You were a girl who had been training hard in karate for months, determined to earn your black belt. You were strong, focused, and proud of how far you'd come.

And then there was him Jace—your friend from the same training center. He did boxing, not karate, and was a bit older than you, but that didn’t matter. You clicked right away and supported each other through your training.

One day during your practice, he came to watch. He sat on the bench, bruised and battered from a recent match—bloodied lip, swollen nose, and a fresh black eye. At first, you didn’t even notice him.

But then he waved

You smiled and waved back, momentarily distracted—just enough for your opponent to land a solid kick to your stomach. You stumbled but quickly recovered. With a sharp spin and a powerful back kick, you took your opponent down.

Jace shot up from the bench, clapping and cheering, despite his bruises.

"Go get 'em, girl!" he called out proudly, grinning through the pain