on-one with me."
Kemit puffed out his chest, trying to look like a tough guy.
Way at the back of the crowd, Regina was watching the standoff with great interest. Even though she didn't have much faith in Kemit's odds, the "Queen Bee" felt that having guys duel over her was proof that she still had her "it" factor.
On the other side, Mike wasn't about to let someone call him a coward. After a quick word with Aaron, he had the team move to the side to give them space.
"Alright, you wanted a piece of me? Let's go. I'm on a schedule," Mike said, casually beckoning him forward.
Kemit had been ready to back down when the football team showed up, but seeing his "reverse psychology" actually work, he put his game face back on.
"You asked for it!" Kemit yelled, charging at Mike.
Kemit hadn't become the school's top bully by accident. Standing about 6'3" with a massive head and a thick neck, he looked pretty intimidating.
Watching from the sidelines, Georgie asked nervously, "Is Mike gonna be okay?"
"Relax," Captain Aaron said easily. "I've seen Mike plow through a dozen guys in a single play. Kemit doesn't stand a chance."
Truth be told, Aaron hadn't brought the team here because he was worried about Mike; he had an ulterior motive. As captain, he was looking for any excuse to recruit Mike back onto the team.
Just as the fight was about to start, a small figure clutching a pebble squeezed through the crowd.
"I've got your back, Mike!" little Sheldon shouted, trying to bolster his own courage.
Wait, what?
Watching Sheldon stand there with his legs shaking uncontrollably but still refusing to back down, Mike gave him a look of genuine approval.
Before Georgie could step in to stop him, Sheldon looked up at the towering Kemit and screamed, "I'm not afraid of you!!"
With that, Sheldon chucked the pebble.
To everyone's absolute shock, the tiny stone—barely the size of a fingernail—flew in a perfect arc and smacked a stunned Kemit right in the forehead.
In such a tense moment, the sheer absurdity of it caused the surrounding students to burst into laughter. It was a classic "low damage, maximum disrespect" move.
It took Kemit a second to process what had happened over the sound of the mocking laughter. He touched his forehead, which felt like it had been nipped by a mosquito, and roared at Sheldon, "I'm gonna kill you!"
"I'll leave the rest to you, Mike!" Sheldon shrieked at the sight of Kemit's murderous face. He spun around and vanished into the crowd like a flash.
"Get back here, kid!" Kemit growled, about to give chase.
Mike couldn't help but chuckle at Sheldon's exit. He shook his head and stepped in front of the enraged bully. "Your fight is with me."
By now, Sheldon was long gone.
Left without his target, Kemit turned his bloodshot eyes on Mike. "Fine. You guys really messed up today."
Clearly, he was blaming Mike for everything Sheldon just did. Kemit threw a heavy punch right at Mike's face, wanting to wreck that "pretty boy" look he hated so much.
Psychologically speaking, Kemit was the type who got a twisted thrill out of destroying something beautiful.
But his plan failed immediately. Mike caught his fist with ease.
"This is all you've got? And you actually came looking for trouble?" Mike said, slowly increasing the pressure of his grip.
Since his physical stats had passed the 200 mark, Mike felt like he had broken through some kind of human limit. His strength, speed, and agility were on a whole different level. Strictly speaking, he was basically a superhuman now.
As Mike squeezed, Kemit dropped to his knees, his face twisting from a tough-guy scowl into a mask of pure agony.
"Let go! You're gonna break it!" Kemit cried, tears and snot starting to run down his face.
Realizing how powerful Mike actually was, a wave of pure terror washed over Kemit. Once that fear took hold, there was no stopping it. He regretted everything. No amount of "alpha male" pride or impressing a girl was worth tangling with a monster like Mike.
Looking at the blubbering mess Kemit had become, Mike decided it was time to end the circus.
With one final, powerful squeeze—accompanied by a bone-chilling scream from Kemit—there was a faint sound of grinding bone.
"Get lost," Mike said, letting go and kicking Kemit toward his cronies.
The other thugs were so intimidated by Mike's ruthlessness that they didn't say a word. They picked up their unconscious leader and scurried off campus.
As Kemit's crew disappeared, the students watching from the sidelines broke into cheers. In America, everybody loves a hero, and Mike's performance was more than enough to earn their worship.
To the students, the way Mike had crushed Kemit's wrist looked incredibly cool.
But only Mike knew the truth: with his absolute strength, he had completely shattered the bones in Kemit's hand. Between that and the final kick, Kemit would be in the hospital for at least three months. And even after he got out, that hand would never be throwing a punch again.
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