"Because Colin managed to beat Mico and take his spot."
Vernon's eyes widened, shocked to learn that Mico and Colin had been in conflict. But Mico should hate Colin, so why did they seem so close?
"At first, Mico really hated Colin because he lost his income, but Colin asked me not to kick Mico out and made him the Rank F coach," Robinson explained, as if he could read Vernon's mind.
Robinson added, "He even gave up part of his salary to pay Mico. After that, they became friends. Touching, right?" He chuckled softly.
'Touching?' Vernon scoffed. 'That rule just breeds more hatred, idiot!'
"So, are you interested?" Robinson looked at Vernon hopefully.
"Not at all."
Robinson sighed in disappointment, but his smile didn't fade. "That's a shame."
"Sorry. I need to get back to training." Vernon quickly went inside before Robinson could pressure him into obeying. That sneaky guy never gave up until he got what he wanted.
"Aren't you the one who promised my mom you'd send her money to support Kelvin?"
Vernon froze when he heard that.
Robinson smirked as Vernon tensed up. "But you didn't do it, so I've been the one supporting that cute kid."
'What's that bastard trying to say?' Vernon cursed to himself. He must have wanted something by bringing up his "good deed."
"Don't you want to repay the man who's been helping you and raising you?"
'Ck! How does he even know about that?' Vernon cursed again.
"You wanted an answer to your earlier question, right?" Robinson said, slipping his hands into his pants pockets. "My answer is because you were my son's best friend."
"I'm not your son's friend anymore, so stop doing favors for me." Vernon glared at Robinson but held back his anger.
"Don't worry," Vernon added coldly. "I'll take care of that kid so he won't be your problem anymore."
"I can give you money if—"
"No need!" Vernon interrupted. "I don't need anyone's help."
Robinson felt the strong hatred in Vernon's eyes, leaving him stunned for a moment.
Vernon quickly walked away before Robinson could finish his sentence.
Instead of being offended, Robinson chuckled to himself.
"He's just like you."
---
'How am I supposed to get money?' Vernon ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He didn't want to accept any help from the Watson family, full of tricks and cruelty.
But if Kelvin stayed in Robinson's care, Robinson would have a strong reason to keep controlling him.
"What's up, dude?" Suddenly, Colin appeared in front of Vernon, snapping him out of his thoughts.
The blond man frowned while wiping the sweat off his chin with a small towel. "Why do you look so down?"
"I'm okay." Vernon denied it, turning away to hide his frustrated face.
"I'm not dumb, dude." Colin chuckled and sat down beside Vernon. "If you've got a problem, just tell me, and I'll help you."
Vernon didn't respond, hesitant to open up about his troubles. Even though Colin had changed for the better, it didn't erase the fact that he was Oliver's best friend.
"Aren't we friends?"
"I need a job." Vernon had no choice. At least Colin wasn't as sneaky as Robinson.
"A job?" Colin was a bit surprised. "I heard from our high school days that you didn't have a family, just like me. So, what for? You've been living comfortably at Vagon BootCamp. Robinson covers all your needs, so why do you need money?"
"I have a younger brother." Vernon lied. "So, I have to take care of him."
"A brother?" Colin looked shocked.
"Yeah. I've been separated from him for a long time." Vernon had to lie to hide Kelvin's identity. Revealing that Kelvin was a kid he saved would raise too many questions.
He feared that information would leak to Carlos.
"If you want to make a lot of money quickly, I've got the answer." Colin grinned slyly.
"What is it?" Vernon's face lit up when he heard that.
"Come with me." Colin stood up.
"Where to?"
"You'll see." Colin smiled mysteriously.
Curious, Vernon followed Colin to his parked motorcycle. They rode to a large, abandoned warehouse. Weeds grew everywhere, and the walls were covered in moss.
"Why are we here?"
"You'll find out soon."
Vernon followed Colin inside the warehouse. Two muscular men immediately stopped them.
"Do you have an access card?"
Colin showed a crescent moon tattoo on his shoulder.
The guard's expression instantly changed to respect. "Go ahead."
As they entered, the sound of punches, grunts, and cheers echoed through the room.
"What is this place?" Vernon was shocked by the brutal scene.
"This is an underground fight club."
"But why did you bring me here?"
"You want money, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then fight."
"What do you mean?"
"If you win, you'll get half of the betting money."
"No! I don't want to fight illegally again! The rules are crazy!"
"Whatever you say. But no legit job will give you that much money so quickly."
Vernon was speechless, torn. He needed to save his stamina for the Vagon tournament in four days and couldn't waste energy on a pointless fight.
Besides, he wasn't fully recovered from Oliver's attack.
"If you refuse, I don't have any other solution."
"Tsk!" But Vernon couldn't ignore Kelvin's safety. He didn't want Robinson using him or involving him in their conflict.
"Alright."
Colin smiled in satisfaction. He quickly grabbed a slip from the lottery box and opened it.
His eyes widened. "You're fighting Owen in the next match."
"Who's that?" Vernon asked, curious about Colin's shocked expression.
"Owen is a retired MMA fighter with an impressive record! He was a legend in his prime! No one has been able to defeat him until now!"
Vernon tensed up.
"He's skilled in Muay Thai and boxing, just like you."
'Shit! This fight will be dangerous if Owen is stronger than Oliver.'
"I hope you can beat him." Colin patted Vernon on the shoulder as he stood frozen.
Vernon doubted his Muay Thai skills, which were still weak. It had been hard enough to beat Oliver in the last fight. Plus, he didn't have any System cards or coins, making this fight even tougher.
"Why do you look scared? Don't worry. I'm sure you're better than Owen."
Vernon ignored Colin's praise. He was afraid because the risk was too high. If he lost and got seriously injured, he'd miss the Vagon tournament.
"The next fighters are Owen versus Vernon!"
Vernon's eyes widened when his name was called. "I haven't decided yet."
"Let's welcome our MMA King, Owen!"