After putting on my clothes, I frowned, realizing I’d not been given any shoes or footwear. That wasn’t too unusual for a dojo but the already cold concrete on my bare feet was pretty unpleasant. I sighed, trying to remember what the old man had said before leaving me.

  Only to realize he hadn’t really said anything. Just that he had given me some clothes and not to leave the tank before I was fully healed.

  The doorway loomed and for a brief moment, I hesitated. No matter what, I was pretty damn sure what I’d see when I looked at the old man’s power level. Even if I did see it, it wasn’t like he’d be any weaker than me. Being at the mercy of someone else… at everyone else, wasn’t a new experience for me. I’d once had some candy I’d bought literally stolen from me by a child after they’d used their Vambrace on me…

  But the difference here and now was that I owed him. Whoever he was… I owed him my life. Why? Why had he saved me? Helped me? What did he get out of it?

  The same question had spun around in my mind for over an hour and nothing more was going to come from just dwelling on it. I took a deep, deep breath, and walked out the doorway. I hadn’t really noticed it before, but the doorway had no door. Seeing out, I wasn’t too surprised by what I saw either.

  Stairs. Stairs covered in what I can only imagine was my dried blood… that was a lot of dried blood… How did none of it get into the healing tank room? Or had it and the old man had cleaned it?

  I shook off my stupid thoughts and climbed the stairs, only to find myself in a hallway. Looking to my left and right, the floor was made of wood and the walls were barren concrete. Left seemed to lead to a dead end and right, well, it was the only way to go.

  I passed by a few rooms. Each was basic, seeming to have different training gear or equipment. Nothing crazy. Some had actual doors and after a hesitant knock and more hesitant opening of them, I figured out they were sterile bedrooms. No doubt for the students who actually lived here.

  Finally, there was only a single pair of doors left. They were old fashioned, or maybe just old, and pushing them open I tried not to stare at what I was seeing.

  A Dojo. Wooden floors, walls, and ceiling. It was small but no less impressive for it. I still remembered begging as much as I could to be let into one of these places… only to be kicked out shortly afterwards. My lack of progress getting me thrown out, despite how hard I tried. Those days… those were some of the better days, even if they’d only been a few weeks. I felt like I’d been making real tangible progress, learning, but… it had been a fool’s dream.

  Shaking my head, I focused. I wasn’t even alone. The old man knelt on a mat to my side, eyes closed, the top of half of his gi off. His muscles were like steel cords but tightened and contained in his body. His chest hair was white, making him seem even older than I’d first assumed.

  He said nothing as I stared. It took me a moment, but I noticed that there wasn’t just one mat, but two.

  Ah.

  Cautiously, I walked forward, kneeling down in the same position on the mat opposite him. He finally decided to open his eyes and it was like staring into an icy abyss surrounded by steel all the way down. His blue eyes pierced into me, staring down into the depths of my person. I barely even took the time to look above him, the answer was already obvious.

  [???]

  This old man… I could feel it. He was a monster. I’d met people like him before, rarely but… he might really be the strongest person I’d ever met.

  “So you’re finally awake. Walked right into that imperial ambush.”

  My mind blanked for a moment. Imperial what?

  “What?”

  “Ah, nothing. Just an old game I used to play in my youth.” The old master said, his words not really matching his expression. He looked almost bored but… had he just played a joke on me?

  “Anyway, so yeah, you were dying pretty damn bad out there.” The old man said, cleaning his ear with his finger. “Thought you might be worth my time. So, you want to be stronger right?”

  At this, my own expression hardened. I bowed low, my forehead hitting the ground.

  “Master, please train me!”

  I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away! I would beg and beg if need be. I’d done it before, I’d do it again. Pride had no place if I was going to avenge my family and tear Vega apart! I’d do anything this old man needed me to do, even if-

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever. Get your head up though, that floor ain’t clean.”

  I blinked, raising my head to stare into my… master’s eyes. He seemed so… nonchalant about everything. Was this really the man that had saved me? Wait, was this really the man that had just agreed to make me stronger?!

  “You didn’t answer my question though. You want to be stronger right?”

  “Of course I-” I froze for a moment, feeling the lie about to leave my mouth. Did I… really want to be stronger? That wasn’t the point. No, no I didn’t care about strength. If I had a nice and easy button I could smash to get my revenge, I’d take it in a heartbeat. If I thought poison or technology could beat Vega, I’d research and use both. No, I didn’t really care about strength. I had visions far beyond that.

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  “I want to tear Vega apart.” I said, my voice filled with pure and utter hatred.

  At this, my new master finally gained a serious look on his face.

  “That’s quite the goal. If you want to do that, you’ll need to not just become stronger. You’ll need to become the strongest in the world. You barely have a power level of one. Do you really think you can do that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I don’t care.” I said, my heart feeling certain. “I’ll figure out a way, no matter what. I’ll do whatever I need to do. Get as strong as I need to be. Till he’s dead. Till I can kill him.”

  “Well, alright then. Good enough. Let’s see you put that to the test then.”

  Casually, he got up, stretching as he did.

  “Hey, oi, what do I call you anyway?”

  “My name is Mutai.”

  “Mutai huh? Well you can just call me Master or Old Man, if you want.”

  I blinked at that. I don’t know why I was so surprised. I’d once seen a walking, talking bear having a conversation about ethical food sources with a man wearing nothing but a speedo and lipstick in broad daylight. This was a weird city and I was starting to think a much weirder planet than I’d ever known. An old man without any cares in the world wasn’t that unusual by comparison…

  The important thing was he had agreed to train me! No one just ‘gets’ a Dojo. Not when everyone other damn person in the city would love to have one. Only the strong could get their own place to train others. He’d not only saved my life, but even agreed to help me, even after he’d heard my goal.

  His personality and looks had thrown me off at first but I knew what I needed to do.

  I bowed low.

  “Thank you Master. Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for-”

  “Whoa whoa whoa, none of that now. Bah, ew, god no. Just go do your best and if you don’t, I’ll throw your ass out. End of story.”

  Gratitude still swelled in me but now it was tinged by nervousness. I followed Master as he led me back the way I’d first walked into the Dojo from. He seemed to pick a room at random but I doubted it. I’d glanced inside earlier but it didn’t seem like anything special.

  Concrete walls, concrete floor, and a grey punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

  “Alright, here we go.” Master said, waving to the punching bag.

  And then everything changed in a split second. Like a veil had been torn apart. I froze and my pupils could barely move, staring at my Master. No longer was he the casual old man. Now, he seemed exactly like his appearance first suggested. Old, but Strong. His words were like thunder in my ears, his eyes like cauldrons of hatred spilling over me, demanding this one thing.

  “You must do your best.”

  And suddenly, as quick as it had come, the… aura had vanished. I gasped, barely being able to breathe.

  “Got it? Do your best. That’s all you gotta do.” He said, no longer looking like a monstrous creature about to tear my head off.

  “Y-Yes Master!”

  “Good. Punch it.”

  I looked at the punching bag. Things were kinda moving fast in my life but this was what I had wanted. A second chance. I didn’t think it was a coincidence that the moment I decided to try again, my life was saved by an old master and he decided to train me. That dream had truly shown me the way. Was it prophetic? If I had said yes to those gang members, I’d never have gotten this opportunity.

  I wasn’t going to waste it.

  “Hiyah!” With a scream and a yell, I punched the bag as hard as I could. I felt the air go over my fist, felt the impact rattle my arm as it hit, felt the force transfer as-

  It barely moved, if it even did at all.

  I grimaced and looked towards my Master, who had a disbelieving expression on his face.

  “Wow, that may have been the second weakest punch I’d ever seen. Wait, I might have seen a baby punch once…”

  The wave of despair that hit me was practically physical. It brought back my worst memories. I, I had only one chance and already I was blowing it! When would I get such a kind master again? He’d saved my life and I was already repaying him by being a failure.

  “I-I’m sorry Mast-”

  “Funny. I didn’t say to stop.”

  I blinked.

  “What?”

  “Punch. It.” Master said, glaring at me.

  “R-Right!”

  I punched again… and again and again. I didn’t stop, speeding up, going all out. My punches did almost less than nothing, weak as they were. It barely moved yet my arms already felt so heavy, like they’d fall off at this rate. Still, I didn’t stop as sweat poured down my face and my breathing grew jagged and heavy.

  I punched and punched and punched. Left, right, left, right, left right left right left right. Over and over again as the minutes passed. My stamina was just as weak as the rest of me and before long, I had to stop-

  “Punch it.”

  I turned to Master, shock across my face.

  “Master, I-”

  “I told you to do your best. If you’re still breathing, you can still punch. So punch it until you’re dead.”

  My master’s face was rigid, no playfulness or uncaring found. He was serious.

  “I-”

  “You want to beat Vega with this weak of a will? Worthless. Impossible even. No amount of strength would allow you to win. No more talking. Punch it.”

  I swallowed, but felt a fire light up inside me. He was right. Was this all I had? Tiredness alone was able to beat me, stop me? No. Never. I’d said I’d do whatever it takes and now I wanted to rest? Unforgivable.

  I punched. Again and again and again and again. Every time I slowed down, every time I felt like taking a break, every time my breathes felt like shards of glass cutting my lungs-

  “Punch it.”

  “Punch it.”

  “Punch it.”

  -Master’s voice would demand more of me. Always more. I wouldn’t let him or me down. This was the first step! I had to, to take this first step! My vision swam as I clenched my fist, pain radiating from my knuckles, as I threw another punch.

  Another and another. Soon, my vision began to swim and blackness began to edge into my vision.

  Another punch… another… an…oth…er…

  I didn’t even feel the impact with the floor.

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