Page 21 of 4th Degree

But she still looks like she's about to cut and run, so I turn back to the TV and say, “Look at this submission he's about to hit. It was his go-to move for the longest time.”

That brings her closer. She can't see the details of the move from where she's standing, so she finally takes a seat, leaning forward to brace her forearms on her knees.

“How is he able to set that up every time?” she asks, her voice awed. “His opponents have to know it's coming, right? And he still pulls it off?”

“He's just that good.” We both watch in silence as the fighter onscreen locks in the submission, puts pressure on the choke, and gets the tap from his opponent.

“Insane,” Skylar breathes. “How does someone get that good at something?”

The question seems to be spoken automatically, but then she turns her attention to me and asks more seriously, “As a coach, what would you say is the secret to getting good?”

I brush a hand over my beard as I mull over her question. “To getting good or to winning fights?”

“Getting good. I don't care about winning fights.”

That makes me forget her question for a second. “You don't want to fight?”

“I have no interest in fighting. That's not why I'm here.”

I cock my head as I take her in. “Why are you here then?”

She quirks an eyebrow. “Are you avoiding the question?”

Chuckling, I turn my attention back to the TV, where the hype trailer has started for the next fight.

“Consistent training focused on skill development,” I answer after a moment.

Skylar frowns. “What else would it be focused on?”

“Winning. You'd be surprised how many people come in here who don't care about getting better; they just want to beat everyone they go against.”

I can tell she's mulling something over in her head before she asks, “Was Kane one of those people?”

I nod. She's clever to have noticed that.

“He's gotten way better. Used to be he wanted to kill everyone in here, Tristan and Jax included, just to prove he could. Took a few life changes to get him to see this as a sport that relies on more than just force of will.”

Skylar leans back against the couch, her hand still on Brutus’s head.

“So, he changed the way he trains?” she asks, and I nod again.

“He sparred less and took more classes. He always trained a lot, so consistency was never his problem, but he spent more time drilling. Remy is actually his best training partner now because their size difference forces him to be slow and controlled. Their rounds are focused on getting better technically.”

“Consistent training focused on skill development,” she parrots back.

“That's all it is,” I confirm. “Nothing earth-shattering, if that's what you were expecting.”

She turns her head to face me as she asks, “Is that how you got so good? Just trained often and drilled a lot?”

“Nah, mine is just raw talent.”

She lets out a snort, the sound surprising us both. I open my mouth to tease her about it, but suddenly her stomach growls, cutting me off.

That pinkens her cheeks in embarrassment. Her gaze snaps up to meet mine.

I want to ask why she lied to Tristan about eating already. I want to ask her when she last ate. I want to ask her why she's not eating. But some kind of sixth Skylar sense tells me she won’t want to talk about it.

Not just that, but I'm her coach. The only thing she needs from me is to show her how to punch harder. It’s not my place to ask any more of her.

---