Chapter 266: Commentator Thea

Kalon slept deep that night.

When morning light cut across the room, he lay still for a minute and let the High Platinum body settle into the new day, then got up, washed, and dressed.

After looking at himself in the mirror, he realised something.

He had grown taller again. By his estimations, he had now broken into the six foot category.

It felt weird, having grown so much in such a short amount of time.

It hadn’t even been a year!

...

The city below was already moving. He ignored the stacked League messages on his phone and left the apartment with a clear first stop in mind.

Thea. He had already messaged her and confirmed that he could visit today.

...

He found her at the Bluegale house in training clothes, hair tied back, a half-finished drink on the garden table.

She looked better than she had right after the cage. Less drained. More settled in her own skin.

When she saw him, the smile came quick and real.

"You look different again," she said. "In a good way."

"I’ve reached a new rank, and maybe grown another inch" Kalon said. "How are you feeling after the fight?"

Thea sat on the edge of the table and exhaled. In her mind, she wondered just what Kalon had been up to on other planets to have reached high platinum.

"Better than I expected. The feedback has been nothing like the other organisations I’ve brushed against. People are actually watching the details of the fight. Not just the knockouts. The movement. The control. The way the card was framed. It’s like they care so much more about this fight than they have others. I’ve had messages all morning from fighters asking how to get looked at by Intergalactic League. A few of them are my mum’s friends. Grown pros. They asked me to put a word in."

Kalon raised a brow.

"Your mother’s circle?"

"I know," Thea said. "That’s what shocked me. They’re used to established brands. Ten Dragons. Atlas. The older organisations with years of backing behind them. And they’re still asking about us. About you. About the card. I told them I don’t know much, but the fact they asked at all means the name is already doing something."

She rubbed her thumb along the rim of her cup.

"I love it," she said simply. "I love this organisation. It feels like we’re building something instead of just joining the rat race. After the fight people treated me like a real fighter, rather than a celebrity. That matters more than I thought it would."

Kalon watched her while she spoke. He could tell her that her words were absolutely genuine.

"I’m pleased," he said truthfully. "That’s what I wanted it to feel like for the people inside it."

Thea’s blue eyes lifted to his.

"Good. Because I’m not going anywhere."

He nodded once, then shifted the subject.

"I want you to commentate the next fight."

She blinked.

"The one between Daisy and Sifa?"

"Yes. You’re in the organisation. You’ve heard what I’ve had to say about them. You understand enough of what both of them can do to give better commentary than anyone else other than myself possibly could. Besides, who better to commentate fights than the first winner in the organisation."

Thea processed that for a second, then a sharper interest moved through her face.

"Alright. I can do that. Who do you think wins this next fight?"

Kalon did not answer quickly. It was something he had been thinking about ever since announcing the fight.

"It’s going to be close. Daisy is war-trained and great under pressure. Sifa has the dragon route and ice control Earth still doesn’t have much of an understanding of. Both of them are strong in ways this planet hasn’t really seen. I’m not picking a winner yet because any guess would be half ego. I’m just excited to watch it happen under our name."

Thea smiled at that, smaller this time.

"You’re actually hyped at a fight you set up."

"I am. The whole point of the League was to put that kind of fight in front of people. Now it’s one week out and both of them are ready. The second card of our organisation will be huge."

"Then I’ll commentate it properly," Thea said. "I’ll make sure to give it my all!"

"That’s why I asked you."

...

Kalon spent the rest of the day with her. Light training in the garden. Quiet food at the table. A long stretch of ordinary time too.

Thea made rough notes for commentary structure on her phone between conversations, asking him small details about cage presentation and when to call momentum shifts.

He answered what he could and let the rest of the day stay simple.

By the time evening settled over London, the city lights were on and she already had a working outline.

He left her with that and headed back to his high-rise.

It was time to travel to Venduros next.

He had left Josinia alone longer than he liked after her fight. Besides, he also wanted her to commentate too.

High Platinum did not change the basic fact that she was still his first real anchor off-world. Stage ten or not, he still checked on her when the gap got wide.

He initiated travel with her location in mind.

[Initiating Travel Sequence...]

[Adapting body to suit conditions...]

[...]

[You have arrived!]

[Welcome to Venduros!]

Warm air. Yellow-leafed slopes. The resistance city was a glow in the distance, but Kalon had not landed in its streets.

He stood on a high mountain shelf overlooking the valley, stone under his feet and a hard wind coming up the face.

Josinia was already there.

She was in training wraps, white hair tied out of her face, purple skin marked with dust and effort.

Water coiled around one hand while earth cracked under her other foot. She drove a combination into a standing rock target, then reset, then did it again.

Lightning flickered once at her wrist and vanished when she adjusted the angle. She was practising with full attention, alone on the mountain, no audience and no wasted movement. Each sequence looked sharper than the last.

Kalon watched her for a moment from the edge of the shelf before he made a sound.

Josinia finished the next strike, sensed him, and turned.

Her pink eyes found him immediately. The focused training face broke into a bright, open smile.

"Kalon."