Maria stepped into the closed gym building, her footsteps echoing against the polished floors. The front looked like a typical high-end training facility—clean, professional, and sleek. Rows of untouched equipment sat in silence, and the cyber café screens flickered faintly, unattended.
But she didn't pause. She walked past the mirrored walls and protein bar counters until she reached a seemingly plain door labeled Storage. She glanced around once, then pressed a hidden code beside the panel.
Click.
The wall shuddered softly before sliding open, revealing a narrow, descending stairwell lit with faint blue neon. She slipped inside, the door sealing shut behind her.
The underground wasn't some sketchy bunker—it was a fortress of technology. Motion sensors, 3D combat chambers, weapon racks, and a fully immersive virtual reality chamber that could simulate war zones to the detail of blood splatter.
At the far end of the lounge space, the instructor lounged on a reclined chair, legs crossed, a book in hand and glasses sliding low on his nose. He glanced up as she entered.
Then sighed.
"Peace? Never again," he muttered, rolling his eyes and flipping the page dramatically.
Maria didn't even blink at his usual theatrics. She walked past him toward the changing room. "You promised you'd start training me properly today," she called over her shoulder.
"I will," he said, exhaling like her voice physically pained him. "Am I running away? No. So relax."
By the time she returned in her dark training suit, he was still reading, now munching on sunflower seeds.
"Go to the virtual chamber. I want to see your reflexes against moving targets—ones that switch elevation and charge at you. Let's find all your weak spots first."
He waved her off without a second glance.
Maria grumbled but obeyed, jogging lightly toward the sealed door of the virtual room. As she entered, the lights blinked red, and the wall closed behind her.
---
Upstairs, a second door banged open as Jake walked in, two bags of groceries swinging from his hands.
"Oi, the place's closed. You really like bending rules, huh?" he smirked, tossing the bags onto the table without care.
Star followed behind, scowling.
Jake gave the place a once-over and spoke while sipping juice from a pack. "Is the virtual room occupied?"
"She's inside," the instructor said flatly without looking up.
Star rolled his eyes and kicked one of the table legs hard. "Tch. And here I thought she'd stick to being a princess. Why's someone like her crawling around a place like this? Isn't she, like, popular?"
The instructor didn't even blink. "Aren't you a government spy? Why are you here?"
Jake, still drinking, snorted and spit his juice back into the straw from laughing.
Star's jaw tightened. His face went through a rapid slideshow of irritation. "You siding with her now?"
"I'm not siding with anyone. I'm siding with silence. We're all suffering from your constant yapping." The instructor finally closed the book and leaned forward, pointing lazily at the sealed wall. "She's here. You complaining won't delete her existence."
He opened the grocery bag and lifted a box of instant noodles. "Ah, you got these from that place, right?"
Jake smirked. "Of course. Good taste and good intel. That noodle shop is more than it looks."
"Street-level front, backdoor information broker. I like it." The instructor started boiling water in a portable pot. "The noodles actually slap."
"I thought it was some rundown joint run by washed-up thugs," the instructor said sighing, Jake shrugged, leaning against the counter. "Turns out, this street's full of hidden tigers."
"No kidding," the instructor said, stirring the noodles while Jake tried to grab some from his bowl.
Smack! The instructor smacked his chopsticks across Jake's hand without looking.
"Stingy," Jake grumbled, rubbing his hand before slumping into a chair and resting his head on his palm.
---
The secret wall slid open with a hiss.
Maria stepped out, panting. Her chest rose and fell as sweat dripped down the side of her temple. Her suit was soaked. The scoreboard on the side wall flashed her completion time and performance data.
Star glanced up and clicked his tongue. "Tch. Didn't even last twenty minutes."
The instructor didn't even lift his head. "You need more practice. I'll review your performance after I finish eating. Then we move to real training."
"Wait, what training?" Star frowned.
The instructor gave him a sidelong look, as if he were an idiot. "Did I not say? I'm training her in weapon mastery and hand-to-hand."
Jake raised an eyebrow, sipping again. "Princess, aren't you working too hard?"
Star leaned lazily on the wall with a smug expression. "Skipping school again? Is this the education standard now?"
Maria's eye twitched, but she said nothing. She marched to the couch and sat down calmly, crossing her legs.
"What I do," she said, tilting her head, "is not your business. So stop nagging like some wrinkled old man."
Star opened his mouth, but Jake cut in with a low chuckle.
The instructor slurped his noodles loudly, muttering, "This peace won't last."
"Call me old man again, and you'll regret it," Star snapped, arms folded, eyes narrowing.
He glared at Maria like her very breath was offensive. "Have you ever seen an old man like me? I find it funny how you've got millions of fans but can't even act like a proper star. You bring chaos wherever you go. You're rude, dramatic—nothing like the image you should be selling."
Maria tilted her head, blinking slowly. Then, she smiled—sweet, deliberate, dangerous.
"And yet... at the end of the day," she said, drawing out each word, "I'm getting paid to be exactly this. No one wants fake anymore, old man. My annoying attitude's stacking up money, while yours is just sucking the joy out of every room you walk into." Her lips curled. "No wonder your face is aging like a cursed apple."
Star took a threatening step forward—
THWIP!
A knife sliced past his cheek and buried itself into the steel wall with a cold clank. The vibration echoed across the chamber.
"Oops," Jake said without a shred of sincerity, casually wiping his hand with a napkin. "My hand slipped."
Star didn't move, but his jaw clenched.
The instructor, unfazed, finally set his bowl down and stretched, his joints cracking audibly.
"Maria," he said, "you could actually learn a thing or two from Star. He's irritating, yes—living embodiment of a migraine—but he's talented."
He folded his arms and yawned. "Why don't you two settle this in the virtual room? Might as well burn that tension."
"I don't want to bully a child," Star scoffed, hand on his hip, still not sparing Maria a glance.
"And I don't see why I should waste my time," Maria replied smoothly, smiling with her eyes. "i don't want to bore myself "
Jake raised a brow. "Hmm. Let's raise the stakes. If Maria loses, she's banned from this training ground for life....."
Jake paused, juice halfway to his mouth, then slowly turned to Maria.
Star grinned. "And if I lose... I'll give her my car."
He chuckled darkly to himself, already picturing his win. Oh, this'll be fun.
Maria blinked once. "Do I look broke?"
Star snorted. "Oh baby, you couldn't afford my car if you lived a hundred lives."
Maria stood up and dusted her pants, then smiled wickedly. "Don't let poverty mess with your imagination. Maybe I can't afford it, but my boyfriend sure can."
That struck.
"Gold digger," Star said, disgust lacing his voice. "Using someone else's wallet to flex."
Maria leaned in a little, her voice lowering like velvet dipped in venom. "Darling, it's not gold digging if he's offering even his soul to me willingly. And if I don't show off his wealth, should I show off yours instead?"
Her eyes gleamed.
"You want me to brag using your paycheck? Please. You think like a man choked by poverty. If you were rich, you wouldn't be offended."
Star looked like he was ready to explode.
Maria crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll fight you. But only if I win 250 million dollars, your favorite car, and... one wish. I'll take the car as charity."
She winked.
Star's face turned red. "Why don't you just go rob a bank?!"
Maria smiled, cool and composed. "Baby, I didn't want to fight. You're the one pushing for it. So now I'm naming my price. If you don't like it, back out. But beggars don't get to bargain, do they ? And you look nothing like a bank "
Her voice dropped an octave, her tone dipped in ice. "You want something? Then get ready to lose something."
Star stared at her, hands clenched, then nodded sharply. "Fine. But don't choke on your words later."
"I won't choke," Maria replied sweetly. "But get your pocket ready, Star. I'm going to show you how a gold digger makes a man's wallet weep."
Without another word, Star stormed toward the equipment rack, grabbing his suit and gloves.
The instructor raised an eyebrow at Maria. "You sure about this?"
"Why not?" she said, already tying her hair back. "If I lose, I'll find another training ground. But if I win, I walk away with 250 million, a car, and a free wish."
She smirked. "He's betting everything... I'm risking nothing."
She disappeared into the virtual chamber, the steel doors sealing behind her.
The instructor watched her go, then muttered, "Star just got played."
Jake chuckled, tapping a screen on the side of the wall. It lit up, revealing a real-time feed of the virtual battlefield.
"He played himself," Jake said coolly. "Got so blinded by anger and pride, he didn't bother checking whether the door he ran through was real... or just a mirage painted by a smarter opponent."
...
The door sealed behind them with a hiss. A shimmer rippled through the air.
Within seconds, the training chamber dissolved into a vast, broken temple floating in a black sky. Glowing runes lined the cracked stone pillars. Platforms hovered midair, shifting slowly. Wind howled in the distance like the breath of a dying god.
Maria stood on one platform, tying her hair into a bun with slow, deliberate grace.
Star cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, bouncing lightly on his feet. "Let me end this quick," he muttered—and charged.
The bell rang.
His first punch came fast—a blur aimed at her ribs. Maria dodged sideways, barely missing the strike. He spun, raising a leg high for a flying kick to her head. She ducked low, only to catch a second leg to her waist that made her stumble.
Before she could regain full balance, Star twisted again, aiming another kick to her face. She rolled, avoiding it, but his foot smashed the stone beside her, cracking it.
Dust exploded around them.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her forward—crack!—a punch slammed into her cheek. Maria gasped.
She responded with a swift, brutal knee to his groin.
Star staggered back with a curse, but before he could recover, Maria leapt up and wrapped her leg around his neck, pulling him down. He grunted, struck her leg hard to release the hold, and grabbed her from behind to slam her into the ground.
She twisted midair—another leg snapped around his waist—and with a wrench of her body, she flipped them both. Star crashed back-first onto the platform with a groan.
Maria hit the ground in a crouch, breathing hard.
"I'll kill you!" Star shouted, and launched himself at her.
Fists flew. Punches, elbows, knees—each blow raw and ugly. He drove her into the ground with a furious combo. She blocked high, struck low, dodged, punched, kicked.
Then Star suddenly sprinted to the wall, rebounded off it, and hurled his body into the air—his leg came crashing down like an axe.
Maria took the kick straight to her gut and fell hard.
Star straddled her, punching her face. One, two—blood splattered.
She snarled—and headbutted him.
He reeled back.
Maria's eyes burned. She struck him in the nose, then again—nails digging into her fists. She clawed and punched, kicked him where it hurt.
Star growled, wiped blood from his mouth, and suddenly—
Bang!
He drew a gun and shot her in the hand.
Maria screamed, dropping to one knee, clutching her bleeding palm.
"All is fair in war, baby girl," Star laughed. "Time to lose, bitch."
He raised the gun again.
Crack!
A rock struck him in the temple. He spat blood, snarling.
But Maria was gone.
"Bitch! You can run, but you can't hide!" Star roared, chasing her deeper into the map.
Stone doors shifted around him. Shadows flickered. The place she'd chosen had layers—hallways, maze-like rooms, traps.
Star stormed through one door, then stopped.
A blood smear on a cupboard.
He smirked. "Got you."
He emptied his clip into it. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Dust and smoke clouded the air. He dropped the empty mag with a smirk. "Game over. Blame the game, not me."
Then—
Whoosh.
A shadow moved.
A boot slammed into his left cheek, sending him spinning.
Maria emerged from the dark, eyes glittering.
"Time to take you to school," she whispered.
Before he could react, her fingers struck a pressure point on his neck.
His arms dropped. Legs weakened. His body betrayed him.
He couldn't move.
Maria rained fists down on his face, over and over, her knuckles stained red.
Then she grabbed the very gun he'd used on her—and slammed the butt into his skull again and again.
"I knew I couldn't beat you clean. You're a beast in combat," she said, breathless. "But I didn't have to. I made you cheat. I used your ego, your temper. I baited you... then I broke you."
Blood dripped from his nose, his mouth, his ears.
"You wanted to kill me? I'm your karma, bitch."
Smash.
One final strike split his virtual skull open.
"Game Over," the AI declared coldly as the world began to fade.
—
Back in the real chamber, Star's eyes snapped open—wide, full of dread, humiliation, and disbelief. Sweat drenched his back. His body trembled, chest rising in shallow gasps.
Across from him, Maria stood tall.
She blinked once, tapped her cheeks, then walked over.
Without a word, she delivered a final punch that knocked him out cold.
His head slumped to the side.
The room was dead silent.
The instructor stared, mouth agape. "...Is she eighteen?"
Jake, casually munching from his noodle cup, didn't blink. "Yep."
The instructor coughed. "That wasn't a fight. That was... a bitch overkill."
Maria shook her hand, still stained with virtual blood. "He wanted to fill my body with bullets. I gave him mercy. Breaking his head was mercy."
She let her hair down, letting it fall over her shoulders like a crown. "If he ever wants to see me suffer... he better come with a second life."
She turned to the instructor. "Tell him to send my money. Or next time, he'll be dead for real."
The instructor nodded dumbly.
Maria stretched her back. "Now... are you ready for the real training?"
"Yes," the instructor said quickly, leading her to another room.
Jake stayed behind, staring at Star's unconscious body.
"That's why I call her my princess," Jake said, his voice low with amusement as he stared at the unconscious body crumpled across the floor. "I know she'll always keep me entertained. Oh my... so fun."
He leaned forward, crouching just enough to look at Star's face — blood still trickling from his nose, lip split, one eye already swelling shut.
Jake clicked his tongue. "Hmm… you're definitely going to try to attack her the moment you wake up, aren't you?"
He poked Star's bruised forehead gently with the end of his chopsticks. "Should I save her?"
He tilted his head. "Save her…"
A beat.
"…Not save her?"
He looked genuinely conflicted for a moment, like he was deciding which dessert to order.
"Not save her," Jake concluded with a small smile, tossing the chopsticks away and shaking his empty juice container. "She'll be fine. Or she won't. Either way, I'll get a show."
With that, he stood up, stretched, and strolled toward the hallway Maria had disappeared into, humming a twisted little tune under his breath.
As he reached the doorway, he paused, glancing back one last time.
"Don't die too fast, Star. If you bleed out, I might actually miss your yelling."
He smirked and walked off.
The camera feed on the wall still flickered, replaying clips of the fight: Maria's spin, the pressure point strike, the way her expression never broke even when the gun came out.
Inside the dim training center, Star lay still — beaten, broken, and bleeding, both in pride and body — while the hallway echoed faintly with the sound of Jake's fading footsteps and the instructor's muttered curses from the next room.
---