Intent on clearing out of the venue, Vin strolled onward with his summon, Miyo, perched on his shoulder. He continually bumped into others while navigating out of the dense audience. He made way for the exit until a firm grip pulled his shoulder.
"You sure walk slowly for someone so fast," insulted a stranger at his rear. "I ran down from the stands, crossed the track, and at least a hundred people. Meanwhile, you've only gotten about ten yards from the street."
The insult dissolved like sugar in water. Vin nonchalantly rotated and addressed a sunburnt, middle-aged man wearing fashionable sunglasses.
"Can I help you?" he asked plainly, not bothering to fix his lasting expression of disinterest.
"You, help me?" the man repeated, pointing to himself with baffled brows. "I guess if you could introduce me to a single woman in her thirties, no kids, preferably with short hair and round lips."
He continued with a detailed breakdown of his ideal woman. Pointing to nearby females as templates and using his hands to portray height and outline the curves of his imaginary soul mate. It continued until he regained focus and realized his matchmaker had wandered off. Not far, Vin was an exceptionally slow walker and was caught only seconds after vamoosing.
"Hey, kid!" the man hollered, so loudly you'd believe he used a megaphone to cast his voice. He caught not only Vin's attention but every within their immediate range. The stranger wrangled Vin in with his shaded gaze to ensure he wouldn't flee again, then asked, "Do you like racing?"
A simple question that required a simple answer. For Vin, it was all he had. Growing up, he never enjoyed games, crafts, TV, or really anything else.
It didn't bother him; people simply have their amusements. Some like singing, playing instruments, knitting, or piecing together puzzles and Vin. Well, he had his passion for skating.
"I love it," he responded with unwavering conviction. And, a hostile squint of his eyes to communicate his displeasure of having his time wasted.
Content with his reply, the man stroked his brown, graying handlebar mustache, then grinned. "Then, how about attending our university? It has no credibility yet, but I can guarantee you a job as a pro skater upon graduation."
The left side of Vin's face sunk in confusion. It hadn't registered until minutes after meeting the man, but the light bulb clicked, and he realized he was approached by a recruiter.
"Oh, you're-"
"But I lost the race?" Reminded Vin, simultaneously sharpening his already immaculate posture.
A chime on the man's phone divided his attention, and he continued while texting on his device. "Yea, but you have a more interesting skating style than the other bland competitors. I could feel my underwear being swallowed into my crack just watching you play in traffic like a sandbox."
"Besides, the results would have been better if you had something more useful than that thing," added the man who began pointing at Miyo.
Miyo had pretty much maxed it's potential as a common grade summon. For them, the numerical score for their strength was 50. However, it varied per summon.
For example, the ice giant from the race could reach five thousand points in stats like defense and strength, but only had about half of that leveled.
They were an epic-grade, which meant their potential to grow was higher, only an incompetent owner meant it was wasted.
Miyo was a small cup, but they were full. Unlike abilities that could hold gallons of water but only housed a quarter of liquid.
Vin thought the man made a fair point but also felt he was out of pocket for saying what he did. "My dad gave me the money to buy my first roll; I'd never replace it."
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Even if Vin had pulled an empty pot, he would have kept it because he loved racing for what it was. All the advances only changed the shape of his affection.
"Yeah, cute," the man blandly articulated. He withdrew, then handed a black and red business card to Vin. "I'm a bit late on my quota, so I'll need a response within 24 hours."
"Wish I could give you more time to think, but you're only my 5th out of the 10 I was supposed to scout by…. One month ago."
It was short notice, but Vin accepted the card and eyed the contents. He uncovered the man's personal number and his name, "Hughie Dover."
Vin was still taken aback by the approach; nonetheless, he agreed to the man's proposal and departed to share the news with his family.
On the way out, an announcer informed all the racers that nanospheres would be deactivated.
Though designed to be non-lethal, nanobots were still too risky to be allowed into society. However, in some exceptions, citizens could use summons as support campaigns. The blind was led by Ai, and the disabled had bots to perform everyday tasks for them.
Vin vaguely recalled being on crutches. And at some point, his overbearing father pulled strings to allow Miyo's status to be changed from event summon to support.
Gavin, his father, was a pro skater and had connections from his career. Even after Vin was healed, Miyo was never changed back and could be active outside of races. Meaning it could chill with Vin on the uneventful bus ride home.
Along the way, Vin looked more into Season's university, the name of the school he was successfully invited to. First, he found it supported courses for 6 competitive SFX careers:
Skate: Skateboarding, Inline skating, Speed skating.
Motor Racing: Cars, Trucks, Karts, Motorbikes, F1.
Winter Sports: Snowboarding, Ice skating.
Aerial: Wing Gliding.
Mixed Martial Arts: Weaponry, Hand to hand.
Foot Racing: Street circuit, Parkour.
The school was built on a private island out of the country, so he'd live away from home. Aside from this, there was very little detail about what to expect.
Part of his silent excitement came from the mystery. After following a repetitious lifestyle for years, he was ready to break the cycle.
<>
Vin wasn't a loud person, but when he walked through the door of his house, he raised his voice to alert his family that he was home.
Upon notification, his burly father quickly cut around the counter of a hall in exceptionally short shorts and a tight shirt. He was tall, a lighter brown, rocked a buzz cut and held a stern expression while he angrily muttered. "You're home?"
"Yea?" Vin replied in a questionable tone, dropping his board along the wall.
Vin's younger sister by two years, Macy, joined the father's side with a TV remote. She had the same resting scowl that'd discourage strangers from approaching. Still, an attractive lady blessed with a tall, athletic figure, long, secured black hair, and lengthy lashes.
Macy pointed the remote over her shoulder and tapped a button. From one room over, the TV began to get louder until Vin heard a woman on the news reporting on the event.
**"A local skater, Gavin Dance, has been selected to attend the newly established Seasons University. We couldn't interview this racer, but we send our support as they represent our small town at the international college."**
The volume lowered again, and Vin gathered Miyo into his hands," I was excited to tell you myself," he said.
"Excited? Where? You look like you normally do," Macy retorted. "You're way too relaxed considering what just happened."
A heavy thump emitted when the father stomped forward. "Vin…" he growled before storming to his son's front.
Both of the man's wide arms spread, and with one swift scoop, he lifted Vin off the ground and squeezed him so tight, you'd think juice would expel from his body. "Just like your old man!" he shouted with glee.
Following a distressing grunt, Vin rasped and groaned words from his mouth. "T-then you don't mind if I attend?" His father lowered him and chuckled, "I'd disown you if you didn't."
"Good work, you two," the robust man congratulated, roughly patting both his son and Miyo on the head.
As the person who introduced him to skating, Vin was glad to have his father's approval. Thus, he firmed his resolve to not only attend but excel in college.