My stomach churned. Roman looked down, inspecting my form, a hint of complaint in his voice. "Will always says Kris's talent is the best he's ever seen, on par with mine." He stood up. "He's never praised me so generously."
"He beat you," I added, not sure why I felt a pang of competitiveness for Kris.
"I underestimated him! Next time, I'll definitely win!" Roman's annoyance quickly shifted to regret. "With his talent, it's truly a shame it's wasted. More than these practice matches, I wish I could face a stronger him in a real competition."
"And be beaten by him again?" I jabbed, unable to resist.
"I'll become stronger and defeat a stronger him!" Roman corrected me rapidly. "Do thirty push-ups. You need to improve your physical conditioning. Weak upper body and core strength mean you
