"Coach" (Solo)

John dreamed while he slept and his dream shattered as splinters of light cast themselves upon his eyelids. He fought to remain asleep and to continue dreaming, but the light dragged him back to consciousness and effectively reduced his dream to fragmented memories that quickly dissolved. He recalled something about donuts, but even that seemed vague. He disregarded the fact that a donut was an odd thing to dream about because oddness was the nature of dreaming.

He relented to the light and opened his eyes toward it, finding himself facing a window. He also discovered a bed beneath him; while he enjoyed the comfort it provided, he could not help feeling disoriented in such an unfamiliar environment. He examined his surroundings and it took little time for him to realize he had been transported to a hospital. The answer as to why assaulted him a split-second later as a fiery pain shot up from a broken arm. The sharpness of his agony reminded him of what had happened the previous night.

A maniac had attacked the downtown area, killing a few police officers and firemen who had all tried saving an infant. John remembered running for his and the baby girl’s life toward an ambulance and hopping aboard only to later jump out of the moving vehicle to confront the lunatic intent on killing them all. John’s memory failed him at that point because he knew he had tangled with the flying man and the aches and pains throughout his body, especially the ones issued from his useless limb, told him he had taken a severe beating.

“I should have died,” John did not realize he had spoken aloud, nor had he noticed the door to his room was open.

“You’re awake,” A stranger, a man, said as he stepped into the room.

He wore an expensive-looking pin-striped suit, a red tie, and a white wide-brimmed hat. The hat cast his eyes and nose in shadow, but John could make out the pale skin beneath and the contrasting ruby lips that formed a sliver of a grin. “Who are you?” John weakly asked.

“I’m the reason you are still alive, but you can call me, Coach.” The stranger answered.

“What are you talking about?” John asked.

“You sure made a mess of things, killing that contestant. I’m not sad to see him go; he was always so impulsive, but his death made a lot of betting men angry.” The suited man paused and took a seat beside John’s bed and continued. “That weakling was going to die anyway, don’t get me wrong. It’s just the nature of his death didn’t quite meet certain expectations and now there are some gentlemen who are out of a lot of money because of you.”

“I don’t understand,” John admitted.

“I know; shut up and let me explain,” The pale man cleared his throat and told John what he needed to know.

“There is a competition going on between some of the most prominent and greedy fighters on the planet,” Coach began.

“Are you about to tell me there’s money in this thing for me?” John asked.

“Please save any and all questions and comments for the end,” The suit said before continuing. “Few people know about this tournament as it is highly dangerous and might raise concern from the general populace. You saw what that man did in downtown, right? Well,” He chuckled, “Let me assure you that was nothing.”

John’s eyes suddenly grew wide with terror. “Okay, if you’re trying to tell me I took on one of the small fries then I want nothing to do with what you’re trying to sell me.” He announced.

The man laughed at John’s comment. “You don’t understand, boy! You killed a contestant-“

“What was I supposed to do, let him kill me?” John demanded. “I don’t even remember doing it!”

“Woah, woah, take it easy, friend. I’m on your side. I told you already that I’m the reason you are still alive and that’s the truth. My associates should be thanking you for containing the mess they made by picking that psychopath for their games, but there are rules for these kinds of things. They wanted you dead for what you did, but I managed to talk them out of it.”

“Who are you talking about? Who’s 'they'?” John asked.

“I can’t disclose names and if you had them, you’d know you can’t touch these people.” He said. “You just need to know they’ve decided to let you live, but there’s a condition.” He waited for John to connect the dots and he was not disappointed.

“They want me to fight,” The man nodded at John’s response and motioned for him to continue. “I’m supposed to take the place of the guy I killed.”

“Yep,” The man said.

“And you said he was supposed to die anyway, so this isn’t some ordinary underground fighting circuit. These guys are playing for keeps.” John concluded and terror filled his veins in that instant.

“Bingo,” The man confirmed.

“I don’t stand a chance; they’re going to kill me…unless…unless you’re lying to me.” John said, desperate for any explanation to the man’s presence other than the one delivered. “Who are you, really?” He demanded.

“I told you to call me Coach for a reason. I am going to train you; we have a thirty day grace period to get you ready before…” He let that final word drag out a little.

“Before what?” John asked.

“Normally all contestants are free game once the tournament starts. It’s a battle royale where anywhere is the arena and nothing is off limits. You’re goal is to hunt down and kill the other guys before they can do the same to you. The game’s been going on for less than a week and few contestants, your victim included, have already been…eliminated, yes I like that word, eliminated.” “Coach” explained.

“Even if I bought into this load, you can’t expect me to be ready in thirty days. Look at the condition I’m in!” John pointed out.

“Sorry, those are the brakes, kid. It was either that or let you die and I’d rather see how you fare, which is why I’ve made you my project and convinced the others to leave you alone for a little while.” “Coach” said.

John could hardly begin to swallow the information delivered to him and he literally wanted to throw up in that moment. Then his eyes glimmered with hope and he addressed “Coach”. “If you’re for real and contestants have died in this past week alone then maybe they’ll die before my thirty days are up.” John said hopefully.

“Even if that was the case, you’d be left with what would arguably become known as the nastiest human alive for an opponent.” “Coach” informed him. “The truth is that the game’s been put on pause for the next thirty days.”

“Then where does that leave me?” John demanded. “If everyone else is stronger than I am already and they have a chance to become even stronger then I don’t stand a chance!”

“I have yet to hear a ‘thank you’ from the man whose life I saved.” “Coach” pointed out. “If you want to survive this thing then you’re going to have to trust me. I don’t take on lost causes and you have untapped potential in abundance. The guy you killed may have been the weakest among the contestants, but he could still wield ki and no ordinary human could have brought him down because of it.”

“Ki? What the hell is that?” John asked. “You mean that stuff he used to blow people up?”

“Indeed; as to what it is, it is the energy that gives and sustains life. It dwells within all living things and is readily accessible by those aware of its presence inside them.” “Coach” explained.

“Why haven’t I noticed this magical energy before?” John asked.

“First of all, this is not magic!” “Coach” spat. “Secondly, as to why you haven’t noticed it before is simple; you are human.”

“What does my being human have to do with anything?” John asked.

“Everything and nothing,” “Coach” responded cryptically. “Humans strive to separate themselves from nature and focus on advancements in technology that allow them to live comfortably and conveniently. Humans have dulled their senses over millennia and have made themselves deaf and numb to the call and touch of ki that dwells within them.”

“If ki is so naturally occurring then how come we don’t have flying bunnies shooting lasers from their eyes?” John asked, finding it becoming easier to disbelieve the man spouting nothing but gloom and doom.

“Harnessing your ki requires a conscious decision; animals live by instinct alone, making it impossible for them to use it.” “Coach” answered; before John could comment further, a visible glow began radiating around his visitor. “Enough questions. It is time for you to begin trusting me. Relax; I am going to help you locate your ki with my own. You will only have a small amount at first; just enough to sustain the lifespan of a normal human, so this may take a few minutes. After this and once you begin to nurture and utilize your ki, it will grow and strengthen out of necessity.”

John trembled as “Coach” approached him and reached out to him with a glowing hand that emitted what seemed like unnatural warmth to him. He looked around, desperate for an escape and saw a red button attached to the side of his bed for summoning a nurse. He reached out for it with his good hand, but “Coach” intercepted his wrist. “You will soon see a power as limitless as your imagination.” He announced.

The room surrounding John disappeared as soon as “Coach” made his announcement. A chilling darkness surrounded him on all sides and he instinctively tried wrapping his arms around himself for warmth only to come to a disturbing realization. He had no arms! John tried shouting, but he could not so much as utter a whisper. He knew then that he was without form amidst darkness devoid of substance. He immediately started panicking and sensed himself drifting without direction in the void.

“Relax,” “Coach’s” voice reached him and its presence helped alleviate his fear until John remembered who had done this to him. “Calm down, you aren’t going to die and you are still back in the hospital, physically that is.”

John tried asking a dozen different questions, but all his attempts ended in failure. “I have done nothing to you other than shut down your senses. They will return to you the moment I release your arm. You might be wondering how you can still hear me,” John was actually wondering how he could kick “Coach’s” ass, but he was forced to listen. “I am speaking to you with my ki.”

“This is a crash course in ki,” Coach continued to explain. “Most people dedicate weeks, months, and even years of training to shut down their senses so that they may focus on the life energy within them. I forced yours off by disrupting them with my ki, something that would have killed an ordinary man.” John seriously wanted to kill “Coach” just then. “That cold you are experiencing is the absence of your own ki. Reach out with your consciousness toward the warmth embedded deep within you and carry it back with you to the surface that is your flesh.”

John tried relaxing and he tried doing as he was told if for no other reason than to get “Coach’s” hand off him so he could snap the bastard’s neck. He focused as best he could, but he discovered no warmth, no relief from the chill. He could have sworn the cold was worsening if he had a voice with which to issue profanities. John thought he was getting nowhere with this and hoped “Coach” realized he was wasting their time and his remaining shred of patience.

“You’re almost there, I can sense it!” “Coach” declared.

John thought the man delusional because all he felt was an icy breeze cold enough to turn blood to ice. He backed away from it to “Coach’s” immediate disapproval. “What are you doing? You almost had it!”

John pictured himself shrugging then moved toward the chilling center of the abyss when a thought occurred to him. He knew he was at the center of his very being, but how had he known that? A darkness thicker than black and most assuredly impenetrable by light resided at his center. It was then that tendrils of something terrifyingly cold and powerful drifted off it and toward John. Those darker than darkness itself appendages reached out toward him; out of curiosity, John drifted forward and made contact.

Immediately upon touching his mind, the tendrils coiled around him like tentacles and yanked him into the abysmal center of his being. He watched in terror as the darkness expanded before his consciousness, which was miniscule by comparison, as though he faced the cavernous mouth of a ravenous beast. It then enveloped him and swallowed him alive. That’s when John screamed.

John opened his eyes and flexed his arms, neither of which hurt. “I infused some of my ki into you to heal you; you seemed concerned about your injuries.” “Coach” told him, but John no longer felt concern about his health; something else about him held his attention.

“I’ve never seen or felt anything like this before,” “Coach” said when he noticed John scanning his body up and down. “I wonder what it means.”

Light refused to reach John, the mystical force he felt coursing throughout his body impeded it somehow. A sinister darkness veiled all of John’s features and it danced across his flesh in miniature flares like fire. Unlike fire, however, the darkness enveloping John emitted a chill that even Coach could feel from almost five feet away. “Are you alright?” He asked. “How do you feel?”

“This…” John began, seemingly unable to form words even though he could speak again. “This was inside me?” He asked; he looked to “Coach” for confirmation.

“Your eyes,” Coach said.

“What about…my eyes?” John slowly asked.

“They’re glowing, infused like the rest of you with power.” He answered. “What does it feel like?” He pressed.

“I feel…I feel,” John started, searching for the right word to describe the euphoric sensations of his own ki. “I feel terrified. What is this? What am I?”

“It’s your aura…I’m certain of it.” “Coach answered, but even he sounded uncertain.

“My aura?” What does that mean?” John asked.

“Your aura is a physical manifestation of your ki; I’ve heard stories that the color of your aura can mean something about you. It could represent an emotion, a belief, the purity of your heart, the life you’ve experience, or one or more of numerous other things.” “Coach” explained.

John examined his aura with his demonic eyes and thought back on his life. “I have seen people do horrible things to each other. I’ve done terrible things myself just to survive. Last night was bad, really bad and there’s no denying it, but that’s not as bad as it gets, not even close. This planet is full of dark and cruel people who stop at nothing to make it into a living and frozen hell. So, if this is my aura then I think it suits me.” John let out a laugh that sounded more maniacal than he intended.

“Alright, that’s enough for now. You should power down for now.” “Coach” said with audible concern.

“Even if I could turn it off as easy as that, what makes you think I would when I’ve hardly had a taste?” John asked.

“If you don’t learn how to control your ki then it will consume your mind. Humans have gone millennia without this power and their minds, yours included, aren’t quite ready to endure it long-term. If you don’t let yourself adjust then you’ll go mad with blood lust like so many others before you.” “Coach” warned. “If that happens then I’ll have to put you down for good.”

John scoffed at him. “What do you think you can do to me, skinny man?” John asked with a sadistic grin spread across his face; a sudden change coming over him.

He attempted to punch “Coach”, but the pale man intercepted it with a punch of his own. John quickly found himself kneeling before him, screaming in agony. He tried to cradle his injured hand with his other one, but Coach snapped his fingers tightly around John’s throbbing fist and applied pressure. John yelped again and tried pulling away, but “Coach” held fast. “Power down,” He ordered. “Now!”

John angrily growled at the man standing over him. “I know what you’re thinking and trust me when I say you do not want to do it,” “Coach” told him.

John simply snarled at him and tried punching him again despite the warning. The world seemed to explode an instant. “Sorry, kid. It was for your own good.” He barely heard “Coach’s” words as he blacked out from whatever it was that struck him. It had come so quickly that John could not even remember seeing the attack or where it landed, but it had done its job and he passed out on the floor. His aura disappeared and his eyes closed as they lost their light.