Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Don't think about it too much-

Wait patiently for when the ball is about to hit the floor-

And then-

The whole gymnasium had gone silent.

None even moved, as the ball rolled down the net.

The ball hit the floor and,

Whistle-

"AHHHHH!!!!! LEY!!!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE LOST!"

'I...' Ley had remained frozen. 'I did it. I-' Until,

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD US YOU COULD SHOOT LIKE THAT!"

"PLAY ON OUR TEAM NEXT TIME!"

"NO WAY, WE'RE TAKING LEY!"

"NU-UH! SHE'S WITH US!"

In an instant, all her classmates had swarmed around her.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"YOU'RE SO GOOD! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?"

"I am...? Hahaha..." Ley laughed awkwardly as they praised and asked her to join their team for the next PE class.

"AMAZING!"

"WHY DID YOU HIDE THAT YOU WERE SO GOOD?!"

Their eyes were brimming.

So much so, that Ley forgot herself for a bit.

She celebrated with them, but quickly remembered.

This wasn't what she wanted.

She didn't want to celebrate with them!

The person she wanted to celebrate with was...

Ley quickly turned in his direction.

She had finally done it. She had scored! Now everyone wanted to play with her! Those who didn't want her before! Those who ignored her before!

The only one she really cared about was...

'What...?!'

Taking a nap on the bench.

Her shock turned into anger but,

"PLAY WITH US NEXT TIME!"

"Um... Sure?"

"WHAT? WHAT ABOUT US..."

Mark was taking a nap. He laid awkwardly on the bench.

None had noticed. Not even him. None would ever know of it.

The day of his first heart attack.

...

"Why are you ignoring me? I said I-"

"You were sleeping! I can't believe it! You missed my super special kick! It was amazing! I was amazing! I... Am amazing!"

"I'm telling you I didn't miss it! I saw it!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!!"

"I saw it!"

"How come you were sleeping then?"

"I... Don't know. It hurt, and then... I was asleep? Anyways, it was amazing!"

"Don't act like you saw it!"

"But... I did!"

"Bahahaha! I'm amazing!"

"You are! You are!"

"Hehehe! Now I'll get to... No! If I tell my brother that he actually helped then... I'll never hear the end of it!"

"He did?"

"Yes! I told you about it. My secret training arc!"

'Secret... Training... Arc...!'

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure... My brother told me about it."

The young Mark pressed his lips together.

He raised his gaze to the ceiling.

'Wish I had a brother...'

...

"Please! Please, Mom!"

"Not now, Mark. I told you to wait for a bit."

"Please! While you're cooking dinner! Please, Mom! Can I use the computer, please!"

"Fiiine! Only for a bit though!"

"Yes!"

Minutes later, the young Mark was seated in front of the desk.

He stared at the search bar for a while.

His mother had opened a window with his favorite game, "Sonic RPG".

But that wasn't what he was looking for now.

Mark's fingers shyly moved to the keyboard and back a couple of times.

He was acutely aware of the beating of his own heart, and of what had happened earlier in the day.

The young boy typed the letters slowly.

Secret-

Training-

Arc-

The search engine focused on one of the three words.

Mark scrolled for a bit, and a video was recommended.

The child's eyes widened.

The thumbnail was simple.

A man, about 25 years of age.

There was nothing else.

Just a man.

But a man like none the child had ever seen.

Mark's eyebrows frowned slightly.

Everything was different. Yet, everything was the same.

He had two arms, like everybody else. But the child had never seen arms like that.

Shoulders unlike any he had seen.

Even the man's smile was strange. The way he was standing.

His arms, his shoulders, chest, his posture, and his smile. Everything pointed towards it.

It all projected one thing.

Strength.

With a sense of awe and admiration, the child stared for a while. 

He stood up and walked towards the mirror.

Smile-

It didn't look the same.

Smile-

Not at all.

The child shook his head and went back to the desk.

Scratch- Scratch-

Mark's hand slowly moved away from his cheek and towards the computer mouse.

The boy clicked on the video and,

CLAP-

Mark immediately pulled back, startled by the sound of the man hitting his palms together.

An intro for the video started.

Clips of the man pulling bars off the floor, one with more weight than the next.

Mark had no idea what could be considered heavy or not objectively. Still, those looked very heavy.

And the man looked very strong.

So you want to have a better body?-

You want to look better?-

You want to become stronger?-

The child looked to the right, and then to the left.

'What I want is...'

If you want bigger biceps, you have to curl some heavy weights! But don't forget that the arm isn't only made of the biceps! You also have to think about your triceps-

Absent-mindedly, the child watched.

If you want a bigger chest, you have to...

If you want a thicker back, you have to... If you want a wider back, you have to...

Mark turned towards the mirror before pulling up his shirt. He moved his right shoulder forward.

'Is that how a back is supposed to look like?'

Don't forget about nutrition. This might make me sound like an old man, but you are what you eat! Muscle is built inside the kitchen! What you eat is...

Mark scratched his head.

'Maybe this isn't...'

Consistency is key! You can't stop or give up just because you don't feel like it! You have to continue! You have to keep going!

The child had grown bored by the content, but the man's passion and the strength projected kept him watching.

And don't tell me about: Oh, it hurts. It's good that it hurts! What do you do when you want to run for longer, huh? Do you run for a bit then stop? No! That's not how you train your cardio! Your muscles are just like you're heart! What do you do when you can't run much? When running is painful? When your cardio is subpar? Having a weak bicep is the same as having a weak heart. And what do you do when you have a weak heart?

The boy's body froze.

As fast as he could, he hit the spacebar on the keyboard.

A shiver went down his spine.

What do you do when you have a weak heart?-

The question he had been asking himself for so long.

The answer he had been looking for all this time.

A question that the adults couldn't answer. Not his parents, not the doctors, not the teachers.

But maybe...

Could it be?

Does this man have the answer?

Rewind-

And what do you do when you have a weak heart?

'What do you do? Tell me!'

You run! It's obvious, isn't it? You have a weak heart, that's why you can't run for long. So you must run! Obviously! The same is true for any muscle! If it's weak, that means you didn't use it enough! That means you didn't train it enough! Make your heart work, and it'll grow stronger! Make your back work, and it'll grow thicker and wider!

The child hurriedly hit the spacebar, a frown on his face.

His hands shook slightly.

'Really?'

Your body thinks of it this way. If you don't use it, that means you don't need it! And if you don't need it, then you lose it! Why waste energy keeping it big and strong when you're not even using it. See? That's how your body thinks! If you don't even use it now, then why would your body make it stronger! You need to show your body that it needs to grow stronger! You need to use your body for it to grow stronger! Whether it's your heart, chest, deltoids, or quads. Get it?

Puzzling.

The child looked away.

It seemed to make sense.

It seemed to make sense...

I always see all of you yapping about it in the comments. Do you think building a body like this is easy? It isn't! It's going to hurt! And you should be thankful that it hurts!

'I should...?'

If it hurts, that means that it's working! If it hurts, then that means your body can barely handle it! That's when your muscles are really working! So if it hurts, keep going! The reps you do, once it hurts, are worth dozens of those before the pain! If it hurts, then it's working! It's not easy looking this way! So, are you ready? Are you ready to take your body to the next level? It won't be easy. It won't be a walk in the park. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done! It will hurt like nothing else. Only those who keep going once it starts to hurt, will be able to change themselves and their body! No matter what, keep going! If it hurts, smile! Remember! Pain is...

'Pain is...'