Chapter 67

“Game, Set, Match.” Peter called out as the ball landed on the court. “Well done. Well done all of you.” Peter clapped as everyone stood, catching their breath.

“You did good.” Ben said, walking over to Dan, sweat dripping off his face. They had definitely stepped up their intensity after Dan had gotten Peter’s racquet, and both sides had put all they had into that match.

“But it wasn’t enough.” Dan said bitterly, unable to move, unable to look Ben in the eyes. They’d won the first set. With his short rest returning his stamina, Dan had been able to finish off his serve, tying up the first set, and they’d taken, 7-5. However, from there, things had begun to take a turn, as everyone seemed to have a fire lit inside of them. Whether it was the fact Peter had let Dan use his racquet, or something else, everyone seemed especially inspired to put everything they had into the next set. As much as Ben and Dan wanted to win, it seemed Ashley and Sophia wanted to win as well.

Okay, maybe more so that Ashley just wanted to vent some of her frustration and anger at Peter in the match, which led to many more ferocious, risky shots from her. Regardless, while they went out half as much as they stayed in, Sophia’s calm and collected playstyle covered for her reckless partner, and the extra force Ashley was unleashing had started to put Dan off balance.

Combine that with the fact his new racquet had a smaller sweet spot for his swings, and a different feel to it, and Dan’s game started to unravel early in the second Set. When he connected, it was great, and with his Skill Assist, he could see the trajectory still, and try and line up a perfect return. However, the racquet had a different weight to it, and with the smaller, ideal contact zone on his racquet, he found himself hitting less ‘Excellent’ styled shots, and more ‘good’, and ‘fair’ level shots. Which meant, longer rallies, which in turn led to more stamina drain.

Because he started to feel like he was the cause of them falling behind in the second set, Dan had resorted to using auto-battle even more, which, in turn, drained his stamina. He got a bit reckless with it, trying his hardest to keep them from losing the second set. As a result though, most of the games in that set went to deuce, and combined with longer rallies, meant his stamina drained much quicker than anticipated.

They lost the Second Set, and from there, Peter declared they would do an 10 point tiebreak for the match.

Dan had never done a doubles tiebreak before, and trying to focus on the differences there, which included strange rotations, as well as serving from the ad side first, and then deuce side, as well as switching sides of the court in strange orders, further put him off his game.

All of that wore on his mind, and as the points were played out, both sides refusing to relent, both sides refusing to go down, he tried to rely even more on his powers. And that, was where it really cost him. The final point of the tiebreak his stamina had hit below 25 percent, and the moment those debuffs were added to him, he’d faltered. He’d missed the ball he’d been running down, just failing to reach it with his racquet, and as such, the ball had gone past him, costing them the point, the tiebreak, and the match.

Frustrated was an understatement for what he felt. His mind raced, replaying everything as he stood there, unmoving, trying to think about what he could have done better, what he could have done, to make them win. Realistically, he knew he wasn’t ready to stand on even footing on the court with the others. They’d been playing for years, and he’d been playing for what, a month and a half? But still, the fact he’d failed, even with the magical tools at his disposal, stung something fierce.

But what hurt the most, was the feeling he’d let Peter down. Peter had lent him one of his own racquets. Something that it seemed was unheard of. Peter had trusted Dan with the racquet, and he felt, somewhere deep within, he’d been giving Dan his approval. And yet, Dan had let him down. Dan had failed him. He’d lost. He’d cost he and Ben the match. It was all his fault.

Self Esteem -3 (60), Mental Health -15 (125/150)

“Are you alright Dan?” Ben was at his side. He vaguely felt the Senior’s hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t glance up. How could he? If he glanced up, he was certain he’d see the pity in Ben’s eyes, and the disappointment he was certain was on Peter’s face. He’d failed him. So instead, Dan stood there, shoulders slumped, sweat leaving dark spots on the clay court, his racquet barely held in numb fingers.

“Dan,” Ben whispered again. “It’s alright.”

Dan took a deep breath as his throat clenched. Easy for Ben to say. He was the second spot on the Varsity team. He had already earned his spot. More importantly, Ben wasn’t Peter’s protégé. Ben didn’t have to live up to Peter’s expectations. Ben, didn’t have to worry about letting Peter down.

“I,” before he could talk, a tennis ball smacked into the racquet in his hand. He just barely managed to keep it from falling out of his fingers, so slow were they to react to his wishes. His arm and back throbbed, and the pain pushed away some of his frustration. Another tennis ball smacked into the racquet, while a third, with much more force, hit him hard enough that he was sure it would leave a mark.

“What the-“ anger flared and he looked up, immediately freezing as he realized it was Peter who’d been launching the balls at him. Of course it had been.

“There’s my buddy.” Peter said, cracking a smile as he tossed a ball up in his hand. “You seemed to have been a bit lost in your mind, so figured I needed to pull you out of it somehow.” He dropped the ball and smashed it towards Dan once more. The ball hit Dan’s racquet, and bounced back towards the senior, who caught it effortlessly, somehow, with his racquet.

“Frustration over a loss is common.” Peter said. “And I could tell, from your face, that you were losing a battle to yourself mentally. Which, was also part of this training.” He smiled, a genuine, kind smile towards Dan. “I told you, the biggest part of this, was to work on your mental game. You, your mind, are always, and will always, be your worst enemy, and your greatest asset.”

Dan stared at him, unable to process the rush of feelings and emotions running through him. He felt Ben’s hand tighten on his shoulder, as Ashley and Sophia came towards them.

“Ashley, for instance, channels her mental state into a more reckless type of play, that can put people off guard, but would completely screw her over if not for Sophia.” Peter silenced Ashley before she could speak. “Sophia, will let her mental state weaken her shots, as she starts to play more cautious. Which, can cause her to lose unnecessary points, and wear herself out.” Sophia nodded at that.

“And Ben. Well, if you get in his head, he will straight up just throw a match. And a racquet or two.” Ben’s hand tightened as the senior winced at that statement.

“But, they are all aware of that fact about themselves, and each and every day, they still step out onto the courts, and work to improve themselves.” Peter, who had been walking slowly towards Dan the entire time, paused short of Dan, his hand reaching down to grab the racquet gently from Dan’s fingers.

“Your growth has been impressive; everyone here acknowledges that. But” Peter’s voice softened, “you need to make sure, first and foremost, you never lose your battle with your mind.” His hand brushed a piece of hair out of Dan’s eyes, before he ruffled the top of Dan’s head with his hand.

“The day will come when you’re unbeatable. Until then, remember, no matter where you are on the court, I’m proud of you. You played great. Take pride in that and keep moving forward.”

Dan didn’t say anything, as he stood there, looking at Peter. All he could think of, in that moment, was how much he needed to make sure the tears that were forming in his eyes didn’t start falling until everyone was gone.

“Right,” Peter said as he looked into Dan’s eyes, seeming to notice Dan’s current struggle. “Everyone head back, and Danny boy and I will follow shortly. I’ll give you all more in depth feedback when I get back.”

Everyone nodded, and Dan was pretty sure they could all tell he was on the verge of tears. Thankfully, no one said anything, other than telling him he played great, and they left the court. Once they were all gone, Peter leaned in closer.

“Don’t keep me waiting too long, yeah? I’ll be waiting for you at the locker room when you’re finished.” And with that, he turned, heading towards his gear, as Dan felt his tears begin to fall, as his emotions overcame him.