Rise to the Arena

Silence. Then, a spark. My plastic joints unlocked with a crisp snap. I lay flat across soft, ribbed white fleece, staring up into the vast open room. That will not do. A champion does not stay down. I planted both fists into the dense fabric, tightening my core, and pressed upward with steady force. The plush ridges yielded beneath my knuckles. I levered my torso up, feeling the pull of gravity and answering it with pure grit. I am alive, solid, and standing by my own command.