Race

The whistle blew, and the race started with Tyson surging ahead. Just as he began to feel the wind in his hair, a voice echoed behind him.

"Don't get too comfortable," Alex said, smoothly gliding past him.

Tyson's eyes widened in disbelief as Alex strode ahead. Was Alex... not even trying? "You've got to be kidding me," Tyson muttered, attempting to catch up.

But then Alex—who had hardly broken a sweat—turned his head and winked at him. "This is what happens when you skip leg day, bro" Alex joked.

Tyson pushed harder, determined not to let his brother outshine him in front of the class. It was clear that Alex wasn't operating at full capacity. He momentarily let Tyson take the lead, only to breeze past him once again effortlessly.

On the other hand, when the whistle blew and the race began, Mark and Danny, the two other racers, tried their best to keep up.

Mark, who had always been the fastest in his gym class, felt his confidence slipping away the moment the race began.

Mark glanced to his side, only to find that Danny was already struggling behind.

"Wait... I thought I was fast," Mark muttered, his legs burning as he struggled to push forward. But all he could think about was how Alex and Tyson had already surged ahead.

Danny, running next to Mark, had the same realization. "Are we... even supposed to be here?"

Tyson flew ahead, while Alex—half-naked and showing off—made it look effortless.

Danny could feel his legs screaming in protest as he attempted to pick up speed. "I'm just here for decoration,"

The gap between the two sides was evident by the time they were a quarter through the race.

Tyson and Alex were almost in a race, whereas Mark and Danny could barely keep pace.

Tyson was in the lead, but Alex smirked and swiftly closed the gap.

"Is he... doing that on purpose?" Tyson grunted, struggling to keep up with Alex.

He glanced to the sidelines, where Nancy was alone, cheering for him while others loudly voiced support for Alex. Emily was still trying to figure out whom to cheer for…

Tyson took a deep breath. No, I'm winning this, he thought. But the moment he rounded the final turn, he saw Alex casually shoot past him as if he were using a Meta-bot to outpace him.

Mark glanced over at Danny, both of them gasping for air as Danny looked ready to collapse. "I can't… I can't keep up,"

Mark panted. "Why... why is this happening?"

"These damn Rangers," Danny whispered, hardly able to speak as he ran.

Mark glanced back at the two gods of the track—Tyson and Alex—who were leaving them in the dust.

Mark could hear the girls on the sidelines cheering for Alex, and occasionally, they also cheered for Tyson.

Their cheers felt like salt in the wound. "So, we're just here to make them look good, huh?"

Tyson's jaw dropped as Alex crossed the finish line. "Good race, loser!"

The girls, mouths agape, could hardly contain their awe, while the boys shook their heads, aware they had witnessed Tyson's first defeat in ages.

Tyson, gasping for air, tried to catch his breath, but his pride suffered a much more significant blow. He clenched his fists, attempting to conceal the embarrassment rising in his neck. "I wasn't... trying hard enough."

Tyson thought to himself, He surpassed me again, his chest tight with frustration. He has always been the tallest mountain to climb, the one I can't reach no matter how hard I try. Will I ever be able to surpass him?

The thought gnawed at him, a bitter seed of doubt planting itself in him. Whenever he thought he was getting closer, Alex seemed to conjure another miracle.

Was there something he was overlooking? Something that made Alex untouchable, invincible?

Nancy sidled up to Tyson, offering him a water bottle. "Hey, that was a great race. I'm proud of you,"

She sensed his inner conflict and wanted to let him know she was there for him.

However, Tyson didn't appear to hear her. His focus stayed on the ground, his fists clenched as he walked past her, the weight of his frustration evident in his rigid posture. He completely ignored her, heading straight for the changing room.

Nancy stood there for a moment, her hand still stretched out with the water bottle. The smile disappeared from her face as she watched him walk away.

Her chest tightened with worry. This wasn't the first time Tyson had distanced himself, but seeing him like this—broken and unwilling to accept her support—hurt more than she had anticipated.

"Tyson!" she called, her voice a bit louder this time, but he didn't turn around. His retreating figure grew smaller as he entered the changing room.

As Tyson and Alex crossed the finish line nearly simultaneously, Mark and Danny were only halfway to the goal. They came to a halt, sweat streaming down their faces.

Mark bent over, trying to catch his breath, his lungs on fire. He looked up to see Tyson walking away, calm as ever, while Alex strolled, flashing a grin at the crowd.

Mark wiped the sweat from his brow. "I... I didn't even make it halfway."

Still struggling to keep his composure, Danny looked up at the crowd, but it was useless—they weren't cheering for him.

They cheered for Tyson and Alex. The pair had already become the talk of the class, while Mark and Danny felt practically invisible now.

"I can't believe I agreed to this race," Danny muttered, too out of breath to say much more.

---

Nancy waited at the school gate for Tyson, her patience thin as he still hadn't left.

He wasn't in class either-he had skipped it after his defeat, and unlike him, she didn't have the luxury of leaving whenever she wanted. So, she chose to wait outside, her worry for him increasing with each passing minute.

She tried calling him several times, but he didn't answer.

"How long are we going to wait?" Emily grumbled. "Maybe that loser just left school since my guy defeated him."

Nancy cast Emily a piercing glance.

"I mean that wicked Alex," Emily clarified.

"If you want to go home, then go home," Nancy said. "I'll look for him inside."

Emily sighed dramatically. "No, jeez," she muttered with a hint of laziness. "Let's go find him."

Nancy was worried about him; she wanted to find him and see how he was doing. She scanned the school grounds, looking for any sign of him, and that's when she spotted him.

He was on the racetrack, running laps. His movements looked sluggish as if he were exhausted, yet he pressed on. His head was lowered, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he continued forward.

Nancy's heart tightened as she watched him. What is he doing? Why is he punishing himself like this?

She could see the frustration on his face as he pushed through the physical pain.

He was running not out of necessity but because he could not stop. He was fleeing from something that had knocked him down and left him feeling smaller than usual.

Nancy's breath caught in her throat. It must be painful, she thought, as she watched Tyson push himself further with each exhausting step. Battling his inner demons, grappling with self-doubt... who knows, maybe even the entire world.

She couldn't grasp how much he was carrying at that moment, running like this—defeated yet unwilling to stop.

She wanted to reach out, to tell him he didn't have to carry the weight alone, but she knew Tyson—he wouldn't listen. Not now. Not when he was so deep in his thoughts, lost in the pain of his mind.

She stood momentarily between rushing to his side or waiting for him to come to her.

"He's always so stubborn," Nancy thought, softly shaking her head.

"What's he doing out there?" Emily asked, her voice laced with concern. "Is he okay?"

"He will be," Nancy whispered, "Why don't you go home? I'll wait here for him."

"But-" Emily began to protest, then sighed. "That idiot... please give him an earful from me, okay?"

Nancy nodded. Emily cast one final look at Tyson, her lips pressed into a thin line before she left.

Nancy stood still for a moment, watching as Tyson's steps slowed. As she moved toward him, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

He lay there, facing the sky, his chest rising and falling heavily. Even in his exhaustion, he stretched his hand upward, reaching as if to grasp something far beyond his limits—as if he still wasn't finished running.

"What are you chasing, Tyson?" she wondered as she made her way to the track.

They both sat silently on the steps. Tyson took a long gulp from his water bottle, his gaze fixed on the running field as if replaying every step he had taken. His soaked T-shirt clung to his body. 

Nancy sat beside Tyson, her expression was of concern. She took out her handkerchief and softly dabbed at the sweat on his brow.

Tyson glanced at her, offering a weak smile. "Thanks," he said.

Nancy didn't respond immediately. Her hands remained steady despite the emotions swirling within her. Finally, she said, "Are you okay?"

Tyson's smile faded, and he turned his gaze away. "I told you I'm fine."

Nancy pulled back a bit, the handkerchief gripped tightly in her fist. "Do you think I can't see through that?"

She added, her voice rising. "You're not okay, Tyson. You're beating yourself up over something you can't control."

Tyson's head fell back against the wall. "And what do you want me to say, Nancy? That I'm tired of trying to keep up? That no matter what I do, Alex is always one step ahead?"

His voice cracked, "Do you think I don't know how pathetic that sounds?"

Nancy's shoulders stiffened as frustration built in her chest. "You don't sound pathetic,"

She said, her voice sharper. "But shutting everyone out and acting like it's you against the world? That's not strength, Tyson... that's just you being stubborn."

Tyson flinched at her words, saying, "You don't understand."

"Then help me with it," she retorted. "I'm trying to support you, but you won't let me in."

The silence enveloped the moment as Nancy's hands trembled slightly while she held the handkerchief.

"It's not about you, Nancy," he said, his tone apologetic. "It's me. I don't know how to handle all of this, and... I hate pulling you into it."

Her expression softened as she leaned closer. "Tyson, you're not dragging me into anything. I choose to be here. You don't have to do this alone."

His eyes locked onto hers, and for the first time, she recognized the vulnerability he had worked so hard to conceal.

"I don't know how to let go," he admitted. "I don't know how to stop chasing something I may never attain."

Nancy reached out, resting a gentle hand on his arm. "You don't have to let go, but you also don't need to destroy yourself trying to prove something to Alex or anyone else. It's okay to want more, but it's not right to forget about the people who care about you along the way."

Tyson's lips pressed into a thin line, "I don't mean to push you or anyone else away... I just... I don't want to be a burden."

Nancy's grip on his arm reassured him. "You're not a burden, Tyson... But you need to stop making that decision for everyone else. Let us decide how much we can handle, okay?"

He exhaled slowly. Nancy paused momentarily before continuing, "You can be a real pain sometimes."

A faint smile played at the corner of his lips. "I know."

"Good," she said, her gaze wandering. "Now stop overthinking. Return to your training after Sunday—and apologize to your dad. Got it?"

He nodded. Of course, she meant Edward Rogers—his master, mentor, and the man who had taken him in when he had no one else.

Tyson couldn't deny that he had said hurtful things to Edward during their last conversation—words still weighing heavily on him. He owed him an apology, and he recognized that.

"I will," Tyson murmured. "Now let's go; I'm starving."

Tyson suddenly froze as they stepped onto the road, walking side by side. His gaze fixed on Blue, who stood a few feet away, grinning at him and Nancy.