MidReal Story
The Champion's Parallel Victory
Scenario: a guy travels to anearth like world in another dimension where he becomes the best tennis player in that world.
Create my version of this story
I was standing at the edge of the portal behind my house, the boundary between this world and the one beyond.
The air in front of me shimmered and danced with every color of the rainbow, and I could feel a faint tugging on my skin, as if the portal itself were alive and calling out to me, urging me to cross over into the unknown.
I’d been drawn to this place by an inexplicable force, a pull that grew stronger with each passing day, until it became impossible for me to ignore.
At first, I’d tried to resist it, to go about my life as if nothing had changed.
But it was like trying to hold back the tide by sheer force of will; no matter how hard I fought, it wasn’t long before I found myself right back where I started, standing at the edge of the portal with my heart pounding in my chest.
And now, here I was again.
It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, and the birds chirping merrily in the trees.
I could smell the sweet fragrance of jasmine on the breeze, and feel the warm rays of the sun on my skin.
Just an ordinary day—or at least, it had been, until a few minutes ago.
But now everything had changed.
And as I stood before the portal once more, I knew that today would be different from all those other times before.
Somehow, I just knew that this time, I would cross over into that other world beyond.
The world of tennis—the world that would change my life forever.
It had all started several weeks ago when I’d found a strange man lurking behind our house.
He’d told me that I had an amazing gift for tennis, and that if I wanted to achieve greatness in this world or any other, then I should be prepared to fight for what I believed in.
At the time, I’d thought he was just some crazy old man—I mean, who else would show up out of nowhere and start spouting nonsense like that?
But then he’d disappeared in a puff of smoke.
And not long after that, our small town was hit by a freak storm—one that came out of nowhere, with no warning at all.
The sky had turned black as night, and the air was filled with the deafening sound of thunder and lightning.
Fierce winds howled through the trees and rain poured down in sheets.
It was like the end of the world was upon us.
I thought back on these events and realized that they were not just random occurrences; they were somehow connected to each other—and to this place.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what lay ahead.
Whatever happened next, I knew that I would never be the same again.
Do you ever feel like you’re carrying around a mountain on your shoulders?
Like there’s something big and important inside of you trying to get out, but you can never quite set it free?
That’s how I felt as I stood on the edge of my backyard, staring at the shimmering portal before me.
It wasn’t just nervousness or excitement or anything like that; it was something deeper than that—something more fundamental to my being.
It was like I’d been waiting for this moment my entire life without even knowing it.
Like all my dreams and desires and aspirations had led me to this one point in space and time.
I’d always been a dreamer as a kid—probably more than most.
When I was young, I spent most of my time reading books about heroes and adventurers—people who did great things and made a difference in the world.
And as I read those stories, I imagined myself in their shoes.
I believed with all my heart that I was destined for greatness—that I would be one of those rare few who left a mark on history.
But as I got older, reality set in.
I realized that the chances of me achieving any of those things were slim to none—that I was just an ordinary person, with ordinary talents, living an ordinary life.
And so I let my dreams and ambitions die.
I stopped trying to be great.
I stopped trying to be anything at all, really.
I just coasted through life, doing what I was supposed to do and nothing more.
And as a result, I’d become a shadow of the person I used to be.
A pale imitation of the man I once thought I could be.
But now, as I stood on the edge of the portal, with all my old dreams and desires swirling around inside me, I realized that I didn’t have to give up on them after all.
That I still had a chance to become the person I always wanted to be.
That maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t too late for me.
And so, with my heart pounding in my chest and my hands trembling in anticipation, I took a step forward into the unknown.
The world beyond the portal looked nothing like the one I’d left behind.
Instead of neat rows of houses and perfectly manicured lawns, there were mountains and valleys stretching out as far as the eye could see.
The sky was a brilliant shade of purple, with two huge moons hanging low on the horizon.
The air smelled sweet and clean, and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight.
It might have seemed like paradise to some people—and in some ways, it was—but to me, it felt more like a prison.
I’d never been much of an outdoorsy type, and the idea of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do didn’t sound like much fun at all.
But as I stood there taking in the view, something deep inside me stirred.
Maybe it was the fresh air or the beautiful scenery or the feeling of freedom that came from being away from home for the first time in years.
Or maybe it was something else altogether.
Whatever the reason, I felt an overwhelming desire to explore this strange new world that had suddenly appeared before me.
And that’s when I saw it.
Tucked away in a grove of twisted trees, there was a tennis court.
It looked old and rundown, with cracked concrete and faded lines, but there was no mistaking what it was.
From where I stood, I could just make out the net and the outline of the court, and that was enough to set my heart racing with excitement.
Tennis had always been my favorite sport, ever since I was a little kid.
I’d spend hours every day playing against the wall at the local park, imagining myself in the middle of a grand slam final, with thousands of people watching and cheering me on.
As I got older, I started playing more seriously, and eventually, I even made it onto my high school varsity team.
But after graduation, I hadn’t had much time—or opportunity—to play.
The only court in town was usually booked solid, and the closest tennis club was over an hour away.
I hadn’t played in months, and I’d missed it more than I’d realized.
Seeing that court there in the distance was like a sign from the universe—a dare to come out of hiding and rediscover the parts of myself I’d left behind.
And I knew in that moment that I couldn’t pass up that challenge.
With a smile on my face and a spring in my step, I headed toward the grove of trees, eager to see what awaited me on the other side.
But before I could take another step, a voice called out from behind me.
I spun around in surprise, my heart thudding in my chest as I scanned the empty landscape for the source of the sound.
But there was no one there.
Just me and the portal and the mountains in the distance.
I shook my head in confusion, wondering if maybe I’d imagined it.
But then, just as I was about to turn back around and continue on my way, I heard it again.
This time, it was closer, and I realized that it was coming from somewhere inside the trees.
“I’m right here,” the voice said, and as I looked in the direction it was coming from, I saw her.
She was standing at the edge of the grove, with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.
She had short blonde hair and striking blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, and even from a distance, I could tell that she was beautiful.
But more than that, she had an air of confidence about her that drew me in, making me want to know more about her and what she was doing there all alone.
I didn’t know what had brought her to this place or why she’d chosen to speak to me instead of running away, but I was grateful all the same.
“Hi,” I said, stepping closer to her.
She raised an eyebrow at me, as if surprised that I was speaking to her.
“You’re not from around here,” she said.
It wasn’t a question.
I shook my head.
“No,” I said.
“I just arrived.
This place is…”
I trailed off, not sure how to put my thoughts into words.
“Strange,” she said.
But in a good way.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Definitely strange,” I said.
“But also beautiful.”
She smiled at that.
“Yes,” she said.
“It is beautiful.”
And then she gestured toward the tennis court.
“Would you like to play?”
I didn’t hesitate to answer.
And so we set up our rackets and started playing.
The moment we hit our first balls back and forth across the net, I knew that something was different about this world—about this girl.
I’d played a lot of tennis in my life, but never once had I come across someone as good as her.
She moved with a grace that was almost otherworldly, gliding across the court as if she were floating on air.
It was all I could do to keep up with her, even though I was pretty sure that I was taller than her by six inches.
But no matter how hard I tried, every time I went for a shot, she seemed to be there waiting for it, sending it back across the net with even more power and precision than before.
I missed more balls than I’d care to admit, and by the time we were finished, my face was red with embarrassment and my clothes were soaked with sweat.
But even so, I had a huge smile on my face, because for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt alive again.
“I haven’t played like that in ages,” I said, as we walked back toward the city together.
“It was so much fun.”
She smiled at me, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
“You’re not half bad yourself,” she said.
“You have a lot of potential.”
I raised an eyebrow at her, not sure if she was just saying that to be nice or if she actually meant it.
“Really?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding firmly.
“I can see it in your eyes.
You’re a natural.”
I blushed at that, flattered by her words but also aware that they probably weren’t true.
Still, they were nice to hear, and so I decided to take them at face value and see where they led me.
“Well, in that case,” I said, “how about a rematch?”
She laughed at that, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I just beat you 6-0,” she said.
“And you want a rematch?”
“Yes,” I said with a grin.
“But this time, I won’t go so easy on you.”
And so we set up our rackets once again and started playing all over again.
Just like before, she moved with an ease and fluidity that was almost hypnotic, and just like before, she seemed to anticipate every shot that I took before I even knew where it was going myself.
