Oliver practically crawled to the dining room, where his mother was already sitting down. She gave a curious look at Oliver before returning to her online news article. Oliver took a seat opposite to her and reached for the bread basket. His hand only made it halfway before a large, burly one grabbed it. Oliver's father stepped into view, wearing the only kitchen apron in the house.
"You stink of sweat... go take a shower first."
It was now 7 in the morning and Oliver had to prep for school. Part of him felt way too tired to take a shower, but he grudgingly left the dining room. On his way to the bathroom, he slipped into his room and plucked his phone from the desk.
Oliver locked the bathroom door and walked over to the mirror. A youth with a messy mop of black hair and light blue eyes stared back at him. Out of habit, he stroked his chin as if half expecting a beard to grow from nothing.
{Should probably get my hair cut later...}
Oliver sighed to himself as he looked down at his phone. The [Daily Tasks] tab of the system app had undergone a change.
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[Daily tasks]
{59/100} completed pushups. 59%
{22/100} completed situps. 22%
{0/1000} metres sprinted. 0%
{0/3000} calories consumed (optional) 0%
Bonus: {0/1} minutes planking. 0%
Note: if you do not complete at least 2 daily tasks within the allotted time, you will lose 2pts of each stat. Upon completion you will receive a free stat point for each task, you may invest it into whichever stat you wish (except for will).
New tasks in 16hrs: 05mins: 50sec
**************************************
Oliver had to admit he was suddenly losing motivation. There was the whole thing about trying to find time later at school to finish cause he doubted he would find energy after school. He grumbled to himself as he tucked his phone in a cupboard and started the shower.
He took a good 10 minutes to enjoy the hot water wash away his fatigue. It took another 20 minutes for him to be perfectly ready for school, just in time for the school bus to turn the corner. He left the house in good spirits and unsure of how he would solve his daily tasks issue.
*************************
"Honestly, I don't know how I'm gonna stay awake today..."
"Want an energy drink?"
Oliver sat next to a taller boy of dark complexion and stocky physique. They were sitting on a bench in the school courtyard overlooking the school fields. The boy's name was Jack, and he wore a red V-Neck sweater and black sweatpants.
Jack's gaze was focused on the fields as the shrill sound of a whistle came from the stands. Students were running all over the field in either white or black jerseys. Jack's eyes focused on one girl in particular, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Hey Jack... You still there?"
Jack's gaze shifted to Oliver, and he smiled as he pulled out a black and gold plastic card.
"I can pay for it if you'd like. Just tell me what's got you so tired."
Oliver sighed and sunk even lower on the bench and gazed up towards the clear blue sky. The weather was still cold, but Oliver found himself unbothered. It was currently midday, and he realized he was running out of time. He had a bit of free time, so perhaps he could try to go to the school gymnasium.
"Yea... I think I'd like an energy drink. Also, do you know how to best finish forty-one pushups and seventy-eight situps?"
Jack raised an eyebrow before getting up and heading to the vending machine. Oliver waited as Jack brought back two large energy drinks.
"Mango flavoured... hope you don't mind."
Jack tossed both cans to Oliver, who caught one while the other hit the grass and they both stared at it. Oliver picked it up and wiped it before opening and taking a sip.
"You didn't answer the question..."
"Why not join the fitness club?"
Jack sat back down on the bench and looked at Oliver, who seemed to shiver at the question. There was a reason Oliver purposely avoided that club, and that was solely because of the club captain. Asking for training techniques would lead to nothing good.
"Fine. Then why don't you join me and Elaine at the gym later? We're training for the regionals."
Oliver gave Jack a shifty look before staring towards the fields. A girl in a black jersey was shouting orders to her teammates amidst the rapid play. Her black hair was tied back in a long ponytail and low hanging bangs partially blocked her eyes. She had a tense expression as she ran around the pitch with quick pace.
Oliver disliked Elaine for several reasons. Majority of them because of her arrogant attitude. Jack had confessed to her once back when they were in year 6 and she rejected him. Oliver had to wonder why Jack was still around her despite all these years and pain.
"Aren't the regionals two months from now?"
Oliver was referring to the regional martial arts tournament that was being hosted in Sydney. Jack, Elaine, and Oliver were all part of the same martial arts dojo under different martial arts teachers. Oliver took Judo classes, yet was average. Elaine took Aikido and Jack took Taekwondo.
They selected Jack and Elaine as part of the 6 member team for the tournament. Jack was easily the most advanced student in the dojo, as he even took Aikido classes on the side.
He said it was to improve his chances at self defense, but Oliver wasn't dumb to know what was going on.
"Yup, but it hurt nobody to be well prepared, right?"
"Who's idea was it?"
"Elaine"
"Knew it..."
Oliver sighed and stared at the field again. He could use some friendly motivation and maybe even learn a bit from the prodigies. At this, he smiled and took another sip of his energy drink.
"Sure, let's do this."
****************
(Later that day)
Oliver had changed into his school gym clothes and was carrying a duffel bag filled with drinks from the school store. He ruffled his hair and stared around him as he walked towards the giant solitary building with chipped paint above saying 'GYM'.
The school gym was old and had been standing even before the societal collapse from the appearance of superpowers. According to dumb legend, the building had been used as a shelter once. Today its interior had been equipped and remodeled to fit the expectations of a modern day school gym.
They planned the exterior to be repainted in the coming weeks.
Oliver scanned his student id by the door scanner and walked in. Not to his surprise, he found only two other people there also wearing school gym clothes. Elaine was the first to notice him but clicked her tongue and turned away to start stretches. Jack noticed him next and gave a big smile, inviting Oliver over with a wave.
Oliver walked over and dropped the duffel bag on the bleachers. He returned Jack's wave and threw a vicious punch at Elaine.
She barely flinched as she swayed to the side and slapped his wrist away. Oliver stumbled forward but suddenly followed it with a roundhouse kick. But once again, with barely a flinch, Elaine ducked under Oliver's kick and sighed.
"What the fuck are you doing..."
"Oh, don't mind me. Just trying to kill the devil."
"Yeah, well, the devil isn't as slow as you. Try again later."
They glared at each other before a wild chuckle cut the tension. Jack held his sides and had a dumb smile on his face as he watched them. He hopped down from the bleachers and squatted for a bit.
"Let's train."