Throughout the journey to meet George, Dayo's mind was occupied with different thoughts — about what to expect and whether to follow the plan or just stick to the first one. After all, he knew that becoming a professional athlete would take a long time, and he needed something that could yield results fast.

But one thing kept bugging his mind — how was he this fast? Although back then, when he was still in service, he was fast, he was never this fast and strong. Thinking about everything together, there was only one answer that came to mind — it was when he drank that potion.

It seemed the potion had done more than heal his voice. He had noticed it before but thought it was probably due to him being young again. But when he saw his score from the competition, he knew he had become stronger and faster than he was in his prime. This was how he came to the conclusion that the potion he drank was what enhanced his strength overall.

Upon reaching the meeting place, he saw George standing beside a man probably in his mid-fifties.

"Good morning, George," he said as he shook George's hand before turning to the man and greeting with a bright smile on his face. "You must be Richard Mill, sir. It's an honor to be in the presence of such a legendary figure."

Richard, hearing Dayo greet him, felt a flush of embarrassment — not in a bad way, but a wave of pride. He smirked and looked at George.

"You didn't tell me his mouth was this sweet when you introduced him, George."

Hearing that, they all laughed together, dissolving the tense atmosphere.

"So, Dayo," Richard said, "George here thinks you have what it takes to compete in the world of swimming."

Dayo smiled and replied, "That's news to me too, sir."

"Oh really? Then what do you have to say about the race you had with him?"

"The race? That was just pure amateur luck. I might not be able to replicate that," Dayo answered calmly.

Meanwhile, George, who witnessed the whole conversation, just shook his head and said, "Alright, enough of the humble act, Coach. Let him warm up and get into the water first — that'll determine everything instead of you both talking like politicians."

This made both Dayo and Richard chuckle.

Dayo quickly did his warm-up — a bit of stretching — and after about ten minutes, he was ready to swim.

Starting on the line, he waited until he heard, "Go!"

He dove right in, and unlike before, he was giving it his best — pushing himself with every stroke, keeping his breathing steady even as he increased his pace.

He touched the wall and raised his head to catch his breath. "Ah… so how did I do?"

He asked, looking at George and Richard, who both froze, unable to believe the figure they were seeing.

Dayo walked out and looked at the number. He was surprised — after all, he did his research, and the number was amazing. He swam the 50 meters in 22.01 seconds, which was three seconds faster than his last race. With a score like this, he was just shy of qualifying for the Olympics, which required 21.91 seconds — just a few milliseconds away.

To be precise, 0.005 seconds.

Richard looked at Dayo and said, "Dayo, you have the talent for this sport. In fact, you were born for it. Let's work together."

Dayo sighed. "Hmm, I really want to accept your offer, but..."

Richard looked tense and cut him off. "But what? Ask."

"You both know that I'm a pop star, and I'll soon be doing a comeback. There's no way I'd be able to juggle the two together. Moreover, I have a new project I'm working on, and it'll take too much of my time."

Richard, hearing this, felt deflated. He knew this might be the end of the discussion.

But George, on the other hand, asked, "But do you want to do it?"

Dayo smiled — it seemed George was getting him. "Of course, I want to represent my country and win awards. Who wouldn't want that?"

George turned to Richard and smiled. "Coach, it's pretty simple — if you accept, he'll train with you when he's ready."

Richard was about to interrupt when George calmed him down, saying, "Coach, we just watched him almost beat the qualifier, and this is someone with no history of swimming in any competition. So just take the chance and work with his schedule. If it doesn't pay off in three months and you don't see improvement, you can leave."

George looked at both Dayo and Richard. Dayo nodded, and his gaze moved toward Richard, who thought for a while before nodding his head.

He smiled coldly and said to Dayo, "The little time you'll train with me will be hell — so get your mind ready."

Dayo smiled and said, "I'm always ready."

This brought a smile to George's face. "Well, that's settled then."

The trio then went out for a quick meal together, bonding and getting to know each other.

After that, Dayo began training that same day. He started from scratch.

Dayo left the pool feeling tired and a bit traumatized, but upon getting home, he saw his family. His sister Janet was now taller, same with his brother Jedfer, who had grown muscles. As for his parents, they remained the same, except that his brother was now in his last year of high school and already thinking about where to attend university.

His sister, meanwhile, had become a small influencer on her own, with more than two million followers across all platforms.

She was currently in her first year of high school and was now a bit of a rebel, as expected of a teen.

But Dayo had his way to tame her if she went overboard.

While his brother was now matured and calm a trait he took from his dad.

His family's life had improved a whole lot, and he was happy about that.

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