Space and Time

Over the Head

All I can hear right now is vague muffled noise. I can't believe Dad and Lev made a big enough deal out of my tiny little head injury to get Nevaeh to put this plastic pillowcase over my head. I haven't worn headgear this thick since my days in the junior beginners. What was I, twelve? There's an incredibly disconcerting crumpling noise right below my ears as I bounce around to warm myself up.

Nevaeh, Lev, and Dad are all talking about something. Takumi's just noped out of the situation for whatever reason and is leaving, probably to go find a seat. If he's left then whatever that trio's chatting about can't be too important.

I relax some.

You'll be fine, Aika. You have extra-strong head protection and you've practiced raising your guard for weeks. Months. Years. You're ready for this. You've barreled through two opponents already. Two! You've beat out two trained professionals in the NCC. You belong here.

I've trained hard for this, for years. I've got this.

All right, that should do it for warmup. My muscles are feeling a little more limber. Let's double-check those gloves and guards... Check and check. I wonder how Evren's doing.

"Welcome! Bienvenue!" I can barely hear the announcer's voice through my helmet, but I know that now is Go Time.

Dad and Lev give me a thumbs up and a clap on the shoulder respectively before rushing down the couple of steps to the audience area. Nevaeh's saying something, but I can't hear what. She doesn't seem to notice that I can't hear her (either that or she just doesn't care), and she gives me a once-over before grinning and shoving me lovingly up the steps to the stage.

I take it all in for a moment.

This hasn't gotten old. I can't help my smile, seeing the excited audience staring up at me, the polished hydraulic stage inches from my feet, my opponent across the stage grinning back at me. It's almost surreal. The stuff of my dreams, now reality.

Vid looks to be about my height, maybe shorter. They have on an excited smile, all toothy and shining in contrast against their short beard. I smile extra back at them. I pretend that it's because I want to play some reverse psychology mind games on them, so I seem quiet and totally-not-aggressively-competitive. In reality, I know that they're the one who's caught me off guard by imitating the dazzling smirk of my dorky best friend.

...Let's not get caught up about that. Now's not the time to be shaky.

I have to win.

"...Aika Inoue versus Vid Nagy," the announcer says in his usual enthusiastic tone. It must be a fun job, commentating and getting to talk with all of the backstage people that make this magic happen. I bet Lev would do well with it. Actually, maybe not, he might faint from fanboying. "S'il vous plaît, dévoilez le stade. Please reveal the stage."

I hear the clicks and clangs of the machinery under the stage. The stage rises up, a giant cube, until it's almost twice my height. A few gaps in the wall form a makeshift ladder, built into the wall itself. I can still hear rumbling, meaning the stage is changing somewhere, but not where I can see.

Now the rumbling's stopped.

I have no idea what's in store for me, but I hear the loud beeping countdown and know I need to focus. If I can't see all of it, neither can Vid. I just need to climb up this thing fast and get a lay of the land before continuing.

The klaxon fires.

I'm speeding up the wall. It's a bit awkward with my gloves, even though they're the smaller and lighter MMA ones, and it occurs to me that maybe I should ask Nevaeh to put climbing into my training regimen.