Chapter 10: This Is Where You Grow 

5:00 AM — First Day at the Gym

The gym door creaked open with a tired metallic groan.

Inside: faded posters of forgotten fighters, the smell of rust, sweat, and stale ambition.

Kaiser stepped in—hoodie up, gym bag slung over one shoulder. He scanned the dim, empty space.

“…Wow. I thought this place would be packed with jacked guys throwing weights.”

Kai floated beside him, arms crossed like a smug drill sergeant.
“Not everyone wakes up at five.”

Dusty punching bags. Rusty squat racks. No music. No air conditioning. Just iron and echoes.

“Welcome to the pain zone,” Kai grinned. “And just a heads-up—no excuses from here on out.”

Kaiser smirked. “Huh… this might actually be easy.”

Kai raised an eyebrow.
“…You’re gonna regret saying that.”

The Warm-Up

“First—warm up,” Kai barked. “Treadmill. Start walking. Gradually increase speed when I say so. And breathe through your nose, not your mouth.”

Kaiser started walking. “Okay, this isn’t bad…”

Five minutes later—he was sprinting.

Ten minutes in—his lungs were on fire.

“I am breathing through my nose—” Kaiser wheezed. “—and it still hurts!”

“Good. That means you’re alive. Keep running!”

Forty minutes later, he collapsed face-first on the floor, drenched in sweat.

“GET UP, YOU LAZY PIG!” Kai barked, floating over him. “TODAY I’M GOING TO BURN EVERY MUSCLE IN YOUR BODY.”

Kaiser groaned. “It hurts... it hurts…”

“Push-ups. Sit-ups. Squats. Until failure.”

The Grind Begins

Push-ups. Sit-ups. Curls. Bench press. Extensions.

His arms shook. Legs wobbled. Mind? Gone.

But Kai didn’t let up—relentless, like a boot camp devil.

Finally, the last set of the day: weighted squats.

Kaiser stood under the bar. Legs trembling.
Each squat—pure hell. His body screamed with every rep. Eyes stung. Lungs begged for air.

Then came the voice—

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ONE MORE!”

“I CAN’T—” Kaiser gasped. “IT HURTS! I CAN’T—PLEASE—I’M GONNA DIE!”

Kai’s eyes flared.
His blue aura surged like fire.
He roared—

“I. DON’T. CARE.
KEEP PUSHING—”
          “AAARGHH!”
“KEEP FIGHTING—”
          “AAARGHHHHH!”
“KEEP GROWING—”
          “AAARGHHHHHHHHH!”
“AND KEEP WINNING!”
          “AAARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Kaiser screamed, sweat flying off his body, as he forced himself through one final, agonizing rep.

Later – Outside the Gym

Kaiser slumped on the concrete steps, half-dead, clutching an energy drink with trembling hands.
Hair drenched. Eyes lifeless. Shirt stuck to his back. Face pale like a corpse.

“I—I want someone to carry me home… please… anyone…” he groaned.

Kai hovered beside him, calm for once.
“No one’s coming. Now listen.”

“Ughhh,” Kaiser moaned.

“Training schedule,” Kai listed off with his fingers.
“Monday – chest and striking.
Tuesday – arms and drills.
Wednesday – back.

Thursday – lats.

Friday – legs and fighting techniques.”

Kaiser whimpered. “Why Friday…”

“Oh—and every day starts with treadmill, stretches, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.”

Kaiser stared at him like a dying animal. “…I hate you.”

Kai grinned.

Then Kai’s voice turned low.
Cold. Steady. Final.

“You only have six months.”

Kaiser froze mid-sip.

“…Six months for what?”

Kai leaned in.
His eyes darkened, glowing faintly in the low morning light.

“An illegal underground MMA tournament.”

Kaiser blinked.
The ache in his legs. The blood in his mouth.
The weight of everything he hated about his life pressing down on his chest—

And suddenly it all clicked.

This was it.
His chance.
His way out.
His way to freedom.

He didn’t speak right away.
Just stared down at his trembling hands.

Then slowly… he clenched them into fists.

“...Six months,” he whispered.
“Then I’m carving my name into the world.”

“…I’m going to become the undefeated champion—whether the world’s ready or not.”

He stood.

Still sore. Still tired.
But something burned in his eyes now.

Kai watched him quietly.
Then smiled.

“That’s more like it.”

Kaiser faced the rising sun through the cracked gym window.

No backup. No easy path.
Just blood. Sweat. Time.
And one promise: “I will fking win.”**

THEN A FEW MONSTHS LATER:

Kai appeared, yawning somewhere.
“Why is it so noisy…” He scanned the scene. Saw Kaiser. Then paused.

“Kaiser… WHAT THE FU—”