I Knew You Were Trouble ⇔ Muke ✓

Tell Me How Great Its All Gonna Be

Warning: short chapter but it continues into the next one :)

MICHAEL

There's a big fight tonight. Like, a huge fight. The kind of fight that people end up going to the hospital after, on both sides. The club will be packed full, the ambiance even more competitive and dangerous than it usually is. Ashton and I are required to go, both our trainers knowing this a big night to get recognized. Ashton decided to have Calum stay home, since he doesn't like watching the fights on a normal day's basis. Let alone a night like this.

There's another fight club outside of the city, and their people are coming here so we can have a tournament based thing, where we decide who's the best. I have confidence in us, but the people over there are supposedly bigger and stronger than us. We have technique, but they have strength. At some point, one must override the other.

Ashton is standing beside me, the two of us leaning against the wall, facing the ring. I have my arms crossed, going over everything in my mind. The room is filling up to the brim, more people coming in without a sign of stopping. I've seen some of the fighters already, and they are bigger than us. I'm just hoping that our skill will let us win.

"You nervous?" Ashton asks.

I shake my head. "Not really." Ashton nods, smiling a little.

"Didn't think you would be," he says. Which is true. I don't ever really get nervous at matches like these, despite how dangerous they could end up being. Perhaps I should be, considering I'm definitely on the smaller side in comparison to every other person here. But I was trained at a young age and I could fight anyone if I had to, and at least put up a good fight if not win it.

It doesn't take long for the tournament to begin, the doors closing with a bang and the lights closing in on the ring. A steady cheer rises from the people around us, and I cross my arms. Ashton pats my back, smiling cheerfully.

"Isn't this fun? I wish Calum was here," Ashton says.

"Calum would hate this," I point out. Ashton shrugs.

"Still. I like having him with me."

Before I can reply, a whistle blows and the first two fighters enter the ring. Ashton takes a deep breath and we lean back against the wall to watch. At first, neither of them make a move. Then the man from the other side of town throws a solid punch to our guy's jaw, and Ashton and I wince.

"Ouch," Ashton says quietly.

We watch as the first fight ends with a loss on our side, and I sigh. This is going to be rough. If the first fight ends with you losing, most of the people will be betting on the other side, which decreases the confidence of our fighters. Not the best way to start a tournament.

I'm the tenth in line to go up and fight, and we reach that time a lot quicker than I expected. I leave Ashton by the wall and go up towards the edge of the ring, grabbing myself a mouth guard. We've gotten some of our strength back with the other fights, and we're not pretty much equal in the better's eyes. Which is good for me.

I put the mouth guard in my mouth, adjusting it quickly as the crowd erupts into noise, signaling that the next match ended. I spot my trainer to the right of me, giving me a smile and a quick wink before I am pushed up the stairs and into the ring.

The lights bare down on my back, the heat almost unbearable itself, without the added pressure of everyone watching. I look up to see my opponent standing on the other side of the ring, talking with his trainer. He's bigger than me, taller and wider. Not by much, but enough to put me at a disadvantage. I can already tell that this is going to hurt a bit more than the other fights I've been in.