Game 3: The Lesson IV
701 Words
Rico comes out of an opening near Naika's spawn. He hastes toward the flag and gets there before he even sees Naika come out of her spawn. He chuckles to celebrate this little advantage. He was ready to cast warshock as soon as he sees Naika bust out of that hole. After all, her only hope of stopping him would be to cast Windslash the instant she comes out.
To his surprise, he gets launched up in the air, and Naika's cloaking dissipates at the same time.
"You're not the only one with tricks, huh?" She mocks. "I couldn't have said it any better, you know?" She teases, smiling, as it was at this moment everyone spectating their game, or simply, the whole cafe, knew that she has more than enough time to capture the flag due to Rico spending quality time with the air Naika sent him to before he could land on the water where he could even start to move.
"At least you'll land on water", she says.
Rico looks at her angrily in real life. It seems that Naika activated his fury state. Not in-game, though.
After the flag was hers, the clock turned red as it ticks from 30 seconds left.
She rapidly taps on her forward button back at her spawnpoint. At this point, Rico can only hope that he could force this game to be a draw. He puts his hope on the slight yet significant running speed slow on the " flag-bearer" debuff.
[Debuff - opposite of buff; An effect that makes a game character weaker; a negative status effect]
He desperately shoots his rock talon at her and she dodges it easily like the first one he pulled. They are already halfway to her spawn when he gets close to her, ready to launch her up into a combo and waste her time.
20 seconds left.
She throws her signature move again at him and was about to perform it mid-air once again to blow him away and gain some distance, but her spacebar (jump button) input must have glitched, because Rico's warshock negated her projectile. She was sure she pressed it, but in any case, Rico manages one step towards stalemate as he launches her up into a combo.
15 seconds left.
He does his best to keep her suspended in the air as much as he can.
10 seconds left.
People in the crowd began leaving, seeing as this was all over in a stalemate.
5 seconds in the clock.
Rico's all-out combo exhausted all of his stamina and put him in exhausted state, but his job was done. It took her 10 seconds to get halfway.
But... A combo deals damage, and a long combo...deals a lot of damage. That much damage could put most in fury state. And fury state was all she needed.
Rico gasped as he realized it too late, seeing Naika's character glow in purple and gold. She used her fury to blast her surroundings, launcher her back to where she started the game, to her spawnpoint.
Her team's point counter, or rather hers alone, raises by one at the last second, and the crowd goes wild in cheers.
A blue tint indicating victory enveloped Naika's screen while a red one took over Rico's.
"Thanks for the lesson, Mr. Rico" Naika banters once more, reaching out her hand offering a handshake.
Then amidst all the "woahs" and "woos", a prominent slow clapping of hands pierces through, and louder as the cheers die down.
A man with hair white from old age wearing clothes that resemble eminence has appeared through the crowd that stepped aside to make way for him.
Rico turns pale as if he's seen a ghost and covers himself ironically in shame in his gamer jacket he seemed to be so proud of, and starts walking fast head-down before the man stopped him, wearing a sinister smile, saying to him softly "You are not going anywhere" without a trace of ill intent in his voice.
In the same kind voice, he inquired, "Naika, wasn't it?".
She nodded, not looking at the man, but the mixed expression of the crowd around her, staring at her as if she'd done something wrong.
"They call me Scout, as I am, and I would like to be referred to as Scout", The man said.
- Writer
