Chapter 48: Javier vs Wells IV- The Final Bell
The bell cuts through the noise like thunder. Both fighters walk toward center ring with nothing left to hide. Wells took the first round clean. Javier clawed back in the second. Round three decides who goes home and who fights Monday for the quarterfinals.
No dancing around this time. No testing jabs or careful footwork. Wells drives forward immediately, his pressure training kicking in. Javier meets him halfway, Vicente’s coaching burning fresh in his mind.
Wells throws rapid combinations to Javier’s body - jab, hook, jab again. His form stays perfect even at full speed. Javier responds with his own work, double jab to Wells’s chest guard, then a left hook that thumps into his ribs.
[JAB SKILL +0.1, CURRENT: 22.4/100]
[HOOK SKILL +0.1, CURRENT: 17.6/100]
[ENDURANCE: 10/100 → 9/100]
Vicente stands at ringside, his form solid as before. "WORK THE BODY! STAY BUSY! MAKE HIM CARRY YOUR WEIGHT!"
The ghost’s voice reaches Javier through the chaos. Following the instruction, Javier increases his output. More combinations, constant movement forward, leaning his weight into Wells whenever they get close. Short hooks to the body, quick jabs to keep Wells guessing.
Dr. Vasquez leans forward in her seat, hands pressed together. During the first round, she’d looked ready to climb through the ropes herself. Now her face shows something different - belief starting to build where fear used to live.
Wells answers with textbook pressure work - a steady four-punch combination that lands mostly on Javier’s guard. Hook, cross, hook, jab. All thrown with proper form, feet always moving. But Javier doesn’t panic like he did in round one. Doesn’t cover up and wait for the storm to pass.
[ENDURANCE: 9/100 → 7/100]
[DEFENSE SKILL +0.1, CURRENT: 16.7/100]