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NB - there were a few punctuation marks missing which have been included, however everything else should be as was originally written.
NBB - CSS stolen from Aquacorde, thank youuuuu.
Otherwise I hope you enjoy my entry for this year's SWC (and first entry for it altogether)!
It was dead quiet. The silence was suffocating. The sense of expectancy in the air was cloying, creating an atmosphere so tense you could taste it. An atmosphere so tense you could feel it. An atmosphere so tense, it felt like you couldn't escape it.
A murmur of movement is heard as something is thrown into the air.
Like a twist on a soda bottle cap, the pressure is slowly released, the silence replaced by a low whoosh as the peak of the throw is reached.
THWACK.
The pressure - and silence along with it - immediately dissipates. However with the silence now gone, a mixture of things start muddling the tension in the air. Unease. Uncertainty. Dread. Trepidation. All these flavours mixing together to create a taste in the air so insufferable, that everyone wants it to end.
The air wobbles as a ball screams through it. As the ball descends towards the clay, it almost feels like the heavy atmosphere is slowing down time itself. The silence is back once more, albeit momentarily, as all of a sudde-
THUD.
The ball slams onto the clay before careening to the left, evading all contact before landing on the floor once more, rolling to an eventual halt.
"Ad-In"
With the call of advantage to server made, suddenly noise erupts from all around. Any previous feelings are banished, as the crowd roars. However, there's one individual who seems to be unperturbed by all of this.
Cody. Cody Surge. An up and coming tennis hopeful who had just managed to score one of the most crucial points in his career to date. There was now one more rally between him and the championship, one more rally between him and his dream, one more rally between finally making a name for himself. This was the tenth time this thought had now ran through his head and it was time to break that cycle.
Cody you see had come from Vermilion City. As the son of Matis Surge, he was somewhat cast into a certain light from the get-go and somewhat in his father's shadows wherever he went. He desperately wanted to make a name for himself and as a result he had gotten into tennis. It had become his passion, his joy, his soul. He fought tooth and nail for the recognition he so wanted, climbing up in the ranks at an almost astronomical rate.
With that however, also came a crippling fear of not making it once he realised he had hit the championship finals. His long-time mentor and rival Volkner had always said how he would never amount to anything if he couldn't beat these fears. If he couldn't win against them.
Despite outward appearances on the court, Cody was all over the place, these fears having a stranglehold on him. His mind reeling from all the possible paths to take, to a point all he could see on the court was a spider's web of ball trajectories. His vision clouded by the tangled mess of all the ways he was going to win or lose. He felt he could see every equation and yet couldn't help but feel more blind than ever before.
The crowd quietens down once more as Cody and his opponent set up for the next rally. The tension settles in once more, the all too familiar taste coming back. The atmosphere creeps in, slipping over Cody like a heavy coat, smothering all sense once more. The sweat dripping down his neck felt like the ocean depths drowning him. The sweat in his hands turning them cold and clammy, like limp noodles. He could feel the air rippling, he could hear it humming - a low, dull, throbbing hum that was slamming into his skull over and over. Everything was against him, everything was against him, everything was against hi-
A murmur of movement is heard as something is thrown into the air.
Like a small release on a pressure valve, the pressure is slowly released, the humming accompanied by a low whoosh as the peak of the throw is reached.
THWACK.
The pressure - and humming along with it - immediately dissipates. However with the pressure now gone, a mixture of things start muddling the tension in the air. Fear. Anxiety. Adrenaline. Determination. All these flavours mixing together to create a taste in the air so insufferable, that Cody wants it to end.
The air visibly vibrates as the ball screeches towards Cody. As the ball descends towards the clay, it almost feels like the heavy atmosphere is slowing down Cody himself. His limbs move, but it feels like he is running on treacle. The equations are coming back now, the web is splayed out once more, determined to foil every move he makes. But Cody was seeing differently now. As he approaches the spot where he needs to be, the humming grows louder and his limbs get heavier. He takes a swing and-
THWOP.
He returns the serve - a topspin which arches over the net before landing just after it, spinning towards the right this time at a sharp angle. His opponent however seems to be there right away, ready to hit their return. It makes sense Cody thinks. After all, they ARE the Spider that's stopping me from winning this.
Cody doesn't have time to dwell on this however, as they've caught him slacking near the net and hit a well-executed lob. As much as Cody can see the web, it IS their web after all, of course they have better command of it.
Or so they think.
Cody has been in ample situations like this before. His mentor and rival has gone over this countless times with him. Trained him. Competed against him. Honed him. For this exact situation. Cody scurries to the back of the court and lines himself up for the finishing blow. His opponent sees what is happening and panics, scuttling back to the middle of the court to receive the smash they knew was coming. As this happens, Cody sees that the web has disappeared now. The coat comes off and Cody feels a whole world lighter. The equations have solved themselves into a simple answer. He can see his rival standing exactly where Cody needs to aim for. Cody arches back, before unleashing all his energy into the most explosive effort he's ever exerted.
THWACK.
The ball cannonballs directly into the clay. His opponent lunges forward, long spider-like limbs splayed to gain the maximum reach possible. But it isn't enough. They crumple to the floor as the ball careens once more off the court, hitting the wall with a loud thud before rolling to a halt. Its final halt.
"Game, set and match to Cody Surge."
With the winning call made, suddenly noise erupts from all around. Any previous feelings are banished, as the crowd roars and cheers. Joy overflows the court. The air is sweet like summer wine as it's filled with everyone's happiness. However, there's one individual who seems to be unperturbed by all of this.
Cody. Cody Surge. There is no noise. Just silence. Stifling silence. He can see his rival standing in the same spot he has just seen them before. Cody gets up and walks towards them, before stopping at the net. His rival comes over and offers a hand.
"Well done Cody. You did it. You finally won against your fears. You finally did the thing I said you'd never do. Congratulations, you've finally beaten me."
Cody shakes the hand and as he lets go, the air around him lays still once more and everything comes back to focus. As he hears the roars of the crowd and his triumph sinks in, he slumps down to the ground, tears falling from his face.
NBB - CSS stolen from Aquacorde, thank youuuuu.
Otherwise I hope you enjoy my entry for this year's SWC (and first entry for it altogether)!
The Taste of Triumph
By Arcaneum
It was dead quiet. The silence was suffocating. The sense of expectancy in the air was cloying, creating an atmosphere so tense you could taste it. An atmosphere so tense you could feel it. An atmosphere so tense, it felt like you couldn't escape it.
A murmur of movement is heard as something is thrown into the air.
Like a twist on a soda bottle cap, the pressure is slowly released, the silence replaced by a low whoosh as the peak of the throw is reached.
THWACK.
The pressure - and silence along with it - immediately dissipates. However with the silence now gone, a mixture of things start muddling the tension in the air. Unease. Uncertainty. Dread. Trepidation. All these flavours mixing together to create a taste in the air so insufferable, that everyone wants it to end.
The air wobbles as a ball screams through it. As the ball descends towards the clay, it almost feels like the heavy atmosphere is slowing down time itself. The silence is back once more, albeit momentarily, as all of a sudde-
THUD.
The ball slams onto the clay before careening to the left, evading all contact before landing on the floor once more, rolling to an eventual halt.
"Ad-In"
With the call of advantage to server made, suddenly noise erupts from all around. Any previous feelings are banished, as the crowd roars. However, there's one individual who seems to be unperturbed by all of this.
Cody. Cody Surge. An up and coming tennis hopeful who had just managed to score one of the most crucial points in his career to date. There was now one more rally between him and the championship, one more rally between him and his dream, one more rally between finally making a name for himself. This was the tenth time this thought had now ran through his head and it was time to break that cycle.
Cody you see had come from Vermilion City. As the son of Matis Surge, he was somewhat cast into a certain light from the get-go and somewhat in his father's shadows wherever he went. He desperately wanted to make a name for himself and as a result he had gotten into tennis. It had become his passion, his joy, his soul. He fought tooth and nail for the recognition he so wanted, climbing up in the ranks at an almost astronomical rate.
With that however, also came a crippling fear of not making it once he realised he had hit the championship finals. His long-time mentor and rival Volkner had always said how he would never amount to anything if he couldn't beat these fears. If he couldn't win against them.
Despite outward appearances on the court, Cody was all over the place, these fears having a stranglehold on him. His mind reeling from all the possible paths to take, to a point all he could see on the court was a spider's web of ball trajectories. His vision clouded by the tangled mess of all the ways he was going to win or lose. He felt he could see every equation and yet couldn't help but feel more blind than ever before.
The crowd quietens down once more as Cody and his opponent set up for the next rally. The tension settles in once more, the all too familiar taste coming back. The atmosphere creeps in, slipping over Cody like a heavy coat, smothering all sense once more. The sweat dripping down his neck felt like the ocean depths drowning him. The sweat in his hands turning them cold and clammy, like limp noodles. He could feel the air rippling, he could hear it humming - a low, dull, throbbing hum that was slamming into his skull over and over. Everything was against him, everything was against him, everything was against hi-
A murmur of movement is heard as something is thrown into the air.
Like a small release on a pressure valve, the pressure is slowly released, the humming accompanied by a low whoosh as the peak of the throw is reached.
THWACK.
The pressure - and humming along with it - immediately dissipates. However with the pressure now gone, a mixture of things start muddling the tension in the air. Fear. Anxiety. Adrenaline. Determination. All these flavours mixing together to create a taste in the air so insufferable, that Cody wants it to end.
The air visibly vibrates as the ball screeches towards Cody. As the ball descends towards the clay, it almost feels like the heavy atmosphere is slowing down Cody himself. His limbs move, but it feels like he is running on treacle. The equations are coming back now, the web is splayed out once more, determined to foil every move he makes. But Cody was seeing differently now. As he approaches the spot where he needs to be, the humming grows louder and his limbs get heavier. He takes a swing and-
THWOP.
He returns the serve - a topspin which arches over the net before landing just after it, spinning towards the right this time at a sharp angle. His opponent however seems to be there right away, ready to hit their return. It makes sense Cody thinks. After all, they ARE the Spider that's stopping me from winning this.
Cody doesn't have time to dwell on this however, as they've caught him slacking near the net and hit a well-executed lob. As much as Cody can see the web, it IS their web after all, of course they have better command of it.
Or so they think.
Cody has been in ample situations like this before. His mentor and rival has gone over this countless times with him. Trained him. Competed against him. Honed him. For this exact situation. Cody scurries to the back of the court and lines himself up for the finishing blow. His opponent sees what is happening and panics, scuttling back to the middle of the court to receive the smash they knew was coming. As this happens, Cody sees that the web has disappeared now. The coat comes off and Cody feels a whole world lighter. The equations have solved themselves into a simple answer. He can see his rival standing exactly where Cody needs to aim for. Cody arches back, before unleashing all his energy into the most explosive effort he's ever exerted.
THWACK.
The ball cannonballs directly into the clay. His opponent lunges forward, long spider-like limbs splayed to gain the maximum reach possible. But it isn't enough. They crumple to the floor as the ball careens once more off the court, hitting the wall with a loud thud before rolling to a halt. Its final halt.
"Game, set and match to Cody Surge."
With the winning call made, suddenly noise erupts from all around. Any previous feelings are banished, as the crowd roars and cheers. Joy overflows the court. The air is sweet like summer wine as it's filled with everyone's happiness. However, there's one individual who seems to be unperturbed by all of this.
Cody. Cody Surge. There is no noise. Just silence. Stifling silence. He can see his rival standing in the same spot he has just seen them before. Cody gets up and walks towards them, before stopping at the net. His rival comes over and offers a hand.
"Well done Cody. You did it. You finally won against your fears. You finally did the thing I said you'd never do. Congratulations, you've finally beaten me."
Cody shakes the hand and as he lets go, the air around him lays still once more and everything comes back to focus. As he hears the roars of the crowd and his triumph sinks in, he slumps down to the ground, tears falling from his face.
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