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Hand wraps tightly wound? Check. Gloves on? Check. Wait, let's make sure they don't slip... Ok, we're good, definitely Check. Hair's up and away from the face and Nevaeh's nodding her head, so it looks like I'm good to go.

"Remember, Aika, Gabriel is fast – faster than you are – so you need to be patient," she says. "He thrives when he gets a rile out of people so don't let him frustrate you. I don't know what stage you'll be fighting on, but if you get stuck in something convoluted, make sure you get to an open space. You'll have the advantage there. You got it?"

I make an affirmative noise but Nevaeh doesn't seem to hear me because she repeats herself, with a bit more bite. "Yes, Nevaeh, I've got it. Don't worry, I'm getting to the top one way or another," I say loudly as the announcer steps onto the stage to welcome us to Round One. He starts in French and I completely ignore him, tuning out all the noise of the crowd and the feedback from the microphone to breathe deeply.

"...this ring we have an interesting matchup: the flighty Gabriel Lavoie versus Fast-Forwarder Aika Inoue." Oh, this is the English now. "This is Aika's first NCC fight, so I'm sure that all of us will be looking forward to seeing her skills." One of the overhead cameras shifts to face me and I try to look calm and collected. I'm starting to feel tingly. "But even with her command of time, will she be able to match the infinite speed and stamina of our water bearer? Hmm, an interesting match indeed." I start lightly bouncing on my feet to get the anxious energy out of me.

"The rules are the same as always! The winner is the last person standing in the ring, unless an opponent submits or the external judges call a draw. The winner of this match will receive one point to their total points tally. The loser, minus one. These are high-stakes matches, folks. I expect we'll see plenty of intensity." I take a final look at the crowd. Their eyes are locked on the announcer and they are hungry for action.

"All right, fighters, please step up onto the stage." I give Nevaeh one last glance and she nods encouragingly. I climb the steps and place myself on the edge of the stage. This is it. Take a deep breath, Aika, you're finally here. I can see Gabriel on the other side of the stage, looking confident. He's got a head of height on me, at least, but we're in the same weight class so he's quite lean. He won't overpower me with weight. I do need to watch out for his reach, though. "Excellent. S'il vous plaît, dévoilez le stade. Please reveal the stage."

The wide open circle in front of me begins to rumble with the clanking of machinery. I remember that this was my favourite part to watch when I was a kid. Every stage is randomly chosen.

Six large walls start springing up from the floor, two by two, and they rise higher and higher until they form a pretty daunting three-row hurdle at least a foot taller than me. The space between each row is minimal, same for between each side-by-side wall. There's no way around this weird partition unless we cross out of bounds. It looks like this will be a very close quarters fight.

I take another deep breath as the announcer prattles on about safety and discretion. The whole 'don't kill your opponent' spiel they had to implement after the Lethal incident. Then, everything goes silent and I hear the loud beeping of the countdown.

I need to win this fight quickly if I stand any chance. The longer I delay, the more exhausted I'll be. My strikes will be weaker. Gabriel's weird sweat-water will be more plentiful. Focus, Aika. You can do this. You need to do this.

The klaxon fires.

I run toward the partition walls. The divides between each wall seem to be in different places for each row because as I cross through the first space I come face to face with concrete. I jerk my head around and see the next divide on the far right. There's not a lot of space to move in here. My running is a little awkward and my elbows keep nearly scratching the sides of the walls sandwiching me. I get to the space and turn on my toe as I barrel through it, blindly throwing a right hook.

I hit nothing. What? I was sure Gabriel would be here by n-OW!

I put my defenses up as my ribs begin to throb. Bastard, he came from beneath me. He's not giving way either, I can't find an opening. I have no room to sidestep or dodge; these goddamn walls are a nightmare! I feel the sting of his rapid-fire jabs – that's definitely going to bruise later – but I don't think he's used his figure yet. Oh, hold on, he's moving back, maybe I can... Oh no. Shit. He's going for a kick. I can't sidestep this. Retreat!

I focus on my feet. I feel the gravity shift. I kick to move backwards, and then I feel the rush of speed. I cross the distance just in time, and narrowly miss Gabriel's kick. Too close. Watch his reach, Aika, watch his reach. As Gabriel's foot falls to the ground, I see an opening. I kick off again and employ my figure to get close fast. Now the force. Hold it, hold it, hold it... Now!

I launch a left cross, aiming for Gabriel's nose. It connects and he stumbles back. He's bleeding, but hasn't been knocked down. How? My punching force is superhuman. Oh... now I see it. There's water – sweat? – dripping from his face. Did he somehow cushion the blow by forcing it through a wall of water? That would definitely slow it down, but that would take a lot of water. Oh, hold on, there's a puddle between us. He had that much sweat to spare? Was he preparing it before the fight even started?

Wait, stop, I've been thinking and not fighting. Gabriel's coming at me again. I ready myself to take a hit and wait for another opening, but just as he gets close my vision blurs. Shit, he's blinded me! Where is he?

Oof!

That was to the gut. I definitely felt that, and he's winded me. I stagger backwards, still unable to see anything. I try folding in on myself a bit to shield my abdomen and my face at the same time, but he just goes for my legs. He's better than I thought. Stronger than I thought; these blows hurt! I need to get out of here or he'll keep pummeling me.

I focus on my feet again, and just after Gabriel lands another hit to my left shin, I push off and retreat. "Get to an open space." Nevaeh just told me that like a minute ago, and only now do I remember it. Man, am I an idiot. A boxer in a tiny hallway with no room to wind up or step out? That's just stupid. Of course Gabriel has the advantage. Where did I let my head go? Focus, Aika.

I stand a few metres away from the godawful partition, readying myself to launch at Gabriel the moment he appears. He takes his time, no doubt figuring out that I'm baiting him, but it gives me the chance to catch my breath. I wait patiently, and Gabriel finally caves.

He launches himself out from behind the partition wall and sprints at me. He tries a jump kick, I dodge. A spin kick, I duck and go in for a punch. He senses me coming and just barely gets out of the way. I see his hair ruffle as my punch blows past him. He tries a barrage of fast strikes from several heights and directions. He's fast. And flexible. He lands a hook kick to my right shoulder, but otherwise I manage to get out unscathed. I'm aware that my energy for this fight is going to run out soon.

Gabriel finally backs up and we just stare at each other for a moment, each waiting for a good opening. He's light on his toes. He seems faster in person than on television. My heart is beating wildly and I can feel myself tingling again, with excitement and with apprehension. I need to figure out how to knock this guy out, and soon.

Gabriel comes at me again with his sweat-water, and I don't react quite fast enough. I'm blinded for a moment and he takes advantage of it by kicking out my leg from behind me. I hit the floor, but now I can see again. Gabriel goes in for a finishing blow but I catch him and throw him over my head with my legs. I'm glad for my MMA experience. I quickly get up and notice Gabriel shaking a lot. He's exaggerating his movements and bouncing on his toes as we regard each other warily again. I guess he's trying to create more ammo.

I'm in a perfect defensive stance when he decides to run at me again. I'm surprised, but maybe that's what he wants. Taking an opponent by surprise can drop their guard. But I keep mine up. I've dealt with this tactic before. I finally see it before it hits me: Gabriel brings a bunch of water from behind him and aims the burst at my head. No, we can't do this again! Another barrage like the last one and I might slip up. I can't lose.

I panic and glare at the water. I glare at every droplet and I will them to just freaking evaporate already. I am not having this again.

It all disappears.

...What? I look at Gabriel and notice he's stopped, just as bewildered as I am. But he's open. He's open, Aika! I take my chance. I wind up my right arm, my better arm, and I bend my knees as I launch myself at Gabriel. I fire my figure-enhanced fist of force straight into his gut. He reels and trips onto the ground. I wind up for another blow to knock him out, to the floor, but then he holds his hand up. I hear a whistle.

"Submission, Gabriel Lavoie!" the announcer says. I guess Gabriel didn't want a concussion. I relent and step back to show that I've acknowledged the submission. "And with that, folks, it looks like we have a winner! Congratulations to Aika Inoue."

I hear the crowd cheer. I feel exhilarated and I can't help but smile. I won! I won my first NCC match!

"You've got a mean punch, and whatever the hell that monstrous figure is," I hear Gabriel half-laugh half-wheeze. "Good luck out there," he adds as he stands up. He extends his hand in a fist and I bump it with my glove. He's a good sport.

"You too," I say before we both head off the stage.

"I told you to stay in open space!" Nevaeh's barking at me but she still gives me a hard pat on the back.

"I got there eventually!" I counter as Dad, Takumi, and Lev come running over to me. Nevaeh sighs and mutters something under her breath but seems to leave it.

"I told you you could do it!" Lev beams at me. I give him a thumbs up.

"This calls for a celebration!" Dad suddenly cuts in. "Angel's Diner, my treat! Nevaeh, please feel free to join us."

"Oh, I'll pass, I've got a shift at the Reptile Rescue. But thank you," she says just as Takumi groans and complains about breakfast food. Nevaeh suddenly turns to me. "And before you ask, Evren won her first match as well. No surprises there, though."

No surprises there? Wait a minute... "Hey! Did you not believe in me?!" I say. Nevaeh just chuckles, waves, and skitters off somewhere I can't follow. Classic Nevaeh, never fair.

"All right!" Dad claps his hands together, "Pancakes!" I swear Lev jumps up into the air at the same time Takumi looks about ready to bash his head into a wall. I know what's going through his head. He'll have to deal with both Dad and Lev for the next several hours. Ha! I'm not helping him out of this one, I just won an NCC fight and a fancy breakfast. He should be grateful I'm a great sister and he doesn't have to pay either.

Our booth at the diner is rowdy, as is the usual when Dad and Lev are put together in the same room. As expected, Takumi is keeping his head down and eating his pancakes in silence, occasionally shooting either Dad or Lev a glare when they're not looking. I relax and fill up on blueberry-infused breakfast food with too much maple syrup. My body's going to hurt later, but that's a problem for future me. I don't need to think about my fight, or of those to come. I'll just enjoy a moment with my family.