The second Sumr heard the na, her eyes widened. She imdiately shot up from her seat, nearly knocking over her chair as she rushed over to the group. "What did you say?" she demanded, pushing her way through.
Sylvia followed closely behind, equally surprised.
One of the boys turned around and sneered, "None of your business, princess."
Sumr's face twisted into a scowl, and for a mont, it looked like she was ready to tear the guy apart.
But before she could even open her mouth to retaliate, Sylvia stepped in, crossing her arms and flashing a smirk. "Are you sure it's a good idea to say that to the sister of soone in the Elite Hero Program?"
A few of the boys exchanged nervous glances. Two of Sumr's classmates, Michael and Jake—the sa two who had visited her house and t Don—suddenly realized the situation. Jake's eyes widened. "Shit, you're right, that *is* Sumr's brother."
Michael looked confused. "Your brother is in the Elite Hero Program?" he asked, staring at Sumr with surprise.
The other boys looked at Sumr, their attitudes quickly shifting. The guy who had tried to brush her off imdiately looked nervous. "I was just joking, Sumr," he stamred. "Please don't tell your brother."
Sumr crossed her arms, feeling a rush of pride but keeping her expression cool. "Whatever," she muttered, brushing past the boys to get a better look at what was happening on the phone.
The nerdy kid holding the phone glanced up at her and then back at the screen, still slightly bewildered. "He doesn't have an evaluation on the page yet. Is he really strong enough to take on Starboy?"
Sumr's heart pounded a little faster. In truth, she had no idea how strong Don was. She hadn't seen him in action, not like this. But she wouldn't show her doubts to these guys. "Shut up and watch," she snapped, brushing off the question.
Sylvia, on the other hand, grinned widely, "Anyone wanna bet against that he is?" she asked, throwing out the challenge to the group.
The guys exchanged looks, none of them willing to put their money on the line now that they knew Don was in the Elite Hero Program. No one spoke up, though a few of them looked like they were reconsidering their earlier assumptions.
Back in the crowd surrounding Don and Starboy, phones were raised high in the air to capture every mont of the faceoff.
Starboy stood tall, his posture confident and unshaken, as if he'd already won the challenge in his mind. He wore a smirk that seed to say, *this will be over in seconds.* And truth be told, Don was genuinely surprised at how sure Starboy seed.
'Even I'm not sure I can win this,' Don thought, studying the overly confident hero-in-training in front of him.
His mind ticked through the reasons why he'd proposed this challenge in the first place.
Letting Donald be humiliated in front of Starboy and his fans would've been a blow not only to Donald but to Don's image as well, especially once people learned that he was in the Elite Hero Program too.
And if he scored high in his evaluation, people would wonder why he hadn't stepped in. No, standing up to Starboy here was the least damaging option, even if he lost.
His reputation wouldn't take too much of a hit if he showed courage, and he could always grow stronger later. 'But… on the off chance that I'm stronger than him,' Don considered, 'my reputation could skyrocket.'
On the surface, Don kept a calm and smug smile on his face, even as he thought through the situation. In truth, he was about 70% confident he could win.
His new BeastShift ability gave him durability that would help mitigate the worst damage. Plus, even if he lost, it wouldn't be by much, that he was sure off.
As they stood facing each other, Starboy opened his arms and declared, "Since I'm so generous, if you can withstand the full force of my punch, I'll publicly admit that you're better than . But if you fail—" Starboy's grin widened, "—you'll grovel and admit that you're nowhere near my level. What does everyone think?"
The crowd roared in agreent, cheers and shouts echoing off the nearby buildings. Don inwardly frowned at the thought of such public humiliation. That wasn't sothing he could brush off easily.
He t Starboy's gaze and answered, "Sounds to like you're just scared of taking a punch from ."
Starboy frowned montarily before laughing, clearly amused. "Is that what you think? Fine, then. Go ahead—ladies first." He opened his arms wide, as if daring Don to hit him. "I won't even guard against your attack. So please, feel free."
Don smiled at this offer, "I'd rather you guard. Last thing I want is you crying to your daddy that you got hurt."
Starboy laughed again, shaking his head. "See the one making excuses?" He spread his arms wider, the crowd eagerly watching every movent. "As mbers of the Elite Hero Program, we're both allowed to use our powers, so this is nothing more than a friendly, public demonstration. Everyone here is a witness—if either of us gets hurt, it's only a natural consequence of being too weak."
Don's smile widened at hearing that. "That's all I needed to hear," he said softly. "Brace yourself."
With that, Don took a step forward, muttering under his breath, "BeastShift."
He began walking toward Starboy at a steady pace, his focus narrowing in. His body felt the unfamiliar surge of power as his hand started to store energy, building up the pressure that made his arm feel like it might explode.
The muscles in his arm tensed, and he could feel the weight of his punch growing with each step he took.
Starboy, who stood about 15 centiters taller than Don, looked down at him and smirked. "You'll regret not using a running start," he taunted.
But Don didn't flinch. "And you'll regret not guarding."
With that, Don launched his punch—aiming directly for a liver shot.
**BOOM!**
The mont Don's fist connected with Starboy's side, a sound like a cannon blast erupted across the campus.
The sheer force behind Don's punch unleashed energy equivalent to thousands of Newtons of force.
The shockwave from this radiated outward in a wide arc, rattling the windows of nearby buildings, sending a gust of wind that knocked over chairs, tables, and even so of the students standing too close.
Those nearest to the impact zone stumbled backward, many of them falling to the ground entirely, their phones slipping from their hands.
Starboy's body reacted violently. His confident smirk vanished the mont Don's punch connected, and his eyes widened in shock. His torso bent inward, the air forced from his lungs with a painful gasp.
**WHOOSH!** His body was sent flying backward, his feet leaving the ground as he soared through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed into the pavent several ters away, skidding across the ground and leaving a trail of cracked concrete in his wake.
The crowd collectively gasped, so covering their mouths in disbelief at the raw power they had just witnessed.
Starboy's durability, rated at Class B, was the only thing keeping his body from being completely shattered by the impact.
Even so, he could feel the internal damage, his organs rattled, and the muscles around his side throbbed in agony. He groaned, struggling to lift himself back onto his feet, his legs shaking beneath him.
anwhile, the area around Don was eerily quiet. The gust of wind that had been unleashed by the punch sent dust swirling around him, but he stood firm, his fist still clenched, his body calm and composed.
A few monts later, murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Did he just do that to Starboy?"
"No way… what kind of power is that?"
"That was insane."
Don casually relaxed his stance and glanced at Starboy, who was barely able to stand upright. He locked eyes with him and said in a calm, almost disinterested voice, "I told you you'll regret not guarding."
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