Aside from the molten hot lava, screams of agony, and an atmosphere so hot it could cook a steak, Evil World isn’t too far off from Earth in most other aspects of everyday-life. 

There, inhabitants still wake up at unhealthily early hours to clock into soul-crushing workdays, though their jobs are far from typical. Instead of monotonous office jobs, they toil in in torture chambers, battle arenas, and inferno-filled factories. Everything is harsher, deadlier, and held to the highest standard of suffering. At the top of this Hellish hierarchy sit the Demon Lords, eldritch horrors, and molten giants; rulers who serve as the CEOs, politicians, and influencers of this brutal realm 

But in a place where life is pain and pain is life, the need for peak physical and mental strength is greater than anywhere on Earth. Despite the large candidate pool of monstrosities who could maintain this standard, nobody was more fit for the job than one individual: Terror Thunderskull, the personal trainer of Evil World!

With bulging molten muscles on the verge of erupting like a volcano, a stare scared of what he would do to it if it blinked, and a whistle forged from the bones of his enemies, Terror was the enforcer of fitness and fortitude. His trainees either evolved, barely survived, or died from his regimens. “Pain is wimpiness leaving your body!” Was one of his less terrifying slogans, the rest were unprintable. 

Despite the violent conditions that Evil World literally thrived on, the inhabitants finally agreed that Terror’s “unorthodox” training methods were a bit extreme. This realization came after a group of gremlins combusted during what coach Thunderskull simply labeled “Lava Swim Training: Introduction.” This slight training mishap followed a flaming-knife-juggling fiasco and an incident involving head butting boulders all in the same week. 

Another similarity EvilWorld has to earth, is an HR department, and by unanimous vote (plus too many insurance claims), Terror was fired from his job and banished to Earth!

He crash landed onto a Texas high school football field in the middle of practice, sending helmets, tackle bags, Gatorade bottles, and even some players flying in the air. Rising from the impact crater with fire in his eyes and lava dripping from his devilishly sharp chin, Terror belted, “I AM TERROR THUNDERSKULL, PERSONAL TRAINER OF ALL OF EVIL WORLD!!!” 

The head coach, at a loss for words and short of a JV coach at the time, blinked twice before saying, “Well…uhmm Terry Thunder-something, welcome to the Texas High Bullhorns. We were looking for a new JV coach!”

Terror, now known as Terry through this career altering miscommunication, accepted what he misunderstood as some form of an Earth Combat assignment. And so began his unlikely journey.

At first, Terry’s signature “unorthodox” training style was, to no surprise, miserable for the Bullhorn’s JV team. Conditioning drills involved rolling tires up hills of thorn bush. Whistle blows signaled burpees in puddles, regardless of what the puddles were formed from. He made the boys do endless sprints carrying flaming sandbags that no one asked questions about. He believed helmets were “optional  unless you were weak.” After a certain point, the players didn’t know if they were training for football or the end of the world. 

But then something strange happened. The players started to improve tremendously. They got stronger, faster, more conditioned than anyone had ever seen. Terry’s insane work ethic combined with the determination of his high schoolers, began to shape not only the players, but Terry too. Instead of forging weapons, he started to form bonds, which helped him realize that building spirit didn’t require breaking it first. 

By mid-season, the Texas High Bullhorns JV team was not only winning -they were dominating. Their strength was unreal, their stamina inhuman, and their pain tolerance was downright demonic. News spread quickly: “Some crazy guy named Terry turned the Texas High JV team  into a nightmare machine.” But alongside these victories, another truth grew, Terry was starting to care. Not just about the wins, strength of the team, or their discipline, but about the players themselves. Under those brimstone muscles beat the first dim flicker of compassion. Without realizing it, he was becoming more human.

When the state championship arrived, it was raining, thundering, and dark -just what Terry was used to. On the sideline, surrounded by the sounds of cracking helmets and explosions of rain and sweat, he felt something familiar. Thinking back to EvilWorld and its constant meaningless rage, Terry was finally able to see how that life wasn’t his passion. Looking back up at the football field, he saw the players he had spent the season mentoring and coaching giving it their all. His throat tightened, but not from rage. From pride. 

The Bullhorns blew out their opponent 84 - 0 by halftime. When the final whistle blew, and the trophy was placed in his ashen hands, Terry didn’t roar. He raised it toward the sky like a flaming sword and allowed himself his first mortal smile. 

A victory this huge, and change in character this drastic, sent signals across dimensions. 

In Evil World, the Demon Lords took notice. While unfamiliar with the humility and passion Terry developed, they were more focused on how much his training skills had improved. Their former trainer,  banished and disgraced, somehow became a powerhouse on Earth. The lords gathered in excitement, deciding that Teror Thunderskull must return!

Word of their offer -immense power, restored position, a return to hell forged glory- reached Terry through a crackling vortex in the sky above the field, but he stayed silent. 

Terry looked at his players, kids who had gone from gasping under barbells to leaders on and off the field. He thought about the families who’d thanked him shyly for turning their sons from screens into machines. That fire he once spread in Evil World turned to a fire he now felt within his heart - that of purpose, of leadership, of changing others, not breaking them.

For the first time, Terry refused. Evil World, along with “Terror Thunderskull,” was behind him now.

life moved forward for Terry. After two more state titles, Terry saved enough money (with plenty of help from the grateful families and an all-county bake sale organized by the team moms) to open his own gym: “Train Like Hell.”

Inside were lava red mats, Bullhorns memorabilia on display, flaming football helmet murals, and even inspirational quotes like “pain is weakness evaporating!” Terry avoided completely replicating the training environment on EvilWorld, making the gym appear menacing while also remaining encouraging and inspiring. He became a local legend, to the point that his crazy gym attracted the likes of fitness influencers  with  millions of followers. Through gym vlogs of “The Craziest Gym in America,”  and TikTok interviews, Terry’s story became widespread. 

The world was obsessed with this zero to hero tale, new outlets lined up, ESPN called for interviews, people flocked from all over to train with the guy who had turned scrawny teens into college level athletes and declined a promotion in literal Hell to coach football in Texas.

Soon, Terry was recruited to be a college football coach. Then an NFL conditioning coach. Throughout this process, “Train like Hell” was franchised world wide, even outshining the likes of Lakeshore Fitness, one of the grittiest gyms that exists. In the face of all this new fame, Terry still remembered where he started. He still wore the bullhorn red whistle. Still pushed every athlete -just without as much fire. Terry was proof that fire could destroy or illuminate, and he chose the latter. 

In the end, Terror Thunderskull had not just conquered Evil World or a state football league. He had conquered himself. And that, he decided, was the greatest win of all!