Chapter 216 Destroying Leo's Psyche
"Ready!" The ref shouted, raising the signal gun high.
Students whipped out their phones, eager to catch the race on video.
Leo, Charles, and the other runners crouched on the starting blocks, muscles coiled like springs.
Leo was laser-focused. As soon as Coach Kim yelled "Ready," he started counting in his head. He knew Coach Kim's timing like the back of his hand.
This time, Leo was going to make a bold move. He had to get the jump on Charles, especially with Emily and Alice watching.
Seeing Alice again made Leo's blood pump harder. Failure wasn't an option; he had to win.
After twelve seconds of intense focus from everyone, Leo sprang forward like a cheetah. Right as he moved, the ref fired the gun.
Leo's start was flawless, perfectly synced with the gunshot. Not a fraction of a second off.
He shot ahead, a full body length in front of the others.
Leo's timing and speed were off the charts. He quickly widened the gap, charging forward like a snow leopard.
"Wow, Leo's flying!" someone shouted.
"Holy crap, that burst is insane!" The crowd buzzed with excitement, but they also noticed Charles lagging behind.
If Leo was the fastest, Charles was the slowest. He finally took off after everyone else, looking totally unprofessional.
Charles was at least 0.3 to 0.5 seconds behind Leo, putting him several body lengths back. As the race went on, the gap could stretch to four or five meters.
But was Charles really that slow? No way. His agility and reaction speed were top-notch, way above average. If he focused, he could almost match Leo's perfect start.
But predictions were risky and often wrong. Instead, Charles could rely on his natural ability to react quickly, and his explosive power was even better.
Honestly, if Charles went all out, he could give a regular guy a 20-meter head start and still win.
Charles didn't want to come across as overbearing, so he let the others get a head start to avoid looking like he was showing off.
"Charles is catching up! He's fast, but can he close the gap?" a spectator wondered.
In just five seconds, Charles caught up to the second-to-last runner. Then he really kicked it into gear.
By the sixth second, he was in the top five.
By the seventh second, he was in the top three.
By the eighth second, he was neck and neck with Leo.
By the ninth second, he overtook Leo and crossed the finish line first, just a body length ahead.
Charles won by a hair.
Charles: 100 meters, 10.02 seconds.
Leo: 100 meters, 10.09 seconds.
Leo was crushed. He'd just run his best time ever, breaking the school record and hitting national athlete levels. Yet he was still a bit slower than Charles.
If Charles had blown him away, Leo might've felt better. But losing by just a body length felt like a cat playing with a mouse, messing with his head.
"Leo, you did great, breaking your personal best. Keep it up; you're really talented!"
"Charles, you were amazing. If you'd started faster, you might've broken the ten-second mark. Coach Young was right; you're something special!"
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