7. Len

Len bowed, his short, spikey hair blowing slightly in the breeze of the open arena. He then lowered himself into a fighting stance and charged forward. 

He swung at Ivy with a flurry of precise knees and kicks, with Ivy barely dodging most and retaliating with a long haymaker, which only grazed him as he flipped back to dodge. 

Len knew for a fact that he had the reach, weight, and height advantage, but from the punch he just dodged, he felt the power she had even in the state she was now. 

'I can't quite gauge her skill level just yet,' Len thought, spending the majority of the round feeling out the fight, landing a few more critical punches than Ivy, projecting him to be the winner of the round. 

"Ouch!" Cheryl's voice rang out over the stadium as the round ended, and both Ivy and Len walked back to their side of the arena. "I felt like that one went to Len."

"Definitely," Ahim agreed. "By the end of that round, Ivy started looking a little sloppy. As far as I could tell from all the way up in this booth, I don't think she landed a single hit in the last minute and a half of the fight. Unless she gets a second wind, I'm thinking Len is looking to finish the fight this next round."

"Now hold on, y'all!" Machita bellowed, "I know y'all ain't talkin' that mess after round one! Give the girl time! She just needs to warm up." 

Tobi jogged over to where Ivy was standing. Looking up at her, he asked, "So, what do you think?" Since technically, on paper, he was considered her coach, he felt obligated to try and motivate her or give her some advice, but he came to the conclusion, 'What the hell do I know about fighting?'

Ivy took a while to respond, "I don't know yet."

The referee called them both back to the center of the arena, ready to start the second round. 

When the horns blared, Len placed his left fist into his right palm and bowed once again. 

Ivy was the first one to attack, charging at him. 

Len, with his hands still clasped, ducked and dodged her punches, kicks, and attempts to grab him, almost dancing around the ring, avoiding her strikes. After about fifteen seconds, he unclasped his hands. 

Tobi blinked, feeling an odd sensation, 'It's like there's something in the air all of a sudden…Was that Len?'

Ivy jumped back slightly, feeling it, too. 

"Ha!" Len flew forward, sending a punch straight at Ivy's face. 

Tobi watched, noting Len's speed and strength had tripled since the last round. 

'She's off-guard!' Len thought. 'All I need is a good hit here, and she'll be knocked out. I don't wanna have to reveal my ability just yet. I'm saving that shit for the Three Kings!'

Len swung wildly at Ivy, who still ducked and sidestepped every punch. She delivered several hits back, which easily caught him. 

Ahim yelled, "Even after a rough first round, Ivy has not given up and looks to be keeping pace with Len so far!" 

Ivy slipped several punches and hit Len with a side kick to the ribs, sending him stumbling back several feet. 

"What?" He growled under his breath, "How is she doing this?" He snarled, "How the hell!?" He sprinted forward, attacking now with all his might. 

A blocked kick made a slight crack in the stone floor of the arena under Ivy's feet. 

'I don't even sense her energy.' Len thought, 'Is she even using it? She has to be right? There's no way she could get this far, and not even be able to activate it.' Len shook his head. He was thinking too much again—he needed to focus. 

The chain around his body clinked as Len charged forward again, the round coming to a close in its final seconds. 

Ivy was ready, and as he approached, she timed a flying knee that slammed him in the throat. 

"Ow!" Ivy squealed, feeling a tug on her hair as Len fell back, one hand on his throat as he gasped and coughed, the other wrapped in her hair, holding on tight. 

Ivy fell on top of him, and they scrambled around on the ground until the horn sounded several seconds later, signifying the end of the round. 

It took a while for the referee to get Len's hand and Ivy's hair separated. During that time, the commentators were going over the round that had just transpired. 

"Sheesh!" Machita hooted, leaning back in his chair. "Y'all were talking a whole lot, and Ivy just won that round. What happened?"

"Okay, look, buddy," Ahim countered, "There's another round, okay? Let's not get too excited."

Cheryl pointed, "The crowd is electric after that round!"

Len, waiting for the round to start, thought, 'This is bad, but I'm gonna have to use it.' Staring across the arena at Ivy, who looked almost bored, pacing back and forth in her corner. She was wiping her face off with a towel and trying to pester Tobi to call over a food vendor for her. She looked back at Len and saw that he was watching the two of them. Len looked over at Tobi, who was regarding the whole interaction. So did Ivy. At that moment, the three were looking at each other in a sort of Mexican standoff. 

Then the alarm beeped loudly, indicating the end of the break.

Len bit his tongue in frustration, 'I'm not gonna be able to surprise Byron when I challenge him, but oh well.'

They walked to the center of the ring one last time, and the ref started the round. 

Ivy's eyes widened as Len's chain whipped from around his torso, slashing at her face. She moved her arms up to block it. 

Wrapping around her right wrist, one end of the chain had fastened around her while the other end had buried itself in the ground. 

Ivy's eyes widened as panic set in. She pulled violently at the chain, but it didn't budge. 

Len circled her slowly, stalking her. 

"Ivy looks to be in a tight spot right now," Ahim noted. 

"She's struggling pretty hard, but that chain just isn't budging, and Len is just watching her," Cheryl said. 

Another chain shot out. This time, wrapping around Ivy's left ankle, while the other end stabbed into the floor. 

Ivy braced herself just in time as Len flew forward and sent a kick right into her stomach. 

"Ohhh!" Both Amir and Cheryl said, wincing at the hit. Even Machita cringed at the sight of Ivy doubling over, gasping in pain, trying not to vomit. 

Len took some steps back, running at her again. 

Tobi didn't want to look, but he had to. 

Len came upon her, his knee flying at her bent-over figure. 

Just as his knee connected, Ivy spun, wrapping her arm around his torso, tripping him and taking him to the ground. 

Ivy was on his back now; the chain on her ankle was wrapped around Len's legs, keeping them from thrashing, and the chain around Ivy's wrist was around his neck, squeezing impossibly tight. 

Tobi watched as Len's eyes bugged out of his head, and his red face slowly turned blue. Looking up, he saw Ivy's eyes were wide with glee at the sight under her. 

After several seconds of Len clawing at the chain around his neck, red foam started coming from the sides of his mouth, as Ivy continued to squeeze. A blood vessel popped in his left eye, causing the sclera, the white part, to turn a dark red. 

His head hit the floor as he slipped out of consciousness. Len's chains slowly began to dissolve, turning to a sand-like powder and then blowing away like a tan smoke. 

"Well, well, well," Machita put his hands behind his head, and leaned back in his chair with a big grin on his face. 

The other two commentators were stunned. 

Ivy, still on top of Len, felt herself lifted away by some medics who were on standby, as they loaded Len on to a stretcher. 

The referee pulled her into the center of the stage. 

"Wow, what a turnaround!" Ahim gasped. 

"I never would've seen something like that coming!" Cheryl agreed, "And using his own weapons against him…Smart!"

"Ivy with the choke out!" Machita shouted. 

The referee raised her hand, and the arena went crazy. Ivy's wide-eyed expression broadcasted across the massive screens as the fans cheered her name. 

"She's got one last fight tomorrow," Cheryl reminded the crowd. "If Ivy wins that, she will get to be the youngest person to ever challenge one of the Three Kings! Make sure to stay tuned!"