Ragnarok: Alpha and Omega-Chapter 24 - 23: Rivals, Respect, and Rematches

I let out a deep breath and glanced at Jason. We won. Phew... that battle was intense. But now, we're heading to the semi-finals.

After grabbing something to eat, we decided to check on David, who had been taken to the medic room. As we reached the door, we found Ren leaning against the wall, hands tucked in his pockets.

I tilted my head. "So, what are you going to do now that you've lost?"

Ren shrugged. I just joined for the money. David offered me a million credits to be his partner, and hey, easy cash. Now that we lost, I still have the money, so I'll just head back home and live a normal life.

Jason raised an eyebrow. You don't want to climb the rankings?

"Nah," Ren said with a lazy grin. "I don't want to be some kind of god or anything like that. Besides, I'm not sure if you guys know this, but a Ranker who hasn't ascended at least once every three months loses their power and their watch. They just... vanish. I'm okay with that."

I nodded. "So, are you leaving now?"

"Not yet," Ren replied. "I at least want to tell David I'm heading out. Even if I was just paid and chosen at random, we made a good team." He chuckled. "I'll miss his villa, though. But with the money I've got, I can buy a small place and set up a nice business."

Before we could continue, a groggy voice came from inside the room.

"Would you guys shut up? My head is aching, and you're just making it worse."

Jason and I exchanged amused looks. David was awake.

We stepped inside, and Jason smirked. "How are you doing?"

David sighed, folding his arms. "I'm fine, thanks. But that beating was really crazy."

We all laughed.

David stretched his arms with an exaggerated groan. "I'll admit, you guys were better than I expected. But don't get the wrong idea—I wasn't really going all out."

Jason smirked. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."

I crossed my arms. "Pretty sure the scoreboard says otherwise."

David clicked his tongue and leaned back against the pillows. "Tch. Whatever. It's just one match. Next time, I'll crush you both and make sure the world knows who's really at the top."

Despite his words, there was no real bite in them. His usual smugness was still there, but it felt more playful now.

Ren chuckled. "See? This is why I'm getting out while I still have my dignity. You Ranker types are just addicted to competition."

David scoffed. "You just don't have the ambition. Me? I was born to be great. The fact that you two managed to beat me just means I have to work harder. And when I do, I expect a rematch." He pointed at Jason and me. Count on it.

Jason nodded. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

I smiled. "Yeah. Having a rival will make things more fun."

David paused for a moment, as if caught off guard, then quickly covered it up with a smirk. "Hmph. Rival? You wish you were on my level. I'm just... being generous by giving you the chance to compete with me."

Jason laughed. "Ah, so this is the tsundere act now?"

David turned red. "Shut up!"

Ren shook his head, amused. "I'll leave you guys to it. Try not to kill each other before the next match, yeah?" With that, he gave us a lazy wave and walked out.

David sat up straighter, looking serious for a moment. "Jokes aside... I get it now. You guys aren't just strong—you actually push forward no matter what. I respect that." He glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, uh... don't think I like you guys or anything, but... maybe I wouldn't mind hanging around. You know, just to keep an eye on the competition."

Jason grinned. "Oh yeah, definitely not because you want to be friends or anything."

David grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

I chuckled. Maybe we'd started off as rivals, but I had a feeling David would stick around—and that meant things were only going to get more interesting from here.

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David groaned as he pushed himself up, only to wince and fall back against the bed. "Ugh... I swear, you guys don't know how to hold back."

Jason smirked. "Oh, we do. If we didn't, you'd still be unconscious."

David clicked his tongue but didn't argue. Instead, he rubbed his temples before giving us a side glance. "So... what's next for you two?"

I crossed my arms. "Semi-finals. We're not stopping until we win this whole thing."

David scoffed. "Tch, typical. You guys just keep climbing higher." He hesitated for a second before sighing. "I guess that's not too bad."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Not too bad?"

David looked away, clearly trying to act indifferent. "I mean, it'd be boring if I didn't have strong people to compete with. Not that I care or anything."

Jason and I exchanged a knowing look before smirking.

I reached out a hand. "Come on, get up. The matches aren't over yet. We should at least watch the rest."

David stared at my hand like it was some kind of rare artifact. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, he took it. "Fine, fine. But don't expect me to cheer for you two."

Jason chuckled. "We wouldn't dream of it."

We helped him to his feet, and he groaned dramatically. "Ugh, I think my ribs are still broken."

I patted his back a little too hard. "Nah, you'll live."

David shot me a glare but didn't shake us off as we led him out of the room and toward the arena.

As we walked, the distant roar of the crowd grew louder. Giant screens displayed the next competitors, their names flashing in bold letters.

David scoffed. "Hmph. These guys think they're tough? They wouldn't last a second against me."

Jason smirked. "You mean against us?"

David clicked his tongue but didn't deny it.

As we reached the entrance to the stands, the match had just begun. Fighters clashed in a dazzling display of power, shaking the arena with every strike.

David leaned forward, eyes gleaming with competitive fire. "You know what? Watching this is only making me want that rematch even more."

I grinned. "Then get stronger."

David smirked. "Oh, I will. And next time, I'll make sure you two don't stand a chance."

Jason laughed. We'll see about that.

I just smirked. Even if he tried to act cool, David was already treating us like rivals... and maybe, just maybe, a little like friends.