Ronan stood at the center of the gym, hands on his hips, surrounded by the fighters who had made it through the qualifiers.
His eyes scanned the group, taking in every face, nervous ones, cocky ones, focused ones.
Some stood tall with chests out. Others kept their heads low, letting their presence speak for itself.
He clapped his hands, loud and sharp. The sound echoed through the gym and drew full silence.
"Alright, listen up."
He gave it a second, just to let the room settle.
"You made it here. That means something. Not just to you, but to the sport. Out of the hundreds that tried to get into this season, you're the ones who got through. Some of you blew people away in your fights. Some of you just gritted it out and found a way to win. Doesn't matter how you did it. You're here now."
He paced slowly as he spoke, never raising his voice too much, but commanding attention with every word.
