Chapter 49
I gape at the producer. “What do you mean I’m headlining?” Being the final, most hyped-up fight of the night is a huge honor and not one I’m sure I deserve.
“Kilowatt has been the main event most of the season. It’ll be more dramatic if the underdog is the headliner for the semifinals. No offense.”
“None taken.”
I look around at the teams left. Only four of us, and the people the production is paying to do exhibition matches to fill up the seats in between the main events. I’m going against Havoc, and Jacob is going against Crush Hypothesis.
This is it; this is the fight that decides who battles in the finals. Crush is the fastest robot around, Havoc is a beast, and Kilowatt .... Well, there’s a reason Jacob is a champion.
“That’s great.” Jacob beams beside me. “You deserve that honor.”
“Your fights are back-to-back, so it doesn’t give you a lot of extra time, thirty minutes or so.” He looks at his watch. “Jacob, you have about three hours before showtime. Is Kilowatt weighed in?”
“They took her a minute ago. I was about to grab Zeta and bring her, too.”
“Great,” he says before flitting off to tackle the rest of the items on his clipboard.
“Headliner,” Jacob says as he kisses me on the forehead. “That’s big, Mari.”
“It’s because of Havoc,” I counter.
“It’s because of you.”
Losing a headline match feels almost as big as losing the championship itself.
Not to mention, if I lose, I won’t go to the championship finale.
The fights are starting, and the screens streaming the live event into the Builder Bay already have a fancy graphic touting the match between Havoc and me.
For the next three hours, the audience will be reminded over and over that we’re the main event.
It’s an early afternoon match, giving us time to repair for tomorrow evening’s grand finale.
“What happens if I lose?”
Jacob shrugs, unbothered. “I don’t think you will.”
“But if I do?”
“Then you can hang out with me and my team. Plenty of space since I sent Brian home this morning. He was hitting on another team member and making her uncomfortable.”
“Fuck that guy,” I laugh. The wounds from his taunting still feel raw.
Jacob laughs but leans over to whisper in my ear. “I better be the only guy you’re fucking.” I flush redder than a neon sign. My core tightens as he nips at my earlobe before stepping back with a wink. “You’re not going to lose.”
“And neither are you.” Tomorrow we’ll fight, if we’re right.
Will he still love me if I win? Will he still love me if I lose? Despite his reassurances, despite my own repeated reminders to myself, I’m worried.
He brushes a vibrant lock of hair behind my ear. “It’ll be okay, Mari. I’ll love you if you win; I’ll love you if you lose—which you won’t.” Mind reader. “Either way, I’m excited to watch you fight. I’ve watched every fight you’ve had for the last sixteen years, and they were all a good show.”
I gape at him now. “Every fight?”
“At first, it’s because I wanted to make sure you didn’t throw me off again, so I tried to call it research.” He shrugs, a self-conscious half-smile softening his sculpted jaw. “And then I couldn’t make myself look away from you.”
I blink in surprise before a giggle overtakes me. I certainly watched more of his fights than I’ll ever admit to, even now. “So, which one was your favorite?”
“Against others? Your 2021 fight against Dragon Fruit was incredible. When you burst their butane tank? It had to be one of my favorite moments.” He mimes the fireball that erupted. “WOOSH!”
“That was a good one.” I remember the cheers and laughter bouncing off the walls, and the acrid, familiar smell of melting plastic. “What about fights between us?”
“Last year’s regional quarterfinals match. You were on fire. But I think that’ll be second place soon.”
“I don’t know. That was a pretty good fight,” I tease.
With our work done, we’re able to dissolve into talking about our favorite fights, both individually and within the sport, and soon enough, Jacob’s team collects him. I make my way to the spectator stands, this time not bothering to hide in the shadows.
This is where Jacob belongs. The backdrop of the arena looks so right, neon lights bathing him in an energetic and ethereal blue glow. He is a creature perfectly made for this biome. Even his robot matches his energy with its electric blues, yellows, and greens.
When he takes his place before the windows of the arena, and the countdown starts, the giddy excitement I’ve carried with me since childhood blooms. The anticipation of the crunch of metal, the flying of rubber, and showers of sparks always makes me vibrate with excitement.
It is being a mad scientist, watching your creation, your experiment, come to life.
And Jacob is at the center of it all. Even against a powerful and popular opponent like Crush Hypothesis, he captures your attention.
He’s not demanding of it, but you give it to him freely and joyfully.
When the robots shoot out of their corners, it’s nothing short of spectacular. Having fought Crush, I know how fast they are. It’s an incredible battle. Kilowatt sends Crush flying towards the ceiling, then Crush recovers and grabs Kilowatt and melts its back wheels.
The final blow comes down to Kilowatt, and much like my fight against Dragon Fruit, Kilowatt hits Crush’s fuel tank.
A fireball explodes in the arena, the shatterproof, clear plastic walls shuddering with the force.
The sound makes my ears pop. It is jaw-dropping; it is breathtaking.
Even Jacob is stunned as he takes in the flaming and smoking pile of scrap that was his opponent.
“NA-NA-NA-KNOCKOUT!”
Jacob’s team mobs him, cheering and screaming and shaking him. His eyes find mine, and there is nothing but joy in them. I couldn’t be prouder of him.
This isn’t his first championship; it almost certainly won’t be his last. I’ll find out soon enough if I’ll be there too.