Training

[Now start with some push-ups.] Ram said as he looked at Aditya calmly.

"How many?"

[Just start. I will tell you when it is enough and by the way, you need to wear blindfolds. Close your eyes tight. You shouldn't be able to see anything at all. And listen to everything I say and start imagining it.]

"Alright."

Aditya took his towel and tied his eyes and got into the push-up position.

[Now, you are doing pushups on two bars and way above the ground. One slip and just the impact would kill you, not a single part of your body will be intact.]

"Are you sure, this is going to work?"

[Just imagine, alright. I know your imagination can run wild. Otherwise, you wouldn't be this afraid of some mosquitoes.]

"Alright. Alright."

Aditya started imagining the scenario. He did really have a great imagination. In fact, it is too exaggerated to the point that if something houses itself in his head, it would be hard to let it go. Like Ram said, the very reason he has this much aversion towards the mosquitoes and now that he has seen them in gigantic size, his fear only increased and right now what Ram is doing is to use the fear and train him until what a human body or Aditya's current enhanced body could take.

[Now, there are two mosquitoes chained on either side of you. They are gigantic. Larger than the mosquitoes you have seen until now. Their trunks are eerily close to you and they are trying to reach you. You have to do push-ups to avoid the trunks.

If you stay in one position for more than a second and a half, you would be stabbed with the trunk and all the blood would be sucked out of you.

And if you fall off the bars you are currently on, you would be in a large mud pit full of mosquitoes each in the size of an egg. All of your body would be completely riddled with them.

Now, Start your pushups. The mosquitoes are moving.

The chains are rattling. Go down.

Come back up.

Down.

Up.]

Ram went on and on as Aditya did pushups. The image of those mosquitoes is not really going anywhere, but he is sure that he can manage for a while. The enhanced body is really helping. He didn't feel a thing until he did fifty pushups in a single streak and then he started feeling something.

"How many more?"

[Don't count. Can't you hear it, the chains are rattling? The trunks are barely missing your flesh in that rhythmic manner. If you stop for even a second, you are dead. What the fuck are you counting for in such a situation? Keep doing what you are doing. Move up and down and that is it. Don't think of anything else.

You are on verge of dying here. Try to keep yourself alive.]

Ram yelled and Aditya continued his pushups.

He could feel his arms and chest burning soon. That burning sensation was as if his arms were set on fire.

He couldn't bear it, but he gritted his teeth and continued, but soon he became slower.

[You cannot go slower. You need to be faster. Can't you see it? The Mosquitoes are trying to get you. They are loosening the chains, they are coming for you. They are after you. One hit and you are dead. You don't want that hit to happen, do you? Push it. Push it.]

"I can't. My arms are burning. I cannot bear it anymore."

[You are going to bear it. Or else you are dead. Do you understand, what being dead means? Push yourself. Push yourself.]

Aditya lost count of the pushups. He couldn't even remotely estimate, how many pushups he had done. His arms are shaking every second and soon he couldn't even feel his arms. He is soaked in sweat.

He never knew that a person can become this tired just by doing pushups alone. After who knows how long, he couldn't take it anymore and collapse.

He really felt like he was really falling into that pit rapidly. If not for the short distance between his face and the floor, he would have believed that too.

He hurriedly grabbed his blindfolds to take them off, but he couldn't as his arms felt like two large cement blocks were tied up to them.

He couldn't move them all.

After some insane struggle, he finally managed to take off the blindfolds and started taking deep breaths.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, old man?" He asked as he panted heavily.

[No time to waste now. Take out the potion and drink it in small sips.]

Aditya didn't move, his chest and arms are still hurting and there is even a slight backache.

[Come on, you don't have all day. Move it, otherwise, the gains will be gone.]

Aditya dragged himself to the wall and sat up before leaning against it. He took out that glass bottle with the green liquid inside and started sipping it slowly.

It tasted like water. There is no taste whatsoever. But he felt refreshed, just from one sip, he felt like his whole body became a lot lighter and even his panting reduced a bit.

He could feel the muscles in his arms and chest relieved as if they are being massaged from inside. Other than that, he couldn't describe the feeling in any other way.

He took three more small sips and he could stand up once again and his arms and chest didn't hurt anymore. He felt less exhausted.

He felt normal. He wanted to drink it even more, but suddenly Ram yelled.

[Two more sips and that's it. Get ready for the next exercise.]

"What? I have to do more?"

[Do you want to increase your strength or not?]

"Yes."

[Then do as I say. Take two more sips and start doing squats. I don't have to remind you of what to imagine right? You have to do until your legs give away and you can't even stand.]

Aditya really had half a mind to quit when he heard of this ridiculous training. But he could grit his teeth and do it. If he didn't find any results like he was promised, he would then quit no matter what this old man says.