Chapter 12 — Imminent Challenge

The days flew by, and my body finally felt fully recovered.

The soreness faded, my strength returned, and the itch to train came right back with it.

I was ready to move again—ready to learn more, grow more, and prepare for my next match… whenever it came.

While I was recovering, Dani had me watch replays of matches—including my own. He wanted me to study how I fought, see what I missed in the moment, and get a better understanding of the different fighting styles in the League.

Soon, we’d start working on my kicks more... and after that, he said we’d be adding knees and elbows as the next step in my training.

Sunny and Rosie had been training hard lately, preparing for their upcoming matches—which were almost here.

Dani told me he’d find out about my next match today.

He also mentioned something else—news about Mary.

I guess her loss wasn’t a complete loss after all.

A big sponsor had reached out to her, impressed by how hard she fought in our match.

I felt a small smile tug at me.

I was glad she got something out of it.

I was back in the Petal Dome, drilling my kicks against the pads.

Thud—whap.

My shin buzzed with dull ache, but my balance held.

I forced my breathing steady and struck again.

“How’s that, Coach?” I asked.

“Not bad,” Dani said, watching closely. “You’ve definitely got the basics down now.”

He folded his arms.

“When Rosie and Sunny get back from road work, we’ll start something new today.”

We practiced kicks a little longer, even dipping into some of the more advanced ones.

I didn’t have those down yet—not even close—but I could feel where my balance and timing were starting to improve.

That was when Rosie and Sunny finally came back in.

“So much running,” Sunny groaned, bending over with her hands on her knees.

“You’ll get used to it,” Rosie said calmly, barely winded.

“Yeah,” Dani added. “All of you will need that endurance once you’re fighting more rounds and longer matches.”

“I know,” Sunny said, straightening up with a sigh.

“We saw your kicks as we were coming up,” Rosie said. “They’re looking good.”

“Thanks, Rosie,” I replied. “I want to be able to use them like you and Sunny can.”

“You will,” Sunny said confidently.

“She will,” Dani agreed. “And Sunny—you’ll get better at blocking and using your fists. Rosie… you already know what you need to work on.”

Sunny groaned softly. I caught Rosie’s expression shift just a little—serious, focused.

“I knew Sunny preferred kicking over punching,” I thought. That much was obvious.

But Rosie…

I hadn’t seen her in a full match yet. We’d sparred, sure—but never anything official. She was calm, precise, and frighteningly capable.

So what was her weakness?

“Yes, Coach,” Sunny and Rosie said together, both sighing.

“Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s get started,” Dani said, leading us across the training floor.

He grabbed a body pad and guided us over to the heavy bags.

“Today, we’re going to start working knees and elbows into our training,” Dani explained. “They’ll be important as your fights get longer and closer.”

I nodded. “Is that everything you can do in the clinch?”

Dani paused. “Elbows, knees… and technically headbutts.”

I blinked.

“No one really uses them,” he added. “Too risky. Too easy to get countered.”

He raised the pad. “Rosie, demonstrate.”

“Yes, Coach.”

Rosie stepped forward without hesitation. She planted her feet, turned her hips, and drove an elbow into the pad—

Whap.

She reset smoothly and struck again with the opposite elbow—

Whap.

The sound echoed through the gym.

The force behind each strike was compact, brutal, and efficient.

“Alright, your turn,” Dani said, turning to me.

“Okay,” I replied, stepping forward.

I set my stance and tried to copy what Rosie had done. I drove my elbow into the pad—

Whap.

It landed… but nowhere near as fast or as powerful as Rosie’s.

“Now try the other side,” Dani said calmly.

I reset and struck again. Same result.

“That’s fine,” Dani said. “I wanted you to feel it first. After that, I’ll break down the mechanics and technique.”

He turned to Sunny.

“Your turn.”

Sunny stepped up and tried both elbows as well. Her strikes landed with similar force—solid, but unrefined.

After that, Dani had Rosie demonstrate knee strikes on the heavy bag.

“Rosie, show us a knee,” Dani said.

“Yes, Coach.”

Rosie set her stance, stepped in, and drove her knee, sharply into the bag—

Thud.

She reset smoothly and followed with the other knee—

Thud.

Each strike was efficient, controlled, and powerful.

It looked simple—but I knew it wasn’t.

“Alright, Lily. Same routine—show us what you’ve got,” Dani said.

I stepped up and did my best to throw a knee.

It landed… but it wasn’t sharp, and my balance wavered as I stepped back. Nothing like Rosie’s.

I reset and tried the other knee.

It wasn’t much better.

“I expected it to be rough,” Dani said calmly.

I let out a breath. “I know, Coach.”

I could feel it clearly now—I still had a long way to go before I could use either of these properly.

“Don’t worry, Lily—we’ll get these down,” Sunny said with a grin.

“You will,” Rosie added calmly. “In time. With practice.”

Next, Dani had Sunny step up to try knees as well.

She drove one knee into the bag, then the other—powerful, but awkward. Just as new as mine had been.

“Okay… yeah, those are harder than they look,” Sunny said.

At least I wasn’t the only one starting from zero.

After that, Dani broke down the mechanics and basic techniques of elbows and knees. He explained positioning, balance, and timing, then had us run drills for each, repeating them again and again until the movements started to feel more natural.

After a while, I started to feel like I was getting a grasp on it.

While everyone else focused on their own drills, I stayed with the elbows, practicing on my own. The movements still weren’t perfect, but they no longer felt completely foreign. Each strike came a little cleaner than the last.

My shoulders burned, but the rhythm was starting to click.

“Hey—don’t swing it. Cut through.”

The voice came from close.

I looked up to see another fighter stepping toward me.

“Don’t swing it?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

She stepped in and threw an elbow.

It was fast. Short. Violent.

The pad cracked as if it had been struck with a blade instead of an arm.

“Like that,” she said. “Don’t swing it. Cut through.”

I nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

She studied me for a moment, eyes sharp.

“You’re Ironwood, right?”

A lot of people had started recognizing me since my first match.

“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”

“Let’s go,” someone called to her from across the gym.

“Gotta go,” she replied, already turning away.

She walked off without another word.

Dark olive hair. Thorn-patterned tattoos.

Something about her felt dangerous.

I let out a slow breath and reset my stance.

Don’t swing it.

I drove my elbow again—shorter this time.

Cleaner.

After drill wrapped up, I met back up with Sunny and Rosie. Dani had to step out for a while, leaving the gym.

Still, it felt good to be training again.

“You ready, Sunny?” I asked, knowing she’d been a little nervous about her upcoming match.

“Yeah,” Sunny said, squaring her shoulders. “I’ll make everyone proud. I’ll show them Thornfield fighters are where it’s at.”

“I’ve been watching you,” Rosie added with a smile. “You’re ready.”

“I know you will,” I said to Sunny.

“We’re done for the day. Let’s get going,” Rosie said, waving us over.

Worn out and tired, we gathered our things and left the gym together, heading back toward the Spirited Grove as the day finally came to a close.

We cleaned up and took some time to decompress before Dani finally got back and called us together.

When we were all gathered, his tone shifted—focused, all business.

“Alright,” Dani said. “Sunny, your match is up first.”
“Yup, Coach,” Sunny replied without hesitation.

“Then you, Rosie.”

“Yes, Coach,” Rosie said, straightening slightly.

Dani’s eyes finally turned to me.

“And Lily… I got your next match details today. I also know who you’ll be facing.”

The room went quiet.

We all leaned in, waiting.

“Catalina Reyes—The Savage Cacti—will be your next opponent,” Dani said.

He continued calmly, “Her coach is Sage Ferncroft. She’s experienced. Capable.”

Dani turned the tablet toward me.

The moment I saw her face, my breath caught.

My eyes widened as recognition hit me all at once.

Her.

Dark olive hair. Those thorn-patterned tattoos winding along her arms and up her neck.

The fighter at the gym today.

My chest tightened as the pieces fell into place.

She must have known.

She must have known I was her next opponent.

“I saw her today, Coach,” I said, a hint of frustration slipping into my voice.

Being seen first… it didn’t sit right with me.

“Interesting,” Dani replied.

He glanced back at the tablet. “It says she just reached Seed Mid rank with her last match. Most of her wins come early—first-round knockouts.”

“That’s impressive,” Rosie said, her expression serious.

“Dang,” Sunny muttered.

Dani nodded. “The League usually keeps your opponents close to your rank. Catalina just moved up—so this where she’s at now.

I didn’t say anything, but a chill settled in my chest.

I understood why.

The memory of that elbow flashed through my mind—the speed, the weight behind it, the way it felt less like a strike and more like something meant to break you.

“It doesn't matter, Lily,” Dani said evenly. “She hasn’t faced an Ironwood yet. And we’ll make sure you’re more than prepared for this match.”

“Yes, Coach,” I replied, forcing myself to let the tension ease.

Dani let out a slow breath. “That’s all I have for tonight. Get some rest—we’ll go over training and strategy soon.”

We all nodded. One by one, we headed off to our rooms, the weight of what was coming settling in as the night grew quiet.

As the days turned into weeks, the matches finally came.

Sunny’s was first.

She showed everything she’d learned so far—bursting forward with flurries of kicks and punches, refusing to give her opponent room to breathe. She wavered at one point, fatigue and pressure finally catching up to her—but she dug deep and came back swinging.

It wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t clean.

But it was earned.

When her hand was raised, she stood there grinning through bruises, and none of us were surprised.

In the crowd, I caught a glimpse of Jack—Sunny’s brother—watching with his arms folded and a proud, relieved smile he didn’t bother hiding.

We celebrated her first win in the League that night, knowing she’d proven she belonged.

Then came Rosie’s match.

Watching her fight was something else entirely. It reminded me of how Venus moved—calm, precise, overwhelming. There was never any doubt she would win.

But as the fight wore on and she started taking hits, I noticed it.

Something shifted.

Her strikes grew heavier. Wilder.

Less clean—but far more dangerous.

She knocked her opponent down decisively and ended the match on her terms, dominant and unquestioned. Still, Dani’s earlier words echoed in my mind.

Rosie had a weakness.

I’d seen it now—even if I didn’t understand it yet.

We celebrated Rosie’s win that night.

By morning, the League made it official—Rosie Bloomfield had been promoted to Bloom Low rank. She didn’t brag about it, but she didn’t hide her smile either.

And then, just like that… my match was next.

I was back at the gym, running drills as my match crept closer and closer.

My kicks felt sharper now.

My elbows and knees, more natural—less forced.

I was in the middle of practicing my elbows when a familiar voice cut through the air.

“Hey, Ironwood.”

I froze.

Catalina stepped toward me.

Sand-toned skin. Dark olive hair with red undertones. Thorn-patterned tattoos winding along her collar and down her arms. And those sharp pink eyes—locked onto me like she was already measuring distance.

Just standing there, she felt heavy.

“Catalina,” I said, meeting her gaze.

She glanced at the bag, then back at me. “Your elbows look better,” she said. A crooked smile tugged at her lips. “Hope you’re ready to get beaten.”

“I don’t plan on losing,” I replied evenly.

She chuckled. “I saw your match with Mary. Those tricks won’t work on me.”

Her grin widened, sharp and unapologetic.

Mary fought hard. I respected her.

But this was different.

“I’m going to beat you, Catalina,” I said. “Just wait and see.”

“We’ll see,” she replied, already turning away. “See you in the arena, Ironwood.”

She didn’t look back.

I turned back to the bag.

Her words echoed in my mind.

Don’t swing it.

Cut through.

I stepped in and drove my elbow forward—

Clean.

The bag jolted back, heavier than before.

I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.

I’ll show you what Lilith Ironwood can do.