>>148973953
>Mrs. Mavis turned her back and walked off the mat quickly without a word, disappearing behind the gear shed near the edge of the field.
>No one stopped her.
>Coach Roma finished applying disinfectant to Norm’s wound while Alan checked his vitals.
>“He’s fine,” Coach Roma announced after a tense minute. “The bleeding’s light. Just bruised and shaken.”
>Coach Alan stood and glared at Ronnie. “Ronald Hund. Disqualified. And you’ll report for detention duty for the next two weeks. We’ll be talking about this later.”
>Ronnie just nodded, still silent, still pale.
>He’d never felt this way before. Not when he lost. Not when he embarrassed himself.
>This wasn’t embarrassment.
>This was fear of himself.
>Sailor Norm was helped to the bench. His arm was wrapped up, but he looked more confused than angry. “I’m okay,” he mumbled. “Seriously. It just… surprised me, that’s all.”
>Coach Roma turned to the rest of the students. “Next match. Willow, you’re up.”
>Willow stood slowly.
>The tension still lingered in the air like a storm cloud, but something shifted in her posture. Her tail flicked once, her feet grounded themselves in the soil, and her fists clenched with focus.
>“Ready,” she said with a spark in her voice.
>Coach Roma smiled—not kindly, not mockingly, but with a quiet, thrilled respect.
>“I’ve been waiting to see what you’ve got, Filbert,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “Show me how your father trained you.”
>Willow grinned, stepping onto the mat.
>The wind shifted.
>And a new challenge will start.

TO BE CONTINUED!!