"Okay," Ronan said, standing in front of both teams, "since Team Cross won the last fight, Damon, you're up to pick the matchup."
Damon stepped forward without hesitation. His expression was calm, but his mind had already made the decision.
He had watched the tapes, paid attention in practice, and spent the night running scenarios. Now it was time to act.
"For us," Damon said, turning to face his team, "Max Taylor."
Max moved forward, rolling his shoulders lightly as he stepped out from the line. He gave a quiet nod to Damon and stood tall.
Damon turned to the other side of the room and pointed. "And from their side… Pedro Santos."
Pedro didn't flinch. He stepped forward without any theatrics, standing across from Max with a quiet, almost expressionless face. His arms were relaxed, but his eyes locked straight onto Max.
The two fighters met in the center of the mat.
