I'll be honest with yall, I'm not really up for writing this chapter right now. I got up at 3:00 AM so I could watch the I-Land finale live. I cried... like a lot. And then an hour after it ended I went to my physiology class and apparently we had a test... I didn't know about it at all.

So yeah, I'm super sleep deprived, sad from the eliminations in I-Land, and my head hurts from my test which I was in no way prepared for. I'm only writing this now, around 6:30 PM, because I feel like if I don't do something I'll fall asleep, and then I won't be able to sleep tonight so yea.

Anyway, enjoy :)

I couldn't help pacing around my fight room, my mind running 200 miles per hour.

It was currently 4:50 pm, there were exactly 10 minutes until the fight started and I had a plethora of worries.

I began to nibble on my fingernails as I stared daggers into the clock, watching each second tick by.

Seven more minutes.

I tried to look into our opponents when I got home from school, but I could barely focus. I don't remember their names or their fighting styles, the only thing that stuck in my head is what they look like and their body types. But even then, that small bit of information is blurry.

Four more minutes.

Fuck, what if Lucas doesn't show up?

After what he said to me, I don't want to see him. Not yet. But I can't do this without him. If Lucas doesn't come I'll have to drop out, which means I won't be able to find my dad. And it's not like I can just ask someone to fill in for him.

Under Mad Dog rules, neither person in the duo can be changed after the first fight has occurred, if one or more person sustains an injury that prevents them from being able to fight, then the pair will have to forfeit.

Two minutes.

"Shit!" I audibly cursed right as a knock came from the door.

I chewed on the inside of my mouth, rubbing a hand through my messy hair. I looked batshit crazy, I had deep eye bags and dark circles that made me look like a raccoon. I've been so stressed after what happened last night I didn't get an ounce of sleep, although that was normal for me.

I showed up to school looking like a complete wreck. My hair was tangled and knotted, sticking out in every direction imaginable. Sarah tried her best to fix it, but there's only so much she can do, especially since the problem stemmed from stress. I think it's safe to say that I looked utterly haggard.

I opened the door and Dan Reynolds was on the other side. He peered into the room, leaning slightly forward as he craned his neck, "Ya alone?"

I left the door open as I stomped away, taking a deep, unsteady breath. One more minute then all of the effort I've put in in the last four years will have been for nothing. After what happened the last time I saw Joon, there's no way he would give me another deal like this.

I faced the wall, my back to the door. I leaned against the cool surface, lifting my head up and then lightly tapping it against the wall over and over again.

"The fuck are you doing?"

I whipped around at the voice, "Lucas!? Holy fucking shit I thought you were going to bail on me."

He threw his bag onto the table and began undressing in a rush, "I wanted to," he muttered.

"Why didn't you come earlier, don't you know what'll happen if you ditch??" I was angered and frustrated at how lightly he was taking this.

He ignored me. Lucas rolled his eyes and turned around without so much as sparing me a glance.

Dan looked awkwardly between the two of us, "It's time for ya fight to begin..."

Lucas stormed out of the room and past Dan, making his way down the hallway.

The fuck is wrong with him?

I quickly chased after the boy, only catching up once he had already entered the pit.

The bright lights blinded me, I covered my eyes with my forearm, gradually getting used to it. The crowd boomed in excitement. Our opponents had just come out of the other entrance, it looked like they were also popular. It was the semi-finals after all, there isn't a single group here that doesn't have a fan base. The only groups left here are the ones that are truly talented and dangerous.

We each placed ourselves in opposite corners, and although Lucas and I were on one team and right next to each other, we couldn't feel more disconnected. It's like the single foot that stood between us was a thick wall that I could not see through.

I did not want to look at him and he did not want to look at me.

We went from being a perfect team, practically inseparable, to whatever this is.

I wasn't listening to the announcer, I had narrowed my focus onto our opponents. I was going to take on the guy on the left. He looked to be slightly under 6' with a skinny yet toned body. He had an awkward buzzcut that made his skull look slightly deformed.

On the other hand, the dark-haired man with tan skin standing next to him was even shorter, maybe around 5'8. I got a weird vibe from him, he had an aura of arrogance and ego surrounding his person. He was slightly more built than his partner, muscles bulging out of every crevice of his body.

"Spectators!" The announcer cheered, "I want all of you to count down with me!"

I got into a fighting stance, Lucas doing the same.

"5!" The entire crowd roared, the sound echoing in the pit, "4! 3! 2! 1! FIGHTTTT" He boomed into his microphone.

Lucas and I distanced ourselves from the wall, unconsciously distancing ourselves from each other.

I was usually the one to make the first move, but I could barely even register the lean man's fist as it collided with my abdomen.

I bent over at the surprising pain, the guy taking his chance to elbow the back of my head, slamming his arm into me. I fell onto the floor, lying on my right side.

He swung his foot and I barely managed to twist my torso to the right to avoid it, his shoe skimming my left ear.

I jumped onto my feet. We circled around each other for a second, both of us keeping eye contact.

Then, even if it was just a split second, I saw his eyes dart toward my feet. I quickly jumped up as he tried to sweep my feet out from under me.

He turned around on the ground, trying to regain the upper hand, but he had missed his chance. While he was finishing the turn of his sweep, I launched my right leg toward his body, he attempted to dodge, but I then bent my knee, angling the blow toward his face.

The kick must have been too weak, he immediately got back up and charged toward me, slamming me against the hard cement wall.

His punches didn't stop coming, one after the other. I didn't have time to make a move, if I attempted to kick him I'd most likely leave an opening near my face.

I glanced down at his feet as he pummeled into my stomach and forearms. His right foot was slightly in front of his left yet he was punching with his right hand. That means his balance is unstable, which means I have an opening.

As he was coming in to hit me again, I pushed back against him as his fists made contact with my arms. I put most of my strength emphasis on my right side, causing his left foot to step back even further.

He lost his balance and stumbled. I threw a hard right hook into his left temple, causing him to fall to the ground.

Right as the skinny man was falling down, I saw a small shoe in a flash, colliding with my eyes and the bridge of my nose.

I flew backward, my right hand clamping onto the new cut I felt in between my eyes. I don't think my nose is broken, but it still hurts like shit.

I was still on the ground and I quickly glanced to the side before relocating my attention to the two opponents now double-teaming me.

In that short glance, I saw Lucas standing off to the side. He was clutching his side just above his hip, completely spaced out.

"Lucas!" I shouted as I scrambled to my feet, both men approaching me.

"Fuck! What are you doing, help me!" I screamed at him as the tan man launched an uppercut toward my jaw.

I caught his arm in my left hand as the skinny man came in from the other side. I pushed the shorter man into the other, both of them stumbling backward.

They quickly caught themselves, the short man jumped into a spiraling kick, I caught his leg and used his momentum to throw him onto the taller guy who then caught him.

"Lucas! Come on," I groaned as the two came at me at the same time.

There was no response from Lucas. His eyes were glued shut, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Lucas!" I called one last time trying to get his attention. "Why are you ignoring me-" I was cut off as the man with a buzzcut kicked at my side.

I fell to the ground once again as the smaller man climbed on top of me, punching me in the face. I tried to block it but the other guy held my arms.

The only way for me to make it stop is to tap out myself, otherwise, the announcer won't interfere unless I become unconscious. But I can't tap out, not when I'm this close.

The man wasn't completely pinning me down, he was kneeling above my head, simply pushing my hands into the ground with all his weight. My head was tilted to the side, trying to minimize the pain by avoiding hits to my nose.

I tightly squeezed the man's hand, gripping his wrists so he couldn't let go even if he wanted to.

With all the strength I had left, I hauled the skinny man from above my head, throwing him over my body, my back arching at the motion while I ignored the intense strain on my muscles. He collided into his partner, allowing me just enough time to escape their grasp.

I stumbled into a standing position, hunched over. My lower body was fine, but my arms, chest, and the entire left side of my face were entirely beat.

Come on, Kai, I encouraged myself. Just like the old days when you didn't have a partner. You could have taken them on your own before, so man the fuck up and finish this already!

I shook my head, trying to get rid of my dizziness. I relaxed my shoulders, loosening my tense arms. I tilted my head to the right, cracking my neck with the most satisfying noise.

I let out a deep breath. Yes, this is it. This is the zone I need to be in.

I looked up at the two men, both getting ready for another coordinated attack. I felt my eyes become cold, my frustration seeping through.

The two flinched, it was slight but noticeable enough. I couldn't help but smirk at their reaction to one measly glare, the expression on my face turning into something more sadistic than worried about losing.

I'm going to fuck them up.

Instead of that cocky aura I once felt from my tan opponent, now I could practically see the fear radiating off of him.

I slowly approached them, not in a hesitant manner, but in large, confident strides.

They were frozen in place. I jutted my arm out, wrapping my hand around the neck of the man who messed up my face.

I squeezed, the veins in my hand bulging out due to the amount of strength I was using. I pushed him against the wall and then steadily lifted him off of the ground.

His hands struggled, scraping and gripping my hand, but his effort was to no avail. His legs were fluttering and kicking midair, but he wasn't getting any oxygen so his attempts were futile.

Only when his legs stopped moving and his arms slacked down to his side did I let go. The man dropped to the floor, unconscious.

His partner stared at me in horror. Now it wasn't just my face and eyes that were scaring him, but my actions as well.

The worst thing that can happen to a fighter is experiencing true fear. It causes one to lose confidence, and with no confidence comes hesitation.

Hesitation leaves a fighter susceptible. Disregarding talent and technique, confidence is the most important skill a fighter must have.

Yet the man with the buzzcut no longer seemed to have it.

Good. He'll make this easy for me.

Just like his partner, he was frozen in fear and dread. I walked over to him, taking my time.

He shakily raised his arms into a fighting stance.

Cute, he thinks he can protect himself.

His efforts didn't matter, I launched my left fist into the side of his head, using the last bit of strength I had left. It was barely enough to knock him out. His unconscious body fell right in front of my feet.

I heard the announcer speaking, but none of his words were processing in my head. Normally by now I would have calmed down and gone back to normal, but I still felt this intense rage inside of me.

I knew exactly where it was coming from. Lucas. I glared at where he was leaning against the wall, acting all nonchalant like we didn't almost just lose this fight because of him. Like I didn't almost just lose my best chance at finding my dad. Like he didn't give a fuck if those bastards beat me to death.

I didn't care that the announcer hadn't taken our hands and thrown them up into the air like some trophy. I didn't care if this was being broadcast on live TV.

My issues are more important than Mad Dog's script. Before the announcer had the chance to congratulate us, I stormed over to Lucas and grabbed the collar of his shirt, fisting it in my hand and pulling him toward me.

The crowd went silent at the sight, but I ignored them and dragged Lucas out of the pit and into the dimly lit hallway, keeping my distance from the awaiting camera crew and interviewer.

I threw Lucas into the wall, the boy dead silent.

"What. The. Fuck. Was That." I gritted my teeth and pointed toward the pit, insinuating the relevance of his performance.

He clenched his jaw, not opening his mouth.

I scoffed, "You aren't going to say anything about what happened back there? You aren't going to explain yourself?"

It felt like my blood vessels were ready to burst due to my indescribable level of anger, "What the fuck did I do for you to act like this?!?!" I screamed at him, not caring if others heard my voice.

"You know how important this is to me, yet you'd still try and sabotage me like this!? I can't threaten Joon like I did last time! Didn't you see him in the box above the crowd!? He's got fucking bodyguards armed with guns! Sure, I can fight, but I can't do shit against a gun!"

"Does it make you happy knowing I'll be miserable after failing to finally get revenge? Or were you looking forward to watching me get the crap beaten out of me?" I spit my words at him.

"I am so fucking done with your shit! You had a sudden outburst last night and now what? You completely refuse to talk?" I laughed, "And I thought I was the fucked up one," I glared at him as I began to walk away, leaving him there in the darkness. "But I guess you're fucked up too."