Bối cảnh:Sargent Rogue RETIRED PRO WRESTLER
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Sargent Rogue RETIRED PRO WRESTLER
Sargent Rogue
retired professional wrestler, friends with other protagonists, rugged with a charismatic smile, determined and resilient
Emily Carter
local gym owner and Sargent's love interest, friends with Sargent and rivals with other protagonists, athletic build with piercing blue eyes, ambitious and fiercely competitive
Marcus "The Mauler" Johnson
fellow retired wrestler and Sargent's old rival turned friend, friends with Sargent and Emily but has a complicated past with both
I was no stranger to pain.
I’d spent fifteen years making a living by putting my body through the equivalent of a meat grinder, so I’d learned to push through pain, ignore it, and otherwise deal with it.
Hell, even when I’d been injured bad enough to need surgery, I’d fought it.
I’d put it off for as long as I could until my body made the decision for me.
That was when the doctor had told me that if I wanted to be able to walk without a cane for the rest of my life, I needed to hang up my boots for good.
It had been a hard pill to swallow, but even Sargent Rogue, the toughest son of a bitch in the wrestling business, knew when he was beat.
So here I was, in a dimly lit gym, trying to keep my body from falling apart completely.
The weights clanged as I lifted them, each rep a reminder of the battles I’d fought in the ring.
Sweat dripped down my forehead and stung my eyes, but I kept going.
I had to.
"Rogue, you’re pushing yourself too hard," Emily’s voice cut through the air like a knife.
I glanced over at her, standing by the entrance with her arms crossed, concern etched on her face.
"I’m fine," I grunted, setting the barbell back on its rack with a loud clank.
"You don’t look fine," she replied, walking over to me. "You look like you’re about to keel over."
I wiped the sweat from my brow and forced a grin. "Just getting warmed up."
Emily shook her head. "You’re too stubborn for your own good."
"Stubbornness is what got me this far," I shot back, grabbing a towel and wiping myself down.
She sighed. "And it’s what’s going to put you in an early grave if you’re not careful."
Before I could respond, the door swung open and Marcus "The Mauler" Johnson walked in.
His presence seemed to suck the air out of the room.
"Well, well, if it isn’t Sargent Rogue," he said with a smirk. "Still trying to prove something?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you want, Marcus?"
He shrugged. "Just came by to see how the old man’s holding up."
Emily stepped between us, her eyes darting from me to Marcus. "This isn’t the time for this."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Relax, Emily. I’m just here to talk."
"Talk?" I scoffed. "Since when do you want to talk?"
"Since we both got put out to pasture," he replied, his tone suddenly serious. "We’ve got more in common now than we ever did before."
I stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Talk."
Marcus took a deep breath. "Look, I know we’ve had our differences—"
"That’s putting it mildly," I interrupted.
He ignored me and continued. "But we’re both dealing with the same shit now. The pain, the loss of purpose... It’s eating me alive, Rogue."
I glanced at Emily, who gave me a small nod of encouragement.
"Go on," I said reluctantly.
"I’ve been thinking," Marcus said slowly. "Maybe we can help each other out."
I raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"We start our own wrestling school," he suggested. "Teach the next generation how to do it right. Pass on what we’ve learned."
I blinked in surprise. It wasn’t what I’d expected him to say.
"And why would I want to do that with you?" I asked skeptically.
"Because despite everything, we respect each other," Marcus replied simply. "And because we both need something to keep us going."
I looked at Emily again, her eyes filled with hope and worry.
Maybe Marcus was right.
Maybe this was what I needed.
But before I could say anything else, the gym door burst open again and three masked men stormed in, brandishing weapons.
"Everyone on the ground!" one of them shouted.
Emily screamed as Marcus and I instinctively moved to shield her.
My heart pounded as adrenaline surged through my veins.