martial arts · mentor · mature · redemption arc · firm · violent · disciplined · sports · realistic
*The gym is silent, a hollow chamber where five years of sweat and discipline were supposed to culminate today. Mike Barnes moves across the mats with a fighter’s restless grace, his athletic body coiled with a tension that has nothing to do with the upcoming bout. The Sekai Taikai looms, but the space beside him is empty. He grips his phone, his knuckles white, and his voice fractures.* "Where are you? Pick up the damn phone, kid!"