"The organizers have confirmed the main bracket for the national invitational."
"I know. I checked last night."
"Then you saw Adrian Cole's name."
"Yes."
"He's confirmed."
"You're not getting it. The organizers have selected you for a featured match. If the bracket holds, you'll face Adrian in the semifinal."
Now that it was real, his first reaction was not excitement.
He pictured Adrian's record, his experience, and the way he controlled matches against aggressive opponents.
He imagined the crowd, the cameras, and the commentators discussing the young challenger who had finally been given a chance to prove himself against the reigning champion.
The thought arrived so quickly that he almost missed the rest of Rebecca's explanation.
"Marcus? Are you listening?"
"Yes."
"This is a big opportunity. The event is being streamed nationally. There will be sponsors, coaches, and representatives from several professional organizations."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
For years, he had told himself that he wanted to compete against the best.
And the pressure he had spent so long chasing had finally arrived.
"I understand," he repeated.
After the call, Marcus walked into the training area and found Arthur supervising Ethan's class.
"I got my bracket."
"Congratulations."
"I might face Adrian Cole in the semifinal."
"He's a good competitor."
"One of the best."
"Then you'll have an opportunity to learn something."
"That's what everyone keeps saying."
"What would you prefer they say?"
"That I'm going to win."
"Do you want me to lie?"
"No."
"I'm nervous."
"I've wanted this match for years. I've studied his footage. I know his strengths, his habits, and the situations where he tends to take risks."
"And?"
"And I still don't know whether I can beat him."
"That is a reasonable conclusion."
"You're supposed to tell me I can do it."
"Can you?"
"I don't know."
"Then I won't pretend to know something you don't."
"You're incredibly frustrating."
"I've been told."
"Marcus, listen carefully. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win. Competition requires commitment. You should prepare thoroughly, study your opponent, and do everything reasonable to give yourself the best chance."
"But there is a difference between wanting to win and needing to win in order to feel that your life has meaning."
"What if losing proves that I'm not as good as I thought?"
"Then you'll have learned something about your current ability."
"And what if it proves everyone else was right about me?"
"Who is everyone else?"
He thought about his teammates, his agent, his father, and the spectators who had watched the video of his first encounter with Arthur.
He thought about the people who had praised him after victories and the people who had questioned him after defeats.
He realized that he had spent years imagining an audience whose judgment he could never fully control.
"I don't know," he admitted.
"That is worth thinking about."
"What did you do before your biggest matches?"
"I prepared."
"That's it?"
"I prepared, I slept, I ate, I reviewed what I needed to review, and I tried to remember that my opponent was another human being who had spent years working toward the same opportunity."
"That doesn't sound very intimidating."
"It wasn't meant to be."
"Your opponent is not an obstacle placed in your life to determine whether you're worthy. He's a competitor who has his own reasons for being there. If you treat him as a person, you may find it easier to study him honestly."
He had watched Adrian's matches dozens of times, but he had mostly searched for weaknesses.
He had rarely considered what Adrian might be trying to accomplish, what pressures he might face, or what the competition meant to him beyond his reputation.
"Do you think Adrian is afraid of losing?" Marcus asked.
"Everyone has something they fear losing."
"Even champions?"
"Especially champions, sometimes. They often have more to lose in the eyes of others."
"How do I stop thinking about the result?"
"You don't have to stop thinking about it. You have to stop treating it as the only thing that matters."
"Let's train."
They spent the next hour working through several positions Marcus expected to encounter against Adrian.
"It's a strong position."
"It's a good opportunity."
"It gives me control."
He had learned many techniques by repetition, and he had become exceptionally good at applying them under pressure. But he had not always examined the assumptions behind his decisions.
They discussed distance, timing, balance, and the importance of recognizing when a planned sequence was no longer appropriate.