The arena looked nothing like the skateball rinks on the viewscreens. Those rinks were shining metal and polished floors with seating for a hundred thousand people. The rink in front of James was a simple metal and wood structure, economical in its purpose. The whole area was in fact collapsible, flattening out into a voidball court if the need arose.

All manner of people from teenagers to adults were on the rink, dressed in various pieces of gear. Some looked to be antique hand-me-downs while others were state of the art equipment installed directly into the foot.

James watched the players as he walked in with Nadia. It was clear to him that the ones with newer gear had the advantage. Their cybernetics let them make sharper and less telegraphed movements.

James pointed. “Are the cybernetics helping them? They react a lot quicker than people with blades like mine.”

“The installation links your mind with the equipment, so there is a marginal advantage.” Nadia explained.

“Seems more than marginal,” James said as he watched a fully equipped teenager dodge circles around his competition.

“Likely the brakes and motors,” Nadia said. “It is easier to maneuver when there is help.”

“Doesn’t seem fair,” James said.

“In professional matches all players have access to the same equipment,” Nadia said. “You must also take in the fact that there are less rules for amateur competition.”

The two cultivators sat on one of the benches. Nadia handed him the roller blades, pulling them from a small pouch at her side.

“You have a DSP?” James asked.

“You’ve heard of this?” Nadia asked.

“They showed up on shows all the time,” James explained. “DSP, or dimensional storage pouch. Holds everything you could ever ask for and then some.”

“Ah, the advertisements,” Nadia said. “Yes, I was able to purchase a few originals before the company collapsed.”

James opened his mouth to ask what happened but someone else interrupted.

“Haven’t seen you two before. You new on the floor?”

A wide smile was the first impression James had, the second impression was the massive hand hanging in front of him.

Nadia politely took the man’s hand. “Not on the floor, but we are new to the game of skateball. James is interested in playing and this was the closest venue.”

The man’s smile somehow grew wider. “Always great to have more people! I’m Xander!”

Nadia looked up at the bear of a man in front of her. His beard crowded out the rest of his face, his smile the only thing pushing through the reddish brown wires of hair. “Nadia,” she answered him.

“So, you’re interested in skateball are ya James?” Xander asked.

“It’s interesting enough,” James said. “I only played a few pickup games of voidball in the past. I would have tried to find people for that, but I was convinced otherwise.”

Xander beamed. “Glad to hear it! We’re always looking for more players. More fun for all!”

James could tell the man meant it. “I was wondering when the next game might start and if I could join?”

“I don’t see why not,” Xander answered. “We were waiting on another to join to make the teams even. But with you here we’re free to start right away!”

Xander turned, his booming voice echoing through the venue. “Guys! We got ourselves a game!”

The others in the area skated up.

“This here is James,” Xander said, clapping the man on the back. “He’s new to skateball but sounds enthusiastic to play!”

James put on a smile that tried to match Xander’s joviality but fell short. “Nice to meet everyone.”

“Wow, look at those antiques,” A teenager said, pointing at James’s skates. He had black, messy hair and a face that was all cheekbone.

“Curt, don’t be rude,” Xander said.

“I’m not,” Curt protested. “All I said was that he had old skates!”

“And I’ve told you that you shouldn’t point that out to people,” Xander said. He gave James an apologetic smile. “Teenagers.”

James nodded. “It’s okay. I know the skates are old.”

“See, he’s fine with it,” Curt said. “Let’s get the game started already.”

“Since you’re so eager, you can help James out in his first game,” Xander said.

Curt opened his mouth in protest but stopped when he saw Xander’s stern face. “Fine. But I get to be captain and pick.”

“Fair enough,” Xander said. “Ayda, you can be the other captain.”

Xander nodded to the other young teenager in the room. She nodded back, her short brown hair bobbing with her. “I pick Xander,” she said easily.

“No fair,” Curt grumbled. “She gets the best pick and I’m stuck with the new guy.”

James chuckled. “It’ll be alright man. And hey, if you beat him you’re the new best, right?”

The words sparked a fire in Curt’s eyes. “Hey, yeah! Okay, I pick Yusuf.”

A dark skinned man stepped over to join Curt, his black hair in a crew cut. “Hey,” he said to James.

Ayda and Curt continued to pick players until both teams had the full six on each side. Once done, the two teams split into their groups and started making pairs.

“Okay, I’ll be Linchpin,” Curt said.

James raised his hand. “Sorry, where is that?”

“Part of the last team,” Yusuf explained. “It goes Leadoff, Midstep, and Linchpin.”

“Gotcha,” James said.

“Yusuf, you and James should be midstep,” Curt said. “That way if things go wrong we can cover you.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Got no problem with that,” James said.

“Good. Alright, which of the three of you want to be Linchpin?” Curt asked.

A woman with long blond hair in a ponytail skated over to Curt. “Alright, that leaves you two as Leadoff,” Curt said. “I say we go fast. Get the ball across quick instead of playing for fouls.”

“What are the fouls?” James asked. “I know the basic rules but not much else.”

“You can’t touch the person who has the ball, only the ball itself,” Yusuf said. “It’s a foul otherwise.”

“No tripping, either,” Curt said. “For anyone. Pushing and pulling is fine though.”

“No passing forward unless you are in a relay box.” Yusuf pointed to the squares at each trisection of the track. “And if the player with the ball leaves the track play resets,” Yusuf finished.

“Simple enough,” James said. “Anything else?”

“If you have the ball you have to be moving forward,” Curt said. “If you stop or go backwards its a foul. Three fouls and you’re put into a penalty area for a minute. Every foul after that is another minute in the penalty zone.”

James nodded. “Right, let’s do this.”

The players skated to their respective positions. James saw his master standing in the middle of the rink, the ball in her hands.

“I figured you could all use a referee,” Nadia explained.

“Are you as clueless as James about skateball?” Curt asked.

“She isn’t,” Xander said. “Made sure before the match started!”

James noticed the large man was standing in the Linchpin position next to Curt. Nadia grabbed the ball and placed it in front of the Leadoff players, then took a step back. She brought a hand up, waited for a moment to make sure everyone was ready, then brought it down with a cry of “begin!”

Four players dashed toward the ball, James’s team scooping it up first and bringing it forward. An opponent skated in front, trying to block their way and slap the ball out of their hands. James saw his teammate backed into a corner and instantly toss the ball to the side where their teammate waited. The opposing team’s player jumped forward, trying to catch the ball but fumbled it at the last second.

The ball bounced off the track, Nadia catching it and resetting the field. The game started again and this time the opposing team collected the ball. They were slightly better coordinated as well, the opponent without the ball skating around to screen for their teammate. However, at the last moment James’s team skated around the defender and tapped the ball out of the opponent’s hands. James’s other teammate skated foward and grabbed it, almost falling in their haste. They stabilized just as they reached the start of the next trisection.

Things grew chaotic. With eight players in a small area, players were pushing against each other in order to pass the ball along. James joined the chaos, pushing against players to free up space for Yusuf.

He had expected his natural athleticism to help him out, but the wild movements of each player threw him. An elbow would strike his shoulder, James barely reacting in time as it came at him. The player hadn’t even looked his way, they were just reacting to another push from someone further away.

Eventually, James and Yusuf freed up enough space for a pass. Yusuf collected the ball and instantly took off. James followed behind, watching and learning as the game progressed.

The Midstep players on the opposing team were more aggressive than those on Leadoff. They stayed close to Yusuf, slapping at the ball whenever they got a chance. Yusuf avoided the slaps by juking the ball left and right, but it was clear he was getting corralled into a corner.

James skated close by and shouted. “Bounce it to me!”

Yusuf understood and passed the ball backward, the ball popping off the wood floor like a compressed spring. James caught the ball and moved to the right, opening up more space as they moved. The two defenders moved in to crowd James.

He saw an opening and passed the ball back to Yusuf. Yusuf, unfortunately, wasn’t ready for the pass. The ball bounced from his hands onto the ground. The opponents scooped it up and quickly brought it to the next trisection.

“What are you doing, James!” Curt shouted.

Yusuf breathed out a “My bad.”

“No, I didn’t warn you,” James said as the two rushed to the relay box.

Eight players again pressed toward each other, no one wanting to give up the ball. Xander’s large frame was the sturdy rock against the waves of players. No one could push against him, giving the other player the perfect opening for a pass.

The ball whizzed by, followed by Curt and his pair.

“Let’s get back,” Yusuf said.

James nodded and the two skated back to the other relay box.

There were two fouls from Curt, the young teenager eager to prove himself as the best. Xander’s large frame gave him too large of an advantage, however, and the opponents easily maneuvered to score. Xander’s team continued the momentum, the man’s body creating an passing line for the Leadoff players. Soon, the score was one lap to a third.

“Two more to go!” Xander said encouragingly. “Don’t get cocky, guys!”

When the ball came back around to James he tried to fall into the focus he’d had on the obstacle course. It didn’t work. There were too many people moving in erratic directions and too many sounds taking him out of the zone. He still played well, his body moving through players and bringing the ball in for a score, but it was a far cry from the feeling he’d had on the obstacle course.

He’d felt, melded, for lack of a better term. Melded with the world, a moving part of it that he controlled. Vaguely, he recalled his teacher’s lessons on the Metastate. How it was integrating with the natural world and learning to improve oneself. He pushed the thoughts away. Distractions would only make it harder to win.

The score became one and a third to one as Xander again blocked Curt and his teammate out. James watched as the ball came his way, the Leadoff players getting more aggressive as time went on. The opponents scored again, bringing the score to one and two-thirds to one.

When the opponents tried to pass the ball, James leaped and snatched it out of the air. He was moving slightly backward, so before he hit the ground he tried to toss it back to Yusuf. The man caught the ball haphazardly, and a pick from an opponent sent the ball out of bounds.

Play reset. Yusuf clapped James on the back. “You certainly have some moves.”

“Gotta get better at passes though,” James said.

“Eh, can’t have everything,” Yusuf said.

Nadia shouted start and Yusuf shot off like a bullet. He grabbed the ball in a blink and pumped his legs over to Curt. Instead of trying to pass, Yusuf let the ball fall out of bounds after he scored. The field reset, Yusuf panting a bit as he went back to James.

“My specialty is quick bursts of speed,” He said. “No stamina though.”

“Man that speed is a lethal weapon,” James replied. “Stamina is easy to work on though.”

“Don’t have time for it,” Yusuf said sadly. “This is the only free time I get a lot of the time.”

James nodded in understanding. Curt scored with the ball, taking a note from Yusuf and sending it out of bounds before someone stole the ball. The score was tied now.

James settled into his training stance as the game began again and used the breathing technique that Nadia taught him. He had to remember that this was still training, that he had to actively try and reach the Metastate. The breathing help center him, but there were still too many distractions around him. Cheers from teammates and the whump of skates against wood kept pulling him out of focus. There was no rhythm to it, no pattern that his brain could ignore.

He still tried, doing his best to take the whole track in as the ball moved his way. The Leadoff players on James’s side were passing the ball back and forth, slowly moving up the field as they played keep away from the opponents. He tried to imagine himself in their place, but the image wouldn’t come.

His team brought the ball to their relay box, kicking off an eight player scramble. James pushed opponents out of the way, trying to make himself open. All the while he tried to bring that imaginary person back, only for it to get shoved and pushed out of sight by randomly thrashing arms and elbows.

The ball flew at James. He caught it and turned to dash. Someone slammed into him, knocking the ball out of his hands.

“Third foul. One minute penalty,” Nadia said.

The player groaned by skated over to stands to wait. The penalized player was unluckily from the Leadoff position, meaning James and Yusuf still had to contend with two others.

Nadia shouted, and James dashed for the ball with Yusuf. He pumped his legs to keep up with his teammate, not wanting to fall behind in case the opponents. Yusuf made a mistake, slipping on his skates and falling the ground before he could reach the ball. James scooped it up, only to get pushed toward the edge of the track.

Not wanting to give up possession, James tried for a pass to Yusuf, seeing the man had already stood. The opponents anticipated the move and blocked the pass. Sticky hands snatched the ball out of the air and brought it to Xander’s side of the field, tying the score at two to two. It didn’t last for long as Xander used his bulk to score another point. The penalized Leadoff was back on the field in time to play but had to be more careful. That let James’s team score another point, tying the score to two and a third.

“Gotta score here or they win for sure,” Yusuf panted.

James nodded. Xander had ensured a point every time the ball came his way. It was do or die now.

James’s chest heaved, the competition somehow more exhausting than the grueling training he was under. He chalked it up to nerves. Nerves and stress. The back of his mind still panicked over his possible failure and consequential death.

He needed a way to clear his mind. All these distractions, the jarring sounds and intrusive thoughts were keeping him from entering the zone. The only problem was that James didn’t know a good way to clear his mind.

The chaos inside the penalty box ensued once more, and James was forced to try and focus on the ball.