"That's not the standard."
Derek looked at her.
"And who decides the standard?"
Daniel stepped forward.
"I do."
Derek glanced between them.
"All right."
He picked up his gloves and walked toward the water station.
For several seconds, the room remained quiet.
Nia turned to Aaron.
"Are you okay?"
Aaron nodded.
"Yes."
"Good. Take a break."
He looked embarrassed.
"Sorry."
Nia shook her head.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Aaron looked at her.
"I thought I was supposed to keep going."
"No."
She handed him a bottle of water.
"When someone calls a stop, you stop. That's true whether you're tired, winning, losing, or in the middle of a technique."
Aaron looked down at the bottle.
"I didn't want to disappoint anyone."
Nia's expression softened.
"You don't owe anyone an injury to prove you're serious about training."
He looked up.
She continued.
"Your job is to learn. Our job is to make sure you can come back tomorrow and keep learning."
Aaron nodded.
"Okay."
"Take a few minutes."
He moved toward the bench.
Daniel approached Nia.
"Thank you."
She shook her head.
"You called it first."
"He ignored the reset."
"Then the round was over."
Daniel looked toward Derek.
"I'll speak with him."
Nia nodded.
"Good."
She returned to the mat.
But the incident had changed the atmosphere.
The athletes had seen it.
The instructors had seen it.
And Derek knew that everyone had noticed.
He was not accustomed to being corrected in front of a room full of people.
He was even less accustomed to having someone refuse to treat his experience as a reason to excuse his behavior.
During the next break, Derek approached Victor.
He was holding a bottle of water.
"Your people are sensitive."
Victor looked at him.
"Our people follow instructions."
Derek smiled.
"Competition isn't always comfortable."
"Neither is rehabilitation."
Derek's smile faded.
Victor continued.
"This is a development seminar. Not a professional fight."
Derek took a drink.
"I understand the difference."
"Then act accordingly."
Derek looked toward the training area.
"That was a minor disagreement."
"It wasn't a disagreement. Daniel called a reset. You ignored it."
"I was finishing a sequence."
"That sequence ended when the instructor called it."
Derek shrugged.
"Nothing happened."
Victor held his gaze.
"Something doesn't have to happen before a rule matters."
For a moment, Derek said nothing.
Then he smiled again.
"Understood."
Victor did not return the smile.
"Good."
Derek walked away.
Victor watched him cross the room.
Daniel approached.
"How did that go?"
"Not well."
Daniel sighed.
"He's going to be a problem."
Victor looked toward the mat.
"Maybe."
He paused.
"But we won't make a decision based on what we think he might do."
Daniel nodded.
"We'll make it based on what he does."
"Exactly."
Across the room, Nia was helping Aaron review the exchange.
She was not speaking about Derek.
She was showing Aaron where his feet had crossed when he tried to disengage.
The lesson had become technical again.
Victor watched her for a moment.
Then he looked at Daniel.
"That's why she needs to be involved in the advanced rounds."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
Neither of them knew that Derek had already begun forming a different opinion of Nia.
Later that afternoon, Nia was organizing the assessment sheets when Derek approached her.
He stood a few feet away.
"Where did you train?"
Nia looked up.
"Several places."
"Which ones?"
"Northstar Performance Center for most of my competitive years."
Derek's expression changed.
"Northstar?"
"Yes."
"Outside Baltimore?"
"That's right."
He studied her face.
"Samuel Reed?"
Nia paused.
"Yes."
Derek let out a quiet breath.
"Now I remember."
Nia waited.
Derek smiled.
"You're the undefeated girl."
Nia's expression remained calm.
"I'm a little older now."
He laughed.
"I saw your old records. Impressive."
"Thank you."
"I thought you retired."
"I stopped competing."
"Why?"
Nia returned to the papers in her hands.
"That was a personal decision."
Derek leaned against the nearby wall.
"People said you walked away after the Northstar incident."
Nia's fingers paused.
For a moment, the room seemed quieter.
Then she looked at him.
"People say a lot of things."
Derek shrugged.
"Fair enough."
He looked toward the championship photographs.
"Your record was unusual. No losses. Several titles. I remember watching a few of your matches."
Nia did not answer.
Derek continued.
"You were good at controlling distance. Very good. You never seemed to panic."
Nia placed the assessment sheets on the table.
"That was a long time ago."
"Not that long."
"It feels long."
Derek laughed softly.
Then his expression became more serious.
"Still, I always wondered how good you really were."
Nia looked directly at him.
"You watched the matches."
"Watching isn't the same as testing."
She said nothing.
Derek smiled.
"Maybe we can find out."
Nia's expression remained composed.
"Why?"
He seemed surprised by the question.
"Why?"
"Yes. Why do you want to test me?"
Derek looked at her for a moment.
"Curiosity."
"That doesn't sound like curiosity."
His smile tightened.
"Maybe I like a challenge."
Nia picked up the papers.
"Then find one that serves a purpose."
She walked away.
Derek remained where he was.
He watched her return to the training floor.
He had expected an argument.
He had expected her to defend her record, explain her absence, or challenge his judgment.
Instead, she had treated his question as something that did not require an answer.
That irritated him more than he wanted to admit.
Derek remained where he was.
He watched Nia return to the training floor, where she began helping another athlete adjust a defensive position. She did not look back. She did not appear interested in whether he was watching.
That bothered him.