New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

"Uh… Clark? I would prefer not to fight her."

"Huh? Why, because she's a girl?"

"Well… Yes?"

"Man, I'm pretty sure she knows how to fight better than you."

It slightly peeved Kary that Alex was reacting this way. She knew deep down that he was trying to be a gentleman, but she still felt underestimated.

"Are you scared that you will get your ass kicked by a girl?"

Her fighting words took aback Alex. Did she want to fight him that badly?

"That's not what–"

"Alright! You got spunk, lady! I like you! As for you, you better show some respect and get in that ring!" Clark barked, clapping his hands.

He looked at Alexander with a derisive grin. Their tag team almost offended Alexander.

His father had always told him never to hit a woman. Games were different, since no one was getting hurt for real, but this wasn't a game.

But the look on Kary's face, combined with the grin on Clark's, drove away his indecisiveness.

"Fine," he grumbled, as he hopped inside the ring.

Kary had a small grin of victory on her lips. Clark laughed and hopped in too, getting to the center.

Both fighters wore helmets and training gloves to limit injury, and walked to the center of the ring. Clark looked at them both, stating the rules for their little spar.

"No dirty hits, no grappling, and dirty tactics. I want to see a clean fight. You are both only here to train, so try to limit how hard you punch each other."

The two of them nodded before backing away a bit from the center. Clark walked out of the center before shouting, "Fight!"

Kary walked forward slowly, circling Alex as they reached the center. Alexander could tell she was more used to this than her, but still thought he would win.

His confidence was shattered when Kary finally charged in for their first exchange. He was expecting her to hit softly, as a woman should, or at least he thought.

When her right fist came at his face, he lifted his guard, just as Clark had taught him, but he lifted his arms too high, exposing his ribs. Kary saw the opening and took it, slamming her left fist into them.

The air left his lungs, as the impact on his ribs was much harder than on his guarded face. When he bent from the hit in his ribs, one of his arms lowered to his side, and Kary's left fist came in again, this time smacking him in the jaw.

The helmet absorbed most of the hit, but that didn't stop it from knocking him to his ass.

"Bahahaha!"

Clark was laughing from the side as he watched his student get knocked off his feet by the woman.

Kary just stood in front of Alex, a wide grin on her face.

"Nice combo–"

"Kary."

"Nice combo, Kary! Alex, you better get your game on. This woman means business!"

Alexander felt his pride be bruised by the comment. He got up, his face a bit more rigid.

Clark called the next bout, and this went on for a few rounds, with the duration getting longer with every exchange, but the result stayed the same. Kary was victorious in every exchange.

In their last bout before taking a break, Alexander grappled the woman as she was getting deep inside his guard and locked her arms in place.

As he was laughing and she was trying to wiggle out of his grasp, Alex received a smack on the back of his head.

"I said no grappling, dumbass! Now you two lovebirds go drink water and come back in ten minutes. I'll check up on the girl in the meantime."

Alexander let Kary go, and she turned around before punching him in the stomach. She was still grinning as she took off her helmet.

"That's for cheating."

Alexander laughed it off. They stepped out of the ring, walking to their bags to get some water.

Clark had already reached Violette and was correcting her form and rhythm. He didn't need to do much, since the girl was already getting help from all the other gym bros around her.

They couldn't help but want to help her, since she was so small and young. There was a healthy gym etiquette in this gym, and that was why Alexander liked it there.

As Alex was watching Violette from afar, Kary leaned in on him. He passed his arm around her waist, letting his body go on autopilot.

Kary smiled and leaned in for a kiss, which he returned.

'If only you were as aggressive outside the ring," she teased, giving him a wink.

"Ahaha."

He smiled wryly at her comment. Not that he didn't want to be more assertive.

He just felt like it was still too early to be that way with her. Even if all of her was calling out to him.

They idly chatted away until Clark called them back into the ring. At the end of the three-hour session, Alex still could not take down Kary, and he was mainly just fixing his own mistakes at this point.

They finished their last bout still standing, and that was as good as it could get for him. After getting all the equipment off, Alex and Kary got Violette from the four gym bros currently having a flex competition with her in a mirror.

The girl was having fun, as she tried to outshine the four men, who were fixing her posture on the fly, giggling along with her.

"Thanks for entertaining her, guys. I'll take her off your arms," Alex said, smiling at them.

They nodded at him, bidding farewell to the girl, and going back to their own business. Violette was all smiles.

Even though she was tired from all the cardio she had been doing, she still had a lot of fun. The three of them walked back to the penthouse to get some well-deserved rest.