Leaving India wasn't easy. His gym needed him. His people looked up to him. But this was more than a personal dream.
"If I rise, we all rise," he said to his team.
He arrived in Tokyo to freezing cold, neon lights, and a culture both beautiful and brutally disciplined. The fighters at RISE were machines—humble, silent, lightning-fast.
No trash talk. Just respect.
His coach Shiv couldn't come due to visa issues, but Aarav got a local trainer—Kenji Tanaka, a stoic legend known for pushing fighters beyond limits.
"You're strong," Kenji said on day one. "But not yet precise."