The three weeks had gone by fast, and now Lucas, Zay, Jack, and I were sitting in my room, studying our opponents for round two. Jack was sitting in my desk chair, Zay was on the ground, and Lucas and I were sitting on my bed, looking at my TV as we analyzed the two men we were going to fight.

"The guy on the left with red hair, his name is Richard Bleck. 5'11, 240lbs. He tried to debut as an MMA fighter but he wasn't good enough and was demoted before his second fight. It's his first time fighting at Mad Dog but he's been involved in street fighting for around 5 years, so he knows what's up. He relies mostly on strength, but he doesn't move fast and has a slow reaction time " Jack informed us as we watched the four men put up a rather amateur fight.

"He doesn't know how to utilize his left hand so he heavily relies on his right hooks and puts up a weak block. I think if this guy tried to kick one of y'all, he'd end up pulling something instead." Jack chuckled and shook his head. "He's not a threat for either of you so don't worry about him too much, just make sure you don't let him get a clean shot on your head or you'll be out cold"

"I couldn't find any information on the other guy, all I have is his name, Cory Hernandez. I don't think I need to tell you about his fighting style since you're watching it right now, but all he's got is speed. He's good at dodging and he strikes fast, but he's much weaker than Bleck, you'd have to completely stop fighting back if he were to win. It shouldn't be an issue for either of you." He closed his computer and turned to look at us.

"Hm, doesn't sound too bad, it'll be a nice warm-up for the tournament," Lucas cocked a smile.

I could see it in his eyes, he was itching to fight just as much as I was.

"Thanks, Jack," I told my friend as I stood up. "I don't think there's much left for us to talk about so we may as well head over a little early."

I grabbed my bag which had everything I needed, my fight clothes, water, and a mini first aid kit just in case, even though they had that stuff at Mad Dog including trained professionals on call, it was still good to have at least something.

Lucas also grabbed his bag and stood up, "Whose car are we taking?"

"I would drive, but then two of you would have to sit in the cargo bed.," Jack spoke up.

Lucas grimaced, thinking about the cold air and harsh winds on a freeway in the middle of the night, "Yea, no. That sounds kinda dangerous, I'll just drive us." he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and we all made our way into his car.

I was in the passenger seat next to Lucas and Jack and Zay were in the back seats.

Zay had the aux and the whole way there he played the most iconic songs that were all major throwbacks to our childhoods. The windows were rolled down and we were all signing at the top of our lungs, enjoying the high.

When we approached the Mad Dog parking lot Lucas rolled up the windows and parked in a spot near the back entrance marked "FIGHTERS ONLY."

We got out of the car and paused for a minute taking in our surroundings. We could all see the main lot in the distance and it looked completely packed. There were still cars circling around waiting for a spot to open up.

"The publicity Mad Dog is getting from being televised is insane," Zay whistled.

"It was always crowded, but never like this," I commented, looking at the countless cars parked up and down every street surrounding the club.

"Well see you guys after the fight," Lucas waved as we parted, Jack and Zay walked to the front entrance to buy tickets.

There was a large bodyguard standing by the door. He was wearing the typical bodyguard get up, a suit several sizes too tight for a man so round with sunglasses and an earpiece. He stood with his hands tightly liked behind his back with his chest puffed out.

He was bluffing his toughness, it almost made me laugh.

As we approached the door the man didn't even turn his heads our way. He touched his earpiece and held up a hand as a gesture to stop. He kept his hand up while he turned to open the door.

At first, I thought he was going to let us in but instead, six men came rushing out, two of which were laying unconscious on stretchers. Now that Mad Dog was legit these paramedics weren't just random men with some training, they were official EMS with uniforms. The paramedics rushed out the door with urgency, not even sparing us a glance, the bodyguard, or more accurately, the bouncer, closed the door behind them.

I turned to watch as the beaten up men were loaded into ambulances, "Shit, I wonder who was strong enough to do that. It's only the second round." I could help the smile that was growing on my face, the competition was going to be more fun than I thought.

The ambulance sped off into the distance and I returned my attention to the bouncer in front of us. "Are you not going to open the door?" I asked.

He answered in a deep, raspy voice. He sounded like a long time smoker, "Boys, why don't you run along. This door is for participants only." He looked Lucas and me up and down, "And by participants, I don't mean children."

I scoffed out loud and rolled my eyes. I looked to Luas and he took a step back, sticking a hand out with an expression that said, It's all you.

I licked my lips and smirked. I walked up to the bouncer, close enough so that when I looked at him I was looking down at the top of his head, towering over the man of average height.

I could sense the look in my eyes, I could feel the intensity of my glare, and I knew it was not something normal people would be able to challenge.

The fat man gulped as he looked up to meet my fierce gaze, "You must be new here, am I right?" From his view, I probably looked like a psychopath, but intimidating people that discriminated against others was a hobby of mine.

"Y-yes, I've been working here since the beginning of Doubles." He stuttered.

I clicked my tongue and took a step back, raising my eyebrow at the man, urging him to continue and embarrass himself some more.

He cleared his throat and straightened himself out, feigning confidence, "I've been here since the beginning of round one so I've seen all the players already. You kids aren't fighters so scram before I call security."

"So let me get this straight, you've worked here for what? Two, maybe three weeks now. And you've seen all the fighters?" I cracked my neck.

"If that's the case, call security," my arms were crossed and I threw one out, "go ahead." I smiled politely, my face softened but my glare was just as hard as before.

The guard clenched his jaw, tapping his ear peace and asking for additional guards to escort a couple of children out.

When he was done, the bouncer turned and looked at us, he moved so he was standing directly in front of the door, blocking us out.

I felt Lucas lean in toward my ear and whisper in a light laugh, "Kai, your true colors are showing."

I turned to look at him and a smirk covered my face, "You haven't seen half of my true colors yet." I wriggled my eyebrows as I whispered into his ear.

Lucas pulled away from me with a satisfied smile on his face, he liked me like this, "Oh, I know."

Suddenly the guard moved away from the door and an angry-looking man in a suit tumbled out of the door.

"Where are the little pieces of shi-" the man stopped mid-sentence as he stared at me wide-eyed.

I recognized him, he was one of the regular security guards here, Dan Reynolds. I've seen him almost every time I've had a fight since I was 14.

The bouncer who had blocked our way spoke up, "These are the two who wouldn't go away. Kids these days can't take a hint. You should have left while I was being nice. Now, Reynolds, would you please escort these two children out." he crossed his arms as if he had won.

I could help myself, I burst into laughter, "You're an idiot aren't you?" I asked, wiping away my imaginary tears.

The man looked puzzled.

"You're a fucking idiot!" Reynolds bellowed at the other guard.

"W-what?" He sputtered.

"Ya dumbass! Do you want to get fired? Ya haven't even been here a month and you're already making mistakes this big?" Reynolds huffed as he put his hands on his hip, shaking his finger at the oblivious guard.

"If you're going to work at a fight club like this ya should have done some research on the fighters, especially if you're going to make accusations as big as this!"

"Seriously for fucks sake!" Reynolds turned to point toward me, "All it takes is one fucking google search of Mad Dog and he is the first thing that pops up you dimwit!"

I heard Lucas snickering behind me, "I like this guy, he's hella funny."

The bouncer was stunned, completely lost. I'm sure he had no clue what was going on.

I stuck out my hand, "Hey Dan, it's been a while. How are you doing?"

He shook my hand, "Not too bad, not too bad."

The bouncer looked back and forth between me and Reynolds so fast I thought his neck was going to snap.

"This kid here is Furiae." I saw the gears spinning in the bouncer's head, pieces of the puzzle clicking in his brain one by one.

"And your kids?" I smiled at the guard as Lucas and I passed him, following Reynolds inside with the door shutting behind us, the bouncer's dumbfounded face disappearing behind it.

"They're great, my daughter's in 3rd grade now and my wife is pregnant, so I've got another baby on the way!"

"No way, that's great man!" Dan was a good guy, he was one of the few guards that didn't mock me or make jokes about my age when I first started fighting at Mad Dog.

We walked with him until we reached a fight room with me and Lucas' names on it. I guess now that Mad Dog was official they weren't going to bother with fight names... but it didn't matter anymore since I had put my name in my social media account so people knew anyway.

Dan opened the door for us, "Here ya are. If ya need anything ya already have my number so feel free to call. It was nice talking to ya, Kai. And nice meeting ya Lucas." He waved as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, that was interesting." Lucas laughed as he pulled his shirt off, grabbing the clothes in his bag.

"Damn I love messing with the new guys." I chucked, also going to grab my clothes.

"And here I thought I was the twisted one." Lucas threw on a tight, navy blue tank top that looked as if it was made for his body. Like it was part of his skin. He then put on a pair of black shorts and changed his shoes to something better to exercise in and socks that went up to his calves.

I dressed similarly except I wore a black long sleeve compression shirt.

I put my arm through the sleeves but before I put it over my head I felt Lucas' arms wrapped around my bare waist. He rested his chin in my shoulder and swayed back and forth a bit.

I chuckled and turned around, Lucas released his grip and I put my shirt on, then embracing him in a hug.

"Are you nervous?" I asked as I looked into his eyes.

"I don't think nervous is the exact word I would use, but I guess a little bit, yeah."

"It is your first fight here after all." I smiled at him, brushing his wavy hair out of his eyes. "But don't worry, you know how to fight, you're not just good, you're a great fighter. And you'll have me there right next to you. There's nothing to worry about."

"No, I know. I'm nervous, but I think I'm more excited than nervous. I haven't fought in any official matches since I was in junior high." He tightened his grip around my waist and leaned in.

"Can I get a good luck kiss before the match starts?" He asked.

I laughed, "In your dreams."

"Aww come on, Kai, just one?"

I rolled my eyes and leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making a loud smooching noise.

With a big smile on my face, I asked, "Are you happy now?"

He looked like a puppy, he had a grin on his face and an adorable eye smile, "Yes, yes I am."

There was a knock on the door and Lucas and I released each other. I moved to open the door and Reynolds stood in the entrance, "It's time."

Behind him was a large camera and a man's face hidden behind it. Next to the cameraman was another guy with a boom mic, both had giant headphones covering their ears.

We followed him through the dimly lit hallway all the way, the small camera crew walking right beside us, filming Lucas and me until we reached the entrance to the pit. It was the exact same as it had been several months ago. The concrete ring was sunken into the ground with the viewers up above. As we walked into the ring, I could feel the lights hit my eyes and I had to squint to adjust.

Once I was no longer blinded by the lights I took in the people in the stands. There were always a couple of thousand watching, but this was more than just thousands of people. Now it wasn't just the first floor completely packed, but also a second floor with a balcony just as large as the first floor completely full.

Sounds of cheering and shouting filled my ears. They were loud tonight.

I looked around taking in some people's faces. A majority of the crowd was middle-aged men, but there was an unusual amount of women and younger onlookers tonight when compared to the normal crowd.

The people that watched fights at Mad Dog were usually scruffy and rigid people, but tonight there was diversity in age and gender.

On top of the overwhelmingly large crowd, there were camera stations littered all around, some had front row seats and others were filming from above the nose bleeds.

"Now I know most of the crowd has been here all day. You're all tired from work, school, and some people even drove from out of state to watch, but here they are folks! The most awaited match of round 2!!" The announcer, who is also the referee, boomed into his microphone, walking around in the middle of the pit.

"On our right, we have two newbies who secured their spot in round two after a neck and neck fight in round 1, the man with an impactful punch, Richard Bleck, and the fighter with quick feet, Corrryy Hernandeezzzz!!!"

The cheering wasn't quite as loud as before, but it was obvious they had gained some fans from their performance in their first match last week.

"And on our left... It's the match we've all been waiting for, the most anticipated duo in all of Mad Dog!! He may be young, but he's made a name for himself in the world of boxing, winning numerous tournaments and championships in..." He looked down at the cards in his hand, "middle school?" He questioned, much less enthusiastic.

He awkwardly laughed, "Haha, well I did say he was young."

Lucas turned around in embarrassment, wiping a hand down his face, "Did he really have to say that? People are gonna think I'm some little kid who got lost." he pouted.

I turned toward Lucas, "Don't worry about it. Even if people are laughing now, they won't be able to laugh after you beat the shit out of the other team," I smirked, encouraging Lucas.

"Yeah, you're right," he cracked his knuckles, "I'll just show them just how good I am at fighting."

"And on his team is the man of the hour! A guy who has been fighting at Mad Dog since he was just 14 years old! To some, he's a nameless punk,"

Punk? Did he just call me a punk? The fuck is up with this announcer...

"But to others, to the people of Mad Dog, he is... Furiae!!! The champion of Triple O! The proven, best fighter in California, top dog, Kaaii!!!"

The cheers rang out, much louder than the other team. The crowd was angsty, roaring in anticipation.

I looked over to our competition, and boy did they look pissed. It's not surprising though, based on the difference of our fan bases, I would be jealous of me too.

But their glares didn't phase me. Lucas and I studied their fight, for us, winning against them will be easier than waking up early for school.

"Are both teams ready?" The announcer asked from the middle.

Lucas and I moved toward him, getting into a fighting stance as Bleck and Hernandez did the same.

"3... 2...1.. START!" The announcer ran out of the way and clung to the side of the wall.

Neither of us made the first move, waiting for the other team.

It started with Bleck who made a long lunge toward Lucas, leaving his inside exposed. Lucas took the opportunity and quickly ducked down, evading the heavy punch and landing a hard jab on the redheads' chest. He stumbled, losing his breath due to the placement of the punch.

Simultaneously Hernandez threw a quick punch toward my face, he had speed but the punch was weak and didn't even hurt when I blocked it with my forearms.

He may have been fast, but I was faster. I launched a right hook into his face, hitting his left cheekbone. There was a slight cracking noise and I wouldn't be surprised if I had broken something. Immediately after, I used a left uppercut into his jaw. Another disturbing crack rang throughout the pit.

Hernandez swayed a bit, holding his face in his hands until he tripped and fell backward against the wall. He wasn't unconscious but he wasn't all there. Slumped against the wall, the supposedly quick man clenched and unclenched his fist, unsure of how to deal with the pain.

Right when he had fallen down, I looked to my left just in time to see Lucas' foot collide with Bleck's face. I saw it go down in slow motion, the fat on Bleck's cheeks rippled around Lucas' leg as the rest of his face giggled from the impact.

He fell onto the ground with a heavy thud, knocked out.

I walked over to Lucas as the stadium sat in complete silence, stunned by the speed of the match.

"That went a lot faster than I thought." Lucas looked at Hernandez's broken face.

"I was hoping it was going to be harder. This is no fun." I pouted.

The announcer finally woke up from his daze and ran into the middle of the pit, grabbing both of our hands in his right and holding them up. He brought the mic up to his mouth with his left hand, "It looks like we have our winners, Lucas and Kai!! In just less than four minutes they managed to completely DEMOLISH their opponents!" He let go of our hands and turned to face the other side of the crowd. "This has been the quickest match of Doubles so far! If there is one pair to keep your eye on it is this duo right here!!

I saw Reynolds in the corner and he gestured for us to follow him out of the rings and back to our fight room. Both Lucas and I gave small waved to the crowd as we made our exit, the announcer's voice fading into the background

"That was quite a good fight, you've improved so much since you first started," he said to me.

"Well, it has been nearly four years now."

"And you too, Lucas. I was impressed." Dan spoke

Lucas rubbed the back of his head shyly, "Thanks."

We approached our room and parted ways with Dan. The first thing we both did was grab our water. It's not that we were tired from the fight but more so that we were both hot because of the environment and humidity in the pit.