Infinity Legends

Chapter 9: The Wise Old Man

The splashes of water and the training whistles echoed through the halls of the University’s Water Sports Complex as Sarah walked through its humid corridors, observing the various trophy cases lined up the walls. She had never even been to the Water Sports Complex before. Not much to do in there unless she had a personal item to return to one of the athletes.

Emma had been pissed when she realized she had lost Luca’s notebook, but Sarah never worried about being found out. Emma had immediately tossed blamed ‘those pickpocketing hobos from downtown’, by which she meant anyone wearing less than a Gucci bag.

Standing by the shadow of a pillar on top of the grandstand surrounding the pool, Sarah tried and failed to identify Luca Ford among the group in the water. She only knew the guy from pictures, and the fact everyone was wearing caps and goggles did not make the task any easier.

Other than the swimmers, there were only two people there: the coach, an old man wearing a beach cap, more muscular than any of his own athletes, and a lonely boy sitting halfway down the grandstand with his back to her. 

She watched and waited as the coach yelled and ordered people around. Go faster, stronger! Sarah was feeling tired just from watching. Eventually, she would look down to the lonely stranger at the grandstand and muse about how unaffected he seemed by the enraged barks echoing through the complex. The boy just sat there, a book on his lap, reading as if he was in the world’s most silent library.

After about fifteen minutes, the coach congratulated his team on a good practice. Quite unexpected, given the insults he had so liberally flung around minutes prior. The swimmers left the pool, some rushing to the locker rooms, others just floating on the water to regain their strengths. Once they ripped out their goggles and caps, Sarah finally identified Luca, much thanks to his cascading blonde hair.

But instead of leaving, Luca walked straight to the coach, then turned her way, pointing.

Sarah hurried further back into the shadows and behind the pillar, but soon realized it was not her Luca was pointing at. He was pointing at the lonely reader.

***

“Barry, come’ere!” Luca waved his roommate towards the bottom of the grandstand. A blue net separated the seats from the pool.

“So, you’re Luca’s roommate,” the coach studied Barry from behind glasses that looked too small on his muscular face. How could someone be muscular even in their face?! “He tells me you’re a talented athlete wasting your potential. That’s sad to see.”

Barry had come closer to the web himself, but had felt a bit intimidated by the small, shiny inquisitive eyes of that monster of a man in a tight polo shirt.

“A-athlete?” Barry pondered. “I-I’m not sure about that.”

“Sure you are!” the coach said. Luca was just a step behind him, smiling satisfied. “I know a champion when I see one. Sure, you’re a bit out of shape, little soft around the edges, but you carry yourself like a sportsman. Determined to win, your posture is straight and effective, ready to react, your eyes are clever, quick, you have the mind of a winner. I think you just lost your edge, and I’m gonna help you find it back.”

“I don’t think you understand, sir…” Barry firmed his voice.

“Then help me understand, son. Where’d I go wrong?”

“I… did use to be a champion, but… it’s esports.”

“Esports?” the coach frowned, his eyebrow muscles probably denser than any of Barry’s. “The hell is that?”

“It’s videogames, chief!” Luca said.

“Ahh…” the coach folded his gigantic hairy arms over his chest and took a step back to study Barry as if he had turned into an alien. “Videogames… I see what’s going on now…”

“Y-you do, sir?” Barry raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I’ve seen it before,” the coach nodded. “You gotta stop that asap, son! Videogames will ruin your life!”

Barry gagged on whatever reply he had expected to give. He also found a little enjoyment in seeing Luca’s face turn to the human equivalent of a confused potato.

“Listen, son,” the coach continued, “I don’t know what your talent is. Maybe it’s sports, maybe it’s something else… math, literature, music… whatever! But videogames will kill that talent if you let them!”

“Chief, I don’t think…” Luca started, but swallowed his words once the coach’s massive arms pulled him into a side-hug, the man’s huge hands patting his shoulder.

“You think Luca here plays videogames?” the coach asked. “No! That’s why he’s our top swimmer! His head is in the real world 24/7! Videogames will make you feel special in someone else’s skin, but none of that matters. Sports matter! Study matters! Arts… eh, I find them a bit p***y-ish, but they matter too! You know what all those things have in common?”

“They’re real?” Barry asked awkwardly.

“Damn right they’re real!” the coach nodded, his tone rising to sound like a general leading his troops into battle. “I’ve seen a lot of people who have the heart of a winner and wits worth a Nobel Prize waste it all in make-believe games. You want to be great? You want people to know your name? You want to be the hero of your own story? You live your life! Not someone else’s! Am I clear?”

“Yes, chief!” Barry answered in a scream, not even realizing it.

“Good! Now whatever it is you were born to do, you go and do it! Not tomorrow: Today! And never look at your videogames again,” the coach ran his arms through the net and squeezed Barry’s shoulders. “I can see you have a bright future, and I want to help you reach it. If you ever need anything, just stop by and say the word. And Luca here will help you however he can, won’t you, Luca.”

“I sure tried to…” Luca muttered.

“What?”

“Yes, chief!” Luca yelled in perfect military posture.

“That’s better!” the coach patted Luca’s shoulder again and led him away from a very confused and awestruck Barry.

***

Barry was frozen in time and space, his book hanging limp by his hand as he watched Luca and his coach leave talking about backstroke techniques. He had insisted to Luca that his mind was set, but he had come secretly hoping for a lifechanging soul-searching experience. Maybe that qualified?

He had sure been given a lot to think about.

“For what it’s worth, I think he’s a dumbass,” a voice spoke from behind Barry after the coach left. A female voice.

Barry turned around mildly scared. As color returned to his cheeks, he studied the girl who had just materialized behind him. She wore a grey hoodie. Her brown hair rained out of the hood and across her torso as she lazily rested her tanned cheek on a fist supported by her knees.

“You, what, who…” Barry shook his head. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Sarah,” the girl offered her hand, and the gesture moved her jacket just enough that Barry could see the shiny pin attached to her blouse.

“You’re Kappa Kappa Delta…” Barry squinted and slowly reached for her hand, warry that touching a sorority girl could cause him to combust.

“I am,” Sarah said with a smile.

“And you’re talking to me?”

“It’s your word against mine on that,” she winked at him, secretly taking pleasure on how it made him blush. “But seriously, don’t listen to that guy. You should keep playing Fantasy Stars.”

Barry squinted. The name of the game had never been mentioned to the coach, let alone to her.

“How do you know I play Fantasy Stars?”

“You’re Barry Watson, aren’t you?”

“Again,” Barry took a step away from the stranger, “how do you know that?”

“Just connecting dots,” she said, then started counting on her finger. “First, your name’s Barry, I saw Luca say it. Second, I know you were a big champion of something, assuming esports, because I’m not an old fart out of touch with reality. And third…”

The girl pulled a familiar leather notebook from her back pocket.

“I know your roomie plays it… But he doesn’t have the calligraphy or the knowledge to have written this himself,” she showed Barry his own Bluehorn notes. “You did write this, didn’t you?”

Barry chewed on his cheeks for a brief moment, computing, reasoning, hypothesizing, conjecturing. He had no issues with another person learning about his past, he was just curious as to how someone could have known that much. Unless…

“You play it too!” he whispered.

Sarah grinned. “Again, your word against mine.”

“That notebook…” Barry pointed, words still hard to come by after the revelation.

“Yeah, I’m returning it,” Sarah tossed it up, and Barry hurried to grab it before it fell on a nearby pond. “People shouldn't be ashamed of their hobbies.”

Barry stared deep into her eyes, trying to process what exactly was happening. That had been the most contact with a woman he had had since he last talked to Dana. What was she playing at? How did she have Luca’s journal? Why was she being so nice?

“Well,” she pushed herself up and got ready to leave. “I did what I came to do. I trust you’ll return that to Luca?”

Barry nodded, and after a tight smile Sarah started walking away.

“Wait!” Barry screamed, his voice echoing across the empty swimming complex.

Sarah stopped and turned around.

“Most people just knew me as Kramen Blacksky. How did you know my name?”

“I studied you, silly,” Sarah shrugged. “When my team got word we were playing against the Star Rangers, we spent a whole month studying you, specifically. Honestly, I thought I had you figured out, but you got us dead to rights in less than fifteen minutes.”

“You played on the League too?” if Barry’s world rocked any further, it would just shatter. “And… don’t you think I suck? After what happened?”

“Suck?” Sarah giggled, then fully laughed. “You’re the best Spawn-Master I ever faced, and I know a lot of people who would agree.”

“I doubt it,” Barry said. “I saw the headlines and the hashtags.”

“Well, let me tell you: news and social media are for idiots,” Sarah came back to his side. “Idiots like big scary monsters like the Choker, so of course they were thrilled. But anyone who knows anything about the game would rather see a creative strategy: combinations of units and powers to get unimaginable results, smart moves thinking ten steps ahead… Stuff you did. You know what I thought when I saw that Choker spawn on your last game?”

“What?”

“I though: ‘okay, Kramen lost this one, but I can’t wait to see him kill a Choker next year’. You really let a girl down.”

Barry bit his lips and looked down to the floor.

“Look,” Sarah gently lifted his chin up, “I need to go before anyone witnesses me talking to a dork, but promise me you’ll think about it, okay?”

“Okay…” Barry nodded, and Sarah left with a silent goodbye.

But Barry had lied.

He would not think about it.

He had already made up his mind.