THE TRAINING GROUND
Ryder stood beneath the flickering light of an old rooftop gym—dusty mats, broken mirrors, and the ghosts of every fight he ever survived.
He punched the bag until his knuckles bled. He wasn't training to win.He was sharpening pain into a weapon.
"You taught Razor everything," he muttered to himself. "Now it's time to teach him fear."
But deep inside, Ryder knew—it wasn't just Razor.
Krypton had orchestrated it all. The betrayal. The match. The hit on Tommy.
They'd declared war.
Now it was time to answer.
🔥 UNDERGROUND MEET
That night, Ryder returned to the underground. Word of his comeback had already spread like wildfire.
Crowds parted as he entered. Fighters stared in silence. Whispers chased him:
"The Hurricane's back.""Razor's dead meat.""He's not here to fight. He's here to end it."
Inside the ring stood a monster of muscle — "Grudge," one of Razor's new top dogs. Krypton's pet.
"Heard you came to die, old man," Grudge growled.
Ryder cracked his neck. "Nah. Just here to warm up."
🩸 CAGE MATCH: RYDER VS. GRUDGE
The bell rang — BOOM.
Grudge swung first — a hammering right hook.
Ryder ducked.
CRACK. Elbow to the ribs.WHAM. Sweep kick.Grudge staggered.
But Grudge was a tank. He charged Ryder into the cage wall, slamming him repeatedly.
Ryder spat blood.
Then smiled.
"You hit like a puppy."
He spun out, leapt off the cage wall, and dropkicked Grudge into the floorboards.
Ryder mounted him. Fists flew. Blood splattered.
Grudge didn't get up.
The crowd erupted.
Ryder stood tall — panting, sweating, alive.
But as he left the ring, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Cute fight, Ryder.""Let's see how you handle me."
Razor.
😈 ENEMY FACE-TO-FACE
Razor stood at the top of the stairs. Cold. Confident. Wearing a black leather jacket over muscle. He clapped slowly.
"You've still got it, old man," he smirked."But this ain't the same game anymore."
Ryder growled, "You turned your back on the code."
Razor grinned. "No. I rewrote it."
Suddenly, the lights cut out.
Gasps. Screams.
Spotlights burst on — and Krypton appeared on the balcony, arms outstretched.
"Welcome to the new age!" he shouted."Ryder returns, Razor reigns, and the Vendetta Circuit… goes global!"
A giant screen lit up behind him showing brackets — The Death Tournament.
Ryder's name flashed beside Razor's.
Round 1: Ryder vs. PyroRound 2: Ryder vs. BrickFinal: ??? vs. Razor
"You want revenge, Ryder?" Krypton said. "Earn it."
"Win… or die trying."
🐉 BACK AT THE DEN
Ryder returned to his garage. Bloodied. Bruised. Eyes burning.
He dropped into a chair and looked at Tommy, still recovering on the cot.
Tommy winced, "You fought?"
Ryder nodded. "Grudge. Down."
Tommy tried to sit up. "You'll need help."
Ryder looked at the photo on the wall—him, Razor, and Tommy years ago. A family once.
"Not this time," Ryder said."This time… I finish what I should've ended long ago."
🎯 FINAL SCENE — A GHOST RETURNS
In a hidden dojo, an old man meditated in silence. His left hand trembled. His eyes were blind—but his ears had heard the whispers.
A student approached.
"Master Kael… Ryder is back."
The old man smiled.
"Then the storm truly returns."
END OF CHAPTER 2💥 Next up: Chapter 3 — Trial by FireRyder steps into the tournament, faces fire-wielding killers, and discovers Razor has a secret weapon trained just to destroy him.