Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 120

Chapter 120: The bet Chapter 120: The bet The drive to the senior training facility was smooth, the hum of the Clexus blending with the distant chatter of the city below.

Noah sat back, glancing at Sophie every so often as she maneuvered the vehicle effortlessly.

The idea of training with her was… well, not exactly what he had in mind for today.

But he supposed there were worse ways to spend the afternoon.

When they arrived, the facility looked like any other high-end gym-except for the fact that some of the weights were insane.

Stacks of reinforced metal plates, punching bags lined with shock-absorbent materials, and machines designed to handle strength far beyond what a normal human could produce.

Everything in this place was built for people with abilities.

Sophie led the way inside, her presence alone enough to turn a few heads.

Not that she paid them any mind.

“There should be extra training uniforms in the lockers,” she said over her shoulder before heading off to change.

Noah found his way to the men’s locker room and rummaged through the neatly folded sets.

Most of them were the same skintight elastic material most people wore, but he managed to find a simple pair of shorts.

That would do.

When he stepped back out, he found Sophie already waiting.

And yes, elastic clothing was very flattering.

She stood near the sparring area, stretching her arms behind her head, then dipping forward to touch her toes.

The way the fabric hugged her form wasn’t lost on him.

At all.

They were supposed to be stretching, but his eyes refused to cooperate.

He admired every movement-every subtle shift of muscle beneath her suit, the way she rolled her shoulders with ease.

And she noticed.

Of course, she did.

Sophie straightened up with a knowing smirk, locking eyes with him.

“Since you obviously want to eat me up with your eyes…” She stepped closer, tilting her head.

“How about some motivation?” Noah raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?” She crossed her arms.

“Let’s play a little game.” Now she had his full attention.

“If you can get my back to touch the ground,” she said, stepping into the sparring ring, “then we can go to my apartment and you can…” She trailed off, but Noah didn’t need her to finish that sentence.

Yes.

He got the message loud and clear.

Noah’s eyes traced the form of Sophie’s suit as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, shaking out her arms, getting herself ready.

The deep navy-blue material clung to her like a second skin, accentuating every curve-the way it pressed tight against her chest, shifting slightly with each movement, the way it hugged her ass, flexing as she moved.

She was built like a dream wrapped in combat readiness.

And she knew he was watching.

Sophie smirked at him, stretching her arms overhead before lowering into a ready stance.

“So, just to clarify,” Noah said, tilting his head.

“I just have to get your back to touch the ground?” She nodded, the smirk never leaving her face.

“That’s all.” That seemed easy enough.

Except, he knew better.

Noah took a slow breath, rolling his shoulders.

At face value, this was a simple task.

But there were complications.

For one, he couldn’t go all out.

Not unless he wanted to risk injuring her, which wasn’t an option.

And secondly-Sophie was no pushover.

She was one of the best combatants in year three.

Everyone knew that.

He knew that.

He just had never seen it firsthand.

Mostly because she skipped a lot of classes, probably too busy playing the untouchable diva queen.

After all, Sophie Reign wasn’t just anyone.

She was the Sophie Reign-the hottest girl in school, the one every guy wanted, the one who could turn heads just by existing.

On the surface, it looked like that was all there was to her.

But the fact that she’d made it this far-into year three-meant she had earned her place.

Not even her father, the defense minister, could pull strings for her here.

The military Academy wasn’t that kind of place.

Humanity was at war with the Harbingers.

There was no room for favoritism.

Fast-tracking an unqualified soldier meant putting a liability on the battlefield.

And that?

That could get people killed.

That was why corruption was minimal in the academy.

Hell, even Adrian Albright-son of Commander Albright-was stuck in 1B instead of the elite 1A class.

If influence actually mattered here, he’d have been placed at the top by default.

So, if Sophie was here-if she was standing in front of him, stretching and smirking like she already knew she was going to win-then it meant she was dangerous.

And Noah?

Noah had to figure out a way to put her on her back without exposing himself.

Noah squared up, keeping his breathing steady, watching for Sophie’s first move.

She smiled at him-sweet, affectionate, almost innocent-but he wasn’t fooled.

That was the look of someone who already knew they were going to win.

Then she moved.

Fast.

Her first step forward was light, weightless.

There was no obvious tell, no shift in her shoulders, no winding up of a punch-just a blur of motion.

Noah instinctively raised his guard, expecting a strike to his ribs, but the hit never came.

Instead, she feinted low.

His body reacted a second too slow, and by the time he adjusted, her foot was already hooking behind his ankle.

Shit- Before he could recover, her weight shifted, and suddenly, the ground was no longer under his feet.

His back hit the mat with a solid thud, the breath forced from his lungs.

Sophie stood over him, one hand on her hip, the other offering him a hand up, a teasing grin on her face.

“Well,” she hummed, “I was supposed to let you do that to me, but I figured I’d return the favor first.” Noah groaned, rubbing his back as he sat up.

‘I didn’t even see that coming.’ He took her hand, letting her pull him up.

‘Okay.

Fine.

That was a warm-up,’ He hadn’t been ready.

Now he was.

They reset.

This time, he watched her closer, his stance wider, lower.

She’s quick, he noted.

Unpredictable.

She hadn’t committed to a real attack yet, just played with positioning and movement.

Now that he was prepared, she wouldn’t get him that easily again.

Or so he thought.

Sophie moved in, bouncing lightly on her toes.

Noah tracked her footwork, scanning for patterns.

Then she vanished.

A flicker of movement, a shift in weight-her whole body tilted slightly back, as if retreating-then she shot forward.

A feint again.

But Noah was ready this time.

Or so he thought.

The second he adjusted his guard, she twisted, seamlessly changing angles.

Her knee shot up-not to strike, but to fake another feint.

By the time he realized she wasn’t committing to it, her real attack came-a sudden pivot, her foot hooking behind his leg again, a perfect sweep.

He hit the mat again.

Harder this time.

‘What the fuck-?’ Sophie giggled, hands behind her back, rocking on her heels.

“You okay down there, sweetheart?” Noah clenched his jaw, staring up at the ceiling.

She’s playing with me.

And worse-it’s working.

The issue wasn’t just her technique.

It was her mind games.

She didn’t just move faster-she thought faster.

Every move she made was two steps ahead, like she was already predicting his reactions before he even decided on them.

They reset again.

Noah changed his approach this time.

Instead of trying to counter her movements, he’d get ahead of them.

She dashed in-Noah reacted faster this time, reaching for her arm.

If he could lock her in place, she wouldn’t be able to- His world flipped.

Before he even registered what had happened, his back slammed into the mat, pain jolting up his spine.

He groaned.

‘Again?!!’ Sophie knelt beside him, tapping his nose with her fingertip.

“You are trying, right?” Noah gritted his teeth.

‘She’s reading me like a goddamn book.’ No matter how he changed tactics, she was always ahead.

He tried to use brute force?

She slipped under him like water.

He tried to predict her next move?

She switched it up, shifting gears so fast his body couldn’t keep up.

She was just better at this.

And it wasn’t just experience.

Sophie belonged in close combat.

Her movements were instinctive, effortless, built for fighting up close.

Meanwhile, Noah-despite all his intelligence, despite everything he had in his bag of arsenal -was not.

He had never been a brawler.

His strengths lay in precision, in analyzing weaknesses, in striking only when necessary.

Grappling, wrestling, this-this was her domain.

And she knew it.

Sophie helped him up again, her hands soft, her touch warm.

“Want to go again?” she asked sweetly.

Noah exhaled sharply.

‘Like I have a choice,’ They reset once more.

This time, he went for a direct takedown.

It was his best bet-take her off her feet before she could mess with his balance again.

He lunged.

She twisted out of reach with a dancer’s grace, pivoting on one foot and ducking under his arm like he was the slow one.

By the time he even realized what happened, her leg hooked around his waist-then she jumped, using his momentum against him.

‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me-‘ The next thing he knew, he was in the air.

Then the ground met him-hard.

Flat on his back.

Again.

‘Again,’ He lay there for a moment, dazed, staring at the ceiling.

Then he felt her hands on his chest, lightly patting.

Sophie leaned down, her face hovering over his, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

“You okay, baby?” she cooed.

Noah groaned.

‘This is humiliating.’ He sat up, rubbing his sore shoulder.

“You are way too good at this.” Sophie tilted her head, feigning innocence.

“Really?

I thought you were just making it easy for me.” He shot her a look.

She just grinned.

Noah let out a slow breath.

He was competitive, sure, but even he had to admit-this was a losing battle.

He hadn’t just been beaten.

He had been utterly destroyed.

Every tactic, every attempt-she saw through all of it.

‘There’s no way I’m getting her on the ground.’ At least, not here.

Sophie clapped her hands together.

“Alright!

One more?” Noah exhaled sharply.

“Why not?” This time, he had one plan left.

One last shot.

If he couldn’t beat her in a fight, maybe he could beat her somewhere else.

A grin tugged at his lips.

He stood up, rolling his shoulders.

“Alright,” he said, locking eyes with her.

“But let’s make it interesting.” Sophie raised a brow, intrigued.

“Oh?” Noah smirked.

“How about a bet?” Her grin widened.

“Now you’re speaking my language.” He had no idea if this plan would work.

But if there was one thing he had learned today-it was that Sophie loved a challenge.

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