"We've got a special treat today! A newcomer wishes to brave The Ring!" the announcer called out, his deep baritone echoing throughout the large warehouse-like building. For something meant to be discrete, on the inside, The Ring was anything but.
The seats of the wealthiest patrons were quite literally gold-plated. This wasn't any underground operation; it was THE underground operation.
"Please welcome… Felix Hale!" Felix winced at hearing his name broadcast to all these people, the lack of anonymity something he hadn't quite signed up for. Ivan at least had the shame to be apologetic about that. The only people in The Ring who were unknown factors were the patrons themselves.
Hopping into the actual boxing ring, Felix jumped up and down to get his blood flowing. A few people cheered for him, but his fight was really meant as an appetizer for those later in the night. His opponent got a bigger reaction from the audience.
"And his opponent, our very own Joseph Taylor!"
Joseph was a very lean man, but if looks could kill, Felix would have been dead ten times over. Every single movement of Joseph's was graceful, but not like a ballerina. No, it was like he was an apex predator stalking his prey.
Steeling himself, Felix locked his gaze on his opponent and waited for the announcer to declare the start of the match. His heart beat with the intensity of a war drum. The sound of the crowd dimmed until Felix could hear nothing but himself. Then the match began.
Joseph exploded forward with practiced ease, taking advantage of Felix's inexperience. He spun on his left leg and delivered a devastating roundhouse to Felix's torso. Stumbling backwards, Felix raised his arms in defense, watching for any more kicks.
Smiling, Joseph leaned into a punch, one that Felix blocked. Hammering away at his arms, Joseph was like a human jackhammer. Cursing, Felix stepped forward into the assault, defying Joseph's expectations.
With momentum of his own, Felix landed a right hook to Joseph's face, wiping the confident smile from his opponent's face. Oh, that felt good.
Felix launched off the balls of his feet, leaping forward as Ivan had told him not to. Doing so left him vulnerable and if Joseph was more able to respond than Felix thought, then it'd be him that would be forced to the ground.
Joseph righted himself before Felix arrived, his cocky grin back in full force. Felix's side still hurt, and that was from a single well-placed kick. If Joseph could get on top of him, it'd probably mean the end of the fight. Ivan hadn't taught him how to fight from the ground. And even though Felix didn't need the prize money that came with victory, his pride burned at losing his first fight.
So he leveraged every option available to him. As Joseph's leg launched out to trip Felix, Felix warped time back a second. Aware of Joseph's plan, Felix tried to dodge his opponent's leg, but he failed miserably. There was no amount of speed he could muster that would let him dodge it.
Joseph's leg hooked his own, and within moments, the air shot out from his lungs. Joseph locked him down and started drilling into his abdomen. Felix felt his fury grow to a fever pitch, and he reset time ten seconds. Dealing with the irritating pang in his head was much preferrable to the pain he had just been going through. And now, he knew the future.
He didn't leap forward. Instead, mimicking Joseph's demeanor prior to the fight, Felix stalked forward with the precision of a cheetah. Then, as he drew closer, he feigned a weakness, putting himself off balance to encourage Joseph to strike out with his leg again.
And he did. Felix caught the leg and tossed Joseph to the ground, thankful that all his time spent in the gym had significantly improved his strength. Now their roles were reversed. It was Felix that maintained the advantage, hammering away at a turtling Joseph.
It continued until Joseph tapped the ground, finally giving up the fight. It was a miracle he'd maintained hope as long as he had; by the time Felix helped Joseph up, the other man was bruised and battered more than Felix ever had been under Ivan. And Ivan made sure to hit in ways that Felix would remember the next day.
The crowd's voices returned, and they returned explosively. Ivan received him as he left the stage, clapping him on the back. It was his way of expressing emotion. He then explained that it was rare that a newcomer would unseat a current fighter.
"How did you know what he would do with his leg?" Ivan asked excitedly. Felix wanted to tell the man about his secret, but he doubted anything good would come of telling the reckless and generally violent Ivan about something that he was pretty sure would land him in a government lab if they found him. None of the superhumans had gone missing yet, but who knew when that would change?
"It was a good guess, Ivan," Felix lied through his teeth. It made him feel ashamed of himself; lying had never come easy.
"See? I told you that you were going to fit right in!"
Felix looked around, seeing people that looked like they belonged in a TV show about the mafia all around him. Others had tattoo sleeves and were so ripped that they could probably crush a watermelon between two fingers. He wasn't exactly sure he fit in at all.
"…thanks?"
"Any time, Felix. Will you come back next week?" Ivan asked, obvious in what he was hoping for. If Felix were honest with himself, he wanted nothing to do with The Ring. It brought out the worst in him, and he had just beaten a man. It was dishonorable.
"I think I'll stick to boxing for now, Ivan."
The bigger man's excitement dimmed, but he still smiled. "You won't be getting away from the pain," Ivan warned. Felix nodded, a small smile appearing on his own lips.
"Oh, I know."