The sun beat down on Devon while crouched at the starting line, his muscles were coiled tightly like a spring ready to be unleashed. He took a deep breath and stared down the worn red track, visualizing himself exploding forward with blinding speed.

"On your marks... ready… set... go!" Coach Adams' whistle pierced the air.

Devon launched from his position with his knotted dreadlocks whipping behind him like black banners as his arms pumped furiously while his cleats tore into the rubberized surface. He leaned forward, narrowing his profile against the wind resistance and accelerated down the straightaway.

The end approached rapidly but Devon remained focused. With the finish line in sight, Devon gritted his teeth and willed every fibre of muscle to propel him impossibly faster. Crackles of strange energy began to dance along his locks unnoticeably.

Whoosh!

Devon crossed the finish line. He slowed to a stop, bending forward with hands on knees and gasped lungful of air.

Coach Adams stared at his stopwatch in amazement before looking up at Devon. "Unbelievable! A new personal record of 9.95 seconds on the 100 meters!"

Excited murmurs rippled through the rest of the track team. Devon blinked, scarcely believing the time himself. Since awakening his Coco Power, he had gained an incredible boost in speed.

"Yuh making this school proud, star athlete!" said Coach Adams, clapping Devon firmly on the back. "The other sprinters betta step up their training if they want to keep up with you!"

Devon beamed with happiness. He felt closer than ever to fulfilling his destiny as an unstoppable hero.

After stopping for water, he lined back up to run more trials. As Devon prepared for his next sprint, he noticed two attractive girls had paused at the chainlink fence bordering the track. They were watching the team practice intently. Or rather, the Asian one seemed transfixed on Devon in particular.

Devon recognized her immediately - it was Mei Wen, the mesmerizing Chinese transfer student he'd met yesterday! She was with another girl he didn't know, a tanned Brazilian judging by appearances. The pair whispered to each other, giggling as Mei's gaze remained locked on Devon.

He suddenly felt very self-conscious standing there shirtless in just his loose training shorts. Devon risked a friendly wave to Mei. Her cheeks darkened and she glanced away shyly. The tan-skinned friend nudged Mei teasingly.

"Eyes on the track, superstar. Yuh can chat up the girls them later," Coach Adams jokingly admonished Devon.

“Aye, coach.” With an embarrassed cough, Devon reluctantly tore his attention away from the lovely spectators and refocused on his training. There would be time to talk with Mei after practice.

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Over the next few minutes, Devon pushed himself to the limit doing hard sprints and agility drills along with his teammates. By the end, his muscles burned pleasantly and his forehead dripped sweat. But he felt more energized than tired. The rush of tapping into his growing speed was exhilarating.

"Alright, that's a wrap!" Coach Adams announced, glancing at his watch. "Hit the showers and replenish your energy. Training resume tomorrow."

The athletes headed to the locker room while Coach Adams began packing up his equipment. Eager to speak to Mei, Devon jogged over to the fence still glistening with sweat. Up close now, he admired her delicate Asian features and hypnotic amber eyes. The alluring transfer student had been dominating his thoughts.

"Hey Mei Wen, ya find the track field okay?" Devon greeted.

Mei clasped her hands, nodding eagerly. "Yes! I was just walking my new friend Gabriela around campus and we heard activity here." She gestured to the olive-skinned girl beside her.

"Nice to meet you," Devon said politely. Gabriela gave a friendly smile.

"So how yuh enjoying athletics at Seacrest so far?" Devon asked, grabbing his towel to pat dry his muscular chest and abs.

Mei's gaze followed the motion closely. "Oh, very impressive!" she exclaimed. "Your team seems so talented. And you run incredibly fast, Devon!"

He rubbed his neck bashfully. "Yeah man, been doing track and field since primary school. Is my passion, yuh know?"

"I can tell," Mei remarked, eyes again trailing over his fit physique as Devon stretched his lean arms overhead.

Gabriela smirked and leaned close to Mei's ear. "É melhor ir devagar, garota. Ele mal te conhece," she whispered slyly in Portuguese.

“Shush.” Mei blushed and swatted her arm.

Devon quirked an eyebrow curiously. "What did she say?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Mei said quickly, shooting a glare at her smug friend. "So you seem to be improving very quickly lately, yes?"

Devon nodded, remembering his big secret. "Yeah, been training real intense since...getting back to school. But uh, we can chat more later." He noticed his teammates yelling and waving for him to join them.

"Nice meeting you, Gabriela," Devon said politely with a parting smile to the girls. "Let's talk again soon, Mei."

"Bye, Devon!" Mei waved shyly as he jogged off.

Gabriela was still grinning knowingly. "Not your boyfriend, huh Mei?" she teased in English now.

Mei shushed her friend again, cheeks colouring as she watched Devon's athletic form disappear towards the locker rooms. Despite her denial, even Gabriela could see the cute Jamaican sprinter was capturing more of Mei's interest and attention lately.

After a refreshing shower and change of clothes, Devon headed out to meet Tanya. They had more superpower training planned at their secret beach location. He found the pretty, dark-skinned girl already waiting in the secluded cove, wearing a fox print tank top.

"Ya ready for another intense session?" she asked excitedly, embracing Devon in a hug.

"Yeah man, mi all energized after track practice too," he replied. "Soon no badman can stand a chance against us."

Tanya had brought two burlap sacks filled with empty conch shells harvested from the beach. She dragged the bags into a clear space of white sand.

"Today we work on aim," she announced, upending the sacks so shells spilt out. Quickly Tanya arranged them into a makeshift target circle.

"This aguh test how well you can control them electric whips," she explained pointing to his dreads. "See if yuh can strike the shells from a distance."

“Should be easy enough, yeah.” Devon rolled his neck and tried psyching himself up. He had been making great progress summoning and wielding the energized dreadlock tendrils. But his aim and precision still needed refinement.