Battle Of Planets-Chapter 4: Nancy

Tyson's body lay motionless inside the metallic pod, covered in the tight-fitting black rubber suit.

The rubber-like material clung to his body enhanced for maximum flexibility and strength. At the center of his chest, the triangular meta-bot flickered with a soft white light. His consciousness, however, was elsewhere.

As Tyson's physical body rested, the virtual world unfolded around him.

The simulation was seamless; he could taste the metallic tang of blood, and the ground felt convincingly solid beneath his feet, almost too real. His senses were fully engaged; every detail appeared sharp and vivid.

Here, in this controlled environment, Tyson and his meta-bot could merge as one—no longer two separate entities, but a single force, bonded by the hum of the meta-bot's energy, and his heartbeat.

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Tyson's eyes flashed open, though he wasn't truly awake. In this simulated reality, his mind drove the actions of his body.

He surveyed the desert landscape; jagged rocks jutted from the dry earth, and the air hung with the stench of decay and dust.

He wasn't alone.

The Metallic hum of the suit's nanotech flooded Tyson's senses as the armor materialized around him. In seconds, his body was fully encased in white armor, the glowing emblem on his chest pulsing as if alive.

He could sense the armor had increased the speed of his movements, it made him stronger—almost as though the suit was a part of him, adjusting and adapting to each shift in his stance.

The helmet locked into place with a soft hiss, and through the HUD display, Tyson could see every angle of his surroundings.

A shimmering, blue hologram of his body flickered in the corner of his helmet display, confirming 100 percent Nano-particles within his suit.

The first wave of monsters emerged from the distance, sand-like creatures resembling humanoid figures. As they moved, grains of sand constantly dropped from their bodies, swirling and shifting with each step they took, like a strange form of life emerging from the earth itself.

The dry winds of the simulation made the air feel heavy as the figures drew closer.

In Tyson's vision, the HUD display flickered, immediately marking them with red outlines, their digital profiles highlighting the threat they posed. His heart rate spiked as their movement became more pronounced. With every step, their bodies seemed to distort, as if the sand itself was alive, shifting to adapt to the terrain beneath them.

Tyson's grip on his sword tightened. His feet planted firmly into the simulated sand, bracing himself for the impact of the first creature's strike.

As the first sand-like creature lunged toward him, Tyson's reflexes kicked in. He sidestepped effortlessly, his movements as fast as a predator. His sword flashed through the air, cutting through the creature's form with precision, severing its sand-like limbs in an instant. The creature let out a soft hiss before crumbling into a pile of sand, vanishing into the ground.

Another one approached from his left, his meta-bot enhancing his strategic processing. With a quick pivot, he brought his sword up in a sweeping arc; the blade slicing with a force that caused the sand creature to explode into dust upon contact.

The third creature came in from behind, but Tyson closed the gap, his sword slashing downward with an audible crack. The creature shattered into particles, its body evaporating into the simulation's landscape as if it had never been there. With each strike, Tyson's confidence grew, and the remaining creatures hesitated.

They tried to regroup, but Tyson's meta-bot armor synchronized with his mind, calculating every angle, every potential attack.

He raised his hand, his meta-bot responding instantly, summoning a shield to block a fast-moving projectile from one of the remaining monsters.

The shield absorbed the impact, and Tyson retaliated with a single thrust that pierced the heart of his opponent. The monster collapsed, its sand-like body scattering into the wind.

Tyson wiped out the entire wave in a matter of minutes. Tyson stood there, his breath steady, his expression calm. The creatures were gone, and he hadn't broken a sweat. His HUD flickered briefly with a victory notification.

Tyson opened his eyes. He felt a slight ache in his muscles but the rush of combat still buzzed in his mind.

A sound of clapping sound interrupted his focus. He turned his head to find the figure by the pod, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

"Impressive," the man said with excitement. "Nine minutes and thirteen seconds. You're improving."

Tyson remained silent, eyes narrowing slightly as he removed his helmet, running his hand through his sweat-drenched black hair.

He didn't share the same enthusiasm.

Pod flickered briefly; showing the time it took him to complete the wave. Nine minutes and thirteen seconds. It was a good time, faster than most, but that wasn't enough.

He glanced over at the screen displaying the leaderboard, his eyes automatically landing on Alex's name.

Alex: 8:09

Tyson's stomach tightened.

He'd come close, but close wasn't enough. It never was.

The guy by the pod noticed Tyson's gaze, and the smile on his face faltered, sensing the unspoken tension. "What's wrong? You nearly had him."

Tyson didn't answer right away. He stared at the time again, frustrated. Alex. The guy always seemed to be one step ahead and his records were just out of reach.

Tyson could feel the weight of that constant comparison, and it gnawed at him. His body had barely broken a sweat, but his mind was far from satisfied.

"Nine minutes isn't good enough," Tyson muttered under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else. He glanced back at the guy, his jaw tightening. "I need to beat him."

A brief silence fell over the room. The man looked at Tyson, studying him for a moment

"You will, but for now Focus on your own."

Tyson didn't respond. Instead, he stepped off the platform and started stretching his muscles, determined to reset. But deep down, a fire burned.

The feeling of falling short stung like nothing else, and it only made him more determined to break Alex's record. He would do whatever it took.

"Again,"

Tyson sat at the edge of the river, his gaze lifted toward the night sky, where stars twinkled with a quiet intensity.

The river's slow current mirrored his thoughts. The stars were the same ones people spoke of, the ones that had once fallen and decimated mankind—the ones that had caused the disaster. At least, that's how the stories went.

Tyson had never lived through the event. He had been born after the meteor strike, the time when the world had already begun to rebuild, or so the history books said.

He couldn't even imagine the devastation people described, nor did he wish to. The past felt distant, like an echo that didn't belong to him. But he loved the stars.

There was something about them, something that always seemed to pull at him from the deep expanse of space.

A connection that went beyond mere curiosity, it wasn't just the wonder of the distant light.

it was the way they seemed to reach out to him, like old friends waiting to welcome him.

He couldn't quite explain it. It wasn't something everyone understood.

Sometimes, Tyson wondered if it was the thing attached to him—the meta-bot—that made him feel this way, or maybe he had always felt this way, even before it had become a part of him.

But no matter the reason, the sky always made him feel less alone. Out here, beneath the stars, everything else seemed to fade into the background. For a moment, Tyson could breathe easier. No records to break. No training to endure. Just him and the universe, as vast and mysterious as it was.

"I didn't make you wait, did I?" Nancy's voice came soft, as she approached him. Tyson's heart fluttered.

"No, not at all," he replied with a smile as she settled beside him. Her legs dangled playfully in the cool water of the river. "Thanks for coming."

Nancy blushed, the faint color of pink rising to her cheeks as she pushed a strand of hair that had drifted across her face.

"Thanks for inviting me." Her gaze on the water for a moment.

As Nancy pushed her hair aside, her gaze wandered over the unfamiliar landscape, her eyes tracing the way the stars danced on the water's surface.

There was a quiet stillness in her demeanor, almost as if she was taking everything in, learning to belong in a town that was still foreign to her.

"I haven't really had the chance to explore much," she admitted softly, her fingers playing with the edges of her sleeve. "I still don't know many places around here. It's all different from where I used to be."

Tyson smiled gently, nodding in understanding. "It's a bit of an adjustment. Everyone around here is pretty used to it, but for someone new... it must feel a bit off."

"Yeah," Nancy chuckled nervously. "I thought I'd be fine, you know? But it's strange to walk into a town where many people know each other, and I'm the one still trying to figure out where the best coffee shop is"

Tyson grinned, his eyes meeting hers. "Well, you're not alone in that. Everyone has their own way of settling in. But maybe I can show you around some time—help you find those hidden spots you won't find with tourist guides."

Nancy's eyes brightened a genuine smile curling on her lips. "I'd like that," she said, and there was something in her voice that made Tyson's heart skip a beat.