Was that a Cooldown or Warmup?

Jab. Cross. Jab. Hook. Duck, and concentrate. Force force force force... now!

I can feel the gravity around me change just a little bit, and I lock my gaze on the heavy target Nevaeh's thrown down from the rafters. I curl my fist as tightly as possible and release the most powerful left punch I can muster. It all happens in a fraction of a second: my fist flies straight into the heavy target and knocks it across the room. The bag of sand hits the wall with a loud bang. I barely even felt my glove connect with the leather.

Nevaeh climbs down from the rafters and checks out the target. I'm panting and sweating profusely. I feel like I'm about to keel over.

"Better than yesterday, but your accuracy still needs work, Aika," Nevaeh says as she walks back my way. I laugh. Or rather, I try to laugh through my panting, and I think I manage to make a weird gargling noise.

"When my fist feels like it's going faster than sound, it's hard to control, Nevaeh," I say.

"I'm your coach, it's my job to yell at you," she answers coolly as she throws me a towel. I can tell she's smiling behind her bite, though. "Anyway, that's enough drills for today. With your power, as long as you hit your opponent somewhere, I'm positive it'll be a knockout."

"Here's hoping." Knockouts are what I've been relying on, after all. It takes effort to use my figure to accelerate time, not to mention for only my power moves. Localizing a fast-forward has a price. Physics is push and pull, all about balance. All that to say I'm dead in an endurance fight.

"Have the matchups for the NCC been posted yet?" Nevaeh asks me. I shake my head as I start undoing my boxing gloves and hand wraps. "Let me know when they are, we need to scout out your opponents. Anyone picking you up today? Your dad?"

"No, Dad's at work. Lev's doing some assignment for one of his college courses so he can't either. Takumi too, probably, though I'd be surprised if he showed up to one of my training sessions."

"Takumi in college, huh? I haven't seen him in ages, and suddenly he's all grown up," Nevaeh folds her arms and I chuck my gloves and hand wraps into my gym bag, "Let's end off this session with some conditioning and stretching. Just bodyweight, we can't have you seize up before your first fight."

We exit our sparring arena, me with gym bag in tow and Nevaeh with keys in hand to lock up behind us. I drop my bag in a random corner on top of the mats and ready myself for Nevaeh's cooldown.

"20-20-20, squats, sit-ups, push-ups. Take them gently, not full. 20-second breaks. Let's do that for a couple of five-minute rounds, some stretching in between," Nevaeh instructs me as she takes out her stopwatch. I bend my knees at her mark. "Seriously, though, Takumi's in college? When did that happen?"

"We're only a year apart, Nevaeh," I manage to pant out an answer as I count out my half-squats in my head. "He's doing a co-op apprenticeship thing through one of the local colleges. Wants to be an electrician, but also wanted to do the college experience with his friends. This program he's managed to find gives him the best of both worlds."

"I still can't believe kids these days are going to college at 17... Does he even have his figure yet?"

"Yes," I can't believe Nevaeh's making me talk through all of this, she's just standing there not breaking a sweat, "Lightning. He's like a conductor. Funnels electricity through his body."

"Hah! And he wants to be an electrician! He's always been logical."

I switch to sit-ups. "I know. It's pretty inspiring. But don't tell him I said that." I throw a glare Nevaeh's way. "When we were younger, he was so afraid of being electrocuted that he'd make me plug in all our electronics. Didn't want to swim at pools that stood near loudspeakers either. Got the cold sweat and everything."

"Then he suddenly decides enough is enough, and confronts his fear by pursuing a job that extensively uses it?" Nevaeh laughs. "What a sweetheart. No wonder his figure developed so quickly. Speaking of fears, though, how are you feeling about the NCC?"

How am I feeling? My heart is pounding just thinking about facing such strong opponents in official (and nationally-broadcasted) showdowns, all for the glory of being crowned Grand Champion. Though, my heart-pounding might also just be from the current workout.

Nevaeh continues talking before I think of an answer. "You've worked hard over the years. I'd love to see you take the championship. No pressure, of course." She winks at me as I sit up again. "Even without your figure, you're a mean boxer. I've taught you well," she says wistfully.

"Thanks, Coach," I say as I roll over to start on my push-ups. If even Nevaeh is confident, I've definitely got to fight well. Aim for the top, and nothing less. "I'll grab the championship from right under Evren's feet."

"You'll have to catch her first. You need speed for that. A wicked fast reaction time."

"Speed's something I guarantee I've got."

"That's what I like to hear. All right, double-time!"

Somehow Nevaeh is always able to motivate me into pushing past my tiredness. Now that I'm thinking of the NCC, too, I'm suddenly fired up.

"Awesome, now some stretches," Nevaeh says as she stops her timer and sits down in front of me. "Legs out, forward bend."

It's when I'm on my second set of cooldown stretches that Nevaeh and I hear the door open. My head whips around to check who else would come to the gym at this hour of the day, and in waltzes the greatest source of my troubles to come – Evren Kinnunen-Mwangi.

"Well, speak of the Devil," Nevaeh's saying as she gets up from the floor. "It looks like Santeri's with her, too." Current Grand Champion with a former elite champion? I'm surprised the whole gym hasn't just stopped dead to watch. I stare at Evren as she walks past the mats and toward the reception desk. I catch her eye. She's talking with her uncle but quickly glances over at me when she spots me. Her eyes twinkle with something I can't quite place but suspect is anticipation. "What a lucky girl," Nevaeh says when Evren's walked out of earshot. "Having an uncle who is a former NCC champion is damn convenient. People pay big money for training like that. Being a Legacy has its perks."

"Definitely," I say as I continue to watch the Commander of Space out of the corner of my eye. After speaking with the guy at the front desk, she and her uncle are handed something and pointed to the nearest private training room. Adjacent to ours. They soon disappear behind a door and Nevaeh calls me out for not paying attention. I wonder what the Grand Champion's training looks like.

There's still a line for the showers after I finish my training session, even though there aren't as many people at the gym as usual. It's not too long a wait, and I sigh as I throw my hair up without bothering to dry it post-rinse. I don't see Evren; she must still be training.

The walk home takes almost half an hour, but luckily it's not too cold outside yet and the streets are well-lit in the growing evening. I grab some leftovers from the fridge for dinner once I'm inside the house, and wolf it all down before I brace myself for the inevitable.

Ice bath time.

It's good for the muscles and prevents swelling. I won't wake up sore and will thank myself later. I've done it a hundred times.

But I still hate it.

I hate it as I let the water run and shovel the ice out of my bucket and into the tub upstairs. I hate it as I dip my bare toes into the hellish ice water concoction. I shiver for just shy of 10 minutes before I haul myself out of the rapidly cooling tub and let the water drain. I bring the rest of the ice back downstairs and am throwing it into the freezer when I hear Dad and Takumi come through the front door.

"...probably finished her training. She should be home by now," I hear Dad say.

"I'm here," I yell as I poke my head around the corner and see Dad and Takumi taking off their shoes.

"Hi, Aika! How did training with Nevaeh go?" Dad's face lights up and Takumi waves lazily.

"It was hellish, as usual. There might still be some shards of ice in the tub," I answer. Takumi sighs. "Just for you," I add, winking at my brother. He just rolls his eyes and bumps past me to look through the fridge.

"That sounds excellent," Dad laughs as he sits down at the kitchen table. I sit across from him.

"Although, one unusual thing did happen during our cooldown..."

"Oh?" I can see I've piqued Dad's interest.

"Evren and her uncle showed up and rented out a private training area."

"The Commander of Space? And Santeri? The Collapser? Ah, I remember watching his matches on the television years ago. Did you get to watch them spar? You'll need all the advantages you can get for your fight with her."

"I thought the NCC matchups weren't posted yet?" Takumi suddenly interrupts our conversation and sits down at the table with a bowl of spaghetti.

"They aren't," I answer.

"Then you can't assume you'll get to fight Evren. You could lose to an opponent before her," he continues.

"I believe in Aika's abilities," Dad says enthusiastically but I just groan.

"Wow, thanks for the confidence, Takumi," I say sarcastically. "And wait a minute, since when do you follow the NCC matches?"

"Since forever?" he gives me a quizzical look, "It's hard not to keep up when you and Dad obsessively watch it every year. You and most of the population, actually. And besides, my sister's in this year's cycle. I'm required by blood to stay up to date." He eats his udon and shrugs, as if all this were obvious.

I can't hide my smile and I giggle a bit as I reach out to ruffle his hair. Takumi makes a noise of resistance but surrenders when he realizes fighting me is a futile effort.

"Anyway, Aika," Takumi says seriously after he's swallowed his food. "It's pretty far-fetched to think you'll win against an undefeated grand champion, especially a Legacy. Don't underestimate the fighters in this competition; they're as much professionals as you are." I wave my hand at him dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it. I'll be vigilant."

"You'd better be."

There's a comfortable silence at the table until Dad pipes up again, talking about Santeri and his 'golden days.' All the while, I think about the fighters I was introduced to in the NCC opening ceremony. If I'm to go up against the Grand Champion, I'm going to need a perfect score to get to her. Zero losses.

I have to win every match.