The round timer sounded as Eli pushed himself up from the mat. Across from him, Mason was already sitting back on his heels, breathing hard. “You nearly had that one,” he said.

Eli looked at his elbow. A patch of skin had rubbed open during the scramble. Above them, the timer began counting down the rest interval. He glanced from the numbers to his arm, then waved their coach over.

“I need to take care of this.”

The coach nodded toward the wash area. Mason picked up Eli’s water bottle and brought it over with his bag. Eli cleaned the area and attended to the broken skin. The timer sounded again in the training room. Neither of them hurried because of it.

Mason leaned against the wall. “Want to look at the video?” Before practice, Eli had asked him to record the round. For weeks, he had been trying to make the same escape work. He could describe it, demonstrate it slowly and recognize it when someone else did it. In the round, his body kept choosing something different.

“I know how it ends,” Eli said.

“So do I. I was there.” Mason held up the phone. “Watch your feet.”

Eli watched himself turn, plant one foot and reach too far with the other. Mason moved back a few seconds and played it again. This time Eli leaned closer.

“There,” he said.

Mason paused the picture. “What?”

“I’m reaching before I’ve made the space.” Eli used his uninjured hand to point at the screen. “You’ve been telling me that.”

“A few times.”

“How many?”

Mason considered being generous. “Quite a few.” Eli laughed, then asked him to play it once more. Around the corner, another round started. They could hear the coach calling directions. Eli studied the little movement he had been missing.

“Send me that,” he said.

“The whole round?”

“Especially that bit.” Mason tapped the screen. Eli took out his own phone and opened the clip. For once, he wasn’t watching to find a moment that made him look good.

When they collected their things, Mason asked whether he wanted the video of the better round, too. Eli held up his phone. “This is the one I needed.”

At home that night, he watched it again. Then he sent Mason a message: Next practice. Watch my feet. The reply came almost immediately: Always do.

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