The arena was electric.

  The crowd was on fire, fans screaming at the top of their lungs as the main event of the night was about to begin. This was ESPN’s Scrap Off, one of the biggest duel showcases in the world of Scrapping — and now the entire arena was on its feet for one reason.

  Kent “Fireman” Flame vs. Henry “Unbeatable” Dirhges.

  World rank #20… vs world rank #4.

  And the entire Team Juice bench was dead silent.

  “Dude…” Danny muttered, staring across the mat. “That’s really Henry Dirhges…”

  Johnny swallowed hard. “…I thought he fought in Europe. What’s he doing here?”

  “He must’ve asked for Kent,” Doug muttered, his face hard. “That’s the only way a #4 guy fights a #20. He’s trying to crush Kent’s momentum.”

  “Why?” Johnny asked.

  Doug smirked. “Cause Kent’s the future.”

  Jack, still gasping from his match, wiped sweat from his face. “Bro… if Kent beats him…”

  “He’s going top ten,” Doug said simply. “And Dirhges knows it.”

  The ref stepped to the center of the mat and raised his hand. “Ladies and gentlemen… your MAIN EVENT OF THE NIGHT!”

  The crowd exploded.

  “Fighting out of the blue corner… representing Team Juice… KENT ‘THE FIREMAN’ FLAME!!”

  The crowd roared, but Kent barely reacted. His face was ice-cold, his hands relaxed, his stare focused directly on Dirhges. He didn’t even blink.

  Johnny could feel his aura from the bench. “…He’s not nervous at all.”

  “Never is,” Doug muttered.

  “And fighting out of the red corner…” the ref continued, “…world rank number four, fighting out of The Crushers… HENRY ‘UNBEATABLE’ DIRHGES!”

  The crowd absolutely lost its mind.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Dirhges stepped forward, 6’1 of solid muscle, his jaw clenched and eyes murderous. His black and gold singlet looked like armor, and his name carried weight. He’d fought all over the world. Germany. Japan. Russia. He’d smashed world-class grapplers across the globe.

  And now he was here.

  Trying to bury Kent Flame.

  Dirhges stared Kent down hard as they walked to the center. “You don’t belong here, kid,” he muttered. “I’m gonna embarrass you.”

  Kent smiled slightly. “Nah. You’re just next.”

  The ref stepped between them. “Alright. This is a four-round duel match. No strikes. No gouging. No crying.” He looked at both men. “Clear?”

  Both nodded.

  The ref stepped back. “SCRAP!”

  Round One.

  Dirhges shot like a bullet.

  Johnny barely saw it. One second they were circling — the next, Dirhges was blitzing, his shoulder driving into Kent’s hips in a picture-perfect double leg takedown.

  “OH MY GOD!!” the commentator roared.

  “SPRAWL, KENT!!” Doug screamed.

  Kent did — but too late. Dirhges already had both legs clamped, driving him toward the mat. The force was unreal. Kent’s feet skidded across the canvas, his hips getting sucked under.

  “NOOO!!” Danny roared.

  “He’s gonna get taken down!” Johnny screamed.

  But then —

  Kent’s arm shot under Dirhges’ neck.

  “…Wait, what?” Danny blinked.

  Dirhges lifted Kent’s legs, ready to slam him — but Kent had wrapped up a guillotine choke. His forearm was digging into Dirhges’ throat, his hand cupping his bicep, his other hand locking behind Dirhges’ head.

  “He’s got a choke!!” Johnny screamed.

  “LOCK IT UP, KENT!!” Doug roared.

  Dirhges slammed Kent to the mat. The entire arena shook. But Kent didn’t care. The second his back hit the mat, he cranked the guillotine with everything he had.

  Dirhges’ eyes widened. “AGH—!!”

  “Oh my god he’s gonna tap!!” the commentator screamed.

  Dirhges began thrashing. His legs kicked violently, his hands punching at Kent’s elbow, trying to break the grip. Kent’s veins were bulging, his face turning purple from squeezing so hard.

  “TAP, YOU SON OF A—!!” Kent roared.

  Dirhges refused. He arched his back, trying to peel Kent’s hands off — but Kent’s grip was like iron. The guillotine was in deep.

  “NOOOO!!” Dirhges’ coach screamed.

  “FINISH HIM!!” Doug roared.

  The crowd was losing its mind. Dirhges was thrashing violently, but his movements were slowing. Kent’s forearm was burying into his throat, cutting off blood and air.

  “FIFTEEN SECONDS IN!!” the commentator roared. “CAN DIRHGES SURVIVE THIS?!”

  Dirhges’ face was turning purple. His thrashes weakened. His hand hovered —

  And then he tapped.

  “TAP OUT!! HE TAPPED OUT!!”

  The crowd EXPLODED.

  “WINNER BY SUBMISSION — KENT ‘FIREMAN’ FLAME!!”

  The arena erupted. Johnny and Danny leapt out of their seats.

  “HE TAPPED!! HE FREAKING TAPPED!!” Johnny screamed.

  “WHAT THE HELL?!” Danny roared. “THIRTY SECONDS!! HE BEAT THE #4 GUY IN THIRTY SECONDS!!”

  Kent released the choke and rolled off, gasping for air. Dirhges curled into a ball, clutching his throat in shock. The man who hadn’t tapped in three years had just been choked out in thirty seconds.

  Kent calmly stood, shook out his arms, and walked toward Dirhges. He extended his hand.

  Dirhges stared at him, face blank. “…What the hell just happened?”

  “You shot a double,” Kent smiled. “I took your neck.”

  Dirhges blinked. “…I can’t believe I tapped.”

  Kent just shrugged. “You were next, man.”

  The Team Juice bench was losing its mind.

  “BROOOO!!” Danny screamed. “YOU JUST TOOK OUT HENRY DIRHGES IN THIRTY SECONDS!!”

  Johnny grabbed Kent’s shoulders. “Bro, that was the fastest guillotine I’ve ever seen!!”

  Doug just stood, arms crossed, grinning. “…Knew you could do it.”

  Kent just smirked. “Yeah. Same.”

  Jack, still stunned, leaned in. “…Yo. You just jumped ten spots in the world.”

  “Probably more,” Doug muttered. “They’re gonna talk about this one.”

  The crowd was still going nuts. The ESPN commentator was losing his voice.

  “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST SAW!! KENT FLAME JUST SUBMITTED HENRY DIRHGES IN THIRTY SECONDS!! THIS YOUNG MAN MAY HAVE JUST PUT THE ENTIRE WORLD ON NOTICE!!”

  Kent glanced back at Dirhges, who was still shell-shocked. Their eyes met briefly.

  “…Run it back sometime?” Kent asked casually.

  Dirhges swallowed hard. “…Hell no.”

  As Kent walked off the mat, he was swarmed by cameras and reporters.

  “KENT!” one reporter yelled. “HOW DID IT FEEL TO TAP THE #4 GUY IN THE WORLD?”

  Kent smiled. “…Expected it.”

  Another shoved a mic forward. “DID YOU KNOW THE GUILLOTINE WOULD WORK?”

  Kent shrugged. “I knew if he shot, he was done.”

  “WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?”

  Kent smiled slightly. “…Top ten.”

  As he walked away, Doug smirked. “Told you he was the future.”

  Danny laughed. “The future? Nah, man. He’s the present.”

  Johnny just stared. “…I wanna be like him.”

  Jack patted Johnny’s shoulder. “Then you better get a lot better, Blood.”

  Johnny just smiled. “…Yeah. I will.”

  End of Chapter 10.