But as they fell, Leo smiled. Because for the first time in his life, he wasn’t falling as a champion. He was just falling.
He heard a crack. Not a bone. A sponsor patch on his chest. Veridian Dynamics flickered and died.
Leo glanced at the jumbotron. The livestream numbers were in the billions. Chat scrolled by in a blur of emojis and death threats. These people didn’t see teenagers. They saw gladiators. They saw products. overdeveloped amateurs
Then, slowly, Leo did something that was not in his fight protocol. He reached out and took Priya’s hand. Her grip was strong enough to crush steel. But she held him gently.
“Begin,” whispered the AI referee.
They stood frozen, two perfect monsters in the center of the ring.
The AI referee pinged. “Inactivity penalty. Resume combat.” But as they fell, Leo smiled
“One,” Priya whispered.