He seemed angry with the bag.

“What about him?” she asked.

“Is he scared?”

Althea took a moment.

“Everybody is scared of something.”

Tyler lowered his voice.

“He doesn't seem scared of anything.”

“That's not the same as being brave.”

Tyler nodded slowly.

Althea gave him a small smile.

“Go get some water.”

He walked away.

Marcus finished his training and approached Elena.

“What do you think?”

Elena glanced at him.

“About what?”

“Her coaching.”

“She's good.”

“She's very good.”

Elena nodded.

“Yes.”

Marcus looked toward Althea.

“She never once made anyone feel stupid.”

Elena raised an eyebrow.

“Is that unusual?”

He gave a short laugh.

“Maybe.”

Elena studied him.

“Marcus, you know what I think your biggest problem is?”

“I'm sure you're going to tell me.”

“You think strength gives you permission.”

He looked at her.

“Permission to do what?”

“To behave however you want.”

He was silent.

Elena continued.

“You've been praised for being aggressive since you were a teenager. Every time you pushed harder, somebody called you a warrior. Every time you refused to back down, somebody called you fearless.”

She stepped closer.

“But sometimes you're not being fearless. Sometimes you're just refusing to listen.”

Marcus looked at the floor.

Elena lowered her voice.

“Your next title defense is in six weeks. You're talented. You're powerful. But you're not invincible.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

He looked up.

She held his gaze.

“Because the last two weeks, you've been training like somebody is trying to take something away from you.”

Marcus did not answer.

Elena stepped back.

“Go home. Rest.”

He picked up his bag.

As he walked toward the exit, he passed the framed photograph.

He stopped.

Althea's younger face looked out from beneath the arena lights.

The woman in the picture had already won the kind of title he was still fighting to protect.

But the woman in the hallway had seemed entirely uninterested in proving it.

Marcus wondered whether that was what real confidence looked like.

And whether he had ever possessed it.

THE PRICE OF BEING A CHAMPION

The Continental Strike League announced Marcus Vale's next title defense on Thursday morning.

The fight would take place six weeks later at the Grand Meridian Arena in St. Louis.

His opponent was Daniel Reyes, a thirty-two-year-old former national champion with a record of eighteen wins and three losses.

Reyes was not a flashy fighter.

He did not spend much time on social media.

He rarely gave dramatic interviews.

But he had a reputation for being difficult to hurt and even harder to discourage.

He was also known for breaking down opponents who relied too heavily on power.

The announcement should have excited Marcus.

Instead, it made him restless.

The promotional campaign was already underway.

His face appeared on the league's website beneath the words:

THE KING OF THE MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION.

The sponsor wanted more footage.

The league wanted interviews.

The gym wanted a strong training camp.

And Marcus wanted everyone to stop talking about a thirty-eight-second video.

He told himself that was all he wanted.

But beneath that irritation was something else.

He was beginning to wonder whether the public had seen something about him that he had spent years refusing to see.

On Friday morning, Marcus arrived at Crownline before seven.

He had barely slept.

His left shoulder was stiff, and his lower back felt tight from the previous day's conditioning.

He found Elena in the training office.

She was reviewing Daniel Reyes's previous fights on a monitor.

“Morning,” Marcus said.

Elena paused the video.

“You're early.”

“I want to add another conditioning session.”

“No.”

He frowned.

“You didn't even ask what kind.”

“I know what you're going to ask.”

“I need to be ready for Reyes.”

“You need to be healthy enough to fight him.”

Marcus dropped his bag.

“I feel fine.”

Elena looked at his shoulder.

“You're favoring your left side.”

“It's stiff.”

“How long?”

“A few days.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because it's nothing.”

Elena leaned back.

“That's exactly the kind of answer that gets fighters injured.”

Marcus sat down.

“Reyes is going to pressure me.”

“Yes.”

“He's going to try to drag me into the later rounds.”

“Yes.”

“Then I need more conditioning.”

“You need better pacing.”

Marcus shook his head.

“I know how to pace myself.”

Elena turned the monitor toward him.

“Watch this.”

The video resumed.

Daniel Reyes was fighting a tall opponent with a powerful right hand. The opponent threw heavy combinations early, forcing Reyes to retreat.

Then, as the rounds progressed, Reyes began changing angles.

He stopped moving backward.

He started stepping to the side.

His opponent continued throwing at the space where Reyes had been.

By the fourth round, the powerful fighter was exhausted.

Reyes landed a clean counter.

Then another.

Then a series of controlled shots that forced the referee to intervene.

Marcus watched silently.

Elena paused the footage.

“That's what he's going to try to do to you.”