I could hear Mona yelling furiously from the room, even when we went to the other half of the building.

  Honestly, though, I was less worried about Mona’s rage and more about the state of my body. Bruises everywhere, one eye swollen shut, and possibly a few broken bones in my hand. I looked like I’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champion and lost every single one.

  “Can we go now?” I groaned once we reached the car. Mom had the keys, and I was more than ready to get stitched back together by that creepy guy. Thankfully, Yoko gave me another painkiller, so I felt relatively okay.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Mom said as she slid into the driver’s seat.

  Then I noticed Hana opening the back door and plopping down beside me.

  “You’re coming with us?” I asked, twisting around.

  “Your mom said I could join the next training,” she said with a grin. (She had a face at the moment.)

  “But we’re heading to Claude so he can heal me,” I protested.

  “Yeah, we are,” Mom confirmed, then gave me a look in the rearview mirror. “But we’ve got a little detour first.”

  ***

  “Shouldn’t we go to Claude first?” I asked as Mom drove.

  “I want you to experience as many things as possible during this week,” she said. “Fighting while injured is one of them. Sometimes you have to fight regardless of your condition; it’s better to train for those cases. Ah, here we are.”

  She pulled up to a massive junkyard. We left the car and walked to the gate.

  Didn’t take long for the security to show up: a mountain of a guy with a pack of pit bulls loose behind the fence. The dogs barked like hellhounds until he spoke.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, this is private prop...” He cut himself off, did a double take at Mom, and his whole tone flipped. “Oh, hey, Creepy. Come on in.” He opened the gate, and just like that, the dogs went quiet and stepped aside.

  “Oh, your dogs are really smart, Rex,” Mom exclaimed as the pitbulls moved in unison.

  “Wow, must’ve been a pain in the ass training them,” Hana said. “My mom tried teaching our dog some tricks, but no luck.”

  “Nah,” he grinned. “Didn’t need to train ‘em. I vibe with dogs better than I do with people.”

  “Wait… do they have metal teeth?” I pointed at one of them and took another glance. Yes, every single one of those pit bulls had shining metal fangs.

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I enhanced them for security.”

  “And what vet agreed to that kind of surgery?” Hana asked.

  “Surgery?” He laughed, crouching down to pet one of the dogs. As soon as he touched it, the metal fangs clattered out of its mouth, revealing normal teeth beneath.

  “Oh, so you magnetize metal to their bodies?” Hana guessed.

  “No. I control their bodies directly.” He scooped up the discarded fangs, pressed them to the dog’s back, and I swear the flesh melted and just swallowed the metal. A moment later, the beast opened its mouth again, fangs restored.

  “I’ve made their bodies absorb the metal so it functions naturally. It also enhances their bones, too. Don’t worry, it’s painless. I even shut off their ability to feel pain.”

  “Biokinesis, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, some kind of biokinesis,” he said. “But it only works on canines.”

  “Okay, boys,” Rex said to the dogs. “Keep watch while I’m gone.”

  And just like that, he led us deeper into the junkyard.

  “I’m not sure about this, Mom,” I said as we walked into the labyrinth of rusty cars. “I can barely see out of one eye, and one of my hands is wrecked. Maybe not broken, but still hurts as hell.”

  “Oh, I’ve won fights with worse injuries,” Mom chuckled. “You’ll be fine.”

  “I’m so excited!” Hana exclaimed, bouncing like a hyperactive kid beside me. “Who do you think we’ll fight? A golem made of scrap metal? A living vehicle? I heard they love hiding in junkyards.”

  I envied her enthusiasm. I’d probably feel the same if I weren’t battered, half-blind, and about to face some unknown supernatural enemy.

  Deeper in, the junk gave way to… a little town of doghouses. Dozens of them, lined up neatly in rows, cobbled together from salvaged parts. At first, it was almost funny, until the residents came out to greet us.

  The dogs.

  Most of them were modified.

  The first one I noticed was a bulldog with two heads. Then the rest came: extra limbs, mismatched animal parts, metal, and other things fused with flesh. Horrifying, really… yet the dogs wagged their tails, eyes bright, as happy as any pets.

  “Creepy yet cute,” I said, rubbing the belly of the two-headed bulldog, then froze as the realization hit me. “Mom… don’t tell me we’re fighting the dogs.”

  “Well… you are,” Mom said with a sly smile.

  “Don’t worry, kid,” Rex added. “You can’t hurt them. And we’ll play by the rules, safe and clean.”

  “Are you sure they don’t mind this?” Hana asked.

  “My boys love it,” Rex said proudly. “They are big martial arts enthusiasts. They’ll be thrilled to meet new partners.”

  “And what rules do you run here?” Mom asked.

  “Simple. Use only your own powers and abilities. No objects, no weapons, no external aids. Also, if you’re knocked out of the ring, you lose.”

  “Basic, but fair enough,” Mom nodded. “So… where’s the ring?”

  Rex smirked and let out a sharp whistle.

  From between the doghouses, a dachshund appeared. Then… kept appearing. And appearing. The thing just kept coming, stretching on for what felt like forever, supported by dozens of extra legs sprouting down its serpentine body, making it look less like a dog and more like a centipede wearing fur.

  “Into formation!” Rex ordered.

  The beast spun in circles, chasing its own tail until it formed a perfect ring, still running in place to maintain the shape.

  “Here’s your ring,” Rex announced proudly.

  “Interesting,” Mom said with a nod. She then turned to us. “Which of you wants to start?”

  “Max just finished with Mona. It’s my turn,” Hana said, stepping forward without hesitation.

  "Let's see what you got, Rex," Hana said as she vaulted over the living ring and began warming up.

  The first dog approached. At first glance, it looked like a perfectly normal bulldog.

  "Here's your first opponent, Hakuho," Rex announced.

  "Aw, he's adorable," Hana said. "I’d feel bad fighting something this cute. Can you, make him uglier?"

  "Just wait," Rex replied.

  Almost on cue, Hakuho began to change. His body ballooned outward, not in muscle, but in bulk. His torso swelled into a near-perfect sphere, forcing his hind legs to leave the ground as his shape became too round to support on all fours. Then his limbs elongated into thick, stubby human-like arms and legs, his neck folding into rolls of flesh. Standing upright, he towered over Hana.

  Then he stomped. Once. Twice. Each shiko shook the ground beneath us.

  [ Note: shiko is the iconic stomping that sumo wrestlers do. It's an exercise, a ritual, and an intimidation as well.]

  "Whoa…" was all I could say.

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  "Nice," Hana acknowledged, unfazed. Then she reached up and peeled away her human face like a mask, revealing her other face: the red oni face. The one I saw during her fight with the antler girl.

  She answered Hakuho’s demonstration with her own clumsy version of the shiko. Her stomps looked more funny than intimidating.

  Hakuho panted happily, his jowls flapping. He lowered his center, spreading his arms wide like a true rikishi.

  Hana used the stance, crouched low, fingers twitching.

  Rex raised his hand. "Begin!"

  They charged.

  Hakuho stormed forward, his massive belly quaking like an avalanche. Hana braced and met him head-on. The impact was brutal. Her feet skidded across the ground, barely holding her place. Hakuho pressed harder, fat and flesh folding over her shoulders.

  With an angry, demonic grunt, Hana twisted, slipping to the side just enough to redirect his momentum. The bulldog stumbled a step but quickly stomped back into balance. His stubby arms lashed out as he attempted a tsuppari, palms slapping at high speed. Hana ducked under one, then shoved back with all her brute, oni strength.

  They locked again, shoulder to belly, arms straining. Hakuho tried to crush her down with sheer weight, using his rolls of flesh as a weapon, but Hana leaned into him.

  "Come on," she hissed. "There’s no way I will lose to a sumo pooch!"

  She dug her heels into the ground, then changed tactics. Instead of pushing head-on, she slipped her hands into the folds of Hakuho’s enormous body, grabbing fistfuls of fat like handles.

  With a hellish roar, she twisted her hips, hoisting the spherical sumo bulldog off-balance.

  Hakuho barked in surprise, paws scrabbling in the air, but Hana spun and heaved with a perfect throw.

  The crowd of junkyard dogs barked wildly as the fat bulldog flew through the air and crashed beyond the living ring.

  Hakuho quickly sat up in the dirt, panting happily.

  Rex clapped, clearly impressed. "Well done. My boy really enjoyed it." He said as if the dog just told him. I wouldn't be surprised if he could hear their thoughts.

  "I enjoyed it too," Hana said, panting like Hakuho, and her oni face just fell off, revealing her smooth, empty face.

  ***

  "Your turn, Max," Mom announced.

  Following a deep sigh, I nodded. Despite my bruised eye and my injured hand, I was still in one piece. The painkiller dulled the worst of it, letting me stretch and shake out my legs as I warmed up.

  Carefully, I stepped over the circling long-dog.

  My partner, a broad-chested Mastiff, was already waiting.

  "Meet Helio. He is a big Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fan. Real technical fighter." Rex introduced him proudly.

  Helio appeared to be a normal dog, just like Hana's opponent. But as soon as I entered the ring, his body began to change. His frame swelled with muscle, fur pulling taut over bulging flesh. His stance straightened until he stood upright on two legs. His front paws twisted into thick, humanlike arms. Then, to my horror, four more arms sprouted from his ribs (two on each side) until he looked like a monstrous six-armed grappler.

  "Begin!" Rex announced.

  Helio lunged without warning, closing the distance faster than I expected. One set of arms went low, hooking my leg, while the upper arms reached to wrap around my shoulders.

  I panicked and charged my legs with kinetic energy, blasting sideways with a small burst. Luckily, I only used one leg for that; otherwise, I would have been out of the ring.

  "Careful, Max!" Mom shouted. "Don’t let him get control!"

  Helio advanced again, calm and relentless, his many arms weaving together. He shot in low like a wrestler, then snapped his upper hands around my neck. His weight hit like a car, dragging me down. We hit the ground, and I felt his legs cinch around my waist while his hands pried for control.

  "Shit!" I hissed, trying to wriggle free. He rolled us effortlessly, locking my injured arm and cranking it back in a twisted joint lock. Pain screamed through my shoulder.

  I had no choice. I charged my energy, focusing it into the arm he was holding. With a desperate shove, I blasted outward (using the same burst technique I used with my legs), breaking his grip and sending him stumbling back a step. My arm felt like it was on fire after that.

  Helio growled and came right back in. Now he went for a choke, four arms wrapping around my torso and neck. His hot breath smothered me as his drool spattered my face. My already bad vision blurred.

  I planted my feet, ignoring the pressure on my throat, and concentrated every drop of energy into my legs. I surged upward with one leg, carrying both of us into the air. Then I twisted and unleashed the second burst into him, hoping that he would let go and wouldn't rip off my head in the process.

  The move didn’t hurt him, but it was enough. Helio’s bulk flew above the living ring.

  I have to admit, in a real fight, without any rules, there's no way I could have won against him, maybe not even in my healthy form. He wasn't as big as that zombie bear, or as strong as Günter, but he had skills.

  ***

  Hana’s next turn was against a poodle that was a capoeira fighter. It was surprisingly tough with a lot of spins and whipping legs, but Hana handled it. She threw the poodle out of the ring with a clean sweep, using the same oni face she used earlier.

  I warmed up to get ready for my next round. Beating Helio had done wonders for my confidence; for a minute, I forgot about the pain thanks to the adrenaline rush. I just had to be sure that I use my healthy hand more.

  “Hmm, who should be Max’s next partner?” Mom mused, examining Rex’s menagerie.

  “What about me?” a voice answered.

  For a second I thought a dog had spoken. Then I saw a man step between the doghouses.

  “Hi, Creepy,” he called to Mom, waving like they were old friends.

  “Oh, what are you doing here, Judge?” Mom asked.

  “I come by a lot,” he said. “Fighting beasts keeps you sharp. Humans don’t cut it the same way.” A few of the dogs trotted over to him, tails wagging like they’d found a favorite uncle.

  He was tall, fit, and completely hairless; not just shaved, but utterly smooth: no hair, no beard, no eyebrows.

  “Who would you like to fight?” Rex asked him.

  “I’d like to test Creepy’s kid if I can,” Judge said, fixing his gaze on me with a grin.

  I said nothing; I just looked at Mom.

  “You picked a fine time to show up,” she said. “My plan today was to push Max to his limits. You’ve arrived right on schedule.”

  “Great,” Judge said with a chuckle. “I heard überfrau was at the event yesterday, and your boy bested hers.”

  “Yeah, but it was just a newborn baby,” I explained quickly. “I put his pacifier back in his mouth, and he calmed down. I didn’t even punch him.”

  “Oh, I know,” Judge said and turned back to Mom. “überfrau told me all about it. She even rewrote the story a dozen times to make it sound like your boy was favored by Marge, and that’s why he was declared the winner.”

  “Let her bitch and moan. She’s always been a sore loser,” Mom shrugged. “Focus on the fight.”

  “Alright,” Judge nodded. He peeled off his shirt, tossed it aside, and stepped into the living arena, giving the long-dog a casual pat on the head as it circled beneath him.

  The guy was jacked, nothing but muscle and scars, not a shred of excess fat. On the back of his discarded shirt, I noticed the words: Kickboxing is my therapy. Great. At least now I didn’t have to wonder about his style.

  “Ready?” he asked as I climbed in.

  “Of course I am,” I said, forcing a smile. It wasn’t genuine. My confidence from beating Helio still lingered, but Judge gave me a chill. He had the kind of presence that made you expect… something worse. Superstrength? Speed? Shapeshifting? A hidden monster waiting to crawl out of his skin?

  “Begin!” Mom announced.

  And then I didn’t have to wonder anymore.

  Both of Judge’s fists burst into flames, each hand becoming a blazing torch wrapped tight in fire.

  Fantastic. A kickboxer with fire punches. Exactly what I needed.

  He stepped in with a quick, burning jab. I dodged (barely) without using my leg bursts, and the heat still scraped my skin. People think fire only hurts on contact, but the hot air around it can sear you just as easily.

  Then came the hook; faster, heavier, glowing red. I had to burn a kinetic burst in my legs to slip away, and even then, his fist came terrifyingly close. The worst part? I could tell he wasn’t even trying.

  “Haha! A bit slow,” he chuckled. “But for an amateur? Not bad.”

  Meanwhile, I had no idea how to even begin attacking him. Dodging was barely working. And the air around him was hot enough to hurt. No wonder he had zero body fat. If you lived wrapped in your own furnace, you’d melt any softness away too.

  He swung again with a blazing cross punch. I ducked low and burst forward, slipping under his arm. In the blink of an eye, I was behind him.

  The heat was unbearable, and for a second, I was terrified my hair had caught fire. No time to check. No time to think.

  We were already at the edge of the long-dog ring. It was perfect. My plan was simple: grab him and throw him out. He was bigger than me, sure, but my tactile telekinesis could tip the scales. Even one hand would be enough if I got the grip.

  That was my idea. Judge had another.

  A sudden flare, a third fire ignited, not on his fists this time, but on his right foot. The flames shot downward like a rocket booster, propelling his leg in a red-hot roundhouse kick.

  I barely even saw the arc of the kick, only the aftermath.

  White-hot pain slammed into me: chest, face, everything at once. Heat burned through me before I could register where the strike landed.

  ***

  I woke up with a strange, swollen feeling in my body, like something was about to burst out of me.

  “Ah, finally,” I heard Mom through the haze.

  We were a few meters from the long-dog, which still sat in its circle formation, only now snoring softly like an oversized furry tire.

  Mom, Hana, and Rex were nearby, but Judge was gone.

  “What happened?” I croaked. My body ached, but not the way burns do.

  “Judge kicked you out of the ring. You flew a few meters, hit the ground, peed yourself, and passed out,” Hana said casually while rubbing the long-dog’s absurdly stretched belly.

  (She was obviously joking. I did not pee myself.)

  “Luckily,” Rex added, “Judge’s kick was so fast the flames didn’t burn you. But the force of it, plus the landing, did some damage to your ribcage.”

  “And… how serious is it?” I asked.

  “Actually, you’re mostly healed now,” Rex said.

  “Really? Then why do I feel like something’s about to burst out of me?”

  “Well… don’t freak out,” Rex said, “but my little helpers are still inside you, finishing the work.”

  As he spoke, a lump rose on my chest, growing larger until it split open. Out popped a tiny fuzzy head, a dog’s head, barely the size of my thumb. Then the whole animal wriggled free of my skin.

  It barked happily at me. It was a toy-sized Bichon Frisé. Before I could react, another one emerged. The two miniature dogs yipped and tumbled over each other, then slipped back under my skin like it was water, leaving no mark behind.

  “You put these in me?” I stared at Rex.

  “Yes. They’re my Firstaid Frisés. I designed them to heal the other dogs when I’m not around.”

  “Wow. Uh… thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” Rex said. “They’re excellent at fixing internal injuries, but you should still see an actual doctor, like Claude.”

  “By the way, how long was I out? Judge left?”

  “About twenty minutes,” Mom said. “He said he’s looking forward to meeting you again.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a rematch either,” I muttered. Although I hoped it would not happen in the near future.

  With Rex’s help, I managed to stand.

  “Hm. Much better. Even some of the bruises are gone,” I said, glancing at my chest.

  “Your dogs did a great job. Maybe they should help Claude,” Mom said.

  “They already have,” Rex replied. “Claude says they’re fine but need more training because of their… behavior.”

  “What did he mean by that?” she asked.

  “They’re a little… playful. It can slow things down.”

  As he spoke, something bigger shifted inside me. This time, instead of a tiny dog, something solid popped out of my side, one of my ribs.

  “What the...?!” I gasped, but before I could even reach for it, a dozen miniature white dogs swarmed it, pushing out of me. Then they lifted it like ants with a breadcrumb, tails wagging as they scampered off.

  “Hey! Bring that back!” I shouted.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” Rex said, jogging after them. “Come back, you little rascals! You can’t eat that, human bones upset your tummies!”

  A few minutes later, Rex returned with the rib. With the help of a few of the tiny dogs, he shoved it neatly back where it belonged. I noticed faint little bite marks on the bone as it slid into place, but I felt no pain. Hopefully, they hadn’t chewed through anything important.