The dorm room faded like smoke clearing from his vision. Javier blinked and found himself standing in a boxing ring under soft white lights. Canvas pressed solid beneath his feet. Tiny specks of rosin floated in the glow.

Training gloves wrapped snug around his hands. The air felt cool and dry, nothing like the heavy atmosphere of Marcus Garvey he had just left behind.

[BOX]: Welcome to Sparta World v1.0, Javier.

Text came with the voice, which still felt surreal after years of silent notifications.

Sparta World v1.0 — Features

Purpose: High-fidelity practice linked to Analysis

Time handling: Real time outside; your body stays still

Safety: Pain limited; no full injuries here

Stamina: Simulated; poor form tires you

Progress: Execution improves; Stats do not increase

Profiles: Fidelity rises with fresh observation and decays without refresh

Controls: Go • Pause • Rewind 10s • Reset • Exit

[BOX]: I will explain the basic functionality, then you can begin training.

Javier bounced on his toes and tested the floor. Everything felt convincingly real. "What happens if Carlos tries to wake me up?"

[BOX]: External physical contact will force an immediate exit. That session data will not be saved for progress tracking.

He touched his gloves together; leather popped in the quiet. "How long can I stay in here safely?"

[BOX]: Sessions should not exceed ninety minutes. Your physical body requires hydration and movement for optimal health.

"And no stat points are awarded here?"

[BOX]: Correct. This environment improves execution and tactical understanding only. No artificial statistical enhancement occurs.

Fresh text populated his view.

[BOX]: For Rico Gonzalez, your priority development areas are body denial, pivot timing, counter-right execution, and last-touch jab placement.

Javier's chest tightened at the name. Even in this artificial world, Rico's presence felt heavy with unspoken history.

[BOX]: Profile fidelity is currently 12% based on limited observation data. Expect lower accuracy than live analysis would provide.

"Why only twelve percent? I watched his whole fight."

[BOX]: Sparta World reconstruction requires data interpolation. Live observation captures actual movement patterns. Virtual simulation fills gaps with approximations based on available data.

CALIBRATION

Glove weight: set

Ring size: set

Timer: two minutes

Opponent modeling: active

[BOX]: Calibration complete. Preparing opponent model.

Opponent Model

RICO GONZALEZ v0.12

Fidelity: 12% Divergence: Low

Source: Gonzalez vs Richard, Round One segment

Duration: 00:40

[BOX]: This scenario recreates a portion of Rico's pressure fighting against James Richard. You will face his documented patterns and adaptations.

A referee formed at center ring and raised his palm toward both corners. "Fighters ready?"

Rico stepped from the blue corner. Same sharp features. Same focused eyes that had once planned heists while Javier drove the car. This version felt hollow, like a movie frame given life.

Javier moved to center and raised his gloves.

"Box!"

The bell rang clean and clear.

Rico opened with his signature approach. He stepped behind a loose jab feint, testing reactions. His feet stayed precise, weight balanced for quick change.

Javier sent a probing jab. Rico slipped with minimal head movement and wasted nothing.

Then the pressure began.

Rico jabbed high toward Javier's head, drawing the guard upward. As the hands rose, he shifted weight and drove a straight right toward the open body.

Javier read it but dropped his elbow late. The punch landed on his ribs with a firm thump. Pain registered as a muted lesson, not a wound.

Rico advanced at once. He cut the ring with a calculated half-step, angling to close lanes—tactical thinking he had once used for robberies.

Rico jabbed high again, selling the same shape. This time Javier kept his elbow pinned, body safe. Rico adapted instantly and turned the feint into a real jab that snapped Javier's head back.

Javier tried to pivot but moved too slowly. Rico was already there, crowding space with professional pressure. Another body shot slipped between the arms.

They clinched briefly. Javier expected a referee break, but this abbreviated scenario ran different rules. Rico shoved him off and fired a short right that rattled the guard.

The segment ended with Rico landing a clean jab on the centerline as Javier drifted toward the ropes.

The referee called time.

EXECUTION REPORT

Body denial: 28%

Pivot timing: 31%

Counter right: 22%

Last-touch jab: 11%

Notes: Elbow positioning too high on body defense. Footwork initiation delayed. Exit-jab placement needed for judge visibility.

Heat crept up Javier's neck. He looked completely outclassed. "Run it again."

[BOX]: Resetting scenario to starting positions.

The ring reset. Rico stood where he had stood before, wearing the same calm focus. The system's perfect reproduction made it more frustrating.

"Box!"

This time Javier anticipated the high-jab, body-shot pattern. When Rico jabbed up, Javier kept his right elbow pinned to the ribs. The body shot thudded into guard instead of scoring clean.

Rico adapted without hesitation. Instead of forcing the body, he doubled the jab upstairs. Two quick pops caught Javier on the head while his guard stayed low and tight.

Rico cut the ring with that angled half-step. Javier tried to pivot clear and turned straight into the path. Rico met him with a straight right that split the guard.

The punch caught him flush on the forehead. Stars prickled behind his eyes despite the muted pain.

Rico pressed the edge and closed range where his compact style worked best. A tight uppercut grazed the chin; a left hook found the ribs.

Javier clinched and wrapped his arms to stop the sequence. The virtual referee did not intervene.

Rico pushed him off and resumed at once. Jab to disrupt, cross to the body, hook upstairs. The set landed clean as Javier's defense unraveled.

Time was called with Rico in control.

EXECUTION REPORT

Body denial: 33%

Pivot timing: 29%

Counter right: 19%

Last-touch jab: 18%

Notes: Lane denial improved but pivot direction incorrect. Right-hand collection needed before exit. Referee-break dependency noted.

Javier's breathing grew heavier. The exertion felt real enough. "Again."

Vicente appeared at ringside, his form steady under the lights. "Slow your thinking. You are reacting instead of responding."

"I am thinking," Javier said through his mouthguard.

"No. You are fighting angry. Rico plans three moves ahead. Disrupt his rhythm; do not feed his setup."

[BOX]: Resetting scenario. Third attempt commencing.

Rico appeared once more, same stance, same expression. The mechanical precision felt like a taunt.

"Box!"

Javier tried to apply Vicente's advice. When Rico jabbed high, he slipped outside instead of simply covering. His timing was off. He slipped straight into the cross.

The punch caught him clean on the jaw and snapped his head sideways. Real stars flared across his vision.

Sensing weakness, Rico increased the pressure. He cut off the angle before Javier could escape and sank a left hook to the ribs that dipped Javier's legs.

Frustration flashed through Javier's chest. He threw a wild overhand right and missed by a wide margin. Rico stepped inside the arc and drove a perfect liver shot that folded him.

Virtual lightning shot through his side. His legs went soft and he grabbed at Rico's shoulders.

Rico pushed him off and finished with a tight uppercut that caught him rising. The scenario ended with Javier hurt and adrift.

EXECUTION REPORT

Body denial: 25%

Pivot timing: 24%

Counter right: 14%

Last-touch jab: 9%

Signature Move Seed: Ledge Step Right 0%

Warning: Execution degrades under emotional stress. Rest recommended.

"This is bullshit!" His voice echoed around the empty virtual ring. His gloves trembled with rage. Every run made him look worse.

Vicente stepped in to the apron. "Anger will not solve this. Rico's style counters everything you are trying."

"Then tell me what to do."

"I am trying, but you are not listening. You are fighting like your old self, not the boxer you have become."

Javier clenched his fists. "Exit Sparta."

[BOX]: Confirming exit request. Session data has been saved.

CONFIRM

Exit. Report saved.

The ring fell into darkness. Marcus Garvey's familiar sounds returned. His bunk pressed against his shoulders. Carlos's gentle snoring filled the room.

Vicente stood at the foot of the bed with his hands clasped behind his back. Disappointment mixed with understanding on his face.

"How did it feel?" Vicente asked softly.

"Fuck the System!" The words burst out too loud.

A voice drifted from the next room. "Who's shouting? People are trying to sleep."

Another voice carried down the hall. "Keep it down in there."

Carlos rolled over and squinted through the dark. "You alright, man? You were making weird noises."

Javier scrubbed his face and felt sweat that should not exist. "Just a bad dream."

Carlos pushed up on one elbow, more awake now. "You sure? You've been talking in your sleep a lot lately. Something about fighting and systems."

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

Carlos studied him for a second, then settled. "Maybe lay off the boxing videos before bed. Seems like it's messing with your head."

Minutes later, Carlos was snoring again. The room fell quiet except for the building's distant ventilation hum.

"Rico fights the way he used to plan jobs," Javier whispered. "Always three steps ahead. Always controlling."

Vicente nodded slowly. "That is why you cannot fight him like everyone else. He will be ready for obvious attacks."

"So how do I beat him?"

"By being unpredictable. By fighting with heart as well as technique." Vicente's outline flickered. "The system teaches patterns. Breaking them comes from here." He tapped his chest. "And from remembering why you fight."

Javier rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Two days until he faced the real Rico. Two days to solve what had just dismantled him piece by piece.

Sleep felt like the only escape from that weight.