The smell of sweat and the clang of weights echoed faintly through the unassuming gym Talara called her domain. 

Tucked away in a quiet district, its dim lights barely illuminated the well-worn sparring mats, dented equipment, and countless scuff marks left behind by years of grueling drills.

Blaze strode inside, flanked by Liora, his easy, cocky confidence filling the room before he had even spoken. His relaxed demeanor seemed at odds with the gym’s unadorned silence, as if he were trying to own the space with attitude alone.

He glanced around casually, kicking at a limp punching bag with little interest.

"Looks like you've been slacking. Barely feels alive in here."

Liora shot him a sharp, warning look. Her voice cut through his sarcasm like a blade.

"Talara’s not here right now, but this place has seen more battles than you know. Stick with the team, and this gym will feel like home soon enough."

Blaze smirked, crossing his arms as his sharp eyes continued to survey the room.

"Good to know. Wouldn’t want to dull my edges in some third-rate sweatbox."

Before Liora could reply, a shadow shifted in the corner of the gym. The figure moved smoothly into the light; Nyx.

Her Zyrillian frame exuded silent power, every movement fluid and deliberate. 

The faint glow of the overhead lamps caught her dark, shadow-hued armor, emphasizing its elegance and danger. Her violet eyes fixed coldly on Blaze, their intensity cutting through his carefully constructed bravado like ice.

Blaze instinctively took a step back, his confidence faltering for the briefest moment. 

Nyx’s presence was suffocating, her very essence carrying a palpable aura of death. 

It wasn’t the kind of danger Blaze could charm his way out of; it was the kind he’d avoided for years. He knew the stench of it intimately.

Liora quickly broke the tension with a greeting, her tone neutral but firm.

"You must be Nyx. Talara spoke about you. I’m Liora," she said, stepping forward to close the gap.

Blaze’s unease lingered, though he masked it with a smirk. 

His mind raced; has she come to collect the bounty on his head? Was her presence here a deliberate threat? He couldn’t afford to underestimate her.

His survival instincts roared to life, forcing his thoughts into darker calculations. 

If Nyx was here for him, then reinforcements might already be close. He’d have to act; quickly and decisively; to eliminate the threat before she called for backup.

"Well, well," Blaze said, his smirk sharpening. His voice carried a deliberate edge, designed to incite. "Seems like we have a hunter among us!"

Nyx’s expression remained unmoved, her violet eyes piercing through Blaze with an unwavering calm that carried the weight of silent menace.

"I don’t recall offering you an introduction," she said, her voice smooth but laced with a subtle edge, sharp enough to cut through Blaze’s posturing.

Liora let out a long sigh, stepping between them with an air of exasperation.

"Nyx, this is Blaze. We recruited him for the team."

She glanced at Blaze, her tone sharpening.

"Blaze, this is Nyx. You’re part of the same team. Be nice to each other."

"Team member. That we’ll see," Blaze retorted, a smirk playing on his lips, his tone dripping with mockery.

"So, what’s a bounty hunter doing in the Galactic Star League?"

"None of your business," Nyx replied, her tone nonchalant, yet her gaze carried the weight of a silent warning.

Blaze’s smirk widened, leaning into his bravado.

"Let me guess; you’re not here for the workout. Maybe you just wanted to be a cheerleader." He laughed, the sound loud and intentionally provoking.

Nyx didn’t so much as blink. Her voice dropped lower, colder, as she replied.

"Careful, fire starter. Not everyone sees you as valuable; alive."

Liora stepped forward, raising her hands in an attempt to calm the situation before it escalated further. "Both of you, stop. Talara won’t appreciate you tearing each other apart before we even start training together. You’re on the same side."

But Blaze ignored her entirely, squaring his shoulders as he faced Nyx directly, his tone hardening into a challenge.

"You think you’re capable enough to take me on?" he asked, his voice cutting through the tension. "I’m not like those easy bounties you so proudly claim."

Nyx moved faster than Blaze could have expected, closing the space between them in an instant until they were nose to nose. Her movements were fluid and precise, carrying an energy that spoke of years of experience in ending fights before they began.

Blaze’s instincts flared to life, his hand darting toward his plasma sidearm, though he stopped short of drawing it. 

Nyx didn’t flinch. Her hand, a fraction faster than his, hovered near the hilt of the dagger strapped to her thigh.

The weight in the air was palpable, the room holding its breath as the two stood locked in a dangerous standoff.

Blaze took a sudden step back, his patience snapping as his smirk returned, sharper and more predatory this time.

"Let’s settle this the old-fashioned way," he said, his tone daring as he holstered his sidearm.

"No guns, no knives. Just fists. Let’s see what you’ve got."

Nyx’s eyes flickered with something that might have been amusement, though it was difficult to tell. Her hand lowered from the dagger, matching Blaze’s unspoken agreement.

"You want a fight?" she asked, her tone steady but with a dangerous undertone.

"Careful what you wish for."

*****

The tension in the room was crackling like static electricity as Blaze and Nyx circled each other. 

The air between them felt charged, alive with the promise of collision.

Blaze’s grin widened, the swagger in his posture seemingly unshaken, though his sharp eyes betrayed the careful calculations running through his mind. Every instinct screamed at him to respect the speed and precision of the opponent before him; Nyx wasn’t just faster; she was dangerous in a way that instincts alone couldn’t fully prepare him for.

Underestimating Blaze had been the downfall of many, but this time, the odds felt precariously balanced.

Nyx moved first, darting forward like a shadow come alive. Her strike was perfectly aimed for Blaze’s gut, sharp and fluid; there was no hesitation in her movements, only precision and purpose.

Blaze twisted out of the way just in time, but her blow grazed his ribs, sending a sharp pain reverberating through his side. He staggered back, wheezing as he clutched his ribs. She was faster than he thought; and far stronger, too.

"Fast," Blaze grunted, his grin faltering for the briefest moment before he forced it back, masking his discomfort with bravado.

"But I’ve seen fast before. You’re gonna have to do better than that, kitty cat."

Nyx remained silent, her expression steady and unreadable, her movements precise and predatory. She feinted left, then dipped low, her leg sweeping toward Blaze’s feet in a practiced motion.

Blaze jumped just in time, narrowly avoiding the sweep, but Nyx was already following through with her next strike; her elbow connected with the side of his jaw in a clean, brutal motion.

Stars danced in his vision as he stumbled back, clutching his face instinctively. 

The force of her blow left him dazed, but even in his confusion, Blaze felt the weight of her calculated aggression.

"Too slow," Nyx said, her tone colder than ice, delivering her words with calm detachment.

Blaze spat to the side, shaking his head as though to clear his vision, his grin returning through sheer force of will.

"All right, I’ll give you that one," he muttered, the bitterness in his voice betrayed by the quiver of pain. "But I learn fast, sweetheart."

From the corner, Liora threw up her hands in exasperation, her voice sharp and commanding as she tried to break through their intensity.

"Enough, you two! This isn’t helping anything! You’re supposed to be teammates, not enemies!"

Her plea went entirely ignored. Neither Blaze nor Nyx so much as glanced her way, the energy between them still focused and unyielding.

Blaze swung a quick jab, his fist cutting through the air toward Nyx. But she ducked under it effortlessly, her fluid grace infuriatingly precise. Before he could recover, Nyx used his momentum against him, sending him stumbling forward with a calculated push.

*****