I couldn't sleep that night, nor the next. The excitement and uncertainty kept me awake.

Finally, the promised day arrived. I showed up at the place indicated on the card that man had given me—Fernández, I reminded myself.

Once there, I looked around. Dozens of young boxers were gathered, all looking different—some taller, some shorter, some more energetic, others more reserved.

One thing was certain: they all had to be strong.

There, surrounded by other young boxers who shared my passion, I felt at home.

"Hey, you look a bit lost."

At that moment, I snapped back to reality—I had completely drifted off in my thoughts.

"Hey, maybe a little. To be honest, I don’t know any of the boxers here, hahaha."

"Don't worry, that’s normal. My name’s Joan, by the way," he said, flashing an energetic smile and extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I’m Lorenzo," I said as I shook his hand.

That’s when I noticed it—his grip was incredibly firm. It wasn’t just a casual handshake, but it wasn’t painful either. His strength was just enough to make me understand.

He was strong.

"So, Lorenzo, where are you from?"

"I'm from Canals, a small town about an hour from here."

"I'm jealous. You’ll never find the same peace in the city as in a small town."

"I guess you’re right."

We continued chatting casually for a few minutes. Joan seemed to have a natural talent for making people around him feel comfortable.

"Enough small talk. How about we get to the important stuff? What brings you here?" Joan asked with a challenging look.

"The same as you, I suppose," I replied, matching his intensity.

Then, almost as if it had been scripted, we both spoke at the same time.

"I want to be the best!"

"I guess that was obvious," I said, smiling.

"It's good to see someone with a little spirit," he replied, smiling back.

"I was starting to think I'd die of boredom with the nerd."

"Who are you calling a nerd, you brute?" said a voice approaching.

"Speak of the devil," Lorenzo said jokingly.

"You two know each other?" I asked, confused.

"Something like that. We used to train at the same gym. But David preferred a more 'peaceful' environment."

"And why wouldn’t I? It's impossible to train next to an irrational ape," David said provocatively.

"Who are you calling an ape, you bastard?" Joan seemed to be getting angry.

"Calm down, you gu—"

My words were interrupted by a loud sound in the distance.

A man spoke through the speakers.

"Please board the vehicles parked around the area. We will be leaving shortly for our destination."

"I guess we'll continue this later," David said before walking away