Meanwhile, Kara made herself comfortable on the bench. She followed her friend's gaze and noticed The Stones. They were laughing looking at the boy. «Hmm, that’s the useless piece of garbage. No wonder he’s become a laughing stock.» - The girl whispered and slowly inhaled the floral aroma of Juno’s hair.

{They're not laughing at him.} - The little lady thought. She shook her head in exasperation. She wondered what her servant was up to and what it would come out of it.

The Stones wanted to congratulate Kyon on his victory but the lucky guy sneaked away to the restroom.

Soon, the princess’s next opponent gave up before the battle started.

XiaoBai immediately announced the start of the 5th round out of 8.

The tension rose minute by minute. There were only 16 participants left. The Stones were represented by Lee, the king of the battles, the blond guy who was destined to lose to Kara, and lucky Kyon remarkable for his good fortune. Seriously, how could anyone get to the fifth round with development so low as his? It was incomprehensible!

The Stones had pinned their hopes on Lee. Everyone wished for his victory. He was the only one who could defend the honor of the family. If their leader defeated Tsayan, he would go to the semi-finals and then to the finals, by all means.

A couple of fights had finished.

The judge said loudly:

«Pumba Brown, the fourth stage of the advanced phase against Kyon Stone, the seventh stage of the base phase!»

Half of the audience had gathered over one of the four arenas. Most of them were eager to see the jerk being crushed and destroyed. The Stones hoped the boy would win again.

A healthy, stocky guy with a haughty, pompous face was heading for the arena.

«You had an instant victory in the last battle, elder brother Pumba! Tear the insolent boy to pieces, please!» … «My father, master Guyan, will be your benefactor if you win!» … «Destroy the sucker! You will be a real hero for the Browns!»

Pumba smiled and said loudly:

«Brothers and sisters, I’m seven stages above this scum. How can I possibly lose? If I lose my name is Blow Fly! Ha ha ha! Seriously, it’s out of the question. I can’t lose. It is simply not possible. Ha ha ha!» - He threw his head back and laughed.

«You are my hero! Destroy the douchebag for me!» - A Brown girl exclaimed with adoration and then turned her sizzling glance at Kyon.

The smile never left Pumba's face. It was going too well. He was destined to crush the arrogant dog and be the center of attention in his family. He was bursting with excitement.

Pumba went to the arena, scratched his hip and pointed to Kyon. «I'll wipe the floor with you if you don't give up like a coward. We’ll see in which family there are only beaten dogs and where mighty tigers are born!» - He tore off his sweatshirt showing off his enormous sculpted muscles.

Kyon spread his arms, looked at those present and said:

«Do you agree with Pumba’s words, dear Brown family?»

«Damn it, you're dead!» … «Shut up!» … «Of course I agree! Everyone is born a mighty tiger in my family» … «Don’t you dare to give up, lousy dog! You belong in the dumpster!» - shouted the Browns, filled with blood lust.

«He is here to embarrass us?!» - snarled Stephanie. She looked daggers at Kyon, her voice full of righteous indignation.

«He must be out of his mind. I mean... He’d sampled the sweet taste of luck and believed in himself…» - suggested a boy next to her.

«Shut up, Peter! Stephanie is out of sorts today!» - His friend hissed into his ear.

Lee approached the 3rd arena and looked at the boy in the center.

«Uhm... what's going on? How come our wimp is in the fifth round? And what are you laughing at?» - He asked with a touch of contempt in his voice.

«He is being lucky and has become too presumptuous. It’s all the unnecessary attention! He might jeopardize our reputation. The pretentious fool... I hate pricks like him.» - Stephanie answered coldly.

Lee decided to watch the battle. Anyway, there was enough time before his turn.

*beeeeep*

The signal announced the start.

Everyone focused. The Browns smiled, anticipating triumph. The Stones frowned.

The rich bald fat guy named Richie Brown grumbled to his friend:

«Listen to me, Pedro. I have bet twice against him and lost a lot of money. Now I'm certain he will lose at once. The rate, of course, is very too little but I guess I should take a leap of faith and hope for the best! Luck has always been my girl. Here, check this out.»

«Ha-ha-ha! Come here, you pig! I'll unscrew your stupid head! Ha-ha-ha!» - Pumba approached slowly with hysterical laughter. The power and strength emanating from his stocky body were impressive.

However, Kyon was not afraid.

Pumba took another step, his foot went out of control and dragged on the ground. Miraculously, he avoided doing the splits and kept balance.

«What the…» - He frowned, tried to move his leg but couldn’t do it. «Why is my leg… My-y-y, le-e-eg… E-o-o-h…» – He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, his eyes wandered restlessly around, he stammered. Suddenly, he felt like his body wasn’t his anymore and after a moment, he didn’t feel it at all. His heart beat faster. Brown remembered the slight pinch in his hip and realized that he had been given a paralyzing poison. Only, he couldn’t say anything anymore.

«Are you alright, piggy?» - Kyon asked with a grin.

«Oua-а-а-ou…» - Pumba mumbled desperately trying to make a step. But his body did not obey the command.

The Browns looked at each other worried. «Big brother, stop it! Kill him with one blow!» … «Mr. Pumba, stop fooling around, the jerk needs to choke on his daring words! Knock his teeth out!» … «It’s no laughing matter! You’re making a fool of yourself and all of us!»

Tsayan approached the arena and looked at his kinsman. «What the hell is this idiot doing?»

Pumba couldn’t catch his breath, there were despair and horror in his eyes. If he lost his brother and he would be forever branded Blow Fly or even expelled from the family. All his life would be destroyed because of the two sentences he said. They would hate him, mock him and take their revenge. Why... Who dared to poison him?!

«Okay, I'm sick and tired of this show.» - Kyon said and threw a stone at Pumba’s head that sent him to the ground nose-first. Earlier, Kyon had ordered Dinah to give secretly the poison to the rotten snob.

There was perfect silence. Even the judge was speechless. The audience couldn’t believe their eyes. Why did a small stone make him collapse? Why couldn’t he dodge?

Dinah was finally free from the order to seduce the fat freak. She was leaning against the wall watching Kyon with her cold gaze. From time to time, she cast a glance into the sky at the tournament grid. The cunning jerk had made it to the sixth round... The girl hoped that the next opponent would kill him with one blow.

Anna was standing nearby. She grunted thoughtfully when she saw Pumba show the familiar symptoms: {Paralyzing poison? How could Kyon have set it up? Is it sister’s work?} - She looked at Dinah and understood everything. The servant was getting more and more attached to her. Nothing made sense.

«Stand up and kill him now!» - The girl who was fond of Pumba screeched. But he was lying unconscious on the ground. Apparently, she had made the wrong choice... What a shame! A piece of garbage fell from the high mountain to the bottom of the ocean leaving a trace of contempt.

Tsayan cried out:

«What the hell is wrong with you?! Pumba is a piece of shit. His words will never discredit the proud name of our great family! Ugh.» - He spat and went to watch the battle in another arena.

The Browns silently exchanged glances. Some felt great shame, the others stopped taking the fool’s words seriously and left, some did not understand what was going on. Only a few suggested it must have been poison but they were not so sure. Who could have done it? To help the wimp win? It’s ridiculous. They never expressed their suspicions.

Pumba was taken to the nearest hospital.

The judge announced another Kyon’s victory

Richie, the fat guy, stamped his foot violently. «Asshole! How come?! The third bet in a row!»

Kyon took a few steps when he saw two scary Browns quickly approach him. Their fierce eyes glowed with bloodthirst.

One of them had already raised his hand to land a blow, ready to avenge the insult to his family when Stephanie appeared and released terrifying pressure. «Off with you, dogs.»

The big guys froze in fear, looked at each other and hurried to leave squealing like puppies.

The girl turned around and looked at the boy with interest.

«How did you pull it off, junior?»

Kyon shrugged. «Magic. Does it really need an explanation?»

«No kidding. I am serious.»

«Okay, I confess. I am Lady Fortune’s son.»

The girl raised her eyebrows and scrutinised him.

They heard a burst of loud laughter from behind. «Ha! The kid is funny! Damn it... Where did you come from? Is your dad by any chance a good-fortune unicorn?» - Lee asked smiling with no respect, joy nor pride in his voice.

To consolidate his superiority, the leader of the Stones tried to put his hand on Kyon's shoulder. However, the boy dodged, smiled and held out his hand for a handshake.

«Mr. Lee, I am lucky to have met you! Oh gods I am the luckiest man in the world! They say your grandfather is a great elder in the family! And your mother is a deputy manager at the plantation. I admire you, the legendary number one in Stone family! You set an example for others to follow, you’re a hero among the youth! Oh, how much I respect you! Please tell me what is the secret of your power?»

Lee was stunned. He shook Kyon’s hand even if he had initially felt only contempt and hostility towards him. He got too much undeserved attention. Why was the kid his ardent fan? Now he couldn’t be rude to him...

Lee put on his most sincere smile. «Hehe, you know a lot about me! The secret is simple. Dream on about getting stronger and work up a good sweat there! Ha-ha-ha!» - He laughed with his head thrown back, gleaming a row of white teeth. Then he began to talk about himself.

Kyon was rejoicing. Everything went according to his plan. He’d used some psychological tricks, the fool lost his vigilance and was a putty in his hands.

Lee went on talking about his personal accomplishments until he heard his name announced for the next duel.

«Well, newbie... Come to me if you have any questions. I am off to win in the name of the family!» - He said proudly and headed for the arena.

«I envy your luck!» … «You are a damn wizard. One of a kind.» … «You’re not bad, kid.» - The Stones complimented him quietly and followed their idol.

Stephanie looked at Kyon from head to foot and warned him:

«You’re one of a kind, indeed… Listen to some valuable advice. Don't mess with the next opponent. Kaizen Romanov (3) is a dangerous rival. Your magic won't work with him. You’d better give up. Spare your life. And don't ever put the Stone’s dignity on the line or I will beat you up myself.» - The girl finished her speech and followed Lee.

When Kyon was left alone, XiaoBai came up and happily patted him on the back. «I admire your luck, buddy! You’ve made it to the sixth round with a wave of your hand and a snap! Do you want to raise the bet on your victory?»

«I will decline, thank you.» - muttered Kyon, looking at the beautiful Princess. She was happily fondling Juno. He had to decide what to do with Kara. – «XiaoBai, at what stage is Princess?»

«It's hard to say. She is the most powerful in Cernos, the best school in the land. Prince Charles takes second place... The talented bastard is at the finishing stage of Noble phase (4). You can safely raise your bet! I'm sure you will win! Ha-ha-ha! Don't worry, I won't blow all your money on booze.» - The fat guy said and returned to the nephrite with the tournament grid.