My Pro Boxer System

Training had already begun by the time we entered the gym. The coach's eyes locked onto us as soon as we stepped into the room.

"You're late," he said, folding his arms.

"Sorry, Coach. We got sidetracked by some other matters. It won't happen again," Cassian explained.

"Liam is new here, but you and Ken know the rules. Even if you're run over by a truck and dragged across the concrete like paste, your sorry butts must be here on time for my training."

The coach's words conjured an uncomfortable image in my mind, and my stomach began to churn.

"Understood, sir. It won't happen again," Ken assured him, a serious expression on his face. I sensed he genuinely meant it.

The coach stared at Ken's serious face, and I could see a smile beginning to form.

"Make sure it doesn't. Get yourselves changed, and we'll start with some light workouts. The second years are doing some light sparring in the ring, so you lot will have to stick with strength training, jump rope or the treadmill."

We nodded and then entered the locker room to change. The clothing and gear were all provided by the school.

Within minutes of entering the locker room, Ken had already changed, while Cassian and I were still taking off our school clothes.

Our jaws dropped when we saw how quickly he had changed.

"Come on, hurry up! We can't be late again," Ken protested.

I was the slowest, as Cassian had finished before I could even lace my boots.

[Hey Liam, I want to give you something.]

Alexa's words caught me by surprise, so I instructed Cassian and Ken to leave without me while I tied my boots.

"Alright, man," Cassian replied. "But hurry up; the coach won't go easy on you if you're late again."

"No worries, I'll be there in just a minute."

I waited until they left before I spoke out loud to Alexa.

"What is it you want to talk about?" I asked.

[There is something I wanted to give you.]

Immediately, a golden light emanated from the palm of my hand, and when it dispersed, I was left holding a green jump rope.

"A jump rope?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "The school already has the necessary equipment."

[This is no ordinary jump rope.]

I could already hear the smugness in her voice, as if she were talking to a toddler.

[The rope increases in speed the more you use it. Gradually, it will get faster and faster until you trip over your own feet and fall flat on your face.] she chuckled. 

The rope handle was made of rubber with some sort of metal underneath. I couldn't tell what the rope itself was made of; the material felt almost weightless, making it easier to swing. I tried stretching it, and the elasticity was similar to that of a rubber band.

With a sigh of resignation, I left the locker room. Cassian was by the weights getting spotted by an upperclassman while Ken was running breathlessly on the treadmill. I began my own training with the jump rope. The rope flew through the air smoothly and hit the ground with a smack.

It felt natural to me, even though I had never jumped rope a day in my life. It was just like when I was boxing and when I was on the moving tiles.

[Jump rope helps train your footwork and rhythm.]

But I already have good footwork and rhythm, so what's the point of all this?

[It's because of your match yesterday; you were moving slower than you usually do.]

I was? But I managed to avoid getting hit by any of his punches.

[Still, you were slower than you usually are during training. You have great footwork, but you're still moving consciously. You need to work on your rhythm more; you can't throw effective punches if your mind is too focused on your foot movements. Jump rope will help improve your rhythm.]

Okay, I understand.

The speed of the jump rope increased with every rotation. The rope whipped through the air at speeds I could barely comprehend, yet I was managing to skip through it with ease. I synchronized my breathing with the sound of the rope, falling into the zone seamlessly. 

My feet were like a spring as I hopped up and down, dodging the rope. My feet hitting the ground faster than the eye can see.

Soon, I drew the attention of all the members in the club, even those who were sparring. They all stopped to watch what I was doing.

"So this is how you developed proper footwork," I heard one of them say.

"His footwork is even better than the captain's," another chuckled. 

"What are you slackers doing?!" the coach shouted. "Get back to your own training!"

[IMPROVEMENTS]

+----+

Speed 14->18

Agility 43->47/100

FOOTWORK 15->17/100

+----+

They all shuffled back to their own workouts. The room was filled with the scent of sweat, the sound of boxing gloves hitting bags, and the mechanical sound of the treadmills. When training was over, we all retreated to the locker room to shower and change before heading home.

"Wow, new guy! No wonder you're a beast when it comes to footwork; your jump rope skills are off the charts," an upperclassman said, slinging his arm around my shoulders. "I'm Alexander, by the way, an outboxer like you."

Alexander was a little taller than I was, with blond hair that fell onto his shoulders and a charismatic smile that could melt any teenage girl's heart. He seemed like the type of guy who would be friends with everybody—a Cassian 2.0.

"Thank you, I'm Liam. Nice to meet you."

"No sweat! Hey, what do you say you and I do a little sparring?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Alexander, you know the rules; you're not allowed to spar with first years who don't have a license," Captain Lucian interjected. "If you even attempt to spar with Liam you'll be kicked otut of the club immediately."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Alexander said, brushing Lucian off. There was tension between the two, and I was definitely caught in the middle. "Well, anyway, take care, new guy. I hope we have a match real soon."

"Yeah, okay." I responded.

After we finished changing our clothes, Ken and Cassian walked home together. But just as we were leaving the school building, we bumped into some of Cassian's friends—some girls from the volleyball club.