Chapter 6 — Growing Skills

I thought about what Rosie and Dani said to me.

Their words kept circling me in my head, steadying me even as everything inside still felt shaken.

It was like part of me was coming back…but another part was still lost.

More than once, I caught myself thinking about leaving all this behind—going back home, going to the Iron Garden, to something familiar.

To something safe.

But every time that thought crept in, something in my chest pushed back.

I didn’t want to give up.

Not after just one setback.

Not after coming this far.

Not after everything Pops, Dani, Rosie, and Sunny believed in.

If there was anyone who could get me back in motion, it was him.

So I took a breath, steadied my nerves… and decided to call Pops.

Ringing.

“Hello—Lily?” Pops answered, surprise and warmth mixing in his voice.

“Hi, Pops,” I said, trying to sound steady.

“How’s it going in that League?” he asked. “You settling in alright?”

I hesitated.

“…Well, not so good, actually. That’s why I called.”

“What happened, Lily?” he asked, his voice dropping into that familiar gentle seriousness.

I swallowed.

“I…I did a spar. And my boxing alone couldn’t keep up. It wasn’t good enough to compete in the League.”

The words stung even saying them out loud.

Pops paused for a moment… then chuckled softly.

“Lily, do you know how I became world champion? The very first step I had to take?”

His laugh caught me off guard.

I blinked, unsure.

“…what was it, Pops?”

“I had to lose, Lily,” Pops said simply. “That was the first step.”

My breath caught a little.

“I went into fights and yeah, I won some…but I lost some too. And those losses?” He chuckled softly. “Those are the fights that made me grow. Every time I got knocked down, I learned something. I came back stronger.”

His voice softened with memory.

“Those losses—not the wins—are what made me a world champion, Lily.”

“Lily, you’re an Ironwood—my granddaughter,” Pops said, his voice warm but firm. “I know this loss won’t keep you down. You’ll come back stronger because of it.”

“Pops. I—” I started, but he cut in gently.

“Lily, I know,” he said. “As a fighter, losing is one of the worst feelings there is. It eats you. It sticks in your gut. But once you get through it—once you’re done thinking about what you could’ve done—you’ll figure out what you need to do.”

His voice softened even more.

“And I know you, Lily. You’ll do it.”

I felt tears sting my eyes, but kept my voice steady.

“Thanks, Pops. I am an Ironwood… granddaughter of world champion Cliff Ironwood. And if losses made you stronger, then they’ll make me stronger too. So strong that someday they’ll remember the day they fought Lilith Ironwood.”

Pops’ voice softened with pride.

“I know, Lily. Now go show them what you’re made of. You’ll find a way—your way—just like an Ironwood should.”

“Thanks, Pops. I’ll get to. Love you,” I said, wiping my eyes.

“Love you too, Lily,” he replied. “Now go show them what I taught you.”

The call ended, the screen fading to black as the quiet of the Spirited Grove settled in around me.

I sat there for a while, reflecting on Pops’ words.

And he was right.

The next time Venus and I fought, it wouldn’t be the same.

I wouldn’t be the same.

And neither would my next fight.

Sunny found me not long after I finished gathering myself.

“Hey, Lily,” Sunny said softly.

“Hey,” I breathed.

She stepped closer, hands tucked behind her back the way she does when she’s trying to be gentle.

“You know I believe in you, right?”

I exhaled slowly. “Why is that, Sunny?”

“Because I’ve sparred with you enough to know how strong you are,” she said without hesitation.

Then her smile warmed, small but bright.

“And because you’re my best friend—that’s why.”

For a moment, it was easier to breathe. Sunny always had that effect.

Something in my chest loosened.

The air felt lighter.

“…Thanks,” I murmured.

Sunny bumped her shoulder gently against mine. “Don’t worry about it. Just… remember it.”

She gestured ahead.

“C’mon. Dani wants to talk to all of us—let’s go.”

We gathered in the small gym—me, Sunny, Rosie—waiting as Dani pulled up the League schedule on his tablet.

“Alright,” Dani said once we were all together. “Everyone’s here. Good.”

He looked at each of us in turn before nodding to himself.

“Okay, so we’ve got our next matches. Rosie has her next bout lined up. Sunny—you’ve got your first official match.”

Sunny’s eyes lit up immediately.

“And Lily…Dani paused, almost smiling. “You’ve got your first official match too—and it’s the soonest one out of all of us.”

The room buzzed with excitement—all three of us feeling it.

Rosie grinned. “You both ready?”

“Yeah, I am!” Sunny said instantly, practically bouncing.

I nodded, steady but determined. “I am.”

“Okay, good—we all seem motivated,” Dani said, nodding at each of us.

Then he looked directly at me, eyes sharp but encouraging.

“Lily, you’ve got two months until your fight. You ready?”

I straightened my posture, feeling that newfound confidence settled in my chest.

“I’ll be more than ready,” I replied.

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Good,” Dani said. “Because I’ve got a plan for you—and some information on who you’re facing.”

“Your opponent is another fairly new Seed Low Rank,” Dani said, scrolling through the League profile. “She’s won a few matches so far—and the crowd seems to love her. Real fan favorite.”

Sunny leaned in. “Ooh, flashy type?”

Dani nodded. “Pretty much. Her name is Mary Goldington—‘The Marigold Showstopper.’”

Rosie raised a brow. “Show-off nickname.”

Dani shrugged. “Maybe. But from what I’ve seen in her matches… she’s got the skills to back it up.”

“Prodigy? Showstopper?” Sunny blinked, looking between us. “How do they get these titles?”

Dani crossed his arms. “Most of them are earned through popularity after a few matches,” he explained. “Or some fighters show up with them from day one—depends on the person.”

Sunny nodded slowly. “So basically…hype.”

Dani smirked. “Pretty much.”

I turned to Rosie. “Do you have a title?” I asked.

Rosie glanced over at us, a small grin forming. “Yes, I do. Want to hear it?”

I nodded.

She lifted a fist in front of her, eyes sparking with confidence.

“I go by Rosie—The Fiery Flowerstorm!”

Sunny’s jaw dropped. “That’s so cool!”

“Don’t worry,” Dani said, smirking a little. “You’ll both get titles soon enough. Anyway—here. Take a look so you know who you’re up against, Lily.”

He handed me the tablet.

I took it, and the picture of my opponent filled the screen.

And the first thing I noticed…were her eyes.

“She has different eye colors,” I said slowly, studying the image. “Her left eye is gold… and her right is maroon.”

Sunny leaned in next to me. “Woah… that’s pretty.”

“And her hair,” I added, scrolling down. “Shiny gold with maroon undertones… and porcelain skin.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah, it says here she has a condition that causes the different eye colors.”

He crossed his arms, giving me a steady, confident look.

“Don’t worry—we’ve got a plan, Lily.”

Then he glanced at Sunny and me.

“But first, I’ve got one more thing to give the both of you.”

Sunny practically bounced. “OoOoOo—what is it?!”

Even I felt my curiosity spark. “Yeah… what is it?”

Dani turned around and grabbed something from the equipment shelf behind him.

“Here, Sunny. Here, Lily.”

He handed each of us a neatly packed set—gloves, foot guards, wraps, the full set of official League match gear.

Sunny gasped. “No way…”

Dani nodded, folding his arms once more.

“You’ll wear these in your matches—officially, as part of the League.”

“We’ll get them fitted and customized later,” Dani added. “Right now, these are your base sets—league-standard, but yours for now.”

“You can choose the color, though,” Dani said. “Everyone in the League gets standard gear—but the colors are up to the fighter.”

I held the gear against my chest for a moment, feeling the weight of it… not just the physical weight, but everything it meant.

Sunny was already beaming.

I couldn’t help but smile too.

Rosie was smiling proudly at her juniors.

“Alright, that’s it for today,” Dani said, clapping his hands once. “Tomorrow, we start a new training regimen to get ready for the upcoming matches. And we’re starting with you Lily.”

“Okay!” we all said together, each of us pumping a fist in the air.

Rosie laughed under her breath, Sunny was sparking with energy, and for the first time since the fight… I felt ready.

We gathered the next morning inside the Petal Dome, lined up at the full-length bags, ready to start our new training.

“Okay, Lily,” Dani said standing beside the heavy bag. “From that fight, we learned something important.

Your boxing is impressive—really impressive. But in the League, that alone isn’t enough.”

He folded his arms, looking at me steadily.

“You’re at a disadvantage right now. Do you know why?”

I stayed quiet, waiting.

“It’s not because you’re a bad fighter,” he said firmly. “And it’s not because you lack skill. It’s because you’re not using all your weapons yet.”

“So—” Dani tapped his leg, gesturing to his stance. “We’re going to start working on your kicks for the next two months. And we’re going to interweave your boxing into it.”

He stepped back and pointed at the heavy bag.

“We’ll stick to the basics for now,” he said. “How to throw kicks. How to defend against them. And most importantly… how to blend them into your boxing. Combos, counters, movement—the foundation of your hybrid style.”

Sunny whistled. “Sounds intense.”

Dani smirked. “It will be.”

“Rosie, demonstrate a stance and a standard roundhouse kick for us,” Dani said.

Rosie smirked. “Gladly.”

She slid into her stance—balanced, grounded, precise—then delivered two swift roundhouse kicks to the heavy bag, one with each leg.

The thud echoed through the gym, clean and controlled, her hips turning sharply with each strike.

Sunny blinked. “Whoa—she makes it look easy.”

I swallowed. If that was the basic version, I had a lot to learn.

“Okay, now you, Lily.” Dani gestured toward the heavy bag.

I stepped forward, trying to mirror the stance Rosie showed. I steadied myself, took a breath, and kicked the best I could.

Thud.

“Good try,” Dani said, “but too low. Now switch legs.”

I reset, lifted my opposite leg, and kicked again.

Thud.

“That was alright,” Dani said, nodding once. “But it’ll need more power to be usable.”

My balance wavered.

I swallowed, determined.

Dani stepped closer. “For now, I want you to practice “control first, power second.”

“Okay, I got it, Coach,” I said, shaking out my legs.

“Good,” Dani replied. “This will be your focus for the first week.”

He turned to the others. “Rosie, Sunny—I’ve got your regimens next. Let’s go.”

Sunny snapped to attention with a bright grin. “Alright, Coach!”

Rosie nodded, calm and confident. “Yes, Coach.”

I stepped back from the bag, catching my breath—and despite the soreness in my leg, I felt something stirring in my chest.

This time… I was ready to grow.

For the rest of that week, my legs were sore every single day—honestly, I probably was training them too hard. Dani lectured me about it more than once, reminding me that overworking was just as bad as not training at all.

As the first month went on, I drilled push kicks, low kicks, and sidekicks until the movement felt less foreign. Dani held the kick shields for me almost every day, bracing with an unshakable stance of his. Each strike landed with a deep whump against the padding—heavier than a bag, vibrating up my shin whenever my form slipped.

“Turn your hip sooner,” he’d say. “Let the kick flow, don’t force it.”

Sunny picked up things fast—of course she did this wasn’t new territory for her the way it was for me. Her roundhouse kicks snapping like whips. Rosie helped too, tapping my heel or shoulder to fix my alignment. “Open your supporting foot more,” she’d remind me, “or the power dies before it starts.”

They didn’t just spar with me—they shaped me. Every correction, every drill, every stumble.

Dani watched us with a calm, steady look. “Once your kicks get clean,” he told me, “your boxing will hit harder too. It’s not one or the other, Lily. It’s both.”

I wasn’t very good at first—stiff, off balance, slow—but little by little, I started to get the hang of it.

Now I had one month left before the fight.

One month to start mixing kicks into my boxing… and turn them into something that could actually win.

One month left—and I was ready to make every second count.

I’ll show the League what the name Lilith Ironwood really means.