Durian and Fae raced through the course, weaving past the obstacles and jumping to avoid any obstructions as they entered the holo maze with its entrance in view.
The holo maze was true to its name as the walls shifted positions with each step they took making it harder and harder to navigate through. Every couple meters there would be traps they needed to avoid and hoops they needed to jump over not to mention having to avoid the dead-ends. The entire time the two students kept a relatively close pace surprising everyone there. Even instructor Alexi was stunned.
Fae was fast, and was having no trouble keeping up with Durian. Her slender figure allowed her to get through the small and narrow spaces quite easily giving her an advantage compared to Durian's larger one but unfortunately this advantage wasn't enough contain him because Durian quickened his pace, going even faster than before.
The gap between the two was getting larger as Durian was about to enter the next stage. Fletcher who had been secretly rooting for Fae knitted her eyebrows in mild worry.
As the race went on, the two were nearing the last stage and the gap kept getting wider with Fae having a hard time surpassing Durian while also watching out for the dummies that attacked her relentlessly. They were finally down to the last couple of meters with the finish line up ahead, and Fae slowly came to the realization that there was a high chance she could lose if she didn't close this gap.
Taking a resolute deep breath, Fae stopped in her tracks as she kneeled down, concentrating her energy to the back of her legs and used the momentum to leap up closing the gap between her and Durian significantly. Fae was now at his tail and Durian was now having a hard time shaking her off.
Not wanting to lose to a cat, Durian used more energy focusing them on his legs as he quickened his pace going even faster than before. The distance between them was growing bigger and the rest of the class already knew that it was going to be his win,when suddenly Fae gained on him once again.
Durian was in shock. He didn't expect this little cat to give him such a hard time. When he first laid eyes on her, he thought she was an insignificant little bug that could easily be squashed. It was the reason why he didn't even bother trying during the first half on the race. It wasn't until he noticed that she was actually keeping up with him that he realized he needed to exert some energy in order to shake her off.
They only had a meter left until reaching the finish line and they were now neck to neck. The students who were watching the race cheered for both of them as they were nearing the finish line.
"Looks like she might actually win." Fletcher gushed.
Kenneth who was watching the two intently shook her head. This act didn't go unnoticed by Fletcher.
"You don't think she'll win?" She asked her confused.
"No I don't."
"Why not?" Fletcher frowned, now focusing her attention on Kenneth.
Kenneth turned to look at her momentarily before looking back at the race.
"It's quite simple. Durian isn't using his full strength while Fae is. Although it might seem like they are tied right now, give it another ten seconds and Durian will surpass her."
Fletcher turned to look at the two and just like Kenneth said, Fae was loosing steam and was slowly falling behind. She looked tired while Durian looked just fine. Reaching closer and closer to the line, Durian sped up even more while Fae burned through the last bit of energy she had left and the two crossed the finish line.
The timer stopped and the entire class went silent, their attention on the instructor. It was quite obvious who the winner was but they all wanted to know by how much Durian had won.
"The winner of this race is Durian Black." Alexi announced.
Fae lost by fifteen seconds which was an incredible feat. Although she lost, she should feel proud of what she had managed to accomplish.
Those who weren't pro Durian congratulated Fae for her race.
As she made her way towards them, Fletcher ran up to her giving her a big hug congratulating her. Fae had returned back to her human form and smiled at Fletcher.
Her youthful face was marred with exhaustion but there was an excited glint in her eyes which made Kenneth smile.
She's a tough one. Kenneth thought.
After all the commotion, Durian made his way towards Fae standing over her in an imposing manner. Thinking he was going to fight her, Fletcher put her arm in front of Fae blocking all potential contact between the two. Durian glared at her before looking at Fae. "That was a good race. I didn't think you'd put up much of a fight." He said in a mocking tone.
Despite his rude remark, Fae gave him a warm smile thanking him for the race. She gained a lot from this experience and was genuinely grateful to him. "I'm sorry I couldn't put up more of a fight but I look forward to competing with you again." She said sincerely.
Durian was taken aback by her warm smile and kind words. His smug expression faltered a little as he stood there with his mouth hung open like an idiot. He quickly regained his composure after Fae tilted her head to the side in confusion since he hadn't reacted for awhile. He gave her a low grunt before walking away and joining his friends.
Fletcher and Fae looked at his retreating figure before she snorted. "What's his problem?"
Fae shrugged her shoulders and the two joined Kenneth at the end of the line.
It was now time for the second race.