Chapter 3: Progress and Some Plans.

 It's been a few weeks now of going to the boxing gym and Zoey was surprised at the progress she's made. While she was staring at the mirror admiring her body, it was like looking at a completely different person! She had abs now instead of flab! When she flexed her arms, there was real muscle there and not just a mess of squishy flesh! Zoey also learned a few more skills in the boxing gym during her time there.

  Slipping, Blocking, Parry, and Focus. Zack said soon she'll be able to learn how to perform counters too with her talent. The head coach even lamented about how sad he was that she was born a girl. If she was a boy, he'd make her his star pupil on the spot! This was after seeing her being able to spar against some of the newest guys in the gym even though she was a girl.

"It's all thanks to you, you sexy little box you..." Zoey teasingly rubbed her status box.

[Status]

[Name: Zoey]

[Sex: Female]

[Body: 1]

[Mental: 0.6]

[Magic: 0.0]

[Skills: 6]

[Punching Lv5]

[Footwork Lv5]

[Slipping Lv6]

[Blocking Lv4]

[Parry Lv5]

[Focus Lv1]

  At school, Zoey managed to find out who the magicians were at her school from the sound of their voices. It was the school council president and his vice president. Luckily for her, it looks like they didn't have any way of finding her with magic. Or they were just acting as if they didn't know it was her, hoping to have her lower her guard and get her when she was alone. Zoey still didn't feel confident enough in her boxing skills to be able to deal with the two yet.

  She was making good progress with Zack at the gym but there was a feeling within her chest saying that she could do more. It was a stuffy feeling that made her annoyed and bothered. A challenge was what she was looking for. Something to test her skills to the fullest. Lately, her skills were barely making any progress in levels. Zoey figured that they must only increase when used in real situations. That was probably why most of them were stagnating around level 5. The only skill higher than level 5 was Slipping at level 6.

"We're reporting an increase in supposed gang activity in the local area. The police chief promised to deal with any troublemakers and advised that members of the public should remain calm." The news lady announced.

"Trust in your local police officers. We're here to protect the people. Feel free to call us and inform us about any gang activity in your area." The news station clipped to a video of the police chief.

"Mom, did you throw away my mask for Halloween?" Zoey asked with a strange look in her eyes.

"No, I put it at the top of the closet near the stairs. Why are you asking?"

"Just wondering... Hey Mom, I'm going to go outside. I'll probably be back before its dark." Zoey got up and headed to the closet.

"Where are you going?"

"Just taking a jog around the neighborhood. I'll probably go see a movie or something while I'm out too." She couldn't honestly tell her what she was about to do, her mom would stop her at all costs.

"You're taking a jog looking like that...?"

"What's wrong with it?"

  Most of Zoey's skin was covered by her outfit. A large hoodie that obviously didn't fit a girl of her size and black yoga pants that tightly stretched around her lower body. This wasn't too strange on its own but the fact that she was wearing blue boxing gloves on her hands along with a scary clown mask. It looked like she was headed to the freak show or something!

"Be honest. Where the hell are you going?" Her mom wasn't as easy as her dad.

"If I told you I was going out to fight gangsters, would you believe me?" She smiled.

"Listen, if you're going to lie to me at least don't make it so obvious. So, where are you really going?" She asked again.

  Zoey sighed and turned right around, throwing the mask back in the closet and tying the boxing gloves on her waist. She reappeared back in front of her mom, looking less like a crazy person and more like a girl who is about to exercise.

"Is this fine?"

"Why can't you answer a simple question? I didn't say go and change. I asked you where are you going?" She really wasn't making this easy on her.

"You ask too many questions!" Zoey dropped her plans for today. She returned to her room without answering her mom.

  After school tomorrow, she'll start cleaning up her neighborhood. Her mom works during the day so, she won't be able to question or stop her from doing this community service. Zoey already knew in her heart why she was planning to do this very dangerous activity. She wanted to see the numbers in her status go up higher. She liked the feeling of punching things and fighting. She liked seeing herself improve at a visible pace.

  Zoey never fought a day in her life before her first sparring lesson in the boxing gym. The hardest thing was keeping her eyes open as a fist came straight towards her face. After that was getting over the feeling of wanting to run away after being punched in the face. Then came the pleasure. Sparring did wonders for her skills. It did so much for her that any negative feelings associated with sparring were erased and replaced once she was able to actually start fighting back.

  Now she wanted that feeling of danger, unease, and confusion back. There was also another feeling of wanting to completely let loose for once. Zoey held back in every single spar she's participated in so far. She restrained the shaking feeling in her fists that just wanted to run wild inside the ring. None of the guys in the gym seemed to really want to fight against her seriously because she was a girl. Zoey knew that the gangsters on the street wouldn't hold back at all against her. Plus, there would be value in learning how to fight on the street that she wouldn't get by fighting in the ring.

  At its core, Boxing is a sport through and through. It was meant purely for the ring and nowhere else. That was why mainly the fist in used in boxing. There was no fighting style in the world that could be great just by using the fists. Zoey planned to advance boxing as a fighting style that can be used in any situation. On the ground, in the air, against multiple opponents, against deadly weapons, and especially against magic.

  Of course, this was far into the future. Zoey had yet to master the basics yet. How could she think about making any changes when she's yet to do even that? If there was one thing that Zoey knew, it was that you couldn't run before you walked. And don't even think about walking if you haven't started crawling.

  So, for her run tomorrow, she'll just stick with the basics. If everything goes to plan, she won't get stabbed, raped, or beaten half to death! The safest and smartest choice for her would be to continue her training at the gym but this path wouldn't help her improve. The status box needed her to be challenged and placed in new situations for her skills to level and stats to rise. The realism hasn't quite set in for her about the insane shit she plans to do. No doubt tomorrow will fix that for her. Maybe it isn't too much to say that it might make or break her when she encounters her first gangsters.

"I could probably take on an amateur male boxer and win right about now..." She figured from what she saw of the amateur boxers at her gym.

"So, taking on a couple of untrained thugs shouldn't be too hard in comparison, right?" It sounded easier in her head but saying it out loud makes it kind of scarier.

  Zoey couldn't help the excitement sparking in her heart along with that fear. She wasn't exaggerating earlier when she said she liked punching things. Fighting felt good despite the pain and anxiety going through her nerves.

"I would definitely be a dom if I get excited thinking about hurting people." She laughed.

"What's a dom?" Everette suddenly popped up in her room, scaring her to the edge of her bed.

"What are you doing in my room!?"

"I wanted to borrow your punching thing for my channel."

"You have a channel?" Was he planning on becoming a streamer or something?

"Yea! Every time I get killed in Dead Man's Battlegrounds, I'll punch it until the respawn timer is done."

"Next time knock on my door and wait for me to give you permission to come in."

"Why?"

"It's rude to barge into someone's room unannounced."

"Oh. But mom does it."

"Mom doesn't know what manners are."

"So, can I borrow your punching thing?"

"Take it."

"Can you help me bring it into my room? It's too heavy to move it by myself."

"Alright."

  Zoey helped Everette and went back to her room. She didn't know he wanted to be a famous streamer in the future. Fuck, she didn't even know what she wanted to be when she grew up! Maybe if this boxing thing works out, she could become a famous woman boxer or something. There has to be a thing like that right? It's 2020, there's no way there isn't like an official female boxing organization. Hopefully, she'll be able to get rich too.