One More Step to The Championship

A short story –

His vision started to blur. His head felt extremely light. His body — heavy and difficult to move. It was as if all his strength had vanished. Slowly, he collapsed onto the octagon ring.

The pain, the sweat on his body, the deafening crowd — it all disappeared in an instant. Only darkness remained, along with the chaos inside his mind.

A direct jab to the head had brought Nico crashing down, limp and powerless.

Flashes of memory played through his mind — the grueling training he had endured, the sweat dripping onto the wooden floor of the gym,
the thousands of push-ups, squats, pull-ups, and the hundreds of miles he had run.

All of it flashed before him.
Until finally, a memory from five years ago came rushing back —
his little daughter, in a hospital room.

“Honey, don’t give up, please… I’m with you…”
Nico had whispered near her ear, holding tightly to her small hand.

Wires and medical equipment were attached to the fragile body of his twelve-year-old daughter,
after a tragic accident on her way home from school.
The room was filled with the weight of sorrow, like grief had taken over the air itself.

Suddenly, Nico became aware again.
His eyes opened.
His vision returned —
but his hearing was still muffled, not fully restored.

In the distance, at the edge of the ring among the spectators,
he saw his daughter.
She was shouting something.
He couldn’t hear her voice — only read her lips.

“Get up! Don’t give up! I’m with you!”
She screamed from her seat.

In that instant, strength returned to his body.
He pushed himself up with one hand,
struggling toward the side of the ring, holding his head to stay focused.

“One more step to the championship,” he thought to himself.

The referee checked his condition — eyes, nose, ears —
and asked if he could still continue.
Nico nodded firmly.
He was ready to fight again.

The crowd began to roar,
cheering him on.
His supporters chanted his name:

“Nico! Nico! Nico!”

Nico — the underdog.
The fighter no one ever bet on —
now standing in the final match for the MMA World Championship.

In front of him stood Brook —
the reigning champion,
a four-time title holder,
undefeated… until now.

But today, even Brook struggled against Nico.
They were evenly matched.
Each of them just needed one clean hit to end the match.

Both were exhausted.

The fight resumed.
Nico advanced with confidence, yet stayed focused.

They exchanged brutal blows.
Hit after hit.
A fierce battle, fists flying, pain and fire in their eyes —
until finally, a powerful punch landed on Brook, knocking him down.

Nico screamed out.
His eyes searched for his daughter in the crowd.

He raised his fist high in the air —
then pointed directly at her.

“For you…”
he whispered from his lips.

The crowd erupted in cheers for the new world champion.
They chanted his name louder than ever:

“Nico! Nico! Nico! Nico!”

A beautiful night.

…