Left sweep. Dodge. Right sweep. Dodge. Left jab. Jump. Kick. Flip and roll. Dodge. Hit.

"Gah!" Wally exclaimed, stumbling back a few steps.

A small, white fist swept past his nose in a blur, and Wally threw his fist in front of him in pure exhaustion, trying to sweep away the roar of the crowd and the pain in every part of his body. To his relief, his fist hit his opponent square in the jaw, making a loud bell ring. Wally flopped against the red, hard, elastic ropes that squared around the ring as the kid with a black eye, the kid he had defeated, slipped out from under the ropes and waded through the crowd.

"Good job!" Hoagie praised, helping his friend out of the ring. "That's the sixth win this week! Do you know how many Yipper cards we're rolling in?" Hoagie exclaimed, putting his hand on Wally's shoulder as they waded through the crowd and out of Tim's Wrestling Ring.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Wally's Australian accent coated his every word, even though he spoke soft and dryly.

Hoagie stopped and turned to look his friend in the eye. "\What's the matter?" His words came out a little sharper than Hoagie would have liked, but even stubborn Wally knew that there was worried intent behind Hoagie's words.

"I'm just tired..." Wally grunted, pushing himself to take another step down the dark ally leading away from the wrestling ring.

"Makes sense..." Hoagie murmured, half to himself. When Wally lied, it was his words that gave it away, not his eyes. And so far, Hoagie had decided that Wally's words were true enough, either that or he was so tired he couldn't think of any lies to tell.

"Let's just get back..." Wally sighed, rubbing his bruised right arm.

"Sure thing."

The walk back felt like it would go on forever, and with Wally's aching joints it didn't make it any better. He decided he would go and talk to Number Five later on to see if she knew anything to help bruises heal faster.

But a strange man stopped and confronted Hoagie and Wally just a block away from the tree-house.

"Hey, you two," The man called. His voice was deep and husky. "You're the young man that just won the wrestling match, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Hoagie butted in. Wally stood at his side, staring at the man's face. But all he saw were two silver eyes piercing the darkness that the man's hood caused as it gripped the side's of his head.

"I wanted to congratulate you." The man's words were, too, honest. "You fight well. I wanted to offer to be your sponsor."

"Really?" Wally blurted out. In his eyes, only the 'big shots' had sponsors.

"Yes. How about me and you, just me and you," The man looked down at Wally, "meet at the old ice cream shop down the road from here?"

There was something about those silver orbs that Wally couldn't peal away from. He absentmindedly nodded his head, forgetting all about the pain coursing through his veins.

"Very well. See you tomorrow."

And as quick as he came, the man was gone.

"Wow! Nice job!" Hoagie exclaimed, patting Wally's back.

"Er, yeah, thanks..." Wally couldn't help but think about those two silver eyes and how mysterious they were.

They got back to the tree-house at a late hour, and nobody was awake. It was a good thing, Wally thought, he didn't have to tell everyone about the man and the wrestling match this time.

Sleep came fast for both boys as they curled up in their beds.

Wally woke early and nearly sprang out of his bed. That man would be waiting for him, he just knew it. And why keep him waiting? Breakfast could wait, and besides, he wasn't even hungry.

Wally bolted out the door and down the road, heading straight for the ice-cream shop.

Right by the door was the tall man with the black hoodie and the silver eyes. "Hey there!" He called out.

"Hi!" Wally greeted.

"Okay. First, before I agree to sponsor you..." The man took a few steps away from the store. "Follow me."

Wally nodded and trotted off, behind the store. The man reached into his pocket and produced a packet, a silver packet. It was small, about the size of a child's palm. He tore the corner off of it, revealing a thick, brown powder.

"It's brand-new. You put it in your water and mix it up. It's like an energy drink." The man said smoothly.

"Can I try it?" Wally asked, reaching out.

He grabbed the pack and emptied a bit onto his tongue, then screwed up his face. "It's spicy!" He exclaimed. But his tongue thirsted for more.

"That's right..." The man murmured. "I call it 'Wolf Energy'."

Wally looked back at the man, a wild look in his eyes. The powder was gone, and Wally licked his lips eagerly.

"Now go and get your friend and fight and win, and when you win, I will give you more."

Wally nodded and sprinted off down the road.

"Good boy." The man laughed. "Good boy!" He had seen the silver glint in the young, blonde boy's eyes as he scraped down the road, fulfilling his master's orders.