“Enjoying the view, Mr. Ivanov?” A voice of a man spoke in a low tune of amusement.

“Ah, Headmaster Gabe. You also come to watch?” The bald and muscular man, wrapped in a tight office suit, turned his head into the source of the speech.

“Obviously, I’m interested in our future prospects.” He walked next to Mr. Ivanov, holding onto the glass railings. Headmaster Gabe was wearing his usual military decorated jacket. They were both standing on a second story platform for spectators of the gym.

“Is that so? Aren’t you simply coming to check up on our PR recruit?” Mr. Ivanov chuckled.

“Yes, that too. But honestly, I’m expecting a good entertainment between my boring schedule.”

“True,” Both of the old men laughed.

“Ah look, the boy Armen glanced in our direction. Should I wave?” Mr. Ivanov noticed the kid was looking and was about to raise his hand. Headmaster Gabe shook his head. “Nah, Mr. Ivanov. You’ll only add more pressure to his burden.” He paused and grinned. “Look, he’s so nervous, he is walking like an old man with polio.”

“Ah damn, boy. Don’t embarrass us now.” Mr. Ivanov groaned to himself as he rubbed his bald head, concerned.

The two young fighters then walked into a square line projected on the floor. The floor was made of a modular screen panel. It displayed the lines, name of the fighters, the score and the time limit. The screen was made sturdy against most impacts.

“By the way Mr. Ivanov. Who do you think will win? Shall we place our bets?” A sudden offer came from Headmaster Gabe.

“A bet, huh?” He hummed, thinking about the prospects. “Last time, I was betting on a houndfight.”

“And? Did you win?” Headmaster Gabe asked rhetorically.

“Nope, I lost. Big time. Since then, I would never place a bet without knowing more information about the competitor.”

Headmaster Gabe grinned and pulled up his tabs from his pocket. “About that, I got you covered.” He tapped his tabs a few times, entering a password, then a list of names displayed. He then picked two names and dragged it towards the right. “Check your tabs, Mr. Ivanov.”

The bald man picked up his tabs from his jacket and tapped the notification. “Wow, is it okay to share this information with me?”

“It’s fine. They probably shared those physical test results into the net already.”

Mr. Ivanov smiled. “Alright then, this should help to make my decision.” He then put the two results side by side to make a good comparison. He stroked his chin to help him think. “As much as I would cheer on our hero Armen, my bet goes to his opponent. Rocco is an obvious win.”

Headmaster Gabe gave his smirk. “Really? That leaves me with Armen to bet with, then.”

“So what? Chickening out?” Taunt Mr. Ivanov.

Headmaster Gabe frowned, “It’s fine, I’ll bet on him.”

“Come on, I was joking. There’s no way Rocco would lose.” Mr. Ivanov raised an eyebrow, worried he made the headmaster upset.

Headmaster Gabe glanced, poker faced. “What makes you so sure about that?”

Mr. Ivanov seemed relaxed a bit. “Look at the stats. I could imagine how the fight would be.” He pointed at the strength stats on the screen.

“Please, elaborate.”

“Rocco would definitely dominate. He overpowered Armen almost twice as strong.” Explained Mr. Ivanov.

Headmaster Gabe nodded.

“And in a battle of attrition, Armen would definitely lose. The big boy could last a lot longer than him--”

“Meaning, Armen's only option is to push hard from the beginning. He could only hope to beat Rocco before he ran out of gas.” Added Headmaster Gabe.

“Exactly.”

Mr Ivanov then pointed at the unique mutation stats on Rocco's data. “Also, this.”

“Hmm. I knew this unique mutation.” Headmaster Gabe closed his eyes, recalling a scene in the past. “Roger Grayfield, his father was a colleague of mine. I saw him in action a few times in the past.”

“I see, Rocco definitely has an advantage with his unique mutation. Meanwhile, Armen’s mutation is…” Mr. Ivanov loss for words.

“Yeah, I’ve been informed of his situation.” Headmaster Gabe completed the sentence. “His ability is useless within these sparring rules. while Rocco has a major advantage with his physical based mutation.”

“Agreed.” Mr. Ivanov nodded and placed his attention back into the match.

From a distance, they could see Mr. Hector was acting as the referee. He just finished explaining the rules to the combatants. Mr. Ivanov noticed that immediately. “So? We’re doing this or not? It’s fine if you don’t want to.”

“Of course, let’s do it. I was the one who offered you the bet in the first place.” Headmaster Gabe nodded in confidence. “Ah look, they are about to start.”

“No pulling out, alright!” Mr. Ivanov chuckled, thinking of the obvious victory. “By the way, what are we betting on? A 100 Koin?”

Headmaster Gabe shook his head with a chuckle. “No, Mr. Ivanov. Money is boring. Too boring…”

***

I stared at my knuckles wrapped by a yellow bandage while the dude with the crew-cut hair explained the rules. Another dude, just as big, was standing a few strides in front of me, also wearing the wraps. His dark brown skin, clad in muscles, reflecting the lights from above. That’s my opponent, Rocco Grayfield.

I couldn’t imagine how I was supposed to beat this giant teenager. It was almost ridiculous to believe that such a guy was around my age. That meant he would grow even larger in the next few years. My confidence was slowly being chipped away by my imaginations. Thankfully, I was awakened by a sudden hand movement from my side. Mr. Hector was trying to get my attention.

“Hey, you listening?” He asked, frowning.

“Y-Yeah.” I replied, a bit stuttered. Mr. Hector shook his head.

“Damn it, boy. Listen properly! I’m going to explain it briefly one more time.” He pointed a finger upward.

“One round. The match lasted for 3 minutes. First 5 point win. A clean hit to the body or to the head count as 1 point. No hitting the eye and the groin or one point will be awarded to your opponent.”

I realized one weird thing about the rule.

“Wait, we are allowed to hit the head but not the eye?”

Mr. Hector frowned even further, a vein popped on his neck.

“You really didn’t listen, did you? Rocco already asked that!” He sighed and explained, anyway. “Yeah, you hear the rules just right. This is to test your tactics and skill. You might even use this to your advantage.”

I raised one eyebrow in confusion, but then I saw Rocco smirking. “I see. Got it.” It was a loophole on purpose. I guessed that you could intentionally get yourself hit in the eye to steal one point from your opponent. But that will risk getting rid of your vision in the fight. Not to mention it would be painful to get hit in the first place.

“Right, then. Also, only minor body enhancements are allowed. The headgear is equipped with a scanner. It could show us your biometric stats, including how much muscle strength you forced out of your body. If you use higher than 15%, one point will be awarded to your opponent.”

Rocco and I nodded.

“Alright then, I guess you're all ready?” He placed his hands forward. “Oh yeah, I don’t think I should explain it again. But no moving shit with your mind, alright? Not that there’s anything to move around, anyway.” He laughed, the rest of the students cringed.

“Uhm. Ready?” Our stats appeared holographically a few meters on top of us. Just like how Mr. Hector told us before, our biometrics showed on the display. That kind of distracted me a little.

“Fight!” Mr Hector chopped the air. I lost sight of my opponent for a split second.

Rocco was rushing into me. Some sparks of electricity trailed from his muscles. He was using the body enhancement on the get go, and I realized it too late. The big dark body was a stride away, mounting a right swing into my left. Crap!

My footing was off, and an attempt to dodge would make my stance even more awkward. Blocking was my best chance. I clenched my arm and prepared for an impact. In the last second, my survival instinct kicked, I instinctively added enhancement on my left arm muscles. A hit. My ears picked up a sound of meat smacked with bone, banging loud. It wasn’t a 15-year-old boy's punch. It felt like being rammed by a wooden log. My body went flying a foot high in the air and pushed back a few steps. I glanced above and saw the numbers. Rocco was using 14% enhancement while I used 12%. Not good. He even got better body enhancement control than me.

A knee followed his step towards my broken stance. If it landed on my face, then it would be my death sentence. Blocking would also be impossible, the weight behind it was too immense. I forced my body to side step using the remaining momentum from the first strike. His knee was scraping off my arm. The friction felt like rock tearing my skin away. I backed a few steps and gained some distance.

“What’s wrong, hero?” Rocco threw a stupid provocation for me to bite. But I ignored that. The stats were obvious. Even without that taunt, I knew what I had to do. I should strike and beat him while I have the energy to fight.

I started to give a one two to test the water. He easily blocked them with his massive hands. Instead of leaving some damage, my hands felt like hitting a tree. But the rules were clear, I didn’t have to win by KO. Just by accumulating points would be enough. A fast strike to the body could earn me some points. As I would proceed with a left swing, he grinned and took a step forward. He parried my punch and counter with his own left. I swung my head to dodge, but a clear bash was heard. It hit my right cheek. I thought it was a quick and light tap, but a moment later it felt like a wooden bat struck my face in a split microsecond. I staggered and stepped back.

“A hit to the head. One point for Rocco!” Announced Mr. Hector. The rest of the students cried in the hype.

Mr. Hector got between the two of us fighters and set his hand forward. “You’re good?” He asked me.

“I’m good.” I lied. The impact was shaking my brain a little. Tremors stayed. But with a few seconds of rest, I hoped that it would go away.

Mr. Hector nodded to give me his consent.

“Ready? fight!”

As soon as his hand was lifted in the air. I quick-stepped forward, giving my opponent a right kick. Rocco blocked it and stepped forward with a jab ready. I guarded at the right moment, but the damage was real. A single jab struck hard and pushed me back. My opponent followed in pursuit. I bounced my body back to avoid his right swing. I launched my counter into his face, but he dodged. He took one step back, scheming something.

I noticed his stance, he was going to give me a kick. A sharp swing fast from his left. But my hand redirected it and pushed it to the side. He spun, leaving his back opened. I stepped forward to get a jab in. But an elbow was coming, following his inertia. My head rocked fast to dodge. The edge of his elbow grazed my helmet. I took a step back and glanced to the referee while the audience cried in awe. Mr. Hector noticed me and shook. Phew! It wasn’t a count. This is going to be tough.

***

I was surprised. He took a blow from me, blocked it and stayed upright. No other people my age could stand up after that. He was among the few. Even after a hit in the face, he was still holding on just fine. Maybe that one wasn’t as clean as I thought, since I couldn’t feel much weight on the impact. This was a pathetic show. As the eldest son of the Grayfield family, I have to be above others. By a mountain high.

I gotta beat this kid down, and I gotta make it damn spectacular. I, Rocco Grayfield, will beat this fraud, Armen G. Dalton!

The red-haired boy threw another kick from his right to my left body. Easily blocked and felt like a twig. He probably didn’t aim for damage. He was focusing on getting the points instead. That’s why there was no weight behind it, and he pulled the kick fast. Too fast for me to grab or counter. How disappointing, you think this is just a game?

This Armen kid was quick, he recovered fast. He already came with a few jabs. If it wasn’t because of the rules, I would take it and trade a hit. I would definitely win a battle of attrition. But not this time, It’s a battle of stupid scoring. So, I had to block them. The kid was way too fast. He recovered, stepping back after he landed the hit. I had better reach with my height. That made me question his decision to be out of his range.

That didn’t matter, I threw a right swing. He dodged, as expected. He ducked and just at the right spot where I wanted him to be. A knee followed my attack. His stance was too awkward for a sidestep. A hit with a loud pounding noise, followed by a roaring cheer from the spectators. He backed a few steps, maintaining a safe distance. I glanced to Mr. Hector, but he stayed silent. What? It didn't count?

He probably blocked it at the last moment. One thing for sure, I noticed his shaking legs. Then, from his nose, a small ribbon of blood fell. It seemed that my knee left a good damage on him.

The kid quickly dashed off the blood from his face, leaving a mark on his wrappings. And then he grinned like an idiot. I knew that deep inside, he was probably laughing at his chance of winning. True enough, I waited for a few seconds and he just stood in his place. It was my turn to attack.

I accumulated my body enhancements on my leg to help me dash forward. I stepped fast. A moment later, he’s already within my reach. A straight was coming from me, the kid didn’t move. He raised a hand and stepped forward. My fist was sliding through his forearm, I missed. He was looking into my eyes. I expected a counter so I raised a guard, only to be hit right in my left stomach. Heh, a light tap?

Nope. It was a solid steel weighed strike. Some sparks were coming out of his arm. A shocking development. Even my abs couldn’t contain the whole damage. Thankfully, adrenaline blocked some of the pain. I quickly land a front kick to his body, pushing him back to prevent any following strike. It couldn’t be sure if it was a clean hit. He dashed back while covering his body.

“A hit to the body. One point for Armen!”

The spectator went wild.

Damn!

“Another hit by Rocco to the body. One point for Rocco!”

The students cheered even more.

So, that was a hit? I couldn’t feel much impact from my kick. It was more like pushing than kicking. Still, that meant the score stood at 2 v 1 in my favor. I was planning on getting a perfect victory, but it seemed that this Armen kid wasn’t that bad. Not bad for a fraud. Well, there was no time to admire my opponent, it was my time to strike back. So I took a few steps forward, but my leg suddenly felt weak. The damage from his hit earlier was real that I groaned.

“Oh? Did it hurt?” Armen gave a smirk between his guarding hands.

I took my words back. He wasn’t a simple fraud, he was a good quality fraud. But he was still a piece of trash, who stole a score from me. “Unbelievable, unforgivable.”

I won’t let you stain the Grayfield name!

***

The big dude is freaking serious now.

Rocco was getting more aggressive than before. He kept throwing punches without letting me get a breather or counter.

Ah, another heavy knee’s coming!

Rocco leapt and struck me with his knee. He was consistently committed to that combo for the last ten to twenty seconds. The only safe move against that was to back out or side step. But my leg was gradually losing steam. So, I blocked, then using the momentum, I would back out. Nope, it was a feint. He extended his leg for a full kick. I was already out of his reach. I felt safe for a second until I felt my lungs were exhaling all of my breath. Eh?

I got pushed by the impact and fell on my back. For a second there, the world was spinning as the cheer deafened my ears.

“Hit to the body! One point for Rocco!” Shouted

What? What the bloody hell happened?

I was sure that I passed the harm's way. Did I miscalculate his reach? No, it was his leg. As if he got a right foot longer than I anticipated.

Yeah, that’s it!

Suddenly I remembered a few videos on his Instafame. It was about the mutations that run in the Grayfield blood. The basis of his mutation was something about higher bone density with a variation. Everyone in his father's side got some unique mutation to add into that base. In the video, he was punching and kicking. And his joints expanded like a spring.

“Are you okay? Can you continue?” Mr. Hector came to my side.

“I’ll count to 10. If you can’t get up, I’ll have you forfeit the match.” I just ignore that and use the countdown to regain my strength. I saw Rocco stood a few strides away, smirking in victory. I glanced at the screen to see the remaining time.

01.13

“One!” Mr. Hector started counting.

A question popped in my head. Why didn’t he use it from the beginning?

Did he think he could beat me even without that? How low did you think of me? Or was there another reason?

“Five!”

Shit, gotta start my leg!

The reason wasn’t important. I couldn’t afford to lose. I glanced towards the two bigshots on the second floor, staring with expectation. On the other side, within the other students, Erran was watching with both eyes glued onto the match. If I really had to lose, I better give my best.

“Nine!”

I used up all the time that I could effectively. The crowd then grew a few folds. Students from other classes were watching as well. In front of all those expectations, I stood up with my stance ready.

“How’s your nap?” Taunted Rocco.

“It was great, thank you for asking. You better use all of your cards if you really want to win!” I countered him with my own taunt.

“For you, hero. This should be enough!” He balled his fist, dashing forward and ready for a straight.

My leg was half of its former glory and felt like they sank in a swamp. There was no choice but to receive his fist with a block. I couldn’t win with the current range disadvantage. Rocco had an extra hand length of punch and a foot of kick. I needed to get closer to earn some points, but then he would use his knee. I was in a deadlock. I had less than a minute left to turn the tide

“Ugh”

Rocco stayed on his range and sent a barrage of punches and kicks.

Is there anything that I can do?

I realized that using a normal method wouldn’t bear any victory. So, I scanned everything that I could use to my advantage. The arena was flat and clean. Definitely no sand tricks this time.

I tried to remember all of those training with aunt Penny. So far, nothing came to mind. Then, I tried to remember all of those rules for some exploit. Still nothing came. Meanwhile, I could only defend without attacking at all. My stamina was drained. Blood was rushing, my breath was pumping. Our body was soaked in sweat. That was the only advantage I got. I used the slippery surface of my skin to let his punches slide through my parry instead of hitting directly.

Ah, that’s it!

A moment of eureka came into me when one brilliant idea appeared. I remembered that single lesson my aunt taught me during one of her harsh training. I had no choice but to resort into that.

‘It’s not cheating if you didn’t see it coming’.

I had 45 seconds left.