(Location: Johannesburg, South Africa | Time: Late 1995)
The training wheels felt like anchors. Every time Tom rode his bright red bicycle, faster now, leaning into turns with more confidence, the scrape and drag of the stabilisers grated not just on the concrete, but on his very ambition. They were a constant reminder of assistance, of limitation. With Reflexes now boosted to Level 3, the subtle world-sharpening effect combined with the passive hum of the Basic Balance Boost skill made the artificial stability feel increasingly redundant, even obstructive. He knew he could balance without them. He just had to prove it.
He began his campaign subtly, mentioning it to Elena first. "Bike wheels… off?" he'd ask, pointing to the offending stabilisers. Then, more assertively, "Want wheels off now, Mama!" When James was home, Tom escalated. He walked up to his father, pointed firmly at the training wheels, and declared, "Daddy, take off! Tom ride two wheels!"
James looked down at his determined three-year-old son. He'd seen Tom's rapid progress, the surprising control he exhibited even with the training wheels, the way he recovered from stumbles that would send most toddlers into tears (Durability 5 certainly helped there). He'd also noted Tom's growing frustration with the limitations. After a brief, hushed conference with Elena, who looked slightly more apprehensive, James nodded. "Alright, Top Gear. Let's give it a shot. But we practice on the grass first, okay?"
Tom agreed readily. Grass offered lower grip but also lower consequences upon failure. He watched with intense focus as James fetched his tools – spanners, wrenches that looked fascinatingly complex. The process of unbolting the stabilisers felt ceremonial. With each turn of the spanner, Tom felt a layer of artificial support being removed. First one side, then the other. James lifted the small wheels away. The bicycle suddenly looked leaner, taller, more elegant… and terrifyingly unstable. It couldn't even stand up on its own anymore, leaning against James's leg.
[System Warning: Vehicle Stability Profile Significantly Altered. Primary Balance Support Removed. User Input Critical for Equilibrium.]
[New Objective Set: Balance - Bicycle (Unassisted - 5 seconds)] - Reward: 1.0 SP
[New Objective Set: Balance - Bicycle (Unassisted - 5 meters)] - Reward: 1.5 SP
[New Objective Set: Controlled Start/Stop (Unassisted)] - Reward: 1.0 SP
The SP rewards reflected the leap in difficulty. This was a major milestone.
They moved to the flattest part of the back lawn, shaded by a large Acacia tree. The familiar kikuyu grass felt soft underfoot. James held the bike steady by the back of the seat. "Okay, Tom. Get on carefully."
Swinging his leg over felt different without the bike standing rigidly upright. He settled onto the seat, hands gripping the handlebars tightly. The world tilted precariously. His Reflexes 3 and Balance skill instantly engaged, sending a cascade of micro-correction signals to his limbs, but the sheer lack of inherent stability was overwhelming.
"Ready?" James asked. "Just pedal smoothly. Look ahead, not down. I've got you."
Tom nodded, his mouth set in a determined line. He pushed down on a pedal. James started jogging alongside, holding the seat firmly. The bike moved forward, wobbling wildly. Tom's focus narrowed, the System feeding him a constant stream of balance data – lean angles, correction vectors, stability percentages fluctuating wildly.
[Balance Stability: 45% (Left Lean - Correction Required!)]
[Steering Input Detected: Right Turn (Over-Correction?)]
[Balance Stability: 60% (Right Lean - Correction Required!)]
It was like trying to balance a spinning plate on a stick. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to react incredibly quickly, but knowing how to react, how much counter-steer or weight shift was needed, was something instinct and the System had to learn together, calibrated by trial and, inevitably, error.
"Okay, I'm going to let go for just a second..." James warned.
The moment James's hand left the seat, gravity took over. The bike leaned sharply left. Tom counter-steered instinctively, but too much. The bike wobbled right, then left again, before slowly, inevitably, toppling over onto the soft grass. Tom landed with a slight thump, cushioned by the lawn and his own Durability 5.
[Fall Detected. Cause Analysis: Oscillation Failure (Over-Correction Leading to Unrecoverable Lean Angle).]
[Impact Force: Low. No Damage Sustained.]
He scrambled up immediately, frustration warring with determination. "Again, Daddy!"
They tried again. And again. Each attempt followed a similar pattern: a few seconds of precarious balance while James held on, a brief, terrifying moment of independence, then a fall. But with each attempt, Tom learned. He felt how a small shift in his weight affected the lean. He discovered that tiny, almost imperceptible handlebar movements were more effective than large, jerky ones. He learned to trust the feeling, the feedback loop between his body, the bike, and the System guiding his corrections. The Balance Boost skill wasn't preventing falls, but it felt like it was slowing them down, giving his Reflexes 3 precious milliseconds longer to react and analyze.
[Unassisted Balance Duration: 0.8s]
[Unassisted Balance Duration: 1.5s]
[Unassisted Balance Duration: 2.1s - Fall Cause: Insufficient Counter-Steer (Right Lean)]
He focused on looking far ahead, towards the garden shed at the end of the lawn, rather than at his front wheel. This seemed to help stabilize his inputs. James offered encouragement: "That's it! Smoother now! Keep looking up!"
On what felt like the twentieth attempt, something clicked. James gave him a steady push, ran alongside, and then yelled, "Okay, you've got it!" and let go.
Tom pedalled tentatively. The bike wobbled, but he corrected – a tiny flick of the handlebars left, a slight shift of his hips right. The System flashed [Balance Stability: 85% - Minor Adjustments Active]. He kept pedalling, focusing on maintaining that delicate equilibrium. The world seemed to narrow to the handlebars, the patch of grass ahead, and the internal sense of balance.
One second… three seconds… five seconds!
[Objective Complete: Balance - Bicycle (Unassisted - 5 seconds)]
[Reward: 1.0 SP Awarded! Current SP: 0.4 + 1.0 = 1.4]
He didn't dare check the System. He kept going. The garden shed seemed to glide closer. He passed the rosebush Elena always warned him about. Five meters!
[Objective Complete: Balance - Bicycle (Unassisted - 5 meters)]
[Reward: 1.5 SP Awarded! Current SP: 1.4 + 1.5 = 2.9]
He travelled maybe ten meters in total, a huge distance it felt like, before a larger wobble finally overwhelmed him, and he steered safely onto the grass for a soft landing. He scrambled up, breathless, heart pounding, not from exertion but from pure, unadulterated triumph.
"I did it!" he yelled, beaming, forgetting his usual reserved analysis for a moment. "I did it, Daddy! Two wheels!"
James and Elena were clapping and cheering from the patio. "You did it, Tom! Fantastic!"
He grabbed the bike, eager to try again immediately. The fear was gone, replaced by the intoxicating thrill of freedom, of controlling this inherently unstable machine through skill and balance alone. It felt like his first truly independent 'drive', a victory earned through persistence, analysis, and the careful application of his System-enhanced abilities.
He now had 2.9 SP, but more importantly, he had unlocked a fundamental skill. The training wheels were off, metaphorically and literally. The road ahead, both on the driveway and towards his ultimate F1 dream, suddenly felt much more open.