Pepper jumped onto his 12-speed mountain bike and began to make his way towards Nate’s gym. The sight of the destroyed street in his neighborhood was hard to pull away from. The scent of burnt wood was still in the air as he rode past it. He couldn’t help but think about how close he had come to being harmed in the attack.

He was further held up by the convoy of military vehicles slowly rolling towards the rift portal. A fresh supply of new vehicles was arriving, while the damaged vehicles that had defended his small town were being exfiltrated. A young soldier, not too much older than him, finally stopped the convoy and waved him through.

He was a few minutes late for his training session by the time he rolled into the parking lot. Pepper saw some workers who had just finished installing Nate’s new sign on the strip mall. Ohana MMA. He smiled at the bright red design Nate had chosen.

Pepper had just finished getting off his bike when he saw Andrea Brewer’s car roll slowly into the parking lot. He immediately turned around and tried to cover his face. He thought for a second and didn’t know why he felt so embarrassed to be seen in front of Nate’s. He normally didn’t mind telling others that he trained with Nate, but the thought of just having a conversation with Andrea caused his cheeks to flush.

He shook his head and scolded himself for being so shy. He chained his bike up to the bike rack and then turned towards Nate’s door. In the corner of his eye he caught movement and couldn’t help but dash a quick glance. He saw Andrea heading into the pharmacy two storefronts down from him. Her blue jeans were complemented by a powder-blue hoodie. He couldn’t help but notice that she had lifted her hoodie up and had also put on a ball cap.

“Well, let’s go, bro bro!” Nate’s voice cried out from inside.

Pepper whipped his head around and looked through the glass to see Nate standing in the center of the wrestling mats. His almond skin had a slight shine to it. Pepper was sure it was due to a light sweat from the calisthenics that he had already been performing. A fresh bead of sweat rolled down Nate’s shaved head as he gave Pepper a mischievous smile.

Pepper didn’t hesitate any longer and made his way into the dojo. “Sorry.”

“Sorry does not change the result. Hurry up, P-Dub,” Nate replied, his extended arms emphasizing his desire for Pepper to move faster.

Pepper rushed over to the locker room and quickly changed into his training gi. He exited the locker room and returned to the mat, taking up a position opposite Nate. There was the flash and chirp of a police siren outside in the parking lot. He turned his head but was immediately reprimanded by Nate. “What are you doing?”

Pepper almost stuttered his reply. “I was looking…”

“Nothing outside these walls matters right now,” Nate said in a firm but reassuring voice. “You have already let exterior forces cause you to be late. Which has now affected our time within this dojo—time dedicated to you, your development, and your goals. This poor planning will cost you.”

There was a slight tingling sensation on the back of Pepper’s neck. He could feel goosebumps beginning to form on his arms. He bit down on his tongue, as he feared Nate’s next set of instructions.

“Burpees.”

I knew it! He wanted to let out a long sigh of distaste but knew the negative reaction would only make things worse. He didn’t wait but immediately began the exercise, and by the time he reached twenty repetitions, he was already starting to sweat. Nate had him continue to perform the exercise until he had lost count.

“Come. Let us start with your sequences,” Nate instructed.

Pepper put on the MMA gloves that Nate handed to him. He quickly rolled his head and wiggled his arms in an attempt to get them relaxed and rejuvenated before the exercise began.

“One-two. One-two. One-one-two,” Nate ordered.

Pepper went into his jab combinations and punched the training pads on Nate’s hands. The two danced combatively around the mats as Nate led him through an entire series of different striking sequences. Due to Pepper’s tardiness to the lesson, Nate also threw elbows, knees, and kicks into the sequence. The initial corrective training of burpees at the beginning had made Pepper’s body sore and exhausted for the rest of the training session.

There were no excuses in Nate’s gym, though. Only action and results. By the time it was all over and done, Pepper was covered in sweat. He panted heavily and finally got the relief he desired.

“Okay… that is enough for today.”

Pepper plopped onto the mat in exaggerated style and let out a long huff. “Finally.”

“It wasn’t even that bad. I went easy on you,” Nate finished with a sarcastic expression and took a seat on the mat next to him.

He slowly sat up to join his teacher. “The sign came out really nice.”

“Yeah, it did. I had my buddy Max design it. He does really good work. KLE Custom Imaging. He is the one who also does all our shirts and other apparel items.”

“You decided to not go with Craven MMA, though, huh?”

Nate scrunched his face and smiled playfully. “It was a hard choice, but at the end of the day, this isn’t about me.” He waved his arm and motioned around the room. “This is about us—the family and community I want to build. I want everyone who walks in through those doors to feel Ohana when they come in. It doesn’t matter what your name is. You are all Ohana.”

Pepper smiled and nodded. “I get that.”

“You feel ready for your next match? When is it?”

“I feel ready. The real question is whether or not my golem will be ready.”

“What is wrong with… what is it, Mala?”

Pepper smiled and saw the sincerity in Nate’s eyes, his teacher doing his best to remember the details he had previously shared. “Yeah, I mean, Mala is what my current golem will eventually turn into as I get up into the higher leagues. But… that is only if I get promoted out of the local club and into regionals and so forth.”

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“Ha! You’ll get there, P-Dub. I have no doubt about that. You’ve been an excellent student, and your skills have greatly improved.”

“Skills sometimes don’t matter, Nate… the quality of the golem also comes into play.”

Nate raised a finger and quickly tapped on his holodex. The holoscreen on the far wall flashed to life and Nate quickly pulled up a video. A small figure appeared, and Pepper immediately saw that the individual had no arms or legs. He watched as the figure waddled from side to side using what appeared to be tiny wings that were only the size of a finger or two. It was these small wings that the individual was using as best he could for his feet.

Pepper’s eyes widened in surprise. The person was on a skateboard rolling down a street. The video then cut to a shot of the tiny figure surfing in the ocean.

“Pretty sure skills matter a lot to Nick,” Nate said, dancing his eyebrows up and down. They both smiled, and Nate turned the holoscreen off. There was a slight pause but then he changed the subject. “You and your family okay from the attack?”

“Yeah… a block near us was destroyed. Mom is frazzled, but she has been for years now. So, everything seems pretty normal to me at this point.”

“How is your dad?”

“I think he’s just trying to hold everything together. I know work is certainly keeping him busy. They called him in again today. Who knows what it’s about this time?”

“They going to make it to your next match?”

Pepper huffed. “I don’t even remember the last time my mom was at a match. She thinks it’s all a waste of time, energy, and money. I don’t think she would come to a match even if I was in the Promina League.”

There was a confused look on Nate’s face. “Is that a pretty good tier or something?”

“That is three tiers above the level I am at now.”

Nate nodded, and his expression took on a more contemplative look. “That is pretty good, young warrior.”

Pepper rolled his eyes while Nate mockingly emphasized his words. “All right, I’m getting cleaned up.” He gave Nate a fist bump and made his way back to the locker room.

He took a quick shower and threw his training gi into the dirty clothes bin. He finished drying off and changed back into his clothes. Nate was already training with the next student by the time he started to exit the dojo and the two waved goodbye.

All he heard back from Nate was, “Have a great week, bro bro!”

Pepper stepped outside and practically collided with Summer Miller and her little brother, Jackson. Pepper backpedaled defensively. Summer reached up and placed her hand on her chest, trying her best to catch her breath.

“Oh my gosh. Hey, Pep,” Summer said as she took a deep breath.

Jackson was giggling and began to wave his hands frantically in front of himself. “That was funny, Pepper.”

Pepper chuckled back. “Oh yeah? You liked that, huh?”

“Yeah…” Jackson gave a big smile and rolled his head from side to side.

“Well, what are you guys up to?” Pepper asked, looking between the two.

Summer had regained her composure but turned to look down at Jackson. She motioned with her hand to encourage him to answer the question. “Summer is taking me to get ice cream.”

Pepper glanced at Summer, and she smiled and reached her hand out. “Okay, Jackson, hold my hand. Let’s go get you ice cream.” She looked up at Pepper. “You want to join us, Pep?”

He smiled; his taste buds danced at the thought of getting something sweet after his workout. “Sure, why not?”

The three walked next door to the ice cream shop and entered. They stood in front of the freezer window and peered down at the selection of flavors. A buzz came over Pepper’s holodex, and he looked down to see a message from Brent.

“Yo, P-Dub, what’s good?”

“Getting ice cream with Summer and Jackson.”

Pepper didn’t even have time to break away from the message as Brent’s response arrived in a flash. “What! Where? Next to Nate’s? Don’t move! I’m on my way!”

Great… I shouldn’t have said anything, Pepper thought to himself. The quick conversation pulled him away from the realization he was up next to order. The worker glanced at him with a deadpan expression.

“Uh, just peanut butter cup. One scoop is fine.” The worker rolled her eyes.

The three had their ice creams in hand, and Summer took a firm stance in front of the register. “Okay, that will be 8 Flex,” the worker informed them. Summer reached her small plastic payment card out and tapped away on the point-of-sale screen.

“I could have bought my own, Summer. You didn’t have to do that.”

Summer smiled, and her brown eyes looked at him sincerely. “Well, technically this is my mom’s card. And she would insist if she was here. She is still to this day talking about how grateful she is for all your family did for us.”

Pepper couldn’t help but appreciate the kind gesture and matched Summer’s smile. She hesitated to look away. But finally she did, reaching her hand up and tucking her rich brown hair behind her ear. She slowly turned, and Pepper couldn’t help but feel like she swayed her hips a little more than usual while they walked to a table in the far corner.

Her jeans were a rich blue that complemented the hot pink hoodie wrapped around her frame. They had only just sat down at the table and Jackson already had a streak of ice cream on his white shirt. Pepper couldn’t help but think about him and Meg and their similarities with Summer and Jackson.

Pepper and Summer giggled at the sight but quickly began to catch up. They had not shared any classes this year and seemed to rarely run into each other these days—a stark contrast when one considered the fact that Summer, Jackson, and their mom used to live with Pepper’s family. Summer’s dad had served in the military alongside Pepper’s older brother. Both were lost in the accident.

Pepper’s mom and dad had insisted that Summer’s family move in with them while they got back on their feet. It was roughly a two-year stint, but no one had really kept count. A detail like that was of no concern. The two families had remained close, but life kept the two apart. Jackson could be a handful some days, and Pepper’s mom had continued to develop into more of a recluse.

The two had barely started talking when the ice cream shop door burst open and Brent came streaking into the empty seat at the table. “Hi Summer!”

Summer bashfully smiled back. “Hey, Brent.”

“Wow, crazy to run into you guys here! I was just thinking I would come grab a snack and boom, here are my two favorite people!” Brent continued.

Pepper rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. The position of being caught between his best friend and his best friend’s love interest was certainly not a comfortable one. Thankfully Jackson came to the rescue.

“Pepper?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Why can’t I have Mala?”

Pepper chuckled. “Well, like I have said before, Jackson, Mala isn’t really a toy. He is a prototype. He was made to help me see what my future golem will look like.”

“But I want him.”

Pepper couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know what? You should get Summer to take you to see Santa this year. I have no doubt Santa can make you your own Mala statue.”

Pepper couldn’t help but see Summer shift her head. Her eyes widened with a shocked expression, and there was a mischievous smile on her face. She took a quick bite of her ice cream.

“Well, someone is sure going to be busy being Santa’s little helper this year. But just for that, I think I will make sure that trip to Santa takes place. Just to see you work to not let a certain someone down.”

Crap … she would do that. Guess there is one other thing to add to my to-do list. “You’re on.” Pepper smiled confidently back at her. He shifted his gaze over and rolled his eyes, as Brent was practically drooling on the table. “You okay there?” he asked.

Brent snapped out of his dazed state. He quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. “Never better.” There was an awkward pause at the table, but then Brent asked Summer, “Hey, Summer, you going to come to P-Dub’s next match?”

Pepper turned his gaze back to her. She seemed to think over the question for a moment and then smirked. “Well, I hadn’t thought about it until just now. But I think I might be able to turn out. I think it will really have to deal with how Jackson is doing that day.”

Jackson chimed in. “I want to go.”

The three chuckled, and Summer looked bashfully at the two of them. “Well, so far I would say it looks promising.” The two siblings had finished their treat, and Jackson was ready to burn off the sugar high his body was now feeling. “Looks like we need to get moving. It was great to run into you guys. I’ll try to see about the match. If it doesn’t work out, though, good luck, Pep.”

“Thanks, Summer,” Pepper replied.

He watched Summer and Jackson leave. The door was barely closed when Brent turned to him. “Did you get a whiff of her hair? It smelled like lavender and heaven!”