The prep room before the arena fight feels different this time. Instead of nervous energy or careful focus, I'm filled with a calm certainty. No more holding back. No more careful deception. Time to show these fuckers what I can really do.

  I stretch my muscles, feeling the enhanced strength flowing through them. The overnight meditation session has left me buzzing with power that feels more natural than ever before. My telekinesis hums just beneath my skin, ready to be unleashed alongside my physical abilities.

  Through the small window in the prep room door, I can see the arena being configured for today's match. The terrain shifts and rises as the automated systems create the battlefield. Tremor is a geokinetic, he manipulates earth and stone. They're giving him plenty to work with, which means they want him to win.

  Perfect. More dramatic when I crush him.

  "Five minutes to combat commencement," announces the facility voice through hidden speakers.

  I roll my shoulders and bounce on my toes, working out the last bits of tension. The combat uniform they've given me fits better than last time, like they've finally bothered to get my measurements right. The black material stretches with my movements, my new designation "KINETIC" emblazoned across the back in stark white letters.

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  In the corner of the room, a small monitor shows the arena filling with spectators. Independent assets, sponsored fighters, facility staff, and of course the aliens themselves in their private observation pods. More viewers than my last fight, the word apparently having spread about the new rules. Ten wins to freedom has everyone paying attention now.

  I spot Desta in the Null observation section, her expression typically neutral among the more animated faces surrounding her. Even from here, I can tell she's analyzing everything, gathering intelligence that could prove valuable in future matches.

  The key today is integration, combining my telekinesis with my physical abilities in ways I've never shown before. Not just lifting things with my mind while my body does something separate, but a true fusion where each amplifies the other. Something I tried when I first got here but quickly abandoned in favor of pure telekinesis.

  Not revealing everything, that would be stupid. But showing enough that no one questions my abilities again. Enough that fighters want to join Team Exodus instead of laughing at the idea.

  "Combatant Kinetic, prepare for entry," the system announces. "Match commences in sixty seconds."

  I take a final deep breath, centering myself completely. This isn't just about beating Tremor. It's about making a statement. It's about recruiting. It's about taking one more step toward freedom.

  The door begins to slide open, bright arena lights spilling into the prep room. Showtime.