THE MOMENT
[part b] Favored. ~Sun
J.J. walked onto the track from the other side, then took her spot next to Astra. The smooth white track extended forward into a slow curve. They were at the 7/8 mark just before the goal line. The air around the track shimmered for a moment and the roar of the audience disappeared. They could still be seen screaming and cheering; but, the track blocked out all distracting sounds.
"Thanks for letting me play with your dog," J.J. smiled at Astra.
"Any time," Astra replied. "Good luck," she added. Then, she focused on the countdown timer that appeared just ahead of them. It started at '3' with an audible beep.
"You too," J.J. replied. Both of them crouched into their start positions. They each wore their team's unitard. Astra's was all white with a stylized green tornado along her right side. J.J.'s unitard made her look like she was coated in liquid chrome with a small pair of red scissors on the back just below her neck. When the timer reached 0, it notified them with a loud buzz.
Astra pushed off the starting blocks and skated forward as fast as she could. She wasn't surprised to see J.J. easily keeping up with her.
As soon as they launched, Oz and Victoria took their places at the starting line. They exchanged a smile; but Oz was interrupted before he could wish her luck.
"Now that you're about to skate...," Ballisea's voice whispered in his ear. "...I have realized you are too dense for hints."
"What are you talking about?" Oz whispered under his breath. He knew he didn't have to be particularly loud for Ballisea to hear him. But, he was loud enough for Victoria to hear him.
"What?" she asked. Oz shook his head.
"Sorry. Not you," he said. She shrugged and nodded, then focused forward. Unlike the first launch, theirs did not have a timer. J.J. and Astra crossed the goal line nearly at the same time. The buzzer sounded and Victoria dashed forward. Oz was slower to move, but he was on his way to the goal line when Ballisea replied.
"When your little adventure started, you were going to challenge me to a derby match, were you not?" Ballisea asked. Oz came to the game feeling confident after all the practice Regal let them do at the school. Now that he was actually in the tournament, the pressure was only making it more difficult to keep track of Victoria and hold a conversation with Ballisea.
"Yeah," Oz said. He was relatively alone on the track with Victoria pulling further ahead. "But, you said you didn't want to," he explained. As he crossed the goal line, he heard the buzzer sound behind him. Majesty and Patch launched next.
"I also said that someone wanted you to think I did. Did that never tickle your curiosity?" she asked.
"Oh yeah...," Oz mumbled. Victoria and the other skaters were getting further ahead. Ballisea distracted him enough to slow down. But, he lowered his head and redoubled his efforts to stay ahead of Patch and Majesty. As he crossed the 1/8th line, he heard the buzzer again. Minerva and Ruin launched after Majesty and Patch. "It doesn't matter now. Melody never offered a bet," Oz replied.
"My adorable little idiot, it was never about the game. Her only goal was to keep you distracted until the game. And she accomplished it with minimal effort."
"What are you talking about?" Oz asked. Behind him, the buzzer sounded again for Flutter and Helios. He could hear someone behind him. He realized he did not have his mini-map on and Whispered a command to the track. It appeared with Majesty's name highlighted, gaining on him.
"You had a chance to change the course of the multiverse; but, you missed your own story. I'm offering you another opportunity, this time with clear instructions," Ballisea said. "Let them win." With Majesty getting closer and Ballisea's insulting request, Oz found enough burning energy in his gut to go even faster.
"Not a chance," Oz grumbled through gritted teeth. The final buzzer that launched Cassie and Barley punctuated his statement. Ahead of him, he could see Astra about to complete the Zero lap and log in.