Chapter 42

“That’s game.” Samantha was breathless as she said those words, and it was all Dan could do to acknowledge it. His breathing hurt. Every part of him hurt. In that mini game, he’d burned through so much of his stamina. Minor Skill Assist, it seemed, caused his stamina to deplete quicker. Something he’d not really noticed before, given he only used it when his stamina was full. Now though, with his Stamina at 25 percent, he was feeling it.

“I,” Dan gasped. He’d lost. But it had been close damn it. He did his best to steady his breathing, trying to stand up, just to lean back over, his hands on his thighs, as he gasped for air. This was definitely the most he’d strained himself since he’d gotten his powers. He’d thought Peter had put him through his paces, but Samantha had really made him see what he was made of. “Good Game.” Dan said, only the slightest tinge of bitterness in his voice. It hurt, that defeat. This was supposed to be his sport. With these powers, he’d thought he could come out on top. And yet, Samantha had still pulled ahead, beating him 5 to 3. It would have been 5 to 4, but Dan’s last shot had missed, as he’d been hit with a stamina penalty when it dropped to 25 percent. A hefty, painful penalty which secured the win for Samantha.

He heard the coach walk over to him, but he couldn’t even look up at her. He’d been so prideful, so arrogant, and yet, he’d lost. He was disappointed himself. He was embarrassed.

“You did good Dan.” The coach whispered, a soft hand on his back. This close, Dan could tell she was actually breathing rather hard as well. “No freshman has managed to get more than a point on me, before you. Even the varsity players struggle to get 3.” She leaned closer, “I wonder what you’d be like if you weren’t so tired.”

Dan looked at her as his breath continued to come in shaggy, struggled bits. He tried his best to form a smile, imagining how Peter would act in this moment. “How about we try next time, when you don’t have the advantage of being rested while I’m worn out?” He stood straight up, looking her in the eyes. “Maybe then I’d prove to you just how good I am.”

The faintest amused smile reached her face, as her eyes sparkled. “Maybe I’ll have to take you up on that offer.” Then, her grin widened, but it was a different, more sadistic look than the other one. The first one…had been, Dan wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it was night and day compared to this new look. “But for now, you’ve got an hour with me, after practice. So first we have to see if you’re even going to show up to practice tomorrow once I’m done with you.” She chuckled. “More than a few players have quit after a one on one with me.”

Dan swallowed hard. That had been the terms of their little bet. But with how low his stamina was, he was sincerely worried. He was in dangerous territory. What would happen if he ran out of stamina? Would he black out? Was he going to have the energy to get home? After all…he normally jogged home. Dan, was not looking forward to his one-on-one time with Samantha. Especially since there was still a scrimmage to be had with the other players, before then.

“Go grab some water.” Samantha said to Dan. He realized she’d been saying something else to him, but he’d not been listening, as his dread had been flowing over him. “We’ve got another 10 minutes for this drill, and then we’ll be starting our scrimmage. Grab some water, and take a breather, you’ve earned it.” She looked at the other players. “As for the rest of you, are you guys going to let this newcomer show you all up? I expect you all to push yourselves like he has. Otherwise, I’m going to wonder if I’ve been treating you all too kindly over the past few weeks.”

There was a sudden shift in the mood around the players. For one, their animosity seemed to instantly increase towards Dan, even as he could tell they seemed to finally recognize his skill, and at the same time, they seemed to intensify their output. The players in the drill were moving faster, pushing themselves more, and those running laps, were actually running now, not just half assed jogging them.

Dan did a crude mixture between a jog and a shuffled walk to where his water was, feeling the weight in his legs with each step. He was definitely exhausted, that much was certain. Yet, as he grabbed his water, feeling the refreshing drink rush into his throat, cooling his insides, he couldn’t help but grin. Samantha, had just given him exactly what he needed, to survive the day. As he downed his water, he fished out a snack from his bag and quickly devoured it as well. Ten minutes, combined with a small snack and some water, was enough to activate the ‘short rest’ that came with his powers. Meaning in that measly 10 minutes, he regained more stamina than should have been humanly possible. In that short, 10-minute break, Dan went from being at 25% stamina, to back over 50%, instantly stripping from him the debuffs that had been dragging him down.

As a result, by the time Samantha blew her whistle, which she’d recovered from a dismayed Trevor, Dan was ready to go again. Sure, he wasn’t at full, but it was enough. Enough to get out there and have fun playing in the scrimmage, which had been his original goal. And also enough that, no matter what Samantha made him do, he was certain he would be able to get home without too much problem. And that, was really all he needed, because once home, he could rest. Which was all he really wanted to do, because then, magically, all his exhaustion would wash away as his stamina fully refreshed, and even better, he would get the gains of this day’s activity. Dan was pretty positive, his stamina was going to go up at least a point, if not two, and possibly his constitution as well. Which would make all of this even more worth it.

Dan grinned as he jogged back onto the field as the rest of the team circled up around Samantha. She selected two players to serve as captains, and quickly, the teams began to be decided. With 25 players, there was an odd number, meaning one team would have 12 players, while the other would have 13. Normally a team consisted of 11 players total on the field, but for the scrimmage, both sides were going to have their full allotment of players. And as Samantha explained it, she would be stepping in, to play on whichever team had the deficit. Which, made Dan even more excited as the players began selecting their teams. He may get another chance to play against the coach, before his torture session with him. Though, as more and more players were picked, he figured two things out.

One, he needed to pace himself in this scrimmage. Two, he needed to keep himself in check against Samantha. If he let her get in his head, he was going to burn himself out again, or get himself into additional torture. And three…as more and more players were picked…he decided he really didn’t like being picked later on in the group. Hadn’t he shown them already how good he was? Shouldn’t he have been picked sooner? Like, first wasn’t expected, but they were down to 5 players left, and he still hadn’t been picked. So as he waited to be called, he made one last resolution. He was going to do all he could to work with the team that did pick him, to win. Which of course, meant all his other precautions, were thrown out the window.