From Fat to Untouchable: The System's Billion-Dollar Payback

Try Harder To Pull Me Down

Chapter 6

~ Try Harder To Pull Me Down ~

"Caelum filed an official dispute with the regional athletic committee two hours ago," the man said, pulling out a white sealed envelope and holding it between his fingers. "He claims your sudden physical transformation and missed academic hours disqualify you from playing in the championship qualifier."

Asher did not bother taking the white envelope, he simply stepped closer, his face tugged with seriousness, void of any calmness.

"Tell Caelum that he can write as many complaints on paper as he wants, that I don't give a damn about his jealousy. He should try harder to pull me down," Asher squeaked, his voice dropping into a low, and condescending.

"Because, as long as Asher Reed breathes, I am walking through those doors and playing my game, and if you want to stand in my way, I hope you can take the huge blow, because I won't go easy on you!" Asher screeched, his voice tugged with unwavering determination.

The man swallowed hard, his confidence vanishing as he slowly lowered the envelope and stepped back into his red Mercedes without uttering another single word to Asher.

Asher turned on his heel, walked towards, hopped in, and slammed the door shut. In a daze the car roared to life and zoomed off from premises at speed.

*********

Asher opened the doors of the arena, and marched straight to the hallway toward the locker room.

"Get your gloves on right now, Reed, because our entire defensive line is completely falling apart out there!" Head Coach Jaxon yelled, his face red as he slammed his file against the door frame.

The stadium scoreboard glowed red, displaying an agonizing three to zero deficit near the end of the second period.

Caelum sat on the bench, his head down as he gasped for air, his custom skates scuffed and his white gloves covered in slush from getting repeatedly stripped of the puck in the neutral zone.

Vincent and Rowan leaned against the glass barrier with tired eyes, completely overrun by the opponent's aggressive forward line and unable to clear their own zone.

Asher stood up from the bench, snapping his chin strap tight.

He put on his gloves and stepped out onto the ice just as the shrill horn sounded for a crucial defensive zone face-off.

"Look who the coach is throwing out there now," Bradley muttered from the bench, shaking his head with a bitter sneer. "We are officially giving up on this game. We are losing, damn it, that fat pig!" He screeched bitterly, his brow furrowed in shame.

The referee blew the whistle and dropped the black puck between the two center players in the defensive circle.

The opposing star, Sean won the draw instantly, pulling the puck and charging straight toward the blue line with speed.

He tried to pass the right side of the crease, attempting the exact same wide move that had broken Caelum's line three times in a row earlier in the game.

Asher did not go out of position, he tracked Sean's hips, paying attention to his swift moves, ignoring all the shouting around him.

As Sean made himself towards the net, Asher shifted his body and closed the gap immediately.

He drove his shoulder directly into Sean's chest, pinning him, making sure he didn't move.

The puck fell off into the corner, and Asher picked it up immediately with the blade of his stick.

With a short, careful flick of his wrists, Asher sent a crisp forty-foot pass straight down the ice to his open winger at the far blue line.

The home crowd let out a sudden gasp as the quick transition play caught the opposing team completely off guard in the neutral zone.

For the next six continuous minutes, Asher transformed the defensive zone into a fortress of cold and relentless positioning.

Every time an opponent tried to cross the blue line, Asher cut off the angle, taking in the body contact without flinching in pain.

Caleb and Mason watched from the player gate, their arrogant smiles slowly vanishing as they realized Asher was single-handedly holding the team together.

When the horn blew to signal the end of the second period, Asher walked calmly toward the bench without a single drop of sweat showing on his brow.

Coach Jaxon slapped Asher hard on his padded shoulder, his eyes wide with newfound respect and astonishment.

"Incredible game you had out there on the ice, Reed! That is how you play real defense!" the coach shouted, his voice echoing loudly across the bench, with excitement.

Caelum sat across the room, his fists clenched, his gaze tugged with jealousy, piercing deeply at Asher. If stares could kill, Asher would have been on the floor fighting for his breath

He stared at Asher with burning hatred, watching the very teammates who used to mock Asher now offer quiet nods of approval.

Asher sat down on the bench, suddenly the system flashed notification across his eyes.

It's a robotic voice echoing inside of his head.

(New Power unlocked: Fearless Strength, and Ability to Withstand obstacles)

( Power of lighting, thunder and Rain: loading 50% to unlock)

(Weight Reduction Progression: 20%: lost over 20 pounds.)

Asher's face was completely unbothered as he looked across the bench at the captain.

"Get used to the view from the bench, Caelum," Asher whispered quietly to himself, his voice cold. "Because tomorrow night, you lose everything else,” a cunning smirk laced on his lips, that twitched Caleum’s nerves.

“What's that fat pig smiling about?” He sneered at Asher, gritted his teeth furiously to scare him as he used to, but Asher didn't flinch in fear.

He stood up as the third period buzzer sounded, ready to lead the team back out to finish the game.

As Asher stepped onto the ice, the doors at the side of the rink slammed open with a loud crash.

The university athletic director marched down into the rink, accompanied by two campus police officers and holding a folder in his hand.

"Freeze right there, Reed!" the director shouted into the arena PA system, his voice shrieking over the speakers and cutting through the crowd noise. "This match is officially suspended under executive authority!"

The entire crowd fell into silence as the referee held up his hands, stopping the game clock.

Coach Jaxon charged off the bench toward the boards, his face flushed with fury as he confronted the officials.

"What is the meaning of this interruption, Director?" Coach Jaxon yelled, "We are in the middle of a championship qualifier!"

"We just received an emergency instruction from the university board," the athletic director answered, stepping right up to the glass barrier and staring directly at Asher. "A fraud charge has been filed against Asher Reed regarding stolen athletic funds and illegal performance, backed by sworn witness affidavits."

Caelum Thorne slowly leaned back against the bench wall, a triumphant smile spreading across his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Asher did not move, his grip on his hockey stick remaining firm as he looked at the police officers stepping onto the ice toward him.

Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate with an urgent system alert.

The screen flashed bright gold, displaying an automated text.

[Emergency Protocol Triggered: Unscheduled System Lockdown Imminent.]

Asher raised his head, his dark eyes locking onto the athletic director with a cold, terrifying frost stare.

"If I were you, I would check my phone first, Director," Asher commanded, in a stern voice. "Before you read that folder out loud,” Asher heaved a condensing brow at him.