As long as you are breathing

“This is incredible! Never have we seen Kalil like this,” the commentator with great enthusiasm. The audiences were roaring at the performance of the fighters in the ring. Kalil aggressively shot wild punches at his opponent while the opponent shelled up to protect his head with the forearms. Everyone was excited by the dominance that Kalil showed on his opponent. Except for the ones whose eyes have experience in Martial Arts. They knew for sure that his opponent was waiting for a counter. Kalil swung his punches with the opponent stuck on the ropes. Left! Right! Uppercut! Cross! Feeling the impact of the punch on his knuckles gave him the confidence to throw more. Till he couldn’t feel the impact of the next punch he threw. He missed! Much rather, the opponent dodged. Before he knew it, he lost his consciousness. “What a terrific counter by Marvin!” shouted the commentator. “This isn’t like Kalil,” the other commentator added, “We always knew Kalil to be the evasive patient fighter, always playing the game like chess. This aggression doesn’t suit his style.” “That is true, but we can’t deny that he gave us the thrill,” replied the other commentator. “Oh, that’s for sure!” “Look he is actually getting up from that counter.” Kalil stood up with a shaky knee. His body showed signs of exhaustion. But not his eyes! The referee checked Kalil and signaled the fight to continue. The opponent rushed towards Kalil. It’s a common strategy for fighters to move to the defensive after a concussion in order to recover. But his opponent doesn’t intend on giving Kalil such a chance. But to everyone’s surprise, Kalil was the one rushing faster towards his opponent than his opponent is towards him. He started throwing multiple lead kicks on his opponent’s body but the opponent lifted up his leg to block it. “Whoa! Today we get to see a Kalil we have never seen before and we cannot believe our own eyes,” the commentator stood up. “Yes, he is showing us pure unfiltered manliness. His performance makes me feel like going to the ring for a fight,” the other commentator added. “Oh boy, don’t say that. You might find me on the ring after a few months,” said the commentator before they both burst into laughter. “Too repetitive,” the opponent thought to himself, “But I can’t seem to counter it. Feels like the moment I drop my leg down for a counter, his kick will already break my ribs. If that’s the case then-” Crack! “Whoa! A brilliant response from Marvin! He blocked Kalil’s next kick by his knee,” the commentator exclaimed. “Yes. Did you see that? I totally saw Kalil’s shin fold at the last kick.” “Here’s my chance!” thought the opponent intending to take advantage of Kalil’s shock and throw a counter. But he was the one countered. Kalil threw an overhand right before both of them fell down. But only one of them was unconscious, his opponent. “Oh my God! What a miraculous comeback by Kalil! I am lucky to witness this on Live. I am sure this fight will be rewatched by thousands,” the commentator jumped on his seat. The referee stopped the match. His opponent was too out cold. Kalil let out a sigh of relief. Because if the opponent woke up, he won’t be able to stand up and fight. His shin is already broken into two pieces inside. Kalil’s team entered the ring and took him by a stretcher. “What was that! I didn’t teach you any of that. That wasn’t martial arts,” the coach scolded Kalil sitting beside the chair beside his bed in the hospital, “Even your opponent wasn’t as injured as you are from this fight.” Kalil stayed silent. “Fighting like this won’t give you much benefit. The number of days you will spend in bed will just be more than the number of days you could have had training and fight in two more matches. Even losing this fight would have given you better outcomes in the long run,” the coach continued. He then sighed and wiped out the sweat on his foreheads by the towel around his neck. “I don’t know what is going through your mind but I hope you reflect upon yourself and come to sense,” the coach remarked before standing up. Kalil’s team present in the room was silent. Kalil listened to the coach's footsteps as he left the room. The other members slowly followed him and left the room one by one without saying a word. Kalil took a moment to gaze out through the window and enjoy the cloudless sky. That is when his dad entered the room. “This is madness,” was the first sentence that his father told after this victory that shook the audience’s heart. “I never liked you doing martial arts matches. Practicing martial arts was a different thing, but a job where you are required to hurt your opponent and yourself? That is totally absurd!” his dad's shouts echoed the room. He then sighed and continued, “I allowed you to have a few matches as an amateur but I never gave consent for you to fight professionally. But I never said anything against your choices either, hoping that you would come to your senses eventually. Alas! You are just getting worse,” he said as he started to shake out of anger. Kalil was still calm and silent. “You have done enough. You beat a bunch of pros. There is nothing else important for you to prove. I think it’s about time for you to concentrate on your studies,” his dad continued in a bit calmer voice. Kalil still didn’t say anything. The sound of his dad slamming the table on which the nurse left Kalil’s food echoed throughout the room. “Are you even listening to me young man?” his dad scolded. “Dad, this whole talk is pointless. You know better than anyone why I am continuing fighting. You know why I am so desperate to win. Truth is I never wanted to start fighting professionally either, but I thought you know the reason why I ended up doing it.”