The Quantum Games

Chapter Two

"Perception of yourself is only half the story." - Coach Williams

“Thank goodness for this cookless kitchen, or this party could have been a disaster,” Emy said, carrying four cakes from the counter to the cafeteria table.

“Not much of a cook, huh?” Nadia teased, smiling as an Oreo Ice Cream cake was placed before her. The cake was black with streaks of red, resembling her Crimson Cascade mixed with a touch of her Affliction Surge Skill.

James opened his mouth to speak, but Trish beat him to it, “Emy? No way. Her primary meal in the dorms was a cup of noodles with crunched-up Doritos on top.”

“Wait a second,” Emy tried to respond, but James spoke louder. “Seriously. She thinks I hung out with her after Chemistry class just for fun, but I was making sure she ate something besides sodium and carbs. My parents made me maintain a balanced diet for training in high school, and this girl lived off chips and mini cookies while still maintaining her physique.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Eat your cake, mighty ascenders,” Emy said, placing a domed cake with multiple layers in front of James, simulating his Energy Blocking Field.

“Wait, no speech this time? Frank?” Trish asked the group and then looked at Frank, who had given the last speech on Emy’s ascension into D-Class.

“Nope. Frank is done with speeches,” Tuck interjected, glancing at his blue cake adorned with a yellow lightning strike.

“No? I think that means it’s up to you, big guy,” Will said, catching Tuck off guard.

As Tuck was about to disagree, Frank let out a low rumble, “SPEEEEEEEECH!” He banged the table. “Speech. Speech. Speech!”

With no way out, Tuck began to speak. “I, uh.”

“I’m sorry, Tuck, but you need to stand up when giving a speech,” James added, earning a sharp turn and stare from the large man as his smile widened, matching everyone at the table.

Reluctantly, Tuck stood up from the bench, causing the table to lurch back and everyone’s plates to shift. Tuck’s knees jammed into the sides, making it clear he wasn’t trying to be delicate.

Tuck started, his face irritated. “Look, I’m obviously not prepared for this…” He sighed, “But, I am proud.”

Everyone at the table shifted as Tuck’s tone changed. “I'm proud to be here, proud to be on this team, and proud to have you all as friends… That last level was… tough for me. Seeing my Dad brought up a mix of emotions, some buried deep inside me and some I didn’t know I was capable of. My Dad was non-existent in my young adulthood because he was like… me.”

Silence hung as the group looked at Tuck with compassion. None of them had expected this, especially in front of everyone.

“I now choose to believe that my Dad ended up where he was because he lacked the support I had… Coaches” Tuck looked at Williams. “Teammates…” He shifted to Frank, Will, and James. “And friends…” He finished by looking at Nadia and Emy. “My Dad lacked the support I have with everyone here. Friends that support, push, and motivate each other to be their best version. Reno confirmed what I already knew. Together, we can push beyond our limits and become champions. This bond is our ultimate promise.”

Tuck stood for a moment longer and then sat back down, causing the table to jolt once again with his weight. Everyone was shocked by what had just occurred.

“Where the heck…” Will started, but Nadia quickly cut in. “Will, don’t ruin the moment.”

“All I’m saying is, how can I eat an ice cream cake after that speech?” Will stared down at his comically large personalized reddish-brown cake with white lines across it, resembling a brick, as the group returned to quiet chatter and catching up.

***

“New plan for this level’s review,” Coach Williams announced as the team looked on from their seats in the Strategy room. "Each of you will share your vision of your teammates as they are now and who they could become. This feedback from everyone except yourself will help you see things you might not recognize in yourself.

“The best way to start is just to begin. Mr. Weiss, let’s start with you.”

“So, just to confirm, you want us to describe how we see Will now and in the future?” James asked.

“Correct. Sometimes it takes an external perspective to reveal your potential. Please begin.”

“Well, Will is our social butterfly and probably the most humorous on the team. I see those qualities in who he represents as a hero,” James began, glancing at Williams for confirmation. With a nod from the coach, he continued, “Will has the potential to change the dynamic of any situation. His uncanny social skills, combined with his Flow Perception and energy reading, allow him to understand and control the underlying dynamics of a room.”

James paused, looking around at the others, when Nadia stepped in to continue, “Will can manipulate the room's environment around him through his Condense skill. Combine that with how he can modify the energy flows, and everything in the room is under his control, both people and environment.”

“Good. Keep going, but add opportunities for Will to progress his skills,” Williams noted as they continued.

“Honestly, dude, you are a beast with your ice. Your full form with your Permafrost is incredible, and your usage of ice as blades is fierce, but I see a few risks. Your ice has a moderate breaking point, and yes, it’s sharp as nails, but how do we beef you up to take on something with a thicker hide?” Frank commented to Will as the team shifted its focus to opportunities.

“And I hate to be the one who says this, but what happens to your primary skill without Water Vapor in the air? I have to think that with Emy’s Quantum Gateway, we may need to prep for scenarios with different environmental chemicals,” Trish said, giving Will a concerned look.

“I… honestly hadn’t even thought about that,” Will admitted, looking worried. “Coach, how does Earth’s chemical makeup compare to those on other planets… or in other galaxies?”

“And now, we get to the fun part,” Williams answered with a smile. “The Champions you all need to become will be ones who can adapt to any environment and immediately understand and draw on what is available to them. Most inhabited planets have some form of water source, albeit some are considerably less vast than what you’re used to here on Earth. But where you see a lack of water vapor, you might find Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Ammonia, or Nitrogen. But to take it one step further, what would happen if you found yourself in the vacuum of space? How would you protect yourself there?” Williams let his words sink in before continuing.

“Everyone needs to think bigger. We need to plan and account for all permutations of the environments you may soon be in. Yes, you can figure it out as you go, but you must also have backup plans. I believe Frank here has some options to review with you. Take this feedback and explore the options we’ve set out for you. This will be your primary goal for this intermission session.” Frank gave Will a nudge and a big smile as the pairing was discussed.

“All right, let’s move on to James.”

“Oh, my turn now!” Will exclaimed, a pronounced grin spreading across his face. James felt a pang of worry about what was coming next.

“James lacks social awareness and bad-ass ice skills…”

“Mr. Weiss…” the Professor interjected, but Will was already continuing.

“But he more than makes up for it with his leadership, support, and kindness with all of us.” James’s grimace slowly faded into one of mild shock as Will continued. “James doesn’t realize how valuable he is to our team. I see him as a commander in our battles, with skills that can Empower and Restrict enemies, allowing him to play the ultimate chess game with our lives and win. As for growth, I don’t see James standing at the front of battle with the likes of Tuck over here, though we know he would if asked. His true value lies in maximizing every bit of talent in all of us.”

Trish picked up where Will left off: “James, I see you managing all aspects of the battle, and with that little friend over there.” Trish pointed directly at the egg still clutched in his hands. “We can only make you a better field general for your team. The real question is how we push your limited skills to a larger scale and see if that egg can be your eyes in battle.”

Nods of agreement followed as Coach also chimed in with feedback. “James, you’ve always been a great team leader, taking pride in others over yourself. Know that to keep that perspective going forward, you must embrace your growth. Your world is only getting smaller, and your team must spread out.”