The next morning, Keros woke up and checked his clock, 5:59 he woke up before his alarm went off. There was no school today, but he still had his daily routine to go through. He sat up and began his morning routines by meditating. His progress was incredibly slow, but he was still making which was a win in his book. Next, he cleaned up before going to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He found a note on the table, it was from his parents. The note detailed where they had put the extra credit badges, and a few of the most important things that he needed to keep in mind. He folded the note up and slid it in a pocket on his commlink.

 

He made some eggs and toast before sitting at the table to eat. Between bites he sent a message to Booker, letting him know when he would be free. On days off they would usually hang out, or find some work to make a few extra credits. While they still had quite a few credits left over, neither of them would decline having more.

 

After eating Keros decided to get an early start on his training. The sun hadn't risen yet so it would be nice and cool, not to mention he would have more time later in the day since he was getting it out of the way in the morning. After a couple of hours he had finished his training and went to shower, luckily the commlink was waterproof so he didn't even have to take it off. It wasn't even nine in the morning yet and he already had a large portion of his daily routine done.

 

Returning to the kitchen he found Catherine and her friends. Looks like he would have to make breakfast for three since they didn't have any microwaveable food for Catherine to make. 'Looks like I'll need to go buy some today.' he thought to himself as he started preparing a meal.

 

"Have mom and dad already left?" Catherine asked in a tired voice

 

"Yea, they were gone by the time I woke up." Keros responded

 

"Okay... What are you going to do today?" She asked

 

Thinking about it, he checked his commlink. He hadn't realized that Booker had responded. He wanted to go to the usual gym to practice and spar since they could have a bit of fun and make some money while there too. They did this occasionally on their days off. Keros responded that he would be ready in an hour or two before speaking up.

 

"I have a few things to take care of this morning, then it looks like me and Booker will be heading to the gym." Keros said

 

"Can we come?" Catherine asked

 

Keros thought about it. His parents asked him to keep an eye on Catherine, so he liked the idea of her following him to the gym. If she seemed interested then it would be easier to watch after her while still getting to do what he wants, and maybe it could turn into a regular thing. However, he didn't know much about her friends, only their a little bit. Rena and Willow had been friends with Catherine for a while now. They shared many classes and though they were opposites in some ways, they got along well. Rena is boisterous and enjoys fighting and sports. Willow is shy and quiet, and she is very calculating for her age and retains information well. They could make a dangerous team, but more importantly, they could cause him endless trouble when together.

 

"Sure, but you all can't cause trouble if you come with us." Keros said, hesitantly

 

All of the girls nodded enthusiastically.

 

Keros finished their breakfast, advised them to stay in the house until he got back, and headed up to complete some of the responsibilities he had been given. First paying some bills that his parents didn't have a chance to pay before they left, then picking up supplies and groceries for a few days. He decided not to use the Cyber rail public transport since it would save a bit of money and let him get some more exercise, but he ended up regretting this since it took longer than he thought to walk around the district. It took him almost two and a half hours to finish and get home. He would have to find a faster way to get these things done or he would never have any free time.

 

-

 

It was just passed 13:00 by the time they made it to the gym. Keros was carrying his gym bag with the three girls in tow, and they met up with Booker who had already made it to the gym.

 

"Sorry, things took longer than I thought they would." Keros said

 

"No worries bro, we still got plenty of time." Booker replied in a leisurely manner

 

Keros told the three girls a few of the rules and advised them, once again not to cause trouble, before heading to the lockers to change. A short time later he came out dressing in his gym clothes. Skintight dark grey shit, and form-fitting black shorts that came down just above his knees. Booker followed shortly after in a Red tank top, and white shorts. They spent some time warming up by stretching and doing a few drills.

 

After they felt warmed up, they went to the gym owner and let him know that they were available for work as sparring partners. As usual, they would spend time practicing and doing drills until they were called for a spar. It was long until someone called for Booker to spar with them. He quickly climbed in the cage and readied himself.

 

Bookers style was fast and agile. He liked to avoid his opponent and chip away at them slowly, conserving his stamina until he found the right moment. His opponent was aware of this and chose Booker so he could practice against the type of opponent he struggled with the most. His opponent was a slightly older boy at almost 13 years, and a bit closer to Keros' size. At this age he should be practicing cultivation, however, there was no telling how far he had progressed. Since the objective was to learn techniques, most would control their strength if there was a cultivation difference.

 

They began, and Booker kept to his usual style. He bounced around the cage, staying on the edge of his opponent's reach and throwing exploratory jabs occasionally. The fight seemed uneventful, and eventually, Booker was able to pull off the win. His opponent wasn't upset and took the time to ask Booker some questions about how to deal with such a fighting style. After they finished, Booker left the cage and was applauded by the three girls who had been enjoying the fight. Of course, Booker relished the attention and showboated a bit, flexing and such.

 

A group of kids watched Booker acting goofy for the girls, and seemed to dislike it. Be it out of jealousy, disdain, or whatever other feelings one might have, one of them challenged him to a spar. The one that challenged him seemed just slightly older than the last, but around the same size. When challenging Booker he spoke in a condescending tone, and though Booker had the option to refuse it wouldn't be good for further work. So he begrudgingly accepted despite how he was treated.

 

They began almost immediately, with no time given to Booker for rest. The opponent this time was extremely aggressive, charging Booker and throwing a barrage of wild punches. He didn't display much technique, but he was successful in forcing Booker to the edge of the cage and locking him down. Booker was forced to block, which was the complete opposite of his style. This resulted in him taking a lot of damage in a short amount of time, and making it more difficult for him to find a rhythm.

 

By the time Booker managed to slip away, he was already in a bit of pain. He hadn't been able to block a lot of the strikes thrown at him and had taken a few blows to the face and many more to the body. His cheek was bleeding, and he was covering his right ribs tightly. None the less, he still performed the best he could and found his rhythm. He succeeding in extending the fight for a while, but his endurance was quickly being depleted and the damage he sustained prevented him from retaliating in a significant way. Before long he would lose, but he planned to get one good hit in before that happened.

 

When the moment presented itself and Booker caught the chance perfectly. twisting his hips to gain momentum he lashed out with a roundhouse kick to strike his opponent's ribs. After landing the kick, his opponent became winded which would be a golden opportunity for Booker, unfortunately, he was too drained to follow up with any hope for success so he decided to put a bit of distance between them. His opponent took a moment to catch his breath, and everyone could see his anger flare. This had been the first significant hit that he had taken in the fight and he didn't enjoy it at all.

 

He rushed down Booker once again, and let loose everything he had. The blows quickly destroyed what little endurance Booker had left, and caused his guard to slack. His opponent kept it up, slamming fist after fist into him and soon it stopped being a fight and turned into a brutal beat down. Booker was done, He couldn't even bring his guard back up. Though Booker tried to forfeit the spar, it landed on deaf ears. His opponent had no intention of stopping and kept throwing various strikes. It didn't last long thanks to the gym staff's quick reaction, however, Booker had already taken quite the beating by that point. He was having to support himself on the cage, with blood pouring out of his nose and mouth. His shirt was slowly developing spots of crimson and his left eye was already showing signs of swelling.

 

Keros quickly entered the cage and helped support Booker out of the cage with a member of staff. Once he was up close he could see the state Booker was in, and while it wasn't life-threatening, it certainly wasn't deserved. The gym ran on an honor system of sorts, and for that reason, they didn't have referees in the cages. It was an unwritten rule to control yourself since these were just spars, and it was a requirement to stop when the enemy forfeited or couldn't continue. Though accidents happen so rarely were people punished on the first offense, it would be heavily frowned upon and bring disdain from those with better morals.

 

This guy though. He didn't do this on accident, he had targetted Booker from the beginning. Maybe things got a bit out of hand because of the kick, but he should have been able to control himself better than that. Keros planned to take it up with the gym leader and have the rules more defined, but before that, he had business to take care of.

 

The guy was in the cage still. He had somehow managed to convince the staff that it was a mistake and it wouldn't happen again. By this point, the majority of the gym was watching him in the cage as he went about gesturing in victory and laughing with his friends that had been watching from outside the cage.

 

"That's how you deal with the pansies that run all the time!" He said in a loud voice toward Bookers' previous opponent.

 

"yea, you catch them right after they are tired after sparring with someone else and capitalize on the handicap." Keros said as he walked into the cage, closing the gate behind himself.

 

"Who are you?" The guy said as he turned to face Keros with a scorn

 

"A freelance sparring partner, and that guy's friend." Keros said, pointing over his shoulder toward Booker with his thumb

 

"Oh, just another pansy then. If you're looking to fight then give me some time to catch my breath and then I'll give you a beat down too." The guy said in an arrogant tone

 

"Yea, no problem. What's your name?" Keros said with an oddly calm demeanor

 

"Trent." The guy said as he leaned against the cage to rest

 

Keros nodded and began waiting patiently on his side of the cage, with his eyes glued to Trent. By this time the gym owner had heard of what happened and was watching from the door to his office. He was very familiar with Keros and Booker since they came to work for him often, and he thought highly of the two. Naturally, he knew their capabilities well and had a pretty good idea of their personalities. He knew that Keros was seeking revenge, and while he didn't condone it he had no plans to stop it. He could simply kick Trent out of the gym and ban him from returning as a punishment, but he wouldn't deny Keros' opportunity to release his pent up emotions. Maybe he could teach this guy some humility and give him a taste of his own medicine.

 

The gym owner was one that believed in an eye for an eye. He had no intention of having his staff enter the cage to the referee. If Keros ended up beating Trent in a similar matter then the situation would be forgotten, and if the opposite happened then Keros brought it upon himself and he would deal with Trent afterward.

 

-

 

After 10 minutes Trent was rested up and ready to go. He bounced around a bit to limber up and entered his stance. Keros entered his stance as well before calling out to the gym owner.

 

"Call it."

 

He had noticed that the gym leader was watching, and was resolved to accept the consequences of his actions. If he hadn't stopped them yet, then he had accepted it and wouldn't step in.

 

"Begin!" The gym owner called out.

 

Trent charged out again, just like before. He was tucked in like a boxer, and he was coming at Keros with speed. When he was close enough he threw out a wide right. Keros didn't dodge nor block and instead retaliated with a left hook. Both punches landed at the same time. While Trent had more momentum, Keros was willing to bet that he would be more jarred from the retaliation than Keros would be from accepting the hit.

 

Keros was right, Trent was surprised and took to long to enter a rhythm. His barrage never had a chance to begin. Keros, on the other hand, was prepared. He had stepped in slightly, which disrupted the timing of his opponent's strike and was able to reduce the damage by a bit. This also put him in a good position to follow up. Keros immediately followed, adjusting his footing and twisting his body. He swung out with a right hook. Trent already had his guard up but it was sloppy, and the strike caused his arm to be blown back into his face. The impact of the strike was reduced, but it forced Trent to focus on his guard rather than going on the offensive.

 

Keros was the one to throw the barrage, but unlike Trent who fought in a basic manner like a street fighter, Keros used a larger variety of strikes. Jabs, straights, hooks, knees, and low kicks. He strafed around Trent, throwing body blows when he could and applying as much pressure as he could. Trent couldn't find the opportunity to retaliate with the constant barrage of strikes interrupting and chances he would have. Trent decided to disengage in to break Keros' rhythm and reset.

 

Keros let this happen. He wouldn't achieve the results that he was looking for if the fight kept up as it had. He could continue striking at his opponent's guard and occasionally his own body, but that wouldn't return the same pain that Booker had received. Keros' ragged his mind on how he could get through Trent's guard and do some real damage and an idea came to mind. It might not be a good idea, but Keros was confident and determined.

 

Shortly they re-engaged and things seemed far more balanced this time. Both were throwing out their punches, but very few were getting through each other's guard. Something odd began to happen. Keros seemed to have become bored, only throwing jabs occasionally and guarding. He had stopped retaliating with the same fierceness he had been before. Even his expression seemed to show boredom and utter lack of concern as if to say 'Is this all you've got?'.

 

It was a taunt. Showing disrespect to his opponent by underestimating him. Trent began to grow upset. He hadn't been able to break Keros' guard so he could land any big hits, and now his opponent was acting as if he was no threat. The words that Keros had spoken when he stepped into the cage rang out in Trent's mind. 'Maybe this brat seriously thinks I can't deal with him?' Trent thought.

 

Slowly his strikes started to grow in power and speed. Keros could feel his arms beginning to ache, and knew that Trent's frustration had caused him to release some of the strength he had gained from cultivation. This wasn't fair as Keros hadn't been able to begin cultivating yet. Cultivating allowed you to nourish your body by drawing in external energy, and it would allow your physical capabilities to grow to incredible and otherwise unattainable heights at a fast speed. Cultivating also allowed you to generate your own energy and store it within your body. You could use that energy in many unique ways, though Trent hadn't reached that point yet, and it could be a long way off.

 

While Trent hadn't been cultivating long and hadn't accumulated much strength, he still had a significant advantage when he used his full strength. Trent would be faster, stronger, and have more endurance than Keros. Not to mention a more durable body that couldn't be restrained in any way. Keros could only rely on tricks and techniques to subdue his opponent.

 

Some of the spectators noticed the difference and understood what was happening. They contemplated stepping in after all Trent wasn't fighting fair, and based on his earlier actions he could take it too far. In the end, they decided to refrain from stopping the fight, since Keros showed no intentions to back down then they would respect his decision.

 

Soon Trent had released everything he had and Keros was able to gauge his full strength. Trent was around fifteen percent more powerful in every aspect than he was before. Keros didn't know how difficult it was to cultivate, but he didn't believe that Trent had made much progress since he started. Regardless fifteen percent was a significant difference when it was a wholistic increase. However, as bad as the situation seemed, Keros believes that he still has a chance. He decided that he would maintain his previous idea, even if it was risky and self-destructive.