章 133: The Clash of Titans - Round 1

One day, when Jack was 14, he stumbled across a local gym while walking Ethan home.

"What's that place?" Ethan asked, peering through the dusty window.

Inside, they saw men and women sparring in a ring, their movements sharp and precise. Jack was mesmerized.

"It's a gym," Jack said, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"You should join," Ethan said, nudging him.

"Yeah, right," Jack scoffed. "We don't have money for that."

The gym's owner, a grizzled man named Coach Dan, noticed them lurking outside and stepped out.

"You boys interested?" he asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

"We're just looking," Jack replied quickly.

Dan looked at their ragged clothes and then at their curious faces. "Tell you what, kid. You clean the gym after school, and I'll let you train for free. Deal?"

Jack hesitated but eventually nodded. "Deal."