I held the dark man in a tight chokehold. He was struggling to move around as he was already battered up, but he still had strength left in his legs. He started pushing us backward and slammed me into the concrete wall of the pit.

We were of equal stature and he had put up a much harder fight than my last opponent. I hadn't taken any hard blows, but I knew I would have black and blue bruises littered across my arms from blocking his constant attacks.

He was using all of his strength to push me into the wall as our legs tussled below, both of us trying to trip the other and keep our balance at the same time.

I tightened my hold around his neck even more and he brought his hands up, grasping and tugging on my arms in a desperate attempt to loosen my grip.

I could feel the pressure from his fingers start to disappear as his legs slumped. He had passed out so I let go of him and the dark-skinned man fell to the floor.

Sweat was dripping down from the sides of my head and into my eyes. I licked my salty lips and tugged on the neck of my black long-sleeve shirt. This fight was too fast-paced for me to be wearing something covering this much skin. It was hot, but being hot and sweaty was better than seeing pictures of my scars all over social media.

My smooth black hair fell over my eyes and stuck to my forehead. I slicked my hair back with my hand, the sweat holding it in place.

I looked to my right and saw Lucas on the ground, our other opponent slamming his fists into Lucas' forearms as he shielded his face.

Lucas continuously attempted to flip them, kicking and kneeing the man on top but to no avail. I realized he wasn't going to be able to get out of it on his own as the guy, although shorter than Lucas, was the size of an amateur sumo wrestler. His heavy weight was trapping Lucas against the ground.

I ran the few steps over to where the two were wrestling on the floor. I gripped the back of our opponent's shirt with both of my hands and yanked with all of my strength, tossing him off of Lucas.

The second he was thrown back I spun and kicked the side of the large man's head. He fell to the ground as blood dripped from his hair and onto his face. He wasn't unconscious but his head was definitely ringing.

I grasped Lucas' hand tightly as I pulled him up.

He grunted as he found his balance, "Thanks."

"No problem," I slapped him on the back.

Lucas lifted his arms upward, inspecting the damage, "Damn, he was so fucking heavy, if he had stayed on top of me for too much longer I think he could've cracked one of my ribs."

We walked toward the middle of the pit, looking down at our beaten opponents, one lying unconscious and the other dripping blood, sitting after accepting his defeat.

The announcer scurried toward the center where we stood, grabbing our hands and raising them into the air.

"WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!!" He boomed into the microphone as the crowd erupted into cheers.

"It was one of the most intense fights we've seen so far during Doubles with both teams trying to overpower the other! But in the end, William and Elijah both succumbed to Mad Dog's most popular team!!" He set our hands down and turned to look at us.

"Lucas, Kai, you two have been considered a strong contender to win it all, now that you have made it through to the semi-finals... tell me, how do you feel?" He shoved the mic toward both of us so that it was hovering somewhere in the middle of both of our faces.

Lucas was still catching his breath from being squashed by Godzilla over there so I bent down slightly, moving my mouth toward the mic, "Uhm, y'know, we're both so grateful to be here and have this opportunity, we'll do our best to keep winning," I straightened my back and gave the announcer a tight-lipped smile and nodded.

He lowered his mic and spoke to us, "Okay, good job, guys. That was a good fight." He raised his arms and pointed toward the entrance of the put, "Once you exit the arena you're going to be met with a camera crew and they are going to interview you before you head back to your fight room."

"Thanks," Lucas mentioned as we started walking toward the opening.

We were met with three cameras, one large and two small. The big one focused on both of us while one of the smaller ones followed my face and the other Lucas'.

"Great fight, boys," one of the men told us. He had a headset on with a small mic hanging in front of his mouth. He had a clipboard in one hand and was flipping through the numerous pages with the other.

A man holding a boom mic was setting it up, trying to get it in the perfect place to hear Lucas and I while staying out of the frame.

The announcer continued to talk in the background, mentioning the four remaining teams and giving a short highlight reel of each team's fights.

"We go live once Jim finishes talking, so be ready," the man holding the clipboard rushed the words out of his mouth.

"Jim?" Lucas asked.

"The announcer," one of the cameramen answered, making the final adjustments to the focus of his lens.

I turned toward Lucas and quickly attempted to fix his messed up hair as the announcer, or Jim, explained the matchups for next week and when each fight would be taking place.

A man wearing a grey suit pushed passed the cameramen and began talking to the guy with a clipboard who I presumed to be the director.

He quickly introduced himself, reaching out his hand to shake ours, "Hi nice to meet you both. My name's Miguel and I'll be interviewing you two."

"Nice to meet you," I spoke to him as Lucas turned to me, fixing my hair as well, pushing several strands out of my eyes and brushing it back toward the sides of my head.

Once he was done we both attempted to wipe the sweat off of our faces. Someone who was part of the crew ran up to us and handed Lucas and me a Mad Dog water bottle.

We both quickly chugged the liquid and we made quiet conversation, waiting for Jim to finish talking to the audience.

"I hope to see you all next week, folks," We heard him say as the director lifted his hand in the air, beginning a five-second countdown with his fingers for everyone to see.

Four fingers, three fingers, "...the semi-finals are about to begin which means things are about to start getting messy!!"

Two fingers, one finger.

Lucas tossed his arm over my shoulder, it slid behind my neck and hung over my chest on the opposite side of my body.

Miguel gripped the microphone in his hand and stood next to Lucas, facing the main camera, "This is Miguel Ferreira, I am currently right outside the pit with this match's champions, Lucas Beck and Kai Yoon, aka Furiae. What I'm about to ask you I'm sure many of your fans are curious about as well/ What made you two decide to participate in Doubles? Kai, we already know you are an accomplished fighter, so what was your reason to return to the pit once again?" He asked, his face looking at us but his body facing the camera.

Lucas began to talk instead, helping me to avoid some of the personal questions, "I decided to participate solely because Kai asked me to. The reason's pretty simple." He kept his answer short and vague, perfect to not draw out more detailed questions.

"Many fans have noticed that you two are quite close," he started, glancing at the arm placed over my shoulder. "Kai, I've heard that you opened an Instagram account and your first post was an image of you and Lucas. Some people are quite curious as to how you two got so close and why you decided to fight together."

I spoke in a clear voice, "Well, Lucas and I met when we were freshmen in high school. We used to play-fight all the time and I thought he'd be a great person to partner up with for this competition." I was trying to be as professional as I could, once again leaving out personal details that others had no business knowing.

"There have been lots of rumors that you two were not on good terms until very recently, does this have anything to do with your collaboration at Mad Dog?"

What is he, a frickin gossip journalist? What kind of interview is this?

"Hahah," I faked my laugh as Lucas plastered an equally fake smile on his face. "Yeah, something like that..." Why do I have to answer these bullshit questions? We're here to fight, not talk about our lives.

Sensing he wasn't going to get anything juicy out of this interview and due to the director's harsh glare, Miguel switched up his questions to something more related to the topic at hand.

"Tell me a bit about how you two prepared for this fight? Your opponents had won both their matches in the first and second round, I'm sure they and many fans were expecting them to continue their streak..."

"Kai and I have been practicing in our free time and we make sure to study our opponents before each match," Lucas told him.

"Do you have a specific method you use to study your opponents, what is it that you do because it seems to be working quite well."

I spoke up, "We usually analyze their body type and fighting style, then we strategize who we will take on individually and the best approach to beat them in a fight."

"It looks like that has been very effective so far," he paused for a second. "One last question before you two head back to your fight room, "Do you think you'll be able to take the crown and win the championship?"

"I won Triple O... I think I can win Doubles as well. Especially with a partner like Lucas, I don't think there will be any issues becoming the champions." I boasted, giving him a show smile.

There was no reason to sugar coat things. It wasn't a matter of if I was able to win, I had to win. No matter what.

"That's a pretty confident mindset, very confident. It would be exceptionally impressive if you were to win Doubles right after winning first place in Triple O, I'm sure many people, including myself, are looking forward to your upcoming matches! Kai, Lucas, good luck to you."

Lucas and I both replied with a quick thank you right before the director yelled, "Cut!"

All the cameras lowered down and the man holding a boom mic backed up, lowering the long rod.

Lucas dropped his arm off of my shoulder and lowered it to my waist, I turned my eyes to him and glared giving him a pointed look, in public, really?

He shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence.

"Don't you think what you said was a bit much? What if some people get angry that you're looking down on them?" Lucas criticized me in a joking manner.

"Let them get angry. What are they gonna do about it, fight me? That's literally the whole point."

Lucas chuckled, "Got me there."

The crew was still blocking the path back to our fight room so we waited for them to move.

As all the cameramen dispersed, the director lingered behind and then did something very unexpected. He raised his clipboard and hit Miguel on the back several times.

Lucas and I both flinched, "Ow, ow, ow!" Miguel shouted, "Hey! What the hell was that for?"

The director clicked his tongue, "Tsk tsk tsk. You aren't working as a paparazzi for some celebrity tabloid! This is a fight club! Did you not see the two men that were wheeled out of the pit on gurneys? One was unconscious and the other was bleeding, from his head! Take this seriously!"

The director turned to us, Lucas mirroring my shocked expression, "I am so sorry about that interview. I gave Miguel a list of questions to follow, but he's new to the scene and doesn't seem to understand what kind of place this is."

He grabbed the back of Miguel's collar, dragging him away, "Sorry again, and good luck next week!" He shouted as he disappeared down the dimly lit hallway.

While we walked back to our room, Lucas left his hand on my side. I opened the door and we made our way inside.

"I want to take a shower so badly," I complained.

"Same, William was sweating all over me, it was disgusting," Lucas scrunched up his face as he moved his head to smell his arm.

We both changed back into our normal clothes in a rush to get home and scrub the sweat off of our bodies.

I slipped on a pair of tight black jeans. What? Even if skinny jeans aren't popular at the moment they still make my ass look nice. I pulled a regular black t-shirt over my head, the front of it had an image of one of my favorite Korean rock bands, Day6.

Lucas was wearing loose, washed out, ripped blue jeans, a white shirt, and his signature leather jacket.

His sweaty, disheveled hair and flushed face topped off with that leather jacket... Damnnn. I couldn't help but check him out, looking him up and down.

Lucas noticed my heated gaze and a smirk appeared on his face, "Like what you see?" He teased.

I let out a breathy answer, "Yes, very much," I licked my lips at the sight.

Lucas slowly approached and wrapped his arms around my neck, holding the back of my head with his large, rough hands, "Me too."

I stared into his glowing, piercing green eyes. He tilted his head to the side, slightly parting his lips.

I wasted no time and leaned in connecting our mouths together. His soft, plump lips sucked on my own. I placed my hands on the small of his back, pulling him closer.

I was the first to part my mouth, I forcefully pushed my lounge between his lips, invading his wet cavern.

My tongue roamed his mouth as I tasted every last bit of him. I pushed Lucas backward until we got to the table we kept out bags on. I quickly pushed them aside and hoisted Lucas onto the table, placing myself in between his parted legs, rejoining our mouths in a heated, passionate kiss.

I felt his tongue against mine and I took it between my teeth, lightly biting it, enticing a low moan out of him.

The second the noise escaped Lucas' throat there was a light knock at the door. I rolled my eyes, annoyed by the interruption, and detached my mouth from Lucas, stepping backward as I moved to go open the door.

Lucas stayed on the table, his face red and flustered.

I turned the handle, Dan was standing on the other side.

I was annoyed at the disturbance, but Dan was a chill guy so I decided it'd be best if I wasn't rude.

Dan looked at me with a smile and then his eyes drifted toward Lucas. He creased his brows, "Is he okay?" Reynolds turned his attention toward me and spoke worriedly, "His face is all red and he looks a little out of it. Should I bring a first aid kit? Or should I get a paramedic to take a look at him?"

I had to keep myself from laughing, I looked back at Lucas and he turned his gaze toward the ground, his ears turned red from embarrassment. "No, he's fine."

"Are ya sure?" Dan pestered.

"Yep," I smiled, giddy from Lucas' reaction to what I did.

"Oh right," I began, "Was there something you needed from us?" I asked, wondering why he stopped by and had to ruin my moment. It's not often I take the lead, and If I do say so myself, I think Lucas was enjoying it just as much as I was.

"Oh, yes. Mr. Song wanted to talk to you about something. He would like to meet ya at his office in Evenglade tonight..."

"Tonight? But Evenglade is an hour and a half away from here. We won't get there until after 1:00 am!" I, in no way, had the energy to have a meeting in the middle of the night.

I started my day off with my AP Bio midterm, which I may or may not have bombed. Then Lucas and I had our fight which was nowhere near as easy as I thought it was going to be. My mind and body are both spent.

But if it was Joon calling me to meet him then it was probably something related to my dad, which meant it was more important than rest.

"Yes, I know. I'm just relaying the message I received. I'm sure Mr. Song would understand if ya wanted to reschedule," he tried to reason.

I started chewing on the nail of my thumb, thinking over my options. I pivoted around, finding my resolve, "Hey Lucas," I called his name to get his attention. He hadn't been paying attention to my conversation at all.

He quickly raised his head, surprised by his own name, "Yeah?"

"Do you think you could drive me to Evenglade tonight to meet with Joon?" I wasn't sure if he would agree after what happened with his mom earlier this week. He was being extra careful trying not to upset her.

"I would... but I'm not sure if my mom will be okay with that," he told me.

A small snort left Reynolds' throat as he immediately moved his hand to cover his mouth. He cleared his throat, "Sorry, after watching ya both fight, I keep forgetting that cha two are still both just kids."

I rolled my eyes, "Just text her, she won't say no."

"How do you know that?" Lucas asked me.

"Was I the only one there when you two were arguing?" I scolded, "just text her that you're crashing at my place, it'll be fine."

I turned to look at Dan, "You can tell him I'll be there."

"Sure thing," he smiled as he exited the doorway, closing the door behind him.

Lucas grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, handing me mine as we made our way toward his car.

I sat in his passenger seat as Lucas began making the drive to Evenglade. He put on a playlist full of gentle and soothing songs. I pressed my forehead against the cool window. My eyes and body wanted to sleep, but my mind was spinning, thinking about all the things Joon could have to say.

After the long 90 minute drive, we were parked in the dark garage and making our way up toward Joon's creepy, black office.

It was the middle of the night so the building had few lights left on and it looked like the lobby's receptionist had already clocked out. We walked into the elevator and stood in silence, waiting to get to the 7th floor.

The eerie room was empty, just like before. We stood in front of the menacing double doors and I knocked loudly.

I heard a "Come in," from the other side.

I pushed open the doors and walked in, Lucas right next to me. Joon was seated at his desk, wearing a multi-piece suit as usual. We each sat on a cushioned chair, waiting for Joon to say something.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why I called you here so late," He intertwined his fingers, clasping his hands together while raising one of his eyebrows and looking at me. "I found him."

He found him?

"My dad?" I asked, eager for an answer.

"Yes, I found Sangtae." The corners of Joon's mouth were turned down into a frown and the expression on his face was serious.

I could feel the hope draining from my body, "W-what's wrong?" I asked, my brows tightly knit together.

He leaned back in his large desk chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "I did find him, but there's something you need to know before you go after him."

"What is it?" I asked sternly.

"It looks like your father picked himself back up rather quickly after you left," he stood up and walked toward a cabinet in the corner of the room behind his desk.

He reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a key, unlocking the second compartment. Joon reached in and pulled out several pieces of paper, closing the drawer and locking it once again.

He placed the stack of paper on the small table in front of my chair and then proceeded to retake his sitting position at his desk.