Fight for Meredi!

Cray stood across from me like a man already preparing to lie on his deathbed. His gloves trembled. I didn’t need Mana Vision to see the fear leaking off him like steam from a cracked valve. I could practically see the prayers tumbling from his lips behind his mouthguard.

From behind me, Meredi cupped her hands and roared, “GET HIM, TIM! TAKE HIS LEGS, TAKE HIS DIGNITY, TAKE HIS WILL TO LIVE!”

I flexed my fingers. With a woman like that roaring for me, how could I ever calm down?

“Begin!” Ervon called out.

I blitzed forward.

One clean, dramatic haymaker—telegraphed enough to be a stage performance. Cray was an even lower difficulty encounter than I thought. He flinched, closed his eyes, tucked in, and raised his guard.

Idiot!

I dipped low, and swept him off his feet.

He went down as easily as a child would, limbs flying out, and hit the mat with a thump. I followed instantly, one knee on his chest, my fist cocked and aimed for his nose.

His eyes bugged out. His whole body locked.

Meredi shrieked from the side, “FINISH HIM, TIM! DO IT! ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE!”

My fist flew. Cray whimpered. And then it stopped a few inches from his nose.

I looked up, and over my shoulder at Ervon.

“He needs work,” I said, loud enough for the room to hear. “Doesn’t matter how crazy I am if this guy’s going to shut his eyes and miss it.”

Ervon’s brow lifted. “You saying you’re done?”

I stood and extended a hand to Cray while still looking at Ervon. “I’m saying I want to spar with you.”

That startled more than just Cray. Meredi let out an audible “Huh?”

Ervon chuckled. “You want me, big boy?”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He studied me silently. Then nodded. “Alright. You catch your breath, get some water. I’ll get ready.”

I helped Cray to his feet. “You did fine,” I muttered. “Next time, don’t flinch.”

I limped off to the edge of the gym, toward my bag. The crowd buzzed behind me.

I crouched, unzipped the side, and palmed two vials: one translucent blue, the other a flickering red-gold. Focus Formula. Reflex Surge. Both high-potency, custom mixes, and a little unstable when used together. I kept them in case a random event popped up. If my body didn’t handle it well, I’d either be puking a few hours from now, or suffering from a terrible migraine.

With just intention and a held breath, the vials vanished. I drank the contents—

Anything for the muscle goddess.

—and went and drank water to wash down the taste.

Heat bloomed inside my chest. Muscles tightened. My eyes felt like they could track lightning. I instantly understood why a migraine could be one of the aftereffects.

Meredi was waiting at the ropes. “Tim…” Her voice was quieter this time. “Ervon’s no joke. He might come at you seeking revenge for how badly you whupped his rookie. Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? No shame in tapping.”

I gave her a nod, slipping past.

“Tim, I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said.

But I was still ticked off, and now, my focus was trained on that irritation.

Ervon had gotten close to her. Touched her. Used sparring as an excuse. He smiled too much, stood too close, and talked to her like they were in on something. And that—that—was a disgusting abuse of the holy gym.

Of course, I did something similar when we were working out. I had no right to judge.

Did that stop me?

Absolutely not.

I knew what I was about, and that was the Momma Goddesses.

I climbed into the ring.

Ervon was waiting with that grin that said, “Yeah, I touched her. What’chu gonna do about it, beanpole?”

We squared off in the center. Raised our gloves.

“You sure?” he asked. “Still time to change your mind.”

“Never gonna change,” I said, sliding the mouthguard in.

He smirked. “I know what you’re about.”

I glared. “What?”

He leaned closer. “Meredi.”

I blinked. “...What?”

He didn’t clarify further. Just bumped gloves.

The match started before I could process it.

Ervon held his ground, gesturing for me to come at him.

I didn’t. I watched.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll lead this dance.”

Then he rushed me—arms extended, palms out.

What a strange approach—it could only mean one thing… he wanted to make a point!

We met. I responded instinctively, locking my palms against his. It was a pure pushing contest. Teeth bared. Feet sliding. Arms burning.

He grinned inches from my face. “I know you’re not fond of the whole ‘stepson’ thing,” he whispered.

I kept my face calm. “Who says that?”

“Your eyes,” he said. “You’re not subtle,” he added. “You look at her like a man starved for affection.”

My arms pushed harder. My heart pounded. I gave a cocky smile. “You think I’ll admit that?”

To me, he was the rival. The guy who’d wrapped himself around Meredi without hesitation. The guy who had the size, the confidence, the laugh—I wanted half of everything he had. Then, I could convince Meredi to take a chance on me!

“Want a hand?” he whispered.

My brain faltered. “What?”

“You know… advice. A nudge in the right direction from a concerned onlooker. I can give you some tips, Timaeus,” he said with a wink.

I stared. “I don’t understand your game.”

“No game,” he said. “I just like seeing the sparks fly. I’m a sucker for true love that knows no bounds. And I love matchmaking.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Behind me, Meredi cheered again, her voice radiant. “Push him back, Tim! You’re doing so good! Don’t give up! There’s a ton of stew for you at the end of this!”

My heart thumped. Ervon chuckled.

“Bet that gets under your skin, huh? Is she cheering for her little alchemist stepson? Or for you as someone in a different dimension?”

I grit my teeth. “Shut up.”

“I see your winces.You wear your doubt like I wear my heart.” He leaned in closer, voice soft. “You don’t know where you stand with her, but you know better not to hope. And you probably won’t ask.”

“Heh, you a diviner or something?”

I activated Mana Vision on instinct.

No unusual flux. Just a normal circulatory pattern. Not a person with weird abilities like Mava or that soldier. Just... freakishly perceptive.

He smiled. “Nope. Just observant.”

“I believe that, unfortunately.”

“If you can surprise me,” he said, “really land a blow, I’ll back you up. You want to pursue Meredi? I’ll help.”

I raised a brow. “Why?”

He grinned. “Because I think she’d be happier if she were loved properly. That and, I’m a fan of hers.”

I groaned, irritation reignited. “I’m her number one fan!”

“Haha, and I think I’m going to end up being your number one fan!” His smile widened. “You gonna take me on?”

“Alright,” I said. “I’m gonna surprise you!”

“Great,” he replied. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Then he grabbed me and lifted me over his goddamn head.

“What the fuck?!” I blurted.

The whole gym gasped. I saw the rafters. Then the blur of motion as he tossed me across the ring.

I hit the ropes and rebounded hard, hitting the ground and rolling.

I sucked in a breath. My ribs ached.

“Timaeus!” Meredi screamed. “Get up! Get up! Don’t let him stomp you!”

“Come on, kid!” Ervon bellowed. “Show me what you’ve got! Let the beast out!”

I surged up, and ran at him full speed. Another telegraphed punch—like I’d done with Cray.

He braced.

I dropped low again—it was predictable. He kicked, expecting the sweep.

But I twisted, pushed sideways harder than I thought possible. My ankle flared in pain. Something strained.

Didn’t matter. For the Moms!

With all my borrowed speed, I ran up the ropes, one-two-three, jumped off them, twisted, and came down with a fist-turned falling star.

His eyes screamed Whoa.

My fist slammed into the crown of his head with a crack. He stumbled and bent forward, his head lowering.

I spun on my heel, pivoting with everything I had. All that momentum landed right on the head—a critical blow like no other.

It’s nice having a body that listens again…

But I struck him with the ball of my foot, not the heel. I didn’t want to mess the guy up that much after what he proposed.

He reeled back, arms wide, and fell against the ropes. He barely held himself up.

Silence claimed the gym.

Then Meredi exploded.

“FINISH HIM, TIM!” Meredi screamed, manic and delighted. “FINISH HIM OFF! NO MERCY!”

I could’ve died happy right there.

But no, this was not the time. I trained my eyes on Ervon.

He stood up on his own two feet, chuckling and holding his head. Then, he smiled too, blood at the corner of his mouth, eyes bright with interest.

“That one really rattled the old brain,” he said. “Cray, did you see that? That’s the sort of craziness you’ve got to expect.” He laughed once more. “I give, Timaeus! You got a good couple of blows on me!” he proclaimed, causing the hall to explode into cheers and applause.

Above all that noise was Meredi’s cheer:

“TIM!” she screamed, pumping both fists in the air. “WHO SAYS ALCHEMISTS ARE PUNY? YOU KICKED HIS ENTIRE SOUL OUT OF HIS BODY! I’M SO PROUD I COULD PUNCH A WALL!”

My vision was still overtuned, my ribs throbbed, and I was pretty sure one of my molars had shifted from the fall, but gods help me, I smiled.

I staggered toward the ropes and slipped off the ring. A few folks clapped my shoulder, and someone yelled “Holy crap, alchemist’s deadly!” but it all blurred under the sunbeam of Meredi charging toward me.

“You destroyed him,” she said, breathless and grinning. “That was so cool! Like—like that one move? You jumped off the ropes and just let him have it!. How long have you been able to do that?”

She reached me and full-body shook me by the shoulders. I nearly fell over.

“I’m serious,” she grinned. “That was so cool, Tim! You want stew? You’re getting stew. The best stew. Like, champion stew!”

“I—thank you,” I coughed. “You’re gonna give me a concussion at this rate.”

She backed off with a laugh, eyes dancing with energy. “Stew’ll fix that too.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Hey, just—hold that thought. I need to check on Ervon.”

“Sure!” she beamed. “We’re all friends here! Go on, go on, go talk to your new friend!”

I nodded and peeled off toward Ervon, while feeling the sting of how Meredi just made me feel like I was a kid in grade school.

He was holding his temple, still dizzy, still laughing like a man who’d just been brutalized by a squirrel. A part of me winced. I didn’t want to hurt him that bad. Even if he’d been sparring with Meredi with… impure intentions. But I was still justified in my reaction, yup. Mhm.

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, I heard thumping. For some reason, the image of a charging bull formed in my mind.

Then I saw him.