Rohan's eyes slowly open tiredly, as though he had woken up from a long sleep. He blinks twice as he tries to get in touch with his surroundings, hearing distant thuds and shouts.
His eyes widen, and he finds himself laying on the ground through his blue mask, staring up at the ceiling of the bench room. He turns his head on his side, seeing the game continue in the arena, with players slamming into one another to steal the puck, trying to make ground on the opposing team's side.
He slowly sits up, putting his hand on his left side, as he feels an odd throbbing pain.
On the bench, Sriya turns to see Rohan get up, and his eyes widen. He gets up from the bench and walks to Rohan, as Rohan was laying on the ground behind the benches, laying on a sort of mattress.
Sriya waves to Rohan, and he bends down, asking "How are you bud? You took a pretty bad hit back there, I was worried you wouldn't wake up till tomorrow."
Rohan looks at Sriya lazily, and asks, "What happened?"
Sriya sighs, and he recounts "You were about to get your first shot, but I guess the other team was racee. They just had to put all their body weight on you I guess, the coach even had to stop the game for a moment because you weren't moving."
Sriya turns to look at the other team's bench, which was visible through the transparent walls. He eyes the other team's center who dealt the blow, and looks back at Rohan, adding "I don't know why he's let on to still play."
Rohan frowns, and he puts his hand on his head, blinking more to try regaining his energy. He weakly asks, "How long was I out?"
Sriya frowns, and he answers, "A while, we don't have much time left in the game actually, only enough time for a full round of shifts before it's over."
Rohan's eyes shoot wide open, and he asks desperately, "Wait- you mean- I won't have- enough- wait- but I only got- one shift-!"
Sriya closes his eyes and sighs, confirming Rohan's worst suspicions: "Yeah, it doesn't look like you'll have enough time to make a good look. Sorry bud...I really tried to hook you up with that shot, that could've been a strong indicator that you were good. You couldn't have done anything about it, that hit came out of nowhere. Sorry, I guess I can tell you how the season goes if you want to know. You should just rest for now, the game will be done soon anyways, don't worry now."
Sriya then gets up, and he walks back to the bench. As he sits, the red team scores a goal, and the players in the arena begin to head back to the benches.
Rohan stares with wide eyes at Sriya, and then he lies back down, staring at the ceiling. All of that training, all of that buildup, and for what? In the end, regardless of how much effort he put into this, how much he worried about it, he would've been hit the same.
As Sriya said, he couldn't have done anything about it. He had lost before signing up for the tryouts. He would be lucky to get into the lowest team at this point, but even if he did, he'd likely quit. This wasn't supposed to happen, and yet, of course it would've. He was no athlete, he might've played once in a time he couldn't remember, but he was facing professionals in the making.
As he stares at the ceiling, admitting defeat, knowing there was no hope in getting anywhere, he remembers last night with Erica, more importantly their conversation before everything changed.
She had told him: 'I don't know...I think if you really feel this much about being in the team, then there's a good reason to care about getting in. I've never really been big into sports, but I know it's a hard commitment, and I know it can be challenging especially with the other work you give yourself; including other people's.'
As Rohan hears the next players get up from their bench to get out in the arena, he remembers Erica telling him: 'I don't want you to feel forced to help me, but as selfish as it sounds, I don't want to lose you either.'
However, what he didn't tell her before she gave the present was that he had already found reward in helping her, a relieving and joyful sensation simply from working along with her, and aiding her where she needed it. It was so strong of a reward that he even went out of his way to acquire it, deliberately asking her for any work to help her on.
To her, it might've looked like a selfless act of aid, him wanting to make sure she had nothing to worry about, and maybe that was all it was, a selfless act.
And yet, there was something oddly selfish about it, he was getting something in return for helping her, a drive, an energy he was alien to, but one he found himself addicted to.
Before, all he cared about was his own future, friends were nothing more than coworkers, and he had no time for other activities. Now, all he wanted to do was play alongside Sriya.
He selfishly wanted to selflessly devote himself to being there with him.
He couldn't give up now.
Sriya stands up to scoot up the bench, as the players at the edge of the bench fly out to play. The players who were just on the rink walk down the bench, moving towards the open space, next to Sriya.
However, rather than one of them sitting next to him, Rohan does, even though he was said to be sitting out the whole game.
Sriya notices Rohan, and his eyes widen in confusion, as he says "Rohan, it's okay, you're going to get hit even worse if you go out now. I'm sorry for dragging you along with me for this, but you should rest now. It'll be fine."
Rohan looks at Sriya with a contracted determined glare, and he responds, "Yes, it will be fine. I know one shift to change anything isn't much, and there's a good chance that it won't get me anywhere, and yes it could result in me just being put down again. But I'd rather get hit a second time than just give up the chance. Don't worry about me, Sriya, I'll be fine. If you're going to fight, so will I."
Sriya stares at Rohan, surprised by the sudden commitment, but he couldn't shoot it down. He sighs and nods, saying "Well okay, be careful. I guess we can have one more shift together before this wraps up, right?"
The players who got out play out their shift, pushing back from one side to another, with the players behind Rohan knowing they have wrapped up their last shift, so they just watch the game for fun. They had done everything they could, and now they had nothing more to do than let everything process.
One of the defensemen on the blue team grabs the puck after a misfire on their goal, and they try to shoot it out of the zone, however instead it gets collected by a defenseman on the red team.
The defenseman then pulls his arm back and he thrusts himself forward before firing a shot from nearly the center of the rink, headed straight for the goal. It was a long shot, and yet it struck into the corner of the goal, awarding a goal.
The other defenseman congratulates him, and the players go back to the benches, the final shift being called out.
Rohan stands up, along with Sriya and the other three players. The five get onto the arena, and they make their way to the center of the rink.
The five players from the other team also get out, replacing the players who were just out. Among the players was the same centerman who struck Rohan.
The coach for the blue bench notices that Rohan had got in the arena, and his eyes widen, however rather than stopping him, he lets Rohan go, as he knew the kid only had one more chance.
The ten players position themselves near the center, with Sriya taking center position, and Rohan taking the right side.
The coach goes to the center of the rink, and holds the puck between the two centermen, Sriya and the one from earlier.
The coach then lets go of the puck, but this time rather than Sriya getting the puck, the centerman from the red team slams into Sriya, and takes the puck himself.
The red team then instantly makes a dash for the blue side, trying to act fast to close the game.
Rohan's eyes widen, and he instantly pulls himself towards them, and boosts himself, reacting before the rest of his team. Not soon after however, the other players followed Rohan, with Sriya included, recovered from the strike.
The whole of the red team glides into the blue team's zone, with only the goalie on the blue team as defense. However, Rohan catches up from behind, passing the defensemen, and heading straight for the player with the puck.
He throws both of his arms forward to pull himself, and boosts again, but realizes that no matter how fast he tried moving, he was still no match for the centerman, who was still clearly a professional.
The centerman begins to pull his arm back, ready to fire a shot, and even though the goalie was ready for it, it was clear the centerman would most likely hit.
As Rohan chases the player, everything around him feels slower, as he concentrates on the player. Even the player's movement appears slower to him, as he continues to pull his arm back, his eyes on the goal.
Behind Rohan, the other four blue players follow, with Sriya trying to speed up to catch up, however he was too far to get the centerman, and knew he couldn't stop the play himself.
As Rohan follows the red player, his head begins to start ringing, as out of nowhere, he starts to hear a voice. It was a voice that was unrecognizable, a voice of an old man, one who spoke with a calm parental tone. It was a voice he didn't know, yet he was remembering, and the voice said, "Remember, Meditat, soon you'll take my work."
Suddenly, Rohan's mind flashes to himself being in a completely different place, a forest of sorts, however one he wasn't familiar with. The trees were far more massive than anything from his old home and the campus, with the light of the sun only coming down in fragmented rays.
Rohan found himself far shorter than he was, standing in front of a man who wore a formal suit, with a long white blazer a bit larger than normal.
The man has long flowy brown hair, and seemed to be speaking to him while running his fingers on one of the large trees, feeling the rough natural bark.
The man continues, "I know I'm not the best father, if everything had gone to plan I wouldn't have needed to be one. But here we are now, in an infinite mess, one that is the fault of many including mine."
Rohan stares at the man, and he listens quietly, feeling the soft breeze of the forest.
The man keeps his attention on the tree, and he says, "It's unfair to children like you, in hindsight there was much I could've done better. You may be young, and still find yourself struggling against opponents who're bigger and stronger, but you must remember, you can never let down. You don't know how important you are, and maybe I don't realize it myself either. I don't want you to be like me when you grow up, I want you to do what you think is best, and maybe it'll fix my mess. But, if I could give one request, all I ask is that you never stop fighting for people. Our world is cruel and senseless, and people will always antagonize one another, and you will find yourself doing the same. So I just want you to remember, fight, but fight for the good of others. Don't stand above the world, stand with it. And if you can do just that, you'll be a better man than anything I could ever hope to be."
The man and forest vanish, and Rohan finds himself back in the air hockey arena, chasing the centerman, as though he snapped back to reality.
His eyes widen, as he has no idea what he just heard and witnessed. It was in the past, but yet, it was not something he recognized. A man who he didn't recognize, a name he didn't recognize, and yet he remembered it.
He didn't know what world he saw a glimpse into, but all he got was one thing: He had to fight for others.
Rohan's eyes contract to a glare, as suddenly, his mind feels far more clear than before. He suddenly feels more confident gliding towards the player, not as though he was a new player, but as if he has done this many times before.
Because he has.
Rohan throws his arms ahead of himself, and as he pulls himself, he boosts with his boots, making another push towards the centerman. As he still boosts, he bends his torso forward, letting his hands and feet glide behind, and he thrusts forward with his chest while boosting with all his hands and feet, both pulling him with the strongest part of his body while pushing himself off with everything else he could.
The sudden boost brings him right behind the centerman, who readies to fire the puck, however Rohan brings his right arm down, and faces his shoulder to the player. He then uses both hands and feet again to boost one more time, finally breaking the distance, and slamming straight into the player.
The centerman loses control of the puck, and instead is sent flying forwards.
Rohan grabs control of the puck with his gauntlet, and realizing that in front of him were red players who now were all turned on him, he puts his free left hand and both feet ahead, and uses it to boost himself in the opposite direction, away from the goal.
Rohan then turns around, and boosts himself again with his feet while using his left hand to pull himself towards the wall, trying to give himself as good of a boost as he can as he realizes he had to make a full dash down the whole rink.
He passes the other four players including Sriya, who all turn to face Rohan before following him. Behind the four players, the five red players chase behind, trying to stop him.
Rohan continues to the middle, where he does another chest thrust, once more using his left hand and feet as a boost. As he moves forward, he hears a quickly approaching hum, realizing it was one of the red team players trying to snatch the puck.
Rohan extends his left hand to face the wall, and he pulls himself towards it, just barely missing a strike from one of the offensemen, who tried to slam Rohan in the back.
Instead, Rohan navigates to the wall, where he then tilts his body to have his feet planted on the wall. He holds his left hand out and attaches it to the curved part of the wall, and begins running on the wall, clinging to the edge to get away from the center. He runs a few steps and reaches the red team's zone before kicking off of the wall, and boosting himself towards the middle.
As Rohan glides towards the middle of the red zone, where the goal was, he starts to pull his arm back, ready to fire.
However, as he fires, he hears Sriya yell, "LOOK OUT-!" Rohan turns to his side, where he sees the centerman flying straight for him, his shoulder already aiming for Rohan's side, intent on striking him again to prevent a shot.
Rohan's eyes widen, as he realizes due to his position, he has no time to move, as while he mentally reacted, he had already set himself up for a shot.
Rohan braces for impact, but just as the centerman is about to strike him, another player from the blue team flies right between the two, and he instead takes the strike, groaning from the hit while trying his best to defend Rohan.
Rohan's eyes widen as he sees Sriya in front of him, looking at Rohan, putting himself between the two to protect him from the strike.
Sriya flies towards Rohan, however now with the hit, Rohan had more time to react. He turns towards Sriya and the centerman, and boosts backwards, leaning forwards to have his back pull himself towards the far wall, and his hands and feet add with a boost
Rohan stops by the wall, realizing he is now cornered, and he sees the centerman lock eyes with him. The centerman then begins boosting towards him, readying his shoulder for another strike.
Rohan's eyes widen as he sees that he is about to get struck. He then turns to his left to see another player on the red team flying straight for him on the side, meaning that if Rohan tried to avoid the centerman by strafing left or right, he'd be hit regardless. As both players near Rohan, he looks up with an idea.
Rohan boosts upwards and at an angle between both of the attackers, dispositioning himself in height from the goal, but protecting himself from the hits. As calculated, both the centerman and the other attacker miss Rohan, with the centerman colliding into the wall instead.
Rohan then boosts back down at another angle, setting himself straight again, as he places himself at where the centerman was before. Once he fixes his height, he then boosts forward towards the goal, now no longer needing to worry about the opposition.
Instead, he pulls his arm back as he aims at the goal, and then thrusts it forward, firing the puck right into the far corner of the goal. While the goalie tries to block it, the small opening is still clear, and the puck slips inside the goal.
Rohan's eyes widen in surprise as he sees that the puck got in, and he comes to a halt. Sriya glides to Rohan, also in awe from the play, as it seemed he had changed completely in that one shift.
The coach then announces, "Okay, that's the end of the evaluation! Good work today, roster lists will be posted in a few days. You all can go now, and remember to leave the helmets in the correct locker room."
Sriya playfully knocks Rohan's shoulder, and he says, "Well then, I was worried for you for a sec, but it looks like you got it. Did you need that hit to wake you up?"
Rohan just looks ahead of himself, feeling an odd mix of both pride and confusion, as he knew he had just embraced something, but he wasn't sure what exactly that was.
The players head down and out of the rink after the dismissal, their final tryouts over with. As instructed, they left their helmets in the locker rooms after taking the suits off, talking with one another as they speculated where they could be placed.
Rohan and Sriya leave the facility after changing, and they head back to their dorms after a tiring day, going off to shower on their own, hoping their work was worth it. The sun begins to set over the campus, as the long week is finally over.
About a week later, Rohan and Sriya were among the rest of their group, sitting in the lounge while doing coding projects due in a few days. As usual, Rohan guides Shuraj through the work, with the others playing around. Ara, Ari, and Vrey talk among each other, while Sriya is on his Connect, checking something.
As Rohan tells Shuraj, "You forgot to close this function off, that's why it's broken," Sriya interrupts him, asking for Rohan's attention by saying: "Yo Rohan, check this out."
Rohan looks up at Sriya with some confusion, and he asks, "Is something wrong? Give me a minute with Shuraj, then I'll help you."
Shuraj shakes his head, and he says, "No no, I just want to show you something. It'll just take a second, promise."
Rohan sighs, and nods his head. He turns to Shuraj, and says, "Just fix that, and tell me if that solves the issue."
Rohan then stands up and walks to Shuraj, asking him "What happened?"
Shuraj smirks, and he rotates his Connect screen to face Rohan. Rohan's eyes read the screen for a few moments before they shoot wide open.
The screen Sriya had shown him was of the top division roster of the air hockey team, which was posted on the SAT app, and towards the bottom was his own name.
Rohan looks up at Sriya, and he says, "Wait, is that real?"
Sriya nods his head, and he smiles, answering "I guess it was good that you didn't listen to me about sitting out the last shift."
Rohan smiles, and he just stares back at the screen of his name among the top division list, along with Sriya's name, and a variety of others.
The training and stressing had paid off.
Rohan fought and won.