Kai woke up the next morning with a sense of urgency thrumming in his veins. The weight of the challenge with Hana hung over him, but instead of fear, there was something else driving him. Determination. He couldn’t afford to lose focus, not with only ten days left until their fight.
Day one started early, before the sun had even risen. Kai found himself in the gym alone, his breaths loud and heavy in the quiet space. He wrapped his knuckles in tape, the familiar sensation calming him. The steady thwack of his fists connecting with the punching bag filled the room as he worked through drills, each punch more precise than the last.
Jabs, crosses, uppercuts, hooks—each movement was sharp and controlled, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Hana’s smug face and Jin’s cruel taunts. They both thought he was weak, that he couldn’t stand up for himself without the Ledger. But he was going to prove them wrong. The more he trained, the more his muscles ached, and the more he felt that surge of power within him—not from the Ledger, but from his own strength.
Hours passed, and sweat soaked through his shirt. His body screamed for rest, but Kai pushed on. He couldn't stop. Not yet. Not when there was so much riding on this. By the time he finally left the gym, his arms were trembling, but there was a flicker of pride in his chest. Day one was done.
Day two was even harder. His muscles were sore from the day before, but he forced himself to get out of bed, ignoring the stiffness that had settled into his limbs. He knew that every second counted. Hana wasn’t the type to let up just because he was struggling. If anything, she’d be training harder than ever, too, waiting to crush him when the time came.
Kai ran five miles before school, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his sneakers pounded against the pavement. He pushed through the pain, his mind locked on the goal ahead. When he finished, his lungs burned and his legs felt like jelly, but there was a fire inside him now. It burned with a fierce intensity, pushing him beyond his limits.
The rest of the day at school was a blur. Kai couldn’t focus on his classes, his thoughts constantly drifting to his training and the fight ahead. Every time Jin passed by him, smirking and making snide comments, Kai clenched his fists but stayed silent. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper. Not yet. Jin wasn’t worth it—not when the real challenge lay ahead with Hana. But Jin's sneers stoked that simmering anger just beneath the surface, and Kai knew he had to channel that rage into something productive. He had to be better than Jin, better than Hana.
That evening, Kai met with his martial arts instructor for extra training. Sensei Raika had always been tough on him, but now Kai welcomed the challenge. He needed to be pushed harder, beyond what he thought he could endure. Raika’s sharp eyes followed his every move, correcting his stance, making him repeat combinations until his muscles screamed in protest.
“Again!” Raika barked, her voice firm and unyielding.
Kai gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his forehead as he went through the motions once more. His body ached, but he kept going, each punch and kick harder and faster than before. He could feel himself improving, bit by bit, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.
“You’re too tense,” Raika said after a particularly sloppy kick. “Relax. Focus on precision, not power.”
Kai nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. He forced himself to loosen up, concentrating on making each movement fluid and controlled.
By the end of the session, he was utterly spent, every inch of his body throbbing with exhaustion. But there was a glint of approval in Raika’s eyes that made it all worth it.
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Day three started with another early run, followed by more intense sparring sessions with Raika. Kai pushed himself harder than ever before, the days blurring together in a haze of sweat, bruises, and aching muscles. His body was beginning to feel stronger, more capable, but his mind was still plagued with doubts.
What if Hana was right? What if he wasn’t strong enough without the Ledger?
The thought crept into his mind late at night, when he was too tired to push it away. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his body sore and his mind racing. The Ledger sat on his desk, untouched since the night he’d decided to challenge Hana. It was tempting, so tempting, to just open it and write down her name. To end all of this before it even began. But every time his hand reached for the book, he stopped himself.
He couldn’t rely on the Ledger. He wouldn’t. He had to do this on his own.
By day four, Kai’s body had begun to adapt to the brutal training regimen. His punches were faster, his kicks more precise. He could feel the strength building in his muscles, the endurance growing with every session.
But the mental strain was beginning to take its toll. Kai found himself growing more irritable, snapping at Minseo when she asked him about his training. She had tried to be supportive, but Kai didn’t want to burden her with everything that was going on. She didn’t need to know about the Ledger, about the darkness that was lurking just beneath the surface. He couldn’t drag her into that.
Still, Minseo didn’t give up on him. She showed up at his door after school one evening, a bag of takeout in hand, and insisted that he take a break. For a few hours, they sat together in his room, eating and talking about anything but the fight. Kai was grateful for the distraction, but he could feel the pressure of the upcoming battle looming over him, even in the quiet moments.
On day five, Raika pushed him harder than ever. They went over grappling techniques, practicing joint locks and throws until Kai’s arms were bruised and his muscles screamed for relief. Raika didn’t let up, her sharp eyes watching his every move, correcting him when he faltered.
“You’re getting there,” she said after a particularly brutal session. “But you need to be faster. Hana won’t give you time to think. She’s going to come at you with everything she’s got.”
Kai nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. He knew Raika was right. Hana wasn’t going to hold back, and neither could he. He had to be ready for anything.
As the days passed, the training became more intense. Kai ran longer distances, sparred harder, pushed himself beyond what he thought was possible. His body ached constantly, but there was a fire in his chest that wouldn’t go out. He couldn’t let himself give up. Not now. Not when the fight was so close.
By day seven, Kai could feel the difference in his body. His punches were sharper, his kicks more powerful. He could go longer without getting tired, and his reflexes were faster. But despite all the progress he had made, the doubt still lingered in the back of his mind.
Hana was no ordinary opponent. She had the Ledger, and she had no qualms about using it. Kai wasn’t sure if he could beat her without resorting to the same tactics. But he had made a promise to himself, to Minseo, and to Raika. He wasn’t going to use the Ledger. He wasn’t going to become like Hana.
On day eight, the fatigue was starting to set in. Kai’s body was exhausted, his muscles sore and bruised from days of relentless training. But he refused to slow down. He couldn’t afford to. The fight with Hana was only two days away, and he still didn’t feel ready.
As he trained, the weight of what was coming pressed down on him. He thought about Jin, about all the times he had been humiliated, beaten down, made to feel worthless. But he also thought about Minseo, about the kindness she had shown him, about her unwavering support. He couldn’t let her down.
By the time day nine arrived, Kai was a bundle of nerves. His body was in the best shape it had ever been, but his mind was still full of doubt. He couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter how hard he trained, it wouldn’t be enough to beat Hana.
But he couldn’t back down now. The fight was tomorrow. There was no turning back.
On the morning of the tenth day, Kai woke up early, his stomach in knots. He went through his usual training routine, but his heart wasn’t in it. All he could think about was the fight, about what was at stake.
As he stood in front of the mirror in his room, Kai took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He had trained harder than ever before. He had pushed himself to his limits. Now, all that was left was to face Hana.
The countdown was over. It was time.