Chapter 11: Participating in the Sport Activity
Ever since the instructor announced that students had to participate in at least one sport activity, Xavier had been worried. He considered paying the instructor to get out of it, but he'd already used up his daily $10,000 limit by transferring it to the hacker.
In the end, Xavier decided to participate in a team sport that wouldn't require much movement. Individual sports were out of the question - they required too much effort. He scanned the options: baseball, volleyball, football - all too physically demanding. But when basketball was announced, Xavier found himself intrigued.
'Maybe I could participate in that', he thought. The instructor had said they just needed to join one activity - performance didn't matter. As long as he pretended to play, he'd be fine.
Two teams of eight were formed - red and yellow. Xavier ended up on the red team, and to his shock, Lucas and Leonardo were on the yellow team.
'If I'd known they were playing, I never would have joined,' Xavier thought, his stomach twisting with anxiety.
The match began, and immediately the yellow team dominated. Lucas and Leonardo moved with predatory grace, their enhanced bodies making them nearly unstoppable. The red team struggled to keep up, their passes intercepted, their shots blocked with ease.
As Xavier watched, he wondered if the yellow team's dominance was due to skill or fear. The other students seemed hesitant to challenge Lucas and Leonardo directly.
The scoreboard glowed with holographic numbers: 21-0 in favor of the yellow team. Xavier stood on the court, barely moving, pretending to be engaged in the game. He made no real effort to catch the ball or score points. All he wanted was for the match to end as quickly as possible.
The ball came his way, bouncing toward him. Xavier froze, his mind racing. 'Should I pick it up? What if I mess up? What if they target me?'