Evan woke up in a comfortable bed. He slept like a log instead of being hounded in his sleep by sounds of angry neighbors, loud screeches of cars, or police sirens.
He got up and stretched himself. He checks his phone for any notifications and the time, and found some texts from work, not surprising as work managers started at 8am while most workers show up between 9am to 10 am. He was usually the 9:30 type hence why he woke up at 8:45 today. Two of the messages were from his friends Derrick and Thomas. The last 2 were from his division manager who hates his guts.
Derrick: Hey man! Heard about last night! Don't worry if you need anything Thomas and I have your back bro!
Thomas: Careful man... Since it got out you've been targeted by a gang this morning from the news. The manager is looking for you and I think he wants to fire you. If he does Derrick or I can help you out with living arrangements if you need them.
Evan grins at Derrick and Thomas messages. He leaks a small tear at their support since they are his last friends he has known since high school. His smile fades as he checks his messages from the manager.
Manager Ephiel: Evan! You are in so much trouble! Getting tangled up in a gang?! For shame! You have to grow up! This isn't high school where it will be a slap on the wrist!
Management is furious at this news and there is talk of demotion or firing you! Be here at the office by noon to talk with us about this matter or else!
Evan sees it was sent at 8am when the managers usually meet up for morning meetings. Then he sees a message that was just sent 20 minutes later. He gulps and opens it up.
Manager Ephiel: Good news Evan! You don't have to come to work today! Better yet. You don't have to come back in ever! We are clearing your work space and giving your supplies to your coworkers Thomas and Derrick. You have been deemed a risky employee from being tangled up with this business of gangs in the city. So we have decided to nip this one in the bud. Take care with your next career choice! Oh and don't even think of putting us down as references! We are washing our hands of you for good!
Evan lets his phone fall to the bed as he processes that piece of news for a minute. He suddenly smiles and yells out, "YES! I'm free! I can pursue what my bachelors in college was! Sports medicine and science! I could probably become a fighter at the gym! Or at the very least a trainer to help others!"
He showers and gets dressed before going to the gym with a wide smile on his face. The receptionist there notices him approach and checks him in after he goes into the gym building. He checks out the cafe area and sees people grabbing a light breakfast before working out. He does the same while making sure it is filling as well. He grabs an apple, a piece of organic toast, some grapes, a protein bar, and a full bottle of water. He gulps it down carefully while enjoying the peace of an early gym environment feels like.
He sees many people on the first floor using the bags and machines to train with. He contemplates using them too but decides against it. He just ate so the best way to warm up and begin training would be to do some yoga on the second floor. He checks the studio times and finds one that wouldn't be used for at least another 2 hours. Plenty of time to stretch and kick off the dust of his old training habits.
He begins while zoning out to some music he plugs into the studio rooms speaker system with his phone.
It was a good hour of him stretching and flexing and going through a few katas before he stopped with a light layer of sweat on his skin.
He grabs a towel and heads down stairs after unplugging his phone from the system.
He heads back to the first floor to see it has emptied out some thanks to the later morning time. Many of those early morning athletes have morning shifts to get to.
He starts by working on his katas and martial arts techniques on the bags first. But soon he gets into a rhythm while listing to a 2 hour music training mix on his youtube. He keeps striking and kicking and elbowing and blocking while he listens and loses himself to his stresses.
He thinks back to losing his parents, his grandparents, his girlfriend who he was planning to proposing to before the accident.
He continues to strike while remembering their fun times. The loving times. Their dates. Their times being just together. And then seeing her in the morgue as he yells out and puts more power than usual into a final strike.
He pants hard while wondering why he was shaking and sweating in rivers across his body.
He looks to his left to see a concerned Zara standing near him. She asks him, "Are you okay? I came to train on the fourth floor today but I was notified that a pro member was over doing his training down here so I came to see what was up."
She looks at his burning red knuckles and the now heavily worn down bag he had been striking. Then his literally steaming body. She sits him down in the cafe and asks him, "How long were you doing that?" She brings over a water bottle and giggles a little at seeing him chug half of the bottle in one go.
Evan pants while letting out a sigh of relief before checking his music list. He saw a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes had gone by before he noticed it.
He slowly looks at Zara and goes, "Looks like I was at it for nearly 2 hours on that bag. Besides my hour long kata and yoga workout. I really did a lot."
Zara nods before growing concerned. She puts a comforting hand of support over his on the table and asks, "Do you want to talk about what made you so focused? You were focused but also... bitter, lonely, sad, and angry. Those and more emotions played across your face while you were in your training binge. I feel like you have lost 1 or more important person to you. I won't pry, but let me help you when you feel comfortable enough for it. Promise me you'll let me in?"
Evan considered Zara for a moment. She was tall, strong, beautiful, kind, and considerate from what he has known of her so far. She is also honorable, trustworthy, and has a bit of humor to her based on her time seeing her helping him out and knowing her a bit better from last nights incident at the police station questioning and statements.
He smiled gently at her and began to tell her everything. How he lost his family members one by one. How he lost his lover. How his parents died. How he was alone. And how he hoped to turn his life around this morning after getting the fired text from work. He also told her his plans to become either a fighter or a trainer for the gym thanks to his old college diploma major.
Zara listened to everything he laid out to her. By the end of his story she was crying and consoling him due to his own tears at remembering so many passing in such short years. Then she perked up at his dream to turn it all around by entering the fighting arena.
Zara hummed to herself while considering his words about it and his major, 'Based on his studies and experience he should be a good fit with our programs. The only thing is it takes a bit to gain enough fighter experience. The only ways I can think of off the top of my head would be, street fights, underground rings, or the unofficial matches we hold here as mini tournaments to select representatives.'
She hums to herself once again before perking up with a smile. Evan notices and has his full attention on her before asking what she was thinking. With a smile she goes, "I can sign you up for my spot in the upcoming tournament."
Evan gapes and asks with shock, "Your spot?! But I can't steal your spot! what about your skills?! You must be way better than me!"
Zara holds up a finger before stating, "Yes I am better than you. But i noticed that you have a lot driving you to improve. You could train all day and night and for a decade. But unless you actually care about improving to your hardest. You will always have an unconscious limit to your growth. But you? You have it. That urge to live and grow out of your shell. To become the best you that you can be. I sensed it from you at our first meeting. A man who had lost so much but had found something new to help him continue his life."
Evan teared up at her description and thanked her softly for it. Zara waved it off and then said, "So you feel like following my directions for training?"
Evan nods and goes to stand before she pushes him back down into his seat and says, "Hold on cowboy. Remember what I said about over training? Yeah let your body rest and grab some lunch. What would you like?"
He glances at the menu before stating a turkey lettuce tomato sandwich and vanilla protein shake. She nods and heads off woth her own order in mind.
Evan watches her sleek and powerful figure leave while sighing in awe at her. He notices she seems to have a bit of extra sway to her hips before looking up and noticing that she saw him staring. She winks at him causing him to blush a bit before refocusing on his phone and telling his friends his current address so they could bring his old office supplies and memories to his current apartment. Then after that he checks his notifications.
*User has trained for 3 hours non stop! Thanks to your learning prodigy boost this will be treated as 6 hours of hard work!
+5 str
+4 agi
+6 end
+3 sense*
Evan couldn't believe his eyes and went to check his stat page only to see his stats shoot up like it promised.
Name: Evan McLean
Race: Human
Level: 10
HP: 150/150
MP: Locked
Ki: Locked
Str: 16 (+6)
Agi: 13 (+10)
End: 18 (+10)
Int: 30 (+3)
Sense: 20 (+4)
He grins at the growth before deciding to check how else he could boost himself.
[Skill store]
[New martial art Rank I: 1,000$]
[upgrade any rank I skill: 2,000$]
[Upgrade any rank II skill: 4,000$]
etc.
Evan hummed in how much he had to save before he could reach those new ranks. Until then he would need to show he could reach the limits of his skills before he tried to upgrade them woth cash to chest his growth. In fact he may just use the prodigy learner to upgrade for now and rely on that to grow his stats and to grow his skills naturally through practice.
But of course it all depends on if he gets any new money from either his new position as a fighter or from the lotto tickets. He would need to rest a few days from that. If he did it every day cops would be brought in to make sure he wasn't cheating. And if he proved it he might be banned for his uncanny luck. Man so much for the easy route.
But what is life without some challenges?
Zara comes back with the food and notices Evan seems to be famished and has gained a new layer of muscle. It was interesting to note thanks to her remembering him being so skinny when they met. She remembers the hug last night too showing he had more strength than he let on.
She grinned as she ate her steak wrap and realized that she had found a new contender for international world champion. But she would need to see how it goes first.
After their meal and them getting to know each other better as they chatted. An hour after lunch they both headed up to the fourth floor for some sparring together.
Evan noticed Zara getting suited up in gloves, helmet, shin guards, body protection, and proper sparring shoes for herself. Then she did the same for Evan and both got into the ring.
She spoke out while a ring side attendant brought up a pair of mouth guards for them, "Alright this will be full body full contact sparring. The only way you lose is by knockout, tapping, down for 10 seconds, or you say yield or surrender. Am i understood?"
Evan nods as he puts in his mouth guard. Zara grins and puts hers in and she nods to the ringside assistant to ring the bell. He does so and that gains the attention of some of the other fighters who know Zara well and come over to check out her practice match with the newbie.
Evan prepped himself for a basic start but his eyes widen as he sees Zara rushing straight at him with a straight punch aimed right for his eyes. He barely shifts his head to the left and pivots his body that direction.
However as soon as he does so he is suddenly hit by a round house kick that Zara launched when she saw him dodging.
He is flung back 5 feet from the surprise hit. And while gasping barely keeps himself standing from the hit that winded him. Shakily standing fully he checks Zara but sees she is already at his side with another punch ready. He goes for a block but suddenly finds another kick in his side as she feints using the punch as a distraction.
He gasps but is now unprepared for the that Zara resumes and nails him with after his stance is broken.
He falls to the mat and Zara wait for him to get up while the attendant starts a ten count. The other fighters begin to cheer as Zara is a favorite of the male fighters and the female fighters look up to her. Some mutter about her habit of introducing new fighters through this ritual so they can break out of any arrogant habits or overly confident views they had of their skills. This way they can know to train hard or go home for being lack luster in their efforts.
Evans head is spinning as he analyzes the situation with his int stat helping. 'She is faster, stronger, and can probably out last me in combat. I'll need to bring out all my skills for this one. And... some skills I haven't used since the lose of my lover... Damn I hope you can forgive me Cassie. I promised myself I wouldn't use them again in your memory. But to fully break out of my old life... I'll need to break that promise.'
Breathing out and tightening his muscles he shoots up into a stance while the attendant had just counted 9. Zara goes to rush but stops mid step as she analyzes how Evan is standing now.
He has a new aura about him. Like a veteran soldier who has trained for a few years and seen actual combat. Evan breathes out as his eyes seem to glow slightly while his muscles tighten up.
All the watching fighters gasp at the change in the newbie and are taken aback at his new found aura and presence.
*User Evan has unlocked forgotten skills from his depression mental lock.
Gained:
Tiger fist rank II
Jujitsu rank II
Dragon fist rank III
Tae Kwon do rank II
Ki beginner: Gain ability to empower yourself with ki. 1 ki point add +1 to strength. Any amount of ki used only stays for 1 minute at a time until more ki mastery is gained.*
Evan smirks at Zara and goes into a tiger stance before he goes, "Thanks for the wake up call Zara. I now remember the moves i used to train in. So... Shall we try this again?"
Evan comes at Zara again with new found strength and speed he hadn't had before. Zara readied herself as his first punch flew at her.