NOVEL WEB Chapter 87: tournament
The afternoon sun heated the Sekai Taikai gym, the smell of sweat and adrenaline filling the air as Clark stood between Daniel and Johnny, the three of them very close to the mat where the fights were taking place. There was no one there but the competitors, judges, and senseis, the sound of blows and screams of the fighters echoing loudly. They were tense, their eyes fixed on the fights happening in front of them, but a nervous excitement ran through the three, the kind that came from seeing every kick and punch up close.
"Can you believe we almost missed this?" Johnny said, shrugging as if he wanted to join the fight, looking at the mat where Miguel was trading blows with a guy from Iron Dragons, the sound of the impacts hitting hard. "We flew home because of Carmen's accident… She got hurt, but she's better now, thank goodness…
Daniel nodded, arms crossed, his face serious but with a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. "I'm glad you guys got back in time. Miguel is doing well there... Look at him holding that guy."
Clark chuckled softly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as he watched. "Yeah, that kid's tough. He's kicking ass… Look at Tory over there too." He pointed to the mat next door, where Tory was facing off against a Cobra Kai girl. She was striking hard, but she was defending her belly with a firmness that drew attention, her arms blocking any blows that came too close to that area, even though it left her shoulders and legs more exposed. A few of the competitors and senseis nearby exchanged glances, frowning, wondering why she was protecting her belly so much and opening up gaps in other places. But then her opponent landed a quick punch to her shoulder, taking advantage of the opening, and Tory lost her balance, falling to the mat with a thud. The referee yelled, and the score changed—she had lost the fight. Clark stood still, tension replacing the excitement in his chest as he watched her slowly get up, her face serious.
Johnny snorted, scratching the back of his neck, his eyes narrowed as he eyed Tory suspiciously. "She's not fighting well today… She's acting weird. It could be a thousand things—her mom thing, I don't know. But this whole defending her belly like that and now losing like this? It's really weird." He gave Clark a hard look, his voice thick with suspicion as he tried to piece it together, the energy from the fights keeping him agitated. "What's going on with her, huh?"
Daniel turned to Clark, frowning. "Yeah, what's this story? She lost now… What's going on?"
Clark ran a hand through his hair, trying not to laugh. "Nothing major, Johnny's just being a pain in the ass. Tory and I... We're working things out. She's fine, she just needs time to get it together." He looked away from the mat, watching Tory walk out with her head down, the judges tallying up the results as the sound of the competitors' screams filled the gym. "She's a badass, even with that loss. She just slipped up."
Daniel didn't look convinced, his arms still crossed. "Working things out? Clark, I know you, you always have some crazy plan up your sleeve. Don't tell me you're getting her into trouble again. And Johnny's right... First she's not fighting properly, now she's defending her belly as if it were everything and she lost because of it. Everyone's noticing."
"Relax, Daniel," Clark said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder, the excitement of the fights keeping the tone light despite Tory's defeat. "It's not a fight. It's just… life, you know? Things happen. As for the belly, she must have her reasons. Maybe she got hurt or something." He gave a crooked smile, but in the back of his mind, Tory's pregnancy and the night with Sam weighed heavily—secrets that he knew explained everything, but that he wasn't going to tell them yet.
Johnny grunted, looking at the mat where Sam was now entering, adjusting his gloves with that serious look he knew well. "Things happen... Okay, and I'm Santa Claus. You're a magnet for trouble, Clark. Always have been, ever since you came up with this wolf and vampire thing. First Tory doesn't fight well, now she's obsessed with her belly and she loses? You're putting the pieces together here, and I don't like what I'm imagining."
Clark shrugged, ignoring Johnny's suspicious look as his eyes drifted to the mat where Sam was trading blows with an Iron Dragons guy, the sound of fists slamming into each other echoing back to them. Before he could respond, the referee yelled something from Sam's mat, and she blocked a blow with aplomb. Clark clapped his hands together, whistling loudly, the tension and excitement returning to his chest. "That's it, girl! Show 'em!" He turned to the two of them with a wide grin. "See? Sam's holding her own. You're the ones who worry about Tory for nothing."
Daniel gave a dry laugh, rubbing his neck. "You're incorrigible, Clark. But Sam's fighting well. I just hope she and Tory don't take this personally again. Enough of the trouble between them."
Clark shrugged again, his eyes fixed on Sam as she landed a solid punch, the sound of the impact reaching them. "They're big, Daniel. If they need to, they can deal with it with a punch, but at the end of the day, we're all right." He laughed, but he knew that the balance between Tory and Sam was fragile, and what he'd been doing the last few nights was only making it more complicated—the tension of the fights almost disguising it. A few senseis around were still whispering, pointing at Tory and wondering what was up with that exaggerated defense on her stomach, but Clark pretended not to hear.
Johnny looked at him sideways, his fists clenched with pure energy, still putting the pieces together in his head. "You talk like you have it all figured out, but I know you, Clark. When that bomb goes off—and it will—I want to be far away."
Clark laughed again, slapping Johnny on the shoulder, the excitement of the fights keeping him light. "Relax, man. It's all good… for now." He stood, his eyes glued to Sam as she blocked a kick and hit back hard, the sound of the impact echoing back to them. "There she is… My girl doesn't mess around."
Daniel sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You and your girls… I swear I don't know how you make this work."
"It's a gift, Daniel," Clark said, winking as the tension and excitement of the fights pulsed around him. "A gift that comes at a price, but I'm happy to pay it." He was quiet for a second, thinking about Tory and Sam and the babies to come, a mixture of pride and worry beating in his chest as the tournament progressed, the noise of the competitors filling the gym...