Chapter 42
The roar of the audience spilled beyond the walls of the small stadium, echoing out into the warm city air. Javier’s comeback had been nothing short of electric—and the crowd knew it. As his pod door opened, Javier stepped out and scanned the stands. He didn’t need long to spot Nora and Faith standing together, hands raised high, cheering with wide smiles. Compared to them, Maximillion seemed almost stoic, arms crossed with a quiet grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Desmond, meanwhile, had already begun his walk toward Javier for the post-match handshake. It wasn’t a long walk, but it felt like miles. His chest tightened with every step. Ego threatened to bubble to the surface, but he swallowed it down. When he reached Javier, he gave him a firm shake and walked off stage without a word.
**
“Poor Desmond,” Faith muttered.
Nora and Maximillion glanced at her, surprised by her tone. Faith’s hands were still clasped tightly together.
“He gave it his best,” Nora said softly. “And no doubt, he’s gotten way better since our last match.”
“That’s fighting games for you,” Maximillion added. “You can sink weeks, months, years into learning a character or loadout, just to run into someone who’s in the zone that day and wipes you out.”
“But still…” Faith trailed off as she sat down, brows furrowed.
“Well, if he’s this much stronger now, imagine how strong he’ll be next time. Might even become a real monster,” Nora said.
“I’ll just have to be a bigger monster,” Maximillion said, his grin widening.
**
Javier finally climbed out of the pod, shutting the door behind him. He barely had time to turn before he could feel someone behind him—and without looking, he already knew who it was.
Derrick, the ever-hustling host, stood ready with mic in hand.
“Javier, my man! You’ve got to tell us how you pulled off that comeback!” Derrick’s voice boomed into his mic.
Javier turned and raised his hand for a high-five.
“Derrick, my guy.”
They slapped hands.
“Well, I won’t lie,” Javier said. “It was a gamble.”
“Which part?”
“All of it,” Javier said with a laugh.
The two shared a laugh,.
“I noticed you used extra health this match. Was that always part of the plan?” Derrick asked.
“Absolutely,” Javier nodded. “Look—Desmond? He’s a sniper guy through and through. And that kind of build only leaves him one option. Same for most sniper mains. If you know what to expect, you have to prep for it. Extra health was a must.”
“Right, and the White Death’s been showing up in a lot of firearm builds lately. You think that makes players too predictable?” Derrick asked.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Incredibly.”
Derrick nodded. “Okay, now the question everyone’s been asking for a long time. Why the gauntlets?”
Javier smiled. “Because I love them. Always have. I grew up studying MMA. This—it’s like therapy to me. There’s something about feeling every hit, every movement. It just makes sense.”
For a brief moment, Javier’s eyes softened as a flash of his sister, Sasha, crossed his mind. He smiled a little wider.
“So if you wanna fight like me and throw hands against the meta, come down to King’s Gym!” Javier said, tugging slightly on the logo on his shirt.
“I like it, I like it,” Derrick chuckled. “Alright, one more question. Which contestant are you most worried about facing?”
“There’s three.”
“Ooh, alright. Let’s hear it.”
“Takeshi, for starters. The man doesn’t even have to be at 100% to dominate. That’s terrifying.”
“Absolutely,” Derrick agreed. “And number two?”
“Bok Jin Ho.”
“The young prodigy from outta nowhere!” Derrick said. “Only been playing for a few months and already making waves.”
Up in the stands, Maximillion folded his arms again, his smile starting to bloom with confidence.
Javier nodded. “Exactly. And the third…” He turned slightly, eyes scanning the crowd. “Nora Maxim.”
Silence.
A murmur spread through the stadium. Heads turned, trying to spot her. In the stands, Maximillion’s grin dropped into a full gape. Faith leaned aside, catching sight of Nora’s bright red face.
“You mean that one girl who won the raffle and played Takeshi?” Derrick asked.
“That’s her,” Javier said confidently. “People saw her rookie performance and counted her out. But I’ve trained with her. She’s no pushover.”
“Still, lots of folks in this tourney aren’t pushovers. What makes her special?”
Javier shrugged. “Her instincts. She doesn’t have all the mechanics down yet, but what she does have? Is a fighting game brain. Once she catches up, she’s going to be scary.”
Derrick gave a thoughtful nod. “Alright. Well, I’ll be watching. Congrats again, Javier.”
**
As Javier returned to his seat, Rem raised his hand wordlessly. Javier slapped it
“Cheeky shoutout, muscle king,” Nora teased.
“Not just a shoutout,” Javier grinned. “In this bracket, we’re not just friends. We’re opponents.”
“Must you state the obvious?” Nora shot back with a smirk.
Javier laughed. “Fair.”
“Javier! Why didn’t you mention me?!” Maximillion whined.
“Because we’ve only fought once. And let’s be real—I’d win in a rematch,” Javier teased.
Maximillion puffed up. “Alright then. Challenge accepted!”
Rem tilted his head. “You really surround yourself with characters, huh?”
“Don’t think you’re off the hook either, Mr. Background Character,” Javier said, pointing at Rem.
Rem shrugged. “Didn’t have much to add. This is high-level stuff. Besides, I’ve never thought of myself as a gamer.”
“And I wouldn’t say we orbit Javier,” Faith added with a smirk. “More like we just exist near him.”
“Haha. You know, Faith, you can lie to me about your feelings, but you can’t lie to yourself,” Javier said.
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” Faith replied dryly.
“So, what’s the next match?” Rem asked.
Ray’s voice suddenly boomed from the stadium speakers.
“Alright, my kings, queens, and in-betweens! It’s time for our next match—Maximillion vs. Bok Jin Ho!”
Maximillion stood, cracking his neck and throwing one last look over his shoulder.
Jin met his gaze from the upper rail, leaning against the bar.
No words exchanged. Just focus.
The real match was about to begin.
