Codi winced as the nurse dabbed at the bloody scrape on her right cheek. That side of her mouth felt numb, and it hurt her left side to breathe in too deeply. It seemed that Varlin had been paying attention when she fought Cassandra Riven.

The fight hadn’t been a total disaster. Already having qualified she had nothing to lose in her first encounter with Varlin, so she threw caution to the winds. She landed a handful of solid hits and made the point that she wasn’t scared of him or anyone else. That being said, it didn’t change the fact he’d dominated the exchange from start to abrupt finish. The worst he had to show was a bruise, whereas Codi now sported a jaw that had very nearly been dislocated, a sprained wrist and three cracked ribs. Her left side was encased in a skeletal frame similar to the supports of the exoskeleton armour. The lines of slender metal followed the contours of her ribs and apparently the rig would see her fit to fight before the day was over.

The nurse took the cloth away, satisfied she had cleaned out the scrape. Picking up a device from the nearby table she held it close to Codi’s cheek. A humming sound filled the air and she recoiled.

“It’s alright,” the nurse assured her. “It’s just a tissue regenerator. We’ll just stitch over that graze on your cheek and it’ll be good as new.”

Reluctantly, Codi held still while the nurse worked. A fizzing sensation developed over the mark where Varlin’s clenched fist had slammed home. After a few minutes the nurse removed the regenerator.

“Right, that’ll do the job for today.” She pointed an accusing finger. “Now, I know what you kids are like, but try not to move around too much for the next few hours. Let the setter do its job.” With that she strode from the room leaving Codi to brood.

As she levered herself out of the medical lounger she wasn’t sure how to feel. It was the first fight she’d lost, but losing to Varlin wasn’t exactly something to be ashamed of. However, she couldn’t shake the sense of futility that the day’s events cast over the tournament. No matter what happened, when push came to shove, Bruno Varlin would be there in the final and nobody would be able to stop him winning.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps. Vasco slunk into the room, hands in pockets and stopped beside her. He looked almost ashamed of himself. When he met her gaze he forced a weak smile.

“How you feeling, kid?”

Codi smirked. “Like I’ve been hit by a car. So nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Glad to hear it,” Vasco chuckled. “You put on quite a show.”

“Still got kicked around like a damned football.”

“You do know that nobody’s gone a full round with Varlin this year, right?” he asked.

“I do now.”

“Well don’t beat yourself up. You just fought the reigning champion and he won fare and square. I’ll be surprised if anybody beats him.”

Codi nodded her understanding. “Yeah, well fingers crossed. Am I okay to get out of here?”

“That’s why I came. I figured if you’re up to it we could go over the fight with Varlin, see if we can pick up any pointers in case you run into him again.”

She gave a derisive snort as they started walking. “Forget fists and cameras. If I end up fighting Varlin again just give me a gun.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Vasco grinned and clapped her gently on the back. “One more thing though, I thought you’d like to know that your boyfriend made it through.”

Blood rushed to Codi’s cheeks and she glowered at her coach. “Excuse me?”

“That kid from Zulu Forge you’ve been hanging around with so much. He won his third fight so he qualified for the knockout stage.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she hissed. Nonetheless, the news came as a welcome lift to her dampened spirits.

“Look, Codi, I didn’t want to say anything before, but you’ve got to know that this is not the place to be making new friends,” Vasco said. “There’s nothing stopping the pair of you getting matched in the knockouts. If that happens…well it’d be a kick in the teeth to have all our work undone by some personal feelings, okay?”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head,” she returned icily. “He’s not some jock I’m swooning over. We train together and help each other out. We don’t sneak off to have make-out sessions. If we do end up on opposite sides then I guarantee you I’ll personally kick him into outer space. Alright?”

Vasco blinked at her outburst. “Okay…well good. Just wanted to make sure you know where you stand.”

“So what about Max? When’s his fight?” she asked, changing the subject. A thought that had slipped her mind till now was the progress of her team mates.

Lazlo had been narrowly eliminated on a judges ruling; Lita landed at the bottom of a group headed by Ripple, the girl from Battlecast. Lucas still had one fight to go, but Codi was dubious about his chances. The girl he still had to fight was the top competitor from the Orion Academy and was reckoned as a main contender for one of the runner-up spots.

So that left only Max with a realistic chance of making it through. So far with one win and one loss, he had an underdog qualifier between him and the knockout rounds.

“His fight is tomorrow morning, first one of the day,” Vasco answered her. “And believe me, I’m going to make sure that lanky dunce gets through.”

“You think he can do it?”

“I know he can. He just needs to want it.” He sighed. “That’s the one thing you’ve got that no-one else on the team does, Codi, and why the other guys are already out. This may sound strange, but you’re a natural, kid.”

She looked at him wide-eyed, but his gaze was rooted to the floor as they walked. His words ricocheted around her brain. A natural? She hadn’t been a natural at anything apart from getting herself into trouble. Like the flickering of embers that start a fire, a sense of determination began to swell in her chest. If Vasco was going to put that much faith in her then she would see that his trust wasn’t misplaced.

They made their way to the Brax-Delta coaching quarters and she listened obediently to Vasco’s advice, pushing every fibre of her angry, confrontational self aside for the time being. For the first time she actually started having a constructive dialogue with him, doing her utmost to understand what went wrong. Coupled with her own newfound resolve to repay Vasco’s faith in her, she found with Varlin’s brutal fighting prowess that they had a lot to talk about.

As much as she hated to admit it, she could learn a lot from the veteran fighter’s technique. Watching the recording of the fight, she marvelled at the way he flowed between styles. While most fighters found one or two disciplines that suited them, Varlin seemed to know all of them. Nothing wrong-footed him, confused him or threw him off. He reacted mechanically to every attack she hurled his way. The few times she did manage to land a hit it was never solid enough to do any real damage.

“He just doesn’t make mistakes,” she muttered as they replayed the recording again. “He’s…a machine.”

“That may be,” Vasco answered, but as he spoke he leaned closer to the screen, his eyes narrowing in thought. “But he’s not perfect.”

“What?”

“There’s something…I can’t put my finger on it.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, still staring. “Just the way he carries himself, the way he moves. It’s not specific.”

“He’s aggressive as hell,” Codi grunted. “Never stops going forward; doesn’t give you a chance to set yourself. Once you’re off balance you’re in for it.”

“Exactly.”

“Meaning what?”

Vasco looked at her and a sly smile spread across his face. “Codi, he fights like you.”

***

Tension crackled in the air of the fighters’ lobby as the competitors gathered, watching the last of the group matches play out on the massive screens. Two were underway at the same time; one showing the young fighter from Battlecast, Chris O’Leary as he bludgeoned away at a female competitor from Nebula. The other displayed Max fighting for his tournament survival.

Codi bit her lip as her team mate took a solid kick to his chest that sent him rolling backwards. The other fighter was a bear-like individual, his exoskeleton coloured with gold and black. She didn’t recognise his academy, and while no physical monster he was obviously competent and experienced. Luckily Max’s height and reach gave him a needed advantage.

He snaked out a left hook and caught the other fighter across the cheek, and then followed it up with a graceful low kick that swept the boy’s legs out from under him. However, as the boy landed on his back he kicked out and caught Max in the shins, sending him tumbling to floor in turn.

“C’mon,” Codi hissed to herself, slapping a fist against her palm in annoyance. “You’ve gotta be ready for that!”

“He’ll adjust,” Lita said from her right. “Just wait for it.”

Codi shook her head dubiously but said nothing. The fight marched on and neither of them seemed to be able to gain the upper hand. She could see Max wasn’t being aggressive enough, not following up a good series of attacks with a final knock-out blow. The other boy always managed to find a gap to reset himself and counter. It frustrated her. Max could have won the fight at least three times now if he’d really pressed.

Remembering her fight with Cassandra Riven, Codi tried not to be overly harsh. It was one thing to point it out from the safety of a T.V. screen, but quite another to carry it out in the arena.

Then, as though a switch had been flicked, something seemed to change. Max’s stance dropped lower, like a gangly coiled spring, and to her elation he actually started pushing. Out of nowhere his attacks became wildly aggressive, dangerously so. Massive haymakers, flying kicks, using the exoskeleton to launch himself a dozen feet high before delivering his blows; he unleashed a storm that Codi didn’t think he was capable of.

Then she realised this had been the plan all along. The assault was timed to perfection. With the other fighter showing the slightest hint of fatigue, Max had gone after him like a shark after blood. Then the attacks started to connect: a hammering drop-kick to the chest, a right haymaker to the eye, a punishing tackle that made Codi wince just from seeing it.

And just like that it was over. Max stood over the downed fighter, chest heaving as he fought for breath, and the klaxon sounded. Her eyes widened and then she felt and arm around her shoulder. Lita let out a painfully loud joyous whoop and hugged her. Codi got over her surprise after a few seconds and laughed, returning the embrace. Lita disentangled herself and smiled.

“Well, looks like you’re not going to be alone in the knockouts,” she said. “C’mon, let’s go catch him when he comes out.”

When they did catch Max making his way out of the arena tunnel Lita went hurtling into his arms, leaping up and grabbing him in a fierce hug. Codi couldn’t help but smile as Max held the other girl up with ease, still wearing his exoskeleton. Then she spotted Lita land a kiss on his cheek and her mouth opened in surprise.

“Just as well she’s already out,” Vasco said. “Looks like Max has got some bite in him after all, eh?”

“Colour me impressed,” she answered, nodding. “That was your plan?”

“Yup. Frankly I wasn’t sure he’d follow it through.”

“If those dorks from Kantha could see you now.” Codi smirked. “Nice work.”

“A compliment?”

“Hey, somebody should tell you you’re doing a good job.” She looked at him and shrugged.

Vasco chuckled and ruffled her hair playfully. “Well, it’s nice to hear it.”