"To whom?"
He hesitated.
"Everyone."
"That's a lot of people to fight for."
"I'm not talking about fighting everyone. I mean one proper round. No audience. No phones. Just us."
Nia looked toward the empty training area.
"You want to train with me?"
"I want a chance to correct what happened."
"Those are different things."
Derek frowned.
"How?"
"Training is about learning. Correcting what happened sounds like you're trying to erase it."
He looked away.
"Maybe I am."
Nia set the tape aside.
"Derek, you lost a round. It happens."
"Not like that."
"Why not?"
"Because I made a fool of myself."
"You made a mistake."
"I challenged someone I thought I could beat. Then I got submitted in fourteen seconds."
"Yes."
He looked at her.
"Doesn't that bother you?"
"What?"
"The fact that you beat me so easily."
Nia considered the question.
"No."
Derek laughed in disbelief.
"How can it not bother you?"
"Because I wasn't trying to prove that I'm better than you. I was responding to the position you gave me."
"But you knew what you were doing."
"Yes."
"So you knew you could beat me."
Nia shook her head.
"I knew I could defend myself and look for an opportunity. I didn't know how the round would end."
Derek sat down on the opposite edge of the mat.
"I keep replaying it," he admitted. "Every time I close my eyes, I see the moment I realize I'm trapped."
Nia listened.
"I've spent years telling people that confidence comes from knowing you're better. Now I don't even know what confidence means."
"Maybe you never needed to be better than everyone else."
Derek looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"Confidence can come from knowing you've prepared. From understanding your strengths and weaknesses. From trusting that you can respond when something goes wrong."
She paused.
"It doesn't require you to decide that the other person is beneath you."
Derek absorbed the words.
"I wish someone had told me that years ago."
"Perhaps someone did."
He looked at her sharply.
Nia continued.
"You told me that everyone deserves a chance to learn. You probably believe that. But beliefs don't mean much when your behavior contradicts them."
Derek lowered his eyes.
"I know."
After a moment, he asked, "Would you train with me sometime? Not for another challenge. Just a normal session."
Nia considered the request.
She had no personal objection to training with Derek.
But she was not ready to become responsible for his rehabilitation as a person.
"Maybe," she said. "If we can train as partners rather than opponents in some story you need to win."
Derek nodded.
"Fair enough."
He stood.
"There's something else."
Nia waited.
"I've been thinking about the students who complained. I didn't realize how many people felt uncomfortable around me."
"Did you ask them?"
"No."
"Then perhaps you should listen to them."
He nodded again.
"I will."
Derek walked toward the changing rooms.
Nia returned to her tape.
She had expected Derek to be defensive for much longer.
Perhaps Victor's review had made it impossible to avoid the consequences.
Whatever the reason, Nia knew that one conversation could not establish whether he had truly changed.
The following Monday, Derek attended a beginner's class without taking an instructor's role.
When Owen made a mistake, Derek began to correct him sharply.
Then he stopped.
"Sorry," he said. "Let me explain that better."
Owen looked surprised.
Derek demonstrated the movement again, slowly.
"Your knee needs to stay between us. If I get past it, I can begin controlling your hips. Try again."
"That's it," Derek said. "Good work."
But it was the first time in months that Owen finished a round with Derek without feeling humiliated.
Across the room, Melissa noticed.
She simply continued training.
Nia was not present that evening.
But the documents showed that the possibility had been considered.
Nia read the pages slowly.
Then she found a handwritten note from her mother.
Nia pressed the paper flat against the table.
She could almost hear Evelyn saying the words aloud.
Then she placed the documents into a folder and wrote the date on the label.
But she no longer intended to ignore the evidence simply because examining it would be uncomfortable.
The next morning, she returned to Whitmore Academy.
Victor greeted her near the entrance.
"I'm glad you're back," he said.
"I'm here to train."
"Of course."
He hesitated.
"The external review begins this week. Students will be contacted privately, and the instructors have agreed to cooperate."
"Good."
"We've also received a request for information from a regional sports organization. They're interested in understanding the conduct issues that have been raised."
Nia nodded.
"Will they be independent?"
"Yes. They have no direct relationship with the academy or the people involved in the Ironbridge dispute."
"Then I hope they do their work carefully."
"So do I."
But quieter in a way that suggested people were paying attention to themselves.
No one turned toward Nia expecting a demonstration.