Chapter 127: Punching Power

After winning the Polaris Ranger, the gang happily wandered through the booths, buying and snacking on treats. Mandy, brimming with energy, kept insisting Ace participate in more games, but he refused unless the reward was worth it.

Ace suddenly froze mid-step, his expression hardening as his gaze locked onto someone from his past—Ava Martin, the fiery redhead. She was dressed casually in jean shorts, a white T-shirt, and an unbuttoned red flannel shirt that swayed lightly in the breeze.

The sight of her still in town caught him off guard. It seemed she had successfully transferred into their school without any hiccup, despite his efforts to get her application rejected. Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised—her family was well-connected, and her cousin worked as a teacher there, likely smoothing the way.

To his astonishment, Ava completely ignored him. She strode confidently toward a booth featuring a “punching power machine.” The sign above the booth read: Punching Power Machine – Male: 750+ | Female: 400+ Ibf. Win a Large Plush Doll for a $5 Donation! (Best of three punches)

Ace’s jaw tightened as he watched her approach the machine. She stood in front of it, inspecting the setup, her focus unwavering.

Mandy’s eyes lit up as she spotted one of the oversized, cuddly plush cats displayed at the booth. Tugging at Ace’s sleeve, she demanded, “Ace, you have to win that plush for me! Please don’t say no.” Her tone was pleading, her gaze fixed on the prize with childlike excitement.

Ace sighed, glancing from the booth to Ava, hoping to avoid an interaction. “Why don’t you give it a try? They have a lower power limit for girls,” he said, pointing to the sign with a faint smile, hoping his suggestion would deter her from pestering him.

“Fine,” Mandy said, shooting Ace a hard stare before grabbing Lola’s arm and dragging her toward the booth. “Let’s show him we can win a prize on our own and get someone off his high horse.”

If it had just been the two of them, Mandy would have insisted differently, saying, “Dear nephew, men shouldn’t say no to beautiful women,” and flirted with him until he caved. But since they weren’t alone, she decided instead to prove her point with girl power, especially given the clear disparity between the genders on the stall’s banner.

Ace shook his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, and followed the gang as they approached the stall. They arrived just in time to see Ava land her final punch, registering a barely passing score of 402 Ibf.

She turned to pick her prize from the pile of plush dolls while Mandy clasped her hands in silent prayer, hoping Ava wouldn’t take the one she had her eye on.

Before making her selection, Ava turned to the boothkeeper, holding out a five dollar bill. “If I manage to break the men’s limit too, will you let me take another plush doll?” she asked, her tone casual yet confident.

The boothkeeper, recalling her unimpressive punch force of 402 Ibf, chuckled inwardly and nodded, accepting the bill. After all, booth rules stated that once someone won, they couldn’t try again to ensure others in line had a fair chance.

Ava’s eyes narrowed, her demeanor shifting entirely. She stepped back, adjusted her stance, and delivered a sharp, calculated punch squarely into the machine’s padded target. The meter beeped loudly before flashing 999 Ibf!—the maximum force it could register.

The crowd gasped in unison, including the Mandy, Lola, and Danny. Especially, the boothkeeper. All eyes darted between Ava’s small, seemingly delicate fist and the impossible score. It finally dawned on the boothkeeper he was bamboozled

by the gingerhead las.

Mandy, snapping out of her shock, noticed Ava’s hand reaching for the plush she desperately wanted. Acting quickly, she stepped forward, blurting, “Hi! Can you please take another plush? I really wanted that one. If not, I’m willing to pay for it.”

Ava smirked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she turned to glance at Ace. Then, shifting her attention back to Mandy, she grinned and said, “If you or your friends manage to break my record, then I’ll think about it.”

“Nephew, please!” Mandy turned sharply to Ace, her eyes wide and pleading as she pulled off the cutest sad puppy dog face she could muster.

Ace sighed and shook his head before stepping toward the punching power machine. Passing a five dollar bill to the boothkeeper, he took his position. Carefully correcting his posture, he clenched his fist, rolling his shoulders back as he prepared to punch. He focused on controlling his power to ensure he didn’t accidentally break the machine—after all, with his current physical stats, he has power far beyond what most humans could summon.

The machine beeped loudly as the display once again flashed 999 Ibf, unable to register a four-digit number. The crowd gasped in amazement, breaking into applause and murmurs of astonishment.

Mandy cheered, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Without hesitation, she reached for one of the plush dolls Ava was holding tightly and said, “My nephew broke your record. Now, can I take this plush?” Her tone was sweet but firm.

“Hold it,” Ava said, her voice calm but laced with mischief. She held the plush tighter, her lips curling into a smug grin. “He didn’t break my record. At best, he hit above 1,000 Ibf, but blame the machine, not me.” With that, Ava turned on her heel, clutching both plush dolls and grinning with satisfaction as she began to walk away.

Mandy wasn’t about to let her go. “Fine, then let’s settle this with an arm-wrestling match!” she declared, stepping forward with determination. “That’ll make it clear if he’s stronger than you or not.”

Ava stopped and turned back, her eyebrow arched in playful defiance. “Why should I?” she replied, her grin teasing as she glanced at Ace. Her eyes sparkled with amusement when she caught him sneering at her.

Before the tension could escalate into a full-blown argument, Mandy raised her voice, cutting through the brewing hostility. “One hundred dollars! If you win, I’ll give you $100. But if you lose to my nephew, you give me that plush. Deal?”

Ava’s gaze locked on Ace, her grin widening as her competitive streak flared. “I’m game,” she said, her voice steady and confident.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep