“Pepper Walker to the coordinator’s booth, please. Pepper Walker… come to the coordinator’s booth, please. Thank you.” Click.

The public address announcement was the saving chirp he needed, and he chuckled while gently wrapping his arm around Andrea’s shoulders. “Hey, babe, since you’re here, wanna come with me to the—”

She shrugged his arm off aggressively and gave him a quick glare of smug judgment, but she at least stayed beside him. The remainder of the walk didn’t seem to ease the tension, but Pepper did his best to reassure her there was nothing between him and Sabrina.

“I promise, Andrea, there is nothing between her and me. She was just giving me a hard time for not coming to any of the club matches since Tamin beat me. That’s it.”

Andrea rolled her eyes and sighed, giving him a cold shoulder and looking away. Pepper finally huffed and ended his attempts at trying to prove his innocence. They stood in line for a few minutes to speak with the coordinators, and he noticed that his name was already in the second tier.

That’s odd, he thought. He knew he had battled Matty in the past, and he was a decent competitor within the club circuit. The specifics of when exactly their last match had been still evaded him.

“Hey, you guys called for me. I’m Pepper Walker.”

A middle-aged woman who looked like she could have been his aunt was standing near the desk. Her strawberry blond hair was tied up in a ponytail. She looked up at the board to remind herself what they needed to speak about.

“Oh yes, Pepper. Well, unfortunately, I am sorry to tell you, but Mr. Flint has withdrawn from this club match. Due to him passing the safety inspection and the bracket already being drafted, we are enacting KBVS Club Match Rule 4, Subsection 13. Which, as a reminder, means that Mr. Flint is suspended for the next four months of club matches and you are automatically placed into the second tier of competition. So, congratulations and sorry all at the same time.”

“Oh, wow,” Pepper replied. Interesting. I can’t remember the last time someone purposefully withdrew like that, he thought in the slight pause. “Well, thanks for the update and I guess I’ll just wait to see who joins me in round two.”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Pepper.”

The two drifted away from the desk, and he saw Andrea looking at him and analyzing his demeanor. “I’ve seen that face before. You need to go investigate and get to the bottom of this”—she pointed to the board—“thing, situation, stuff.”

Pepper chuckled. “You already know me that well, huh?”

She furrowed her brow. “What can I say? I’m… protective of my boyfriend and notice when something is off with him.”

He smiled and was happy to see that she soon cracked under the pressure and smiled back at him. A quick glance down the staging area and he was sure he saw Matty lingering around his holding cage. “Okay, I’m gonna go and see what’s going on. I’ll come find you in the stands and we can at least watch the first round together.”

Pepper took a step but paused when he was caught off guard. “No, you won’t.”

He froze in midstride and slowly turned around. It looked like he was a Halloween decoration. “I won’t?” he questioned.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to go talk to Matty, then you’re going to get all wrapped up and start mentally getting into your… zone and all. I won’t see you until the very end of this thing.” She paused and sighed but continued with an affectionate smile. “Go do your thing. I’ll be cheering you on and will see you after you’ve won.” She blew him a kiss, then turned and walked off without hesitation.

Pepper made his way down into the staging area. His suspicion of seeing Matty was soon confirmed when he saw the gladiator packing up his things. Pepper had almost made it to him when he heard Reggie yell from down the corridor, “That doesn’t count as a win, Soulless!”

Pepper shook his head and huffed but then saw that Matty realized he was coming to speak with him. Thankfully Matty stopped what he was doing and stuck his fist out to greet him. Pepper returned the gesture and asked, “Matty, what gives, man?”

“Look, Pepper, no offense, man… but… I just can’t handle having you destroy my Arctic Mauler like you did Sabrina’s golem. I know we’re all taking a risk by putting everything we have into these golems, but man, I would hate to be out so much money once you make him crumble into a pile of pieces and all.”

Pepper could see the green eyes of his competitor were filled with frustration and sadness. In that moment he didn’t feel upset at all; rather he understood completely what Matty was dealing with. “Matty, I’m not upset, man. I get it… but you never know, you could have even taken me out. We’re all just one match away from being defeated.”

Matty laughed and reached up and adjusted his black baseball hat before crossing his arms. “Pepper, who are we kidding, man? I’m decent, but in all reality, you should already be in the Regional League. This club match is totally yours. If I had been on the other side of the bracket and made it to the finals, then sure, no holds barred, let’s get it on. But… that sure didn’t happen, and the last thing I want is to be taken out in the first round.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“You think I can take this thing?” Pepper asked, his eyebrow arching, a clear sign of his curiosity regarding the thoughts of his fellow club member.

Matty lowered his head and lifted his hands in dramatic fashion. He lowered them and looked at Pepper. “Dude, Tamin is in the Regional League, Sabrina isn’t competing, you are coming off a rebuild, and if my memory serves me right, you won a gravity rune last tournament. So who knows what you have up your sleeve.”

Matty looked him square in the eyes, and Pepper saw what appeared to be a genuine respect and appreciation. “Thanks, Matty. That means a lot.”

Matty huffed and spat. “Beside, Pepper, you’re one of the few gladiators in KBVS that trains in martial arts. Most of us are out here winging it and just doing whatever punch combos we remember from Mortal Kombat or something.” He shrugged and looked at his golem standing in the cage. “Well… I should probably finish packing this thing up. I would say good luck, but I know you don’t need it. So… go crush it, man. Save me a spot in the regionals when you get there.”

Pepper smiled back at him. “Will do. Thanks, Matty.”

***

Andrea was right. Pepper spent the entire first round sitting in the staging area. Music was playing over some speakers affixed to the ceiling. He kept his eyes closed most of the time and did his best to keep his mind clear of any distracting thoughts. He worked to meticulously picture himself standing victorious in the arena.

The loud cheers of the crowd were the hardest thing to block out. Bellowing cries of victory or sadness sounded while gladiators and volunteers shuffled in and out of the area. Pepper couldn’t help but overhear the updates of the brackets as people passed by.

Sabrina had been able to help Wendy recalibrate her power core and runes, but in the end it didn’t really help. She was obliterated by Freddy in no time. Freddy practically made it a point to inform everyone as he loudly proclaimed his victory upon return to the staging area. Pepper found it more comical than distracting and made sure to give Freddy a fist bump to congratulate him.

Jeremy and Buck’s match wound up being more electrifying than Pepper had thought it would be. From what he gathered, it wasn’t necessarily the skill of the gladiators, but rather the fact that neither one wanted to quit. Apparently at one point Buck’s golem had an arm dangling off and started to use the partially severed limb as a nunchuck.

The crowd loved it, but Pepper still tuned in to the mumblings of the other gladiators. The conclusion was that Freddy would make easy work of Jeremy in the second round, all due to the unlikely possibility that Jeremy would not be able to make the necessary repairs to his golem in time.

Bryan got pummeled by Reggie, and his friend left his competitor with nothing but a pile of shattered clay. Pepper certainly noticed that his friend now had far more confidence than he had last time he’d been at a KBVS match. He soon realized that Reggie could become a far greater opponent than he had originally anticipated. But he was happy for him. Reggie and Freddy were both celebrating their decisive first-round victories, and Pepper chose to take a break from his meditation to join them.

Sasha and Clint’s matchup was one that spewed over into the staging area. It was a rare event but one that did occur from time to time. The other gladiators took it as Clint being embarrassed that he was beaten by a girl. They separated the two and Clint quickly found himself the black sheep of the flock. At least, until he came to his senses and apologized for his behavior or chose to move on to another club or go the unsanctioned route.

“Man, I tell you what, Soulless. I knew he was gonna try to bring that large right hook against me. I was just waiting, waiting, waiting, and then pop-pop, nighty night. You feel me?” Reggie said, taking a sip from his soda can.

Pepper chuckled. “Yeah, I had a match like that about a year back. A guy by the name of Dave. He tried to come in acting all big and tough. He was a hulk of a man, and he fashioned his golem in the same way. The problem with being top heavy, means you fall heavy.”

“Gave him a little pop-pop too, huh?”

“Not really a pop, but more of an energy strike with a sweeping leg kick that shattered his legs.”

“Soulless at it again.” Reggie extended his hand and planted it on Pepper’s shoulder. A firm nudge before his friend let go.

“Come to think about it, I haven’t seen him since that match.” Pepper ended with a laugh, tilting his head with a smug expression. “The Golem League ain’t for the weak, am I right?”

Reggie nodded and pointed over to Freddy. “That’s what I told lil cousin over there. He did the military route like me. He kinda struggled with the whole authority thing, but he at least learned the discipline side of it. Kid got some serious work ethic when he pulls his head out his backside and focuses on something.”

“He seems to be a natural at competing,” Pepper said.

“Shoot… he just loves a challenge. When I started competing, I knew he would totally dig this stuff. Brought him out here for a fresh start, kinda the same way I did. So far it’s been good for him. Got himself a girl and everything. Life’s good, you know.”

Reggie paused and took a sip of his drink. He couldn’t hide the devious smile that was growing on his face. “Speaking of which, I saw you got a little something-something following you around now.” By the end of his statement, his smile was beaming, and he flared his eyebrows at Pepper.

Pepper could feel his cheeks flush slightly. He didn’t really know why; he wasn’t embarrassed to be dating Andrea. But in that moment with Reggie, he felt as if he was unworthy to be dating someone who he thought could do far better than him.

“I honestly don’t know if I had a say in the matter. One moment we’re standing there with each other. Next thing you know she’s telling me I’m taking her to prom and we’re a thing.” Pepper tilted his head and thought back on how that had all gone down.

Reggie started to laugh. “Dang, Soulless, she locked you down quick. Haha! You in it now. She gonna kill you if you ever try to leave.” He started to put his hand down as if trying to remember a height. “Reminds me of this tiny Latina I was dating back in the military.”

Pepper couldn’t help but laugh when he realized the woman’s height must have been barely half of Reggie’s. “What happened?”

“A restraining order is what happened,” Reggie said with bulging eyes. “I could’ve sworn she was gonna stab me in my sleep.” He looked at Pepper and pointed his finger at him. “A word of warning—never tell them their mom’s cooking is better than theirs.”

Pepper chuckled but felt kind of bad. “Well, her mom is gone, so…”

“Well, good, then you have nothing to worry about! Her thing is the best crap you’ve ever ate and don’t you ever tell her any different,” Reggie finished with a parental nod.

“Pepper and DJ… We’re starting the second round. Get your golems powered up and head to your starting positions!”

Pepper shook his head and realized the time spent celebrating with Reggie and Freddy had caused the rest of the tournament to fly by. The two looked at each other, and Reggie gave him a pat on the back. “Get out there, Soulless. I can’t give you a whoopin’ unless you make it to the final round. So go get it and come back wit’ it!”