Taunting

You circle her with a smug grin, rolling your shoulders as Kira gets back to her feet. She’s breathing a little heavier now, one hand lightly touching her ribs where your strikes landed.

“Not bad,” you call out loud enough for the crowd to hear, “but you’re way too slow for me, Kira. That all you got?”

She doesn’t answer, just glares and resets her stance. You laugh and keep talking, feeding off the energy of the arena.

“Come on, I thought you were supposed to be tough. I barely broke a sweat and you’re already sucking wind. What’s the matter? Too much power for you to handle?”

The crowd eats it up, cheering and laughing as you continue to taunt her. Feeling dominant after the quick start, you turn your back on Kira and raise both arms out wide to hype up the audience. You flex for the crowd, shouting at them and soaking in the noise.

Big mistake.

You hear the rapid footsteps a split second too late.

Kira explodes forward with perfect timing. The moment your back is turned, she closes the distance and unleashes a powerful running knee that slams hard into your spine. The impact is brutal. Pain shoots through your back as the **** knocks you forward and off balance.

Before you can recover, she follows up with a sharp elbow to the side of your head. Your vision flashes white. Your legs buckle, and the next thing you know, the mat is rushing up to meet you.

You hit the canvas hard, landing on your hands and knees. The arena erupts in a mix of gasps and loud cheers for the sudden turnaround. Your head is ringing and your back throbs from the knee strike.

Kira stands over you, breathing heavily but with a fierce, satisfied look on her face.

“Not so cocky now, huh?” she spits back, clearly enjoying the reversal.

You shake your head, trying to clear the daze as you start pushing yourself up.