Elias, still reeling from his defeat against Jesse—his so-called "arch-enemy," a title he gave his opponent to make the loss sting a little less—found himself in the gym's storage room. It was an old, dusty place that once held the energy of fierce competition, where tournaments had been fought and lost. If he had a more developed sense of smell, like a dog, he would swear that the air reeked of defeat, a lingering scent of bruised pride and a sharp, painful blow to his own ego. The walls seemed to close in on him, each one mocking him with reminders of the battle he’d just lost.

His head was still spinning with the aftermath of the match, the loss echoing in his mind. The pride he’d held so tightly to now felt fragile and shattered. It wasn’t just about the fight. It was about the feeling of not being enough. The realization gnawed at him, and as much as he tried to bury it beneath layers of anger, it was there, quietly eating away at him.

Then, as he sat there in the dark corner, trying to make sense of it all, his phone buzzed, cutting through the heavy silence of the room. The vibration in his bag made him jump slightly, a reminder that the world outside was still moving. Reluctantly, he pulled it out. The screen lit up, revealing a message from his trainer.

His chest tightened. He could almost hear the frustration in his trainer's voice without even reading the message. His trainer had been looking for him, no doubt worried, while he, like a fool, hid away from it all. Elias couldn’t bring himself to respond at first, the words stuck in his throat. How could he explain what had happened, what he felt, when he didn’t even understand it himself?

After a few moments of silence, he heard it. The distant sound of footsteps, slowly growing louder with each passing second, until it was unmistakable. Someone was coming. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He could feel the cold sweat on his forehead as he wiped it away, desperately trying to gather the remnants of his dignity. He was caught. The last thing he wanted was to face his trainer right now, but here they were, approaching with the inevitability of a storm.

As the door creaked open, Elias couldn’t help but straighten up, putting on his best 'everything is fine' face—the one he always wore when things weren’t fine at all. He forced out a laugh, a feeble attempt to cover up the anger, the shame, the frustration that swirled inside him. "Hey, coach. I didn’t think you’d come so fast." Elias said, trying to keep his tone light, as if he hadn't just experienced the most crushing defeat of his career. But as his words hung in the air, he could feel his trainer's gaze on him, sharp and knowing, like a weight pressing down on his shoulders.

The way his trainer looked at him sent a shiver down his spine. It was obvious they could see right through him. His trainer had always known him too well, and Elias could no longer hide behind his bravado. The weight of the defeat, and the way his trainer could pierce through all his defenses, made him question whether this was the right moment to confront everything—or the worst possible time.