Chapter 85

As much as it pained him, he didn’t get the first game against Maddie. Partially, because as Syn had pointed out, it wouldn’t have been logical to blow all of his special skills in that first match. Nor, would winning two games back to back with crazy skills, only to then lose the next 6, to lose the set, really make sense. However, that didn’t mean he laid down and died either. Every point, he made Maddie work for. Every single point was a battle. And while she was, without any doubt, the better player on the court, Dan wasn’t going down without a fight.

He’d also been keen to test out the other skills of his racquet. During the first game, which he lost, unsurprisingly, Maddie had been more careful with how she returned his serves. The first return of hers, should have been a winner, but he’d used his explosive speed and magical enhancements to return the shot, and win the point in a fabulous manner.

Maddie, having no knowledge of his magical abilities, likely just put that point up to reflexes and explosive speed. That, and a little bit of luck, considering that drop shot had, as the skill implied, been impossible. As such, using her knowledge from actually playing the sport at a professional level, and not gaining her skills from magical abilities, she poked and prodded around Dan’s playstyle, to figure out how best to win each and every point.

First, she added a lot more depth to her shots. Instead of returning a sharp angle, she sent the serves back to him, far near the baseline. Each return she placed deep and low, forcing Dan to step backwards, and work on simply returning the shots with his ground strokes. Being extremely under skilled, and lacking in experience, it was hard for him to figure out what to do, in these situations, to win the points. He didn’t have the crazy power and accuracy that Peter had, nor did he have the controlled precision and know how that Maddie did.

Each point, therefore, generally involved Maddie sending shot after shot towards Dan’s baseline, as she worked him from left to right, trying to move him about the court, and force him to either miss the shot entirely, or mishit to a degree she could set up something. It was calm, calculated, and resulted in Dan burning a lot more stamina than his opponent. Maddie, after all, kept herself positioned pretty evenly in the center of the court, only slightly adjacent to the side Dan was on. Dan, on the other hand, having to run from corner to corner, was quickly working up a sweat.

When he did mishit, usually in the form of a weaker shot, landing somewhere in no mans land, or even shorter, Maddie was quick to pounce. Her first point on him, after he’d made that amazing drop shot, had actually been equally impressive as his shot. Or, to be fair, more impressive, considering, again, she didn’t have the magical cheats he did.

She’d worked him back and forth on the court multiple times, seeming to get a gauge of his normal play pace. Then, she’d sent a wicked slice his way, the ball barely clearing the net, and skidding low and deep on his side of the court. His skill assist showed him where the ball would go, as well as the height it would reach, roughly, and so he was moving, watching the point that it would land, preparing himself mentally for the shot. That, however, was a terrible play on his part, because it meant he wasn’t watching Maddie.

Apparently, with the shot she’d sent his way, she knew exactly what his options were, and how he’d respond. In hindsight, he supposed it was a skill she’d developed over time, and one she’d used so much, it came as second nature to her. Dan, racing low to towards the ball, got to it and gave it a solid forehand hit. However, with how low it was, he wasn’t able to get as much power and arc to it as he normally would. Mostly because he wasn’t that great, and even mentally toggling auto battle at 100 percent, on hit, didn’t give many options for the balls trajectory.

As he hit the ball, sending it down the line from him, with only about a foot of clearance above the net, he realized his mistake. The moment he hit the ball, he glanced towards Maddie’s side of the court, and knew, immediately, he’d messed up. Maddie had rushed the net immediately after she’d hit the slice, and she’d positioned herself, perfectly, for a volley. Dan’s shot flew towards her, and she already had her racquet up and ready, a wicked smile on her face.

With deadly grace and precision, her racquet cut down in a wicked backhand volley. Dan, being on the far right corner of the singles court, watched, knowing it was impossible, even with magic to return that shot. She’d sliced the ball with her volley, and gave it such a sharp angle that it was nearly at the doubles alley on the opposite side of the court, and still in the service box. Dan, would have had to sprint diagonally from the right hand corner of his court, all the way to the lefthand side of the service box on his side of the court, rather close to the net, and hit a backhand shot, somehow, to clear the net. And that, was all before the fact she’d sliced the ball so well that it barely skidded off the ground before bouncing again.

It, was nowhere near as perfect as his magical shot had been. And that, was what made it all the more impressive. This was a skill she’d honed over who knew how many hours. It was a practiced technique, executed flawlessly, and Dan, honestly, found himself standing there, watching it all play out in awe. There really wasn’t anything else to do with a shot like that. That instance, also served as a teaching point for him, and he knew it. The look in her eyes, the smile on her face, sent the message to him, loud and clear.

This was her court, and he needed to not underestimate her. Furthermore, she was not going to be upstaged by his drop shot, and if he wanted to get cheeky, she would return the favor. And the final lesson he learned, in that instance, was the most important. Never let his opponent get out of his line of sight. He realized, in that moment, he’d been relying too much on his skill assist and auto-battle and had been forgetting some of the basics Peter had taught him. It didn’t matter how well he could hit the tennis ball if he didn’t pay attention to where his opponent was. Tennis was so much more than just hitting the ball hard. And if he wanted to climb, if he wanted to improve, he needed to remember, his opponent’s position, their skills, their capabilities, their tendencies, were all things he needed to focus on as well.

It wasn’t good enough, to just get the ball back over the net. He needed to actually think. Which, he did, quite a bit, that first game. Mostly, the thoughts involved admiring Maddie, and realizing he had definitely been way too cocky. It also made him itch, because his pride was taking a beating, even though he felt, all things considered, he was putting on a better show than anyone expected.

That being said, as they switched sides, the first game done, Dan now down 0-1 in the Set, with Maddie getting ready to serve, he couldn’t help but smile. She’d been running him around, and his stamina was taking a beating. But, it was time to test out the next skill on his racquet. With Maddie serving, he could, at the very least, send back a message of his own. Dan was not a one trick pony. And he could learn, adapt, and use skills of his very own. Even if they were limited, and magical, he was still going to use them. Because every part of him was thriving on this match.

He was alive and having the time of his life. And while he knew they’d had some long rallies in that first game, it had passed in a flash. Time flies when you’re having fun, and Dan, was living in ecstasy, his body trembling, as he prepared himself for the next game. At a minimum, he had 5 games left in this set, and then 6 in the next set, if he lost every single one. However, he was going to do all he could, to prolong, and draw out that time. He was going to use every skill he had, every ability he could, to make sure this match lasted as long as possible. Because at this moment, Dan was having the time of his life, and he never wanted it to end. This was happiness. This was tennis.