Diamond sat hard on the small wooden seat Flicker Jab had brought into the cage between rounds. Flick kneeled in front of her and Dempsey flanked him to his right. Dempsey pressed a bag of ice into Diamond’s lead leg which flared bright red like a terrible sunburn and carried an ugly welt inside of her knee the shape of a foot. If looked at closely, there were toe marks.
The cutman, Diamond didn’t know or, possibly, couldn’t recall his name, took out a long, thick cue tip and ran it into a bottle of vaseline that had been mixed with adrenaline chloride. The middle aged man with a thick mustache pulled the jelly material from the bottle and pried the light cut beneath her left eye open before slathering the Vaseline into the bleeding crevice. Immediately the blood vessels tightened and the bleeding halted.
“That was a bad round, Diamond. You lost it, maybe even got 10-8’d. Hera had you pinned for a long time and you just took the damage. What is going through your head? You landed a leg kick and, admittedly, a nice elbow, but you let her dominate you,” Flick said, completely sugar free.
Flick was worried more than mad, Diamond knew. His eyebrows were forming an upside down W on his forehead. She shook her head, wanting to admit to him that she didn’t have what it took to beat the true Queen of the division. Instead she motioned for a sip of water.
Dempsey responded quickly and sprayed a line of clear, cold water into Diamond’s mouth. The cold was refreshing. She swallowed and wanted more but waved it away, not wanting to cramp or feel sick from too much between rounds.
The mustached cutman held a cold metal enswell into the bright and lightly swelling damage beneath her right eye. The icy compress would reduce the swelling and keep her in the fight. The metal was cold enough that her nerves processed it as a burn momentarily before allowing it to soothe the burning flesh.
“Are you just going to let her unload on you and then ignore me?” Flick’s eyes had stormy, lightning flashes of frustration behind his pupils. “I know you’re stubborn, Diamond. It’s not a bad trait but I’m here to protect you and help you win this fight. If you aren’t going to try, why are we here?”
Diamond brought her eyes to meet Flick’s, her own storm clouds brewing behind the bright. blue mirrors. “Do you think I won the first fight? I know I got the decision, but did I really win?”
Flick paused and bit his lip; it was all the answer Diamond needed.
“Why are you so hung up on the first fight, Diamond? Because people think your dad bought the judges? Is that it?” Flick sighed, taking Diamond by the shoulder and pulling her forward. “No, you didn’t win. You fought your best but came up short. I don’t know what the judges saw that awarded you the decision but you’re a damn good fighter and you’re smart. Smarter than this.”
“Minute’s out!” the ref called to the coaches on both sides. Dempsey and the cutman hurried out of the octagon as Diamond stood. Flicker Jab remained.
“She’s not fighting intelligently. She wants to hurt you, knock you out. You’ve got all the tools to make her pay for it. Don’t just stand there and let her hurt you, Diamond.”
“Minute’s out!” the ref reiterated, irritation interred in the timbre of his voice. Flick quickly exited the cage.
Diamond hopped from foot to foot. Her body was responsive and still full of energy albeit hurting from a number of places. She pondered her predicament and turned back to Flicker Jab on the other side of the cage. He really did believe in her.
“She’s not hiding anything she’s doing! She’ll come straight ahead. She doesn't have as much energy this round so she’ll be slower and pick her shots. When she throws, slip and retaliate. Watch for head kicks! You can do this, Diamond!” Flick pounded the edge of the cage.
Hera stepped to the lines drawn around the center of the canvas and Diamond stepped forward. Both fell into their postures and Soufflé stood in the center. He looked to both contestants, “Ready? Ready? Round two, let’s do it!” His hand fell and the round began.
Diamond remained light on her feet and stepped forward, coming to meet Farnese in the center of the octagon. Using her peripheral, Diamond kept Hera’s footwork in mind. Those kicks were nasty and incredibly fast. Even if she wasn’t at 100 percent, the practice had made her kicks deceptively quick and Diamond had to watch for the minutiae of motions that would predict the…
Hera’s feet moved, the lead pivoting and the rear launching forward. Diamond reacted strongly but the kick went low, crashing into her outer calf. The crash of their legs colliding was nauseating. Hera reset quickly and instantly threw a lead jab. Diamond slid her head back so that the punch terminated a few inches short and flashed a left jab of her own that similarly missed.
She needed to time Farnese’s jab better. If she could figure it out, she could retaliate with a right straight that careened over the extended arm. It was a movement Diamond had practiced a thousand times in training.
Maybe Flicker jab was right. Maybe she could pull this off.
Another leg kick slammed into the same spot as before and Diamond winced. She’d need to time those kicks in order to turn her knee out and check them. The affected calf felt like it was aflame.
Diamond stepped forward, initiating a quick one-two combination. Her jab was parried by the high right hand pressing into Hera’s eyebrow and the straight right that followed went wide as Hera’s left arm knocked it aside. The Queen of the Gods pushed a short jab into Diamond’s right cheek. There wasn’t much behind the blow and Diamond realized why as a violent leg kick ripped into the exact place it had already connected with twice this round. The jab was masking the kick.
Diamond retreated a step, regrouping and testing the mechanical soundness of her left leg. It shrieked blistering pain and she felt a weird wobble to it; the calf was swelling. She needed to deal with those kicks soon or her mobility would suffer.
Hera moved forward in a flash and Diamond stepped in and planted her lead foot, sending her back leg straight into Hera’s midsection. The toes of Diamond’s foot dug into the hard abdominal muscles and pushed Farnese back a step. Farnese nodded playfully and clapped her fists together before coming forward again. Those eyes weren’t playful however.
Diamond faked another push kick, bringing her hip forward and pausing Farnese. She then hopped forward and feinted a jab to which Hera reacted with head movement, rocking away from the perceived incoming blow. Diamond brought her body around and went low with a right body hook that landed with a resounding thump. Hera smirked and broke her stance, standing upright and smacking her stomach twice.
“Free shot, Tiara. Go for it. You think you can hurt me?” Hera taunted.
Diamond snapped off a one-two combination into Farnese’s body, both punches hitting the same spot just below Hera’s sternum. It was as hard as iron and Diamond grimaced to herself as Hera motioned for her to throw again, arms out wide.
Frustration grew and Diamond planted her back foot, launching a rocket-fueled body kick with her lead leg and following it with a hard power hand blow. The kick buried itself into Hera’s ribs but she didn’t even blink. The right went high, catching the Queen of the Gods solidly on the jaw.
The crowd booed unanimously and Hera ceased her showmanship. She didn’t seem phased by either blow and resumed her stance, throwing a front kick that nearly caught Diamond beneath the chin. Diamond saw the ball of her foot far too closely.
“Don’t play those games, Diamond. She’s getting in your head,” Flick yelled.
“Gonna chew that leg up again, Richie. Get ready…” Hera teased, faking a leg kick. “No… not yet. Oh, here it comes!” Her hip jerked forward and Diamond rolled her weight to her back foot to lessen the force of the blow on her lead leg. The kick didn’t come and Farnese grinned, her toothy mouthguard showing.
She was toying with her, Diamond knew, but didn’t know what to do about it. She had loaded the right hand that caught Hera’s jaw and she hadn’t budged. Farnese was tough but she didn’t roll with it, dodge, or anything to lessen the impact. It had been a clean, hard punch and Hera had eaten it like a bowl of cereal: with a smile.
In their first fight, Diamond had landed a few good punches that had stunned Farnese in the second round. Was it possible the woman had grown tougher?
“So, I’ve been thinking, Tiara. You and Daddy bought the belt last time. Obviously the fans hate you,” Hera said and landed another naked leg kick. “Are you going to throw this one? Did rich old Daddy bet against you this time? You going to lay down for Daddy? Obviously if you get another robbery there will be an investigation. You’d probably get banned forever. What round are you going to lay down? I’ll make it look really good for you.”
Diamond outwardly ignored Hera’s comments but it brought Filthy Rich back to the front of her mind. She couldn’t ignore him. The crowd cheered as Diamond failed to check another kick into her calf. It felt like boiling water was being poured down her leg and it was beginning to feel a little heavier.
Another kick came like a ballistic missile and Diamond reached down just as it made contact, trapping Farnese’s leg and pulling it up, sending Hera back and hopping on one leg to keep her balance. One, two, three right jabs shot into Hera’s face before Diamond lost her grip on the ankle. She had driven Hera back a few feet from the cage and pressed forward. She lifted her right knee quickly but missed as Hera rolled out to Diamond’s left and returned a right hand into Diamond’s injured cheek. The cut reopened and dribbled blood down Diamond’s chin and onto the mat below.
Diamond followed laterally, keeping Hera in front of her. She was reacting in the wrong ways and Hera tossed a light jab into her forehead followed by another cracking leg kick that visibly slowed her.
“I hope they kick you out of mma forever, Diamond. You cheating bitch,” Farnese exclaimed.
Get kicked out of mma? But she didn’t know! She was a pawn, just like everyone her father dealt with. How could she have known?
He may cost her the sport she loved yet. It was underhanded enough that it had his fingerprints all over it. She remembered when he had discovered her hobby.
“You mean, you’ve been taking these unladylike classes for four years, Diamond? Is that what you are telling me?” Filthy Rich roared at his daughter. She had never seen him this upset, not even during the worst moments of his career as a businessman had he looked so visibly furious. His cheeks were flushed and a thick, pulsating vein pounded in the center of his forehead. His eyes jerked ravenously in their sockets as if trying to free themselves from the confines of his skull.
Diamond had never been struck by her father but she half expected him to march up to her and slap the insolent grin off of her face. It would be harder than he thought to erase her grin. Since she had recently turned sixteen, Flicker Jab had allowed her to spar with other young amateurs. You never completely got used to being hit in the face but the shock of it was long since gone. It was nice to put the last four years of learning to the test but it had cost her a black eye. That’s how Filthy had found out.
“Yes, Dad. You said I could pick anything but karate and I did,” she stated, matter-of-factly and smirked.
She watched his eyebrows turn sinister and he moved to her, towering over her and poking her forehead with one finger. “You know that’s not what I meant. Use your brain, Diamond!”
“I like learning mma, Dad! Nobody else I know is doing anything as fun as this extra-curricularly. It’s going to set me apart for college. A lot of colleges want to see a varied interest in studies …”
“Of course nobody you know is doing it! They aren’t as foolish as you! Anybody you SHOULD know would be turned away by such a brutish, brainless hobby as this!” He growled and took his hand from her forehead. He took two long, deliberate steps away from her before snapping around to continue his tirade. “Liberal schools, Diamond! Liberal colleges want something like this. Empowerment of women, ruin the economy, break up the foundations of business we men have laid.”
Diamond scoffed and felt hurt. “And what if I were a boy, Dad? What would you say then?”
Filthy tried to remain rational but was festering. “If only you had been a son, Diamond. I wouldn’t have to put up with your crazy ideas and disobedience.”
“I’m not quitting, before you even try to make me.”
Filthy was silent, introspective. He shook his head unbelievingly. Diamond could tell he didn’t know how to handle the situation. He had never been a parent, had hired people to be her parents in his stead. He didn’t like dealing with her because he couldn’t throw his finances around to bend her to his will. Her obstinance was a trait Diamond thought he should be proud of, after all, she had received it from him.
“You know, Diamond. When you were still inside your mother, the doctor… a female doctor… told us you would be a boy. Did you know that?” He asked softly, his body went limp and slack, he looked miserable. Diamond was surprised and feared where the conversation would lead.
“N...no,” she answered weakly.
“Your name was supposed to be Damon. Damon Delanore Rich. The night you were born a girl was the biggest disappointment of my life. This is the second.” Filthy leaned onto one of the leather chairs around his desk and appeared defeated.
Diamond felt as if she had been cracked with a baseball bat. She couldn’t formulate a cohesive thought. Her heart ripped in twain, shattered, and turned to lead in her chest. She desperately fought the tears welling in her eyes.
“You want to embarrass me, Diamond? Go ahead. But I don’t want to see you. Get out of my office and leave me alone.”
She had gone to her room, a whirlwind of emotions. Her pillow caught irate screams, sorrowful tears, and unseen, emotional trauma before she could finally sleep. When it finally came, she slept for 18 straight hours. Every time she woke up, she felt like a failure and clenched her eyes, willing herself back to the black void.
Diamond turned her knee too late to catch the razor bladed kick to her outer calf. She stumbled as her leg flew up from the ground from the severity of the kick. She recovered but caught a left hook to the jaw that backed her up. Hera pressured her, looming like a juggernaut. Diamond hit the cage and Hera’s step-in elbow raked her forehead.
Another low to high combination from Hera found its mark. Diamond threw a defensive uppercut that missed wildly and Hera’s powerful right hand landed solidly into the already cut cheek, spraying blood to the floor and widening the gash.
“Diamond! Get out of there! Don’t strike with her against the cage!” Flick called to his fighter. Diamond covered up and felt both of Farnese’s hands lock around her head. The knees were coming.
Diamond’s body took the first one, her defending arms the second and third. Hera’s knees were like shotgun blasts and Diamond’s arms quivered from the blows. She felt the edge of panic stick into her abdomen like a frozen nail and put her feet under her, pushing with all of her might into Hera’s chest. Somehow it worked and the Queen of the Gods staggered back a step.
Diamond tried to dance to the center of the octagon around the side of Hera but her left leg was slow from the accumulation of damage. It felt like she was wearing weights for endurance training on it.
She looked up at the clock, 30 seconds left in the round.
Masking the damage to her leg and shaking away the fuzz in her head from the punches, Diamond stepped as quickly as she could laterally, trying to keep Hera chasing for the remainder of the round.
“That leg’s done. You can’t hide it,” Farnese chuckled and cut the cage in half, blocking Diamond’s movement. “One more kick and it’s done. You ready to fall, Richie? Ready to let Daddy watch you lose?”
Diamond couldn’t let herself be baited anymore. She was struggling to survive the round. The minute between rounds and the ice that came with it would hopefully get her leg back in the game. Diamond attempted to switch stances to southpaw but it felt awkward. The stance would put her swollen left leg behind her and out of harm’s way, but she had always been an orthodox fighter and she feared the reverse footwork would lower her defense. She needed to switch back quickly. The clapping of the wooden blocks signified the round was almost over.
They stared at one another, Diamond trying to get away, Farnese keeping her boxed into one section of the canvas. Hera grinned as Diamond switched back to orthodox.
“Here it comes, Diamond. The leg kick that ends your ability to move!” Farnese mocked and made her move. Her hips pivoted and Diamond saw the weight shift onto her lead leg.
The bell that signified the end of the round rang loudly.
The kick had started and Diamond couldn’t move in time to avoid it or check it. She thought she heard Flick shout something but it was too difficult to hear over the crowd, the buzzer, and the ringing in her ears. She brought her left arm down to try and catch the kick just as the jumbled words made sense.
Head kick, he had said.
Soufflé moved to get between the contestants but the kick was far too fast. “Hera, STOP!” He interjected.
Diamond’s eyes went wide as the Queen of the Gods powerful leg slipped over her arm and followed the trajectory to her undefended head. Diamond saw Hera’s grin break apart as she realized the bell had sounded. It was an illegal strike, the bell had rang but there was nothing she could do. The point of no return had been reached.
The leg kicks were a set up, Diamond realized. She had been baited into worrying about the damage to her leg and mobility in order to condition her to react to leg kicks. Then, once she did, it left her head wide open for attack.
“Clever,” Diamond thought just before all of her senses were blown out of the side of her head.