Kai, Sven and Nadya were battered and bruised after minutes of constant strikes. The ground was torn up from their chaotic three-way royal rumble, which quickly turned into a brutal 2v1, with Kai taking the worst of it.

It seemed as though, since they knew Kai's healing was unbelievably quick, they felt less of a need to hold back against him.

Not that he minded; it was actually more fun and challenging.

He lay sprawled on the dusty earth, chest heaving, while Nadya and Sven leaned against a tree nearby, just as exhausted but definitely less beaten up.

If they'd used their abilities in the spar, or worse, if Takeshi had decided to join in, Kai knew the damage they dealt to each other and the destruction they caused would be infinitely worse.

'But that's for another time,' he thought with a faint grin.

Meanwhile, Isaac stood a little apart, his fist still tightly clenched.

He had been visibly fired up just watching the fight. His eyes hadn't left them once, his body tense, almost trembling. But Kai caught the subtle shift in Isaac's expression: the quiet frustration, the helplessness.

It was clear what was going through Isaac's mind.

Even with both arms, even with his mutant ability, he wouldn't stand a chance against them. Not in combat. And now, with just one arm...

Kai watched quietly as Isaac turned and walked off, shoulders stiff, clearly wrestling with himself.

"What's up with him?" Nadya asked, flopping down and stretching her arms out wide like a starfish on the cracked ground.

The others just shrugged, still trying to catch their breath.

Kai didn't comment, just lay there, his mind ticking. 'He's selling himself short,' he thought. Isaac had more potential than he realised. Even if it wasn't the most effective in combat, his ability was one Kai certainly wouldn't complain about having.

Meanwhile, Amina, who had been hovering nervously the entire time, scampered over. "I can heal you! If you want, I mean-"

Kai didn't even hesitate this time. "Please," he said, sitting up and offering a battered arm with a grin.

Amina placed her hands over him, her face scrunched in concentration.

Warmth flooded his body, mending the bruises and scrapes within moments. Kai rolled his shoulder, grinning widely as he flexed. He felt nearly as good as new already.

Sven and Nadya came over as well, but the healing wasn't nearly as effective on them. Nadya still winced when she stretched, and Sven kept flexing his wrist with a slight frown.

They were both still mostly fine, but the difference was noticeable.

Kai caught the slight look they exchanged when they glanced at him, the tiniest flicker of envy.

Not that they'd ever admit it aloud.

Still, none of them would ever trade their powers for Kai's freakish blood abilities. Even if his regeneration was borderline monstrous, there were limits to what they wanted to deal with.

And besides, Nadya thought with a snort as she playfully punched Kai's shoulder, "You're a good punchy bag."

Kai just laughed, shaking his head.

"I just went easy on you two."

Nadya grinned, cracking her knuckles again.

"Next time, we'll use our mutant abilities."

"Sure, why not?" They were surprised by how casually Kai accepted, and continued between themselves as Takeshi silently walked over to them. His steps were so light that they barely noticed his presence beside them.

He gave a single, sharp nod - an unspoken gesture of approval that said more than words ever could.

The three of them blinked up at him, still catching their breath.

Takeshi then made a quick series of small, precise hand gestures, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Nadya seemed to be the only one who understood.

"He's saying he's about to begin his daily routine," she translated, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "And he's asking if either of you wants to join."

Kai and Sven shared a look of mutual confusion.

"I'm good," Sven immediately waved it off, leaning back against the tree and looking about as motivated as a cat in the sun.

Aside from fighting, women, and stirring up trouble, Sven didn't seem interested in anything else. He was planning to stick around, partly for fun, partly for Nadya's sake - but that didn't mean he was about to start training like others intended.

Or so he thought.

Because as Nadya glanced at him, a mischievous glint lit her eyes, and Sven had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut.

As for Nadya herself, she could only imagine the kind of crazy routine Takeshi got up to each day. And frankly, she had her own brutal training plans lined up - plans that just so happened to involve dragging a certain unwilling blonde along with her.

Kai, meanwhile, wiped the dust from his trousers and stood up, his blood-red eyes glinting.

"I'll tag along," he said, a faint grin playing on his lips.

Nadya laughed heavily. "You've got no chance."

"Yeah, good luck," Sven chimed in, but before he could sneak away, Nadya grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upright like he weighed nothing.

"In the meantime, this lazy bastard and I will be busy," she announced cheerfully.

Sven sighed, resigned to his fate.

There was no getting away from Nadya once she set her mind to something.

'This is going to be a drag,' he groaned internally, his shoulders slumping.

Meanwhile, Takeshi's face remained a perfect mask of blankness, but somehow, Kai could tell he was amused. Excited, even.

Kai couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension at that.

'Whatever he gets up to,' Kai thought, feeling as though it was an honour to be able to join the swordsman, 'if it can get me even half as strong as he is, it'll be worth it.'

He had no idea how quickly he would come to regret that decision, not that he would ever back down.

But almost immediately, Kai found himself struggling beyond belief, pushed to the brink in ways he hadn't even imagined, as the brutal routine began without warning...

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