Even though he’d seen it almost every day for the past week, the clifflike walls of the Second Chance Coliseum never ceased to floor Jay. His neck ached from permanently craning up to get glimpses of the tower beyond the clouds. Jay had to force himself to look at his feet.

The locals near Jay weren’t nearly as interested as he was. Jay somewhat understood, you see anything every day and it becomes boring. But looking at the coliseum, Jay couldn’t imagine the day where he didn’t feel awed by the colossal structure.

Lyra told Jay that he needed to enter the coliseum through Gladiator's Gate which, confusingly, was nowhere near Gladiator's Avenue. Jay walked three eighths anti-clockwise before he saw his destination.

The majority of the coliseum’s façade was arched cubbies. Inset in the white marble were statues that looked tiny from the ground but were probably life sized. The statues provided an interesting texture to the coliseum, blending into a bobbly pattern from afar, but displaying great detail when you looked closely. Jay was too late to catch the sunrise, but he imagined the former gladiators emerging from their shadows would look equal parts beautiful and ominous.

Gladiators Gate rejected conformity. Instead of many, there was one. One singular carving in the coliseum wall. A lone gladiator, standing tall, shield and spear held to its side as it looked down on its domain.

Jay couldn’t see the gladiator's face. Not because it was covered by clouds, although the statue was tall enough for that to be possible, but because it didn’t have one. It didn’t have any defining features really. The statue was vaguely humanoid, but there was little detail in its body. Jay couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman.

Yet somehow the detail wasn’t necessary. Jay didn’t need to see any more to know that this was a gladiator, he could tell after one glance.

Jay saw a bit of himself in the faceless gladiator, although he supposed that was the point. One figure to represent all gladiators. From the lowly E grade newbies walking to their first real fight, to the legends who already had their own statues etched into the coliseum’s walls.

But Jay saw a deeper meaning behind the anonymous gladiator. There was a reason there was only one statue.

Regardless of what anyone tries to say, what anyone tried to tell you as a child, there’s a reason people love to fight. It’s not because it’s fun, although Jay would certainly agree that it is. It’s not because they like to compete, although that is undeniably true. No. The reason people like to fight is because everyone wants to be the best, everyone wants to prove they’re the best. And what better way to prove it than by beating anyone who dares say otherwise into the ground?

Many people will deny it, but Jay knew it to be true. Inside everyone was a voice telling them to chase greatness, to be the best. Some just spoke louder than others.

That’s why there was only one statue. A constant reminder that there can be lots of good gladiators, there can be lots of great gladiators. But there can only be one greatest.

There can only be one champion.

Jay liked Akira, he liked Lyra and Vega too. He was more than happy to help them as they had helped him. But he knew, and he wagered that they knew too, that the path of the fighter was a lonely one.

Atop the mountain, there’s only room for one.

As Jay walked towards Gladiator's Gate, he felt these thoughts intrude into his mind. He wasn’t sure where they came from, but he didn’t care. In that moment, he didn’t need to care about anything other than the fight.

He didn’t need to be himself right now. He needed to win.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Jay walked through the archway between the anonymous gladiator’s legs and entered the coliseum. He walked down a hallway with doors lining either side until he felt an urge to stop and look to his left. Jay gave in to his urges and turned. Carved into the wooden door was his name. Jay grasped the door handle, hesitating for half a second before pushing the door open and walking in.

----------------------------------------

Of all the things waiting for him past the door, Jay expected his one-week-old, unwashed gloves the least. Yet that was the first thing he saw upon entering his room. The same boring room that he stayed in for a while after his first fight.

He took a while to centre himself after entering the room. Jay thought he was focused and calm, but the statue of the unnamed gladiator had really got to him. It was the same as the first statue he saw after leaving the coliseum. It felt like the statue had removed Jay's thoughts and replaced them with its own.

Now isn’t the time to doubt yourself. Focus!

Jay sat down and meditated, trying to clear his mind. It worked a bit, but the thoughts of the unnamed gladiator remained.

Jay wished there was a clock in the room, he thought he still had some time before his fight, but not knowing for sure was pure agony.

He started shadow boxing, waiting in here too long would cool down his muscles. If he didn’t know when the fight would start, he needed to be ready whenever. The shadow boxing brought warmth to his body and peace to his mind. The lingering thoughts of the unnamed gladiator were washed out of his mind by the waves of familiarity.

Jay felt more like himself, but himself was currently scared as fuck. His heart pounded against his chest, he kept glancing around the room, checking every corner as if the gorilla would somehow show up here.

If I ever find the sick fuck that decided not to put a clock in here…

100…99…98…

The golden timer filled up most of Jay's vision, reminding him to be careful what he wished for. Jay thought he’d calmed down since entering the room, but a hundred-second countdown on a fight to the death would rattle even the most steadfast of stoics.

It’s not like he could do anything though.

40…39…38…

The walls of the room began to crumble into dust, blowing away into nothingness and revealing the white void behind them.

Jay didn’t stay there for long.

First came the sky. It was a lot more convincing than the training room, Jay actually felt like he was outside.

The ground came next. The signature beige gravel of the newbie arena.

Then came his opponent. A black and gold behemoth. Hundreds of kilos of pure muscle, hunched over four tree trunk limbs. Jay didn’t think animals were capable of evil before. This one was.

20…19…18…

Jay ran through his plan one final time.

He’d keep Eye of the storm running in its low intensity mode. Jay knew his limits. He could keep the technique running the whole fight if he didn’t use it at full intensity too much. When the gorilla inevitably rushed in, Jay would spike up to full intensity, spot an opening and try to touch the gorillas back. He’d dodge to his right, his opponents left. That was most likely its weak side. From there he’d touch its back. No power, just a touch. Then wait for the gorilla to get over its madness and, just as it got back to its feet, hit it with a thunder strike. Ideally, he wouldn’t have to get that close, but Jay had no other high damage options. He had to play with the pieces he had.

10…9…8…

Mike Tyson once famously said Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. Jay wondered if he’d have phrased it differently if he’d ever fought a gorilla.

Sure, plans were fickle, but it was the only thing he had at the moment. He had to trust in it.

5…4…3…2…1…

FIGHT.

Jay's once perfect eyesight decayed into blurriness. Details vanished as his eyes withheld them from his brain. Each individual rock in the gravel merged into a swathe of beige. Not even his opponent was immune, the sheen of the gorilla’s fur disappearing into nothingness. Only the most essential details were sent into Jay's mind. Anything else would slow him down.

Jay marvelled at the progress he’d made. Yesterday, the second form of the technique slowed his perception of time slightly. Now it felt almost identical to the first.

He’d been looking at the gorilla for what felt like twenty seconds, but it hadn’t even started moving yet. Had he unknowingly unlocked something that sped up his perception even more?

Was Jay's perception so advanced that all this time had gone by in a fraction of a second?

In his mind, another twenty seconds went by.

Somethings up.

He prepared to react suddenly, then dropped Eye of the storm.

Details rushed back into his surroundings, but Jay remained focused on his opponent. The gorilla’s eyes stared directly back at him. Jay made out a mocking smirk on its face.

It wasn’t his perception that sped up. His opponent simply wasn’t moving.

Jay wondered what Mike Tyson would say if he could see him right now.

Everybody has a plan until they realise their plan fucking sucks.