SFX League

ss poindexter, ” teased the shorter boy. He disengaged from Vin, only to aggro the student in glasses and jab at his torso instead.

The taller male, unaware hed be so quickly roped into the spat, compelled a soft chuckle. ”N-now, lets be civil, ” he forced.

His suggestion was overruled, and the brown-eyed male ramped up his antics and began employing both hands. Poking the mans chest like an elderly civilian using a keyboard.

Vin and Miyo quickly became bystanders and only observed the bizarre abuse. It reminded him of his younger sister, who was also physically expressive at times.

It didn take long before the boy in blue became fed up. He exhaled, slapped his agitators hand away, then retreated two steps. ”PLEASE- ” he started, but paused to gain his composure. ”Please, just keep your hands to yourself. ”

”Keep your words to yourself, ” remarked the younger student, grinning with triumph. Clearly, the type that liked to push others buttons until they went haywire.

Both were odd characters, but Vin wasn the type to judge anyone on their initial encounter. He, too, was not the best at first impressions.

The entire time, he looked at them and wondered what kind of skating style they had. Thought about What type of ability they used or if they were faster than him on a straight.

With the situation getting nowhere, the displeased crowd began to vacate. It was a bummer to watch them all leave, but Vin wasn discouraged in the slightest. The fact that 30 racers figured out the existence of a race app, then joined within a minute of his races creation demonstrated their earnestness for skating.

Anyhow, Vin swiveled his head to loosen a tangle. Then, he and Miyo began a slow stride toward the auditorium.

They were toward the rear of the retreating gathering but could still see the front students. Because everyone was within 30 yards of the gate, they all heard the blaring horn that rapidly approached from outside the campus.

Bodies stopped and turned, then within seconds, the gate opened, and a black tow truck raced in. The vehicles tires skidded and drifted into a shaky halt that almost launched the man fixed in the bed of the automobile. The driver couldn be seen past the tinted windows, but the tan man in the trunk was scuttled and wobbling in a half-tucked, wrinkled shirt.

”W-Wait! ” he hollered, releasing the handle that supported him, then jumping from the vehicle.

”We have the equipment for your race! ” Even flustered, he maintained a compassionate, though firm, and audible tone.

It seemed too convenient, but the man began quickly unloading equipment boxes while the group returned. At the same time, he hastily explained the circumstances that led to his sudden arrival.

”Sorry for the wait. As soon as the office radioed in, I ran out to grab everything. ”

”Its a blindside on our part for not being prepared for a situation like this, sorry. ”

”We left time after the upcoming assembly for you to reclaim your inspected nanospheres and shop for equipment. But no one expected a race less than an hour before the meet. ”

As the man passed out the boards, he asked for, then recorded the students IDs. He explained the equipment was just rentals, and everyone would be charged the 30 points rental fee. In addition, since nanospheres were collected for inspection, the participants were offered a random sphere from a crate.

To be fair, Vin was banned from using Miyo, his support summon, and would also use a completely unknown ability.

”Chill for now, Miyo; Ill summon you after, ” he whispered. Then Vin held up his own sphere, dematerializing his partner and returning them to their dwelling.

With the equipment passed out, their last-minute savior gifted them with essential caution. ”Be careful not to lose, or break these tools. The board cost 150 points in full, and theres another 500 points for lost spheres. ”

”Furthermore, theres a tardy fee of 50 points if you
e late to the upcoming meeting, ” he added, looking at his phone.

”Looks like the designated course will take 16 minutes on average. The gathering is in 15 minutes, so youll need a perfect run to make it on time, ” closed the man.

Between the entry fee, board rental, and late fee, 480 points could be lost. Vin, being the confident skater he is, didn even consider the possibility of damaging or losing the gear.

Not squandering any more precious time, the racers lined up. Vin needed to initiate the race on his device, and upon doing so, it was approved by an unknown entity. Likely from a control room of some sort.

With the race set, a countdown from 10 was activated. Bright blue holograms displayed over the air and drew arrows over the intended course.

It was a point-to-point race, which meant the route didn matter as long as you arrived at point A before going to point B. Each checkmark was indicated by a sizeable blue ring, like a lion leaping into a flaming hoop.

It was an oval-shaped course that went through a courtyard, around a café, then past a library where they would arrive at the auditorium building for the meeting.

Since the man supervising didn complain, Vin assumed the track he set was permitted. Though, he would have commenced it regardless of legality.

Their starting point was wide enough for the racers to start side by side, but the path would narrow when skating down the schools sidewalks. Fitting at most, four racers horizontally with little room to overtake the person upfront.

Once the timer dropped to 5 seconds, Vin hunched over his board in prep to launch as quickly as possible. Like the race that got him invited there, his plan was to blitz ahead before the chaos ensued. And with his competition being scouted from across the world, it was sure to be a hectic race.

From 3 to 2, then finally 1. A digital firework rocketed up and exploded, signifying the start. Even though Vin could feel the blood in his veins superheating, he held onto his poise. Then, with a sturdy kick off the floor, he was off.