Confirmed

Mikaela's Perspective.

"You need to watch out for her left," Tim warned, wiping away the sweat dripping from my face. "Keep your hands up and circle. Be patient."

The bell rang, and we walked to the center.

"Come on, show me something, girl," Damaris urged, her arms dangling loosely at her sides.

I circled her, waiting for an opening. I attempted a left hook, but it missed. She moved back, and we continued circling.

"Use your footwork," Brooke shouted. "Watch her left!"

A punch connected, and my head snapped to the side. Another punch connected, this time to my nose, and I felt a gush of warm blood flowing.

"Keep your hands up, Mikaela!" Tim called.

"You're doing great, Mikaela," Brooke cheered. "Hands up!"

"Come on, girl," Damaris urged again, this time with a smirk.

"Get out of the pocket, Mikaela," Tim warned.

I moved back and tried a right hook.

"Good shot, Mikaela," Tim complimented.

Damaris's eyes widened as she stumbled, and the crowd roared. She lunged at me with a combination. I deflected her blows, backing into the ropes and delivering a hard right to her temple. She moved back, and I followed with a straight right, then a hook.

"Stay outside, Mikaela!"

I circled, throwing a right hook. My hand collided with her head, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Stay away from her!"

"Be patient, Mikaela."

"Circle! Circle!"

"Wait for the opening."

"Use your feet, Mikaela."

"Keep it tight, Champ!"

"Stay away from her, Mikaela!"

"Mikaela!"

"Mikaela!!" Brooke yelled out.

(Flashback...)

"Roach?" I queried, lowering the windows.

"Guessing you're Mikaela. What's the deal you're trying to crack?" 

"The one with the braids. Both of them, actually," I said, pulling the phone away from his face. "I need details on their connection to an accident in Juneau three years back."

"Three years ago? That's gonna take some serious digging. It won't come cheap."

"Just get it done," I replied, starting the engine. "Give me a call if you uncover anything."

(The Present...)

As I shifted my focus away from Brooke, I swiftly maneuvered beneath the incoming right hook, emerging from behind Damaris. With a sharp turn, she nearly caught me with an illegal elbow to the face.

Stepping back, I gestured toward my elbows, signaling to the referee.

"Watch those elbows!" he cautioned.

I moved in, delivering a body shot, and another, and another. Damaris pushed me off and landed a couple of jabs.

"Keep it tight, Champ! You're doing great."

The bell rang, and I moved back to my corner.

"Nice job, Mikaela!" Tim praised, pressing an icepack against the cut near my left ear.

"Keep the pressure, Champ!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Keep the pressure, and stay patient," Tim advised, holding a water bottle to my lips.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of the next round, Damaris wasted no time. Stepping quickly, she positioned herself to block my retreat by stepping on my lead foot. Then, she forcefully slammed her body into mine, almost like she was attempting a hug, before unleashing two short hooks from close range. First, a right hook knocked my gum shield out, followed swiftly by a left hook that sent me crashing to the canvas.

"Bombs away! A one-two combo sends Mickey Mouse to the canvas!" the announcer exclaimed.

I pushed myself up onto all fours and then rose to my feet.

"Move, Mikaela! Don't let her close in on you," Eddie's voice urged. I attempted to turn to acknowledge him, but the referee's hand blocked my vision, prompting me to focus back on the fight.

"Six! Are you okay?" the referee asked.

I nodded.

"Keep moving, Mikaela," Eddie's voice persisted, and I complied.

"Watch her right hand, Champ. Use your footwork," Tim advised as he quickly replaced the gum shield.

As I circled the ring, Damaris's laughter pierced through the noise of the crowd. I glanced towards her, and she shook her head. "You're wasting your time, little girl. I'm going to relish ending you."

"Keep moving, Mikaela. Keep moving. Stay away from her," Eddie's voice instructed.

I turned towards him, frustration boiling over. "Shut up!"

"Oh, it appears Mikaela is somewhat distracted by something outside the ring here. Her corner seems to be in disarray! Not a good sign for the former champion at this moment," the announcer remarked.

I retreated, inhaling deeply. In that moment, there were no more directives—only the serene calm I craved.

Advancing, I executed a feint with a right hook, following through by lightly tapping her cheek with a left jab. My rhythm continued—darting in and out, connecting with lefts and rights before swiftly stepping back. In response, she countered with a powerful hook that struck my shoulder, its force momentarily staggering my stance. With a slight tilt of her head, she kept her hands at her sides, showing no regard for my power. She moved forward cautiously, exuding confidence like a seasoned boss, casually rolling her right hand in the air as if signaling her malevolent intentions.

Standing resolute, my shoulders squared, and my chin lifted, a surge of empowerment surged through me.

"You know why you're here," I heard myself declare.

The words flowed effortlessly as I moved forward, unleashing a straight right with every ounce of strength I possessed. It connected with Damaris's chin, the force behind the blow sending her stumbling back into the ropes. Her eyes widened momentarily before a smirk played on her lips, followed by a flash of her tongue.

Undaunted, I persisted, maneuvering to hook my right foot behind her left before unleashing a devastating right hand that sent her tumbling to the canvas.

As Damaris lay sprawled on the ground, her eyes darted around in disbelief, her features contorted as she struggled for breath. With an exhale, she pushed herself onto her knees, standing to meet my gaze with a smile as the referee retrieved her gloves.

"Fight on!" the referee declared shortly thereafter.

"Wow, ladies and gentlemen, you've got to witness this. She's back on her feet. Simply incredible," the announcer exclaimed. "And what a punch she took as well."

Damaris and I locked eyes, her expression inscrutable.

With the bell signaling the end of the round, I made my way back to my corner.

"Fantastic work, Champ!" Tim cheered, handing me a stool. "Keep up the pressure, keep moving. Stay on her. Don't give her a moment's rest!"

"You're doing amazing, Mikaela! Keep it up," Brooke encouraged, her grin radiating support.

As the bell rang again, the referee gestured for us to return to the center of the ring.

"What round is it?" I asked, rising from the stool. Brooke indicated with her fingers, and I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Go get her, Mikaela. Don't let her slip away," Tim urged.

"Come on, little girl. Impress me," Damaris taunted, her hands still hanging by her sides. We continued to circle each other, the crowd's cheers drowning out my thoughts. I continued to bounce on my toes, leaning in and out of range to throw her timing off.

I swiftly ducked to avoid her right hook, then stood up to find her elbow pressing against the back of my neck. With her back to my left, she spun around rapidly, but I managed to grab onto her neck with my arms, locking her in a headlock. From this position, I landed several shots to her bent-over body.

"Break it up! Break!" the referee instructed, moving towards us.

I released Damaris, allowing her to stumble backwards as she pulled away. Seizing the opportunity, I delivered a powerful haymaker to her ear, causing her gum shield to fly out of the ring and sending her crashing to the canvas.

"Absolutely remarkable display of veteran expertise from the former champ, shining through brightly tonight. Classic moves showcased here with the clinch, the release, and that blow to the ear. It's textbook brilliance unfolding before our eyes, folks, as the referee begins the count!"

On one knee, Damaris fixed an intense stare at the referee, exhaling deeply as he continued the count. As she rose to her feet, her corner and she launched into a barrage of complaints to the referee about the clinch and subsequent punches. However, the referee disregarded their protests and motioned for the fight to continue.

Advancing with a lazy jab from her left hand to measure the distance, I leaned back, countering with a straight right that missed its mark. Despite having been knocked down twice, she remained surprisingly fresh and nimble. As she attempted to advance by hooking her foot around mine, I quickly pulled away, causing myself to trip and land back against the ropes. Swiftly spinning to my right, I narrowly avoided her hook.

The crowd gasped in unison. "Believe me, folks, that would've been lights out if that shot from the champion had connected!"

She turned around, maintaining a smile that couldn't hide the fury in her eyes. I noticed the tension in her neck as she clenched down on her mouthguard, advancing recklessly with another hook. I managed to dip underneath it and attempted to clinch, but she kept me at bay with her right hand on my chest. In a swift motion, she planted a left hook to my ear, throwing off my balance completely. I collapsed onto the canvas, my knees crashing down first, and my head buried in the middle of her shorts. I tried to prop myself up using her legs, but she forcefully shoved my head away, causing it to rebound off the canvas, while the bright ring lights above seemed to call out to me.

"Bang! Wang! Nigerian Kabam! Mickey hits the canvas once more, and it looks like she could be out for the count this time! What a devastating blow from the champion!" the announcer shouted. 

"Come on, Mikaela, let's get up," I urged as I tried to roll onto all fours. Crawling across the ring, blood trickled from the side of my face, pooling in my mouth before dripping onto the canvas as I reached for my gum shield. Managing to get to my knees, I lifted my head to locate the referee, but a heavy weight on my sides pulled me back down. I rolled onto my back, my legs splayed out on the floor.

Once more, I struggled onto my knees, only to be enveloped in Brooke's comforting embrace. "You're okay, Mikaela. I've got you. Let it go, champ. Just let it go." 

I peeked over her shoulder and noticed the ring filling up with several more people. In the distance, Damaris stood atop her coach's shoulders, her face buried in her arms as she wept. She had won the rematch.