Your face eats boot

She spins, clocking you in the head with a roundhouse kick. You see stars as your jaw goes slack, you drop to your knees, then flat on your face. The crowd lets out a collective, "Oh!" as the crack of the kick echoes through the arena.

The ref pushes past Kali, who is giggling in embarrassment to hide the worry in her eyes, to check if you haven't been knocked out cold right then and there.

The ref grabs your hand and lifts it, then lets it fall before counting out, "1!" Your vision blurs as your eyes try to realign themselves to unity as the ref grabs your hand again. Kali stops laughing, genuinely unsure how to react if you got KO'd like this.

But you've got strength in you, and when the referee raises your hand, you ball it into a fist as your vision resolves.

The ref shouts into your ear as the crowd reignites with exultation of your survival, "You good?" You nod, but that's about all for now.

She nods and gives a thumbs up to Kali, who had been resting in her corner. Your opponent approaches yet again, sure footed now she knows she didn't overdo it.