The playing level was perfectly matched; it was really anyone's game. Golden-Bow felt slightly off.

The match ended.

"Good game," I said, unplugging my controller, and rushing off the stage. I joined back up with Darren and Gordie, but my head was hanging low.

"It's a tough break, Gordo. Happens to the best of us," Darren said.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of tears. My eyes did an excellent job keeping them from running loose. "Dammit, guys. I failed you yet again."

"Chillax Gordeño, we're not trippin' about it."

"But now I'll look like an absolute idiot when I try to talk to Amaya and ask her to consider joining our team. Or having us join her team… whatever-the-hell. You know what I'm talking about."

"I watched the match. What happened back there, Gordie? That wasn't you playing, man," Darren said. "You had him in the bag at one point."

"You're right. I did." I shrugged. "I think I'm just nervous that Amaya showed up. She was watching my match."

"You have a crush on her or somethin'?" Wyatt asked.

"What? No-I, mean, she's pretty and all, but I'm not interested. I feel like we are trying to perform a business maneuver, and it was on me not to mess up, but guess what? I messed up!"

"No need to beat yourself up about it, c'mon dude. Hang in there. One of us will take home first place," Darren said.

Jerry walked onto the slightly raised stage to announce, "Okay, everyone, it's that time of day where we start the semi-finals. I'm sure all of you have noticed that Amaya has walked into the building. She will be signing autographs at the end of the singles tournament, around 4PM." Everyone in the store let out a massive cheer like a band of Vikings. "Please don't bother her either. I'm sure many of you nerds wanna talk to her but let's not overwhelm our celebrity guest. But! Don't go anywhere. We have four excellent matches still, and also, thank you all for attending.” The whole room started clapping. "Let's bust out a little surprise for the last three matches, make it feel like we're at a Major!” Jerry laughed.

A few of the store clerks brought over two chairs and pulled down a projector.

There was still a crowd of a hundred people there. It felt crowded but not packed. Jerry took the stage once the workers were done with the new setup and the projector was on. "If I could get Y-doughnut and TruthorDarren up here for the next match, that would be fantastic." The crowd snickered at Darren's gamer name.

Although I smiled as the two of them walked up to their chairs, I couldn't help but hate everything about them facing off in a match. They should never be going against each other like this. We are a team. All three of us should win, not just one over the other.

Darren picked Aqua-Axe and Wyatt picked Toxic-Javelin.

"You boys ready?" Jerry asked, taking over the moderation duties instead of his other employees. Now you knew it was serious.

"Hell yeah," Wyatt said, looking at Jerry and Darren, "best of luck, brother."

They gave each other a fist bump.

"Maybe the best lowlife win," Darren joked.

I wanted to cry. The thought of how close we all were as friends had me all choked up, and I had a hard time breathing normally. Where would I be without them? Why couldn't both of 'em win?

The crowd was glued to the screen just as much as I was. People weren't talking, but they were gasping or yelling "oooh!" when some ferocious combos were landed. I forgot how lucky I was to constantly watch their matches. I always had doubts about us being able to play professionally, but I knew we were special at that moment. Looking among the crowd, I spotted Amaya. Her eyes were transfixed on the match, just as if she was another captivated audience member.

"Game one goes to TruthorDarren," Jerry announced. The crowd cheered and clapped, talking amongst themselves. I caught bits and pieces.

"Shit, these guys are good."

"Dude, that dodge that Toxic-Javelin did mid-match was insane, and he still lost!"

"Well, there's no way I was beatin' them."

"The finals should be juicy." Whatever that meant.

They resumed the next match, staying put as both characters. The people spectating were blessed with another classic performance by both.

"Game two goes to Y-Doughnut!" Jerry hollered, the audience clapped and cheered louder than before.

Wyatt and Darren were smiling at each other and cracking up, almost as if they weren't taking the situation seriously, but I knew they both wanted to win more than anything. It was my humble opinion that this would be the most challenging match between the two of them. Or maybe the easiest? Neither of them seemed to have any stress or anxiety. I'd never seen them so calm in a tournament match. They wiped off the sweat from their hands with long strokes on their pants. The next game began and ended epically. The crowd went nuts at the finale.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Game three goes to Y-Doughnut!" Jerry shouted, and then the audience roared with applause and cheers.

Darren and Wyatt stood up in unison and engaged in one of the most heartfelt hugs anyone had ever witnessed. Everyone was giving them a standing ovation.

"What a hell of a match, great job to both of you. That was truly outstanding high-level play. Let's get things moving along still. This is good stuff. Could I get Or1on to the center along with Jackie-O-Lantern within the next few minutes? That would be fantastic, here's to another great match."

Jackie-O-Lantern walked up to the front. I had caught a glimpse of some of her matches. I thought she was pretty good, definitely better than most of the people there, but if I was a betting man, I would have placed my wagers on Or1on. That guy showed me some things that only a select group of people in this world can do.

Darren and Wyatt came back to our seating area with their arms around each other. As soon as they approached me, Wyatt took Darren into a playful headlock, scrubbed his head fiercely (but lightly) with his fist, and let go. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Darren's perfect combed-over black hair was messy.

"Watch the hair, dude," Darren said without much fight in his voice.

"Good match out there, Darren, but you're still lil' brother to me.” Wyatt winked.

"You guys had quite the battle session back there. Honestly, you both should be proud," I said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Looks like Wyatt will be the one talking to Amaya later," Darren said, smiling as if he didn't just lose.

“Maybe. Still thinkin' it should be Gordie."

"Are you kidding? Did you see how early I was eliminated?" I asked, and I noticed Or1on joined Jackie-O-Lantern at the gaming area. "Oh guys, let's watch the other semi-finals match."

Jackie-O-Lantern selected her main character that she had been using for the entire tournament: Galactic-Reaper. It was a Grim Reaper-type fighter specializing in using a scythe that could shoot out stars and rip open black holes. The cloak was iridescent, and it had a metallic skull with blood red eyes.

Or1on went with his trusty Cyber-Skeleton. I was expecting a whooping, but to be fair, I hadn't seen Jackie-O-Lantern play enough.

They shook hands and started the match. I was right about one thing; the first match was a beatdown.

"Game one, Jackie-O-Lantern," Jerry called out, and everyone cheered and clapped.

Wyatt, Darren, and I all looked at each other with a sense of panic. After I lost my match, the three of us assumed that the finals would have Or1on.

"Maybe he just needs to figure some stuff out," Darren whispered.

The next match started, Orion picked a stage and had a better grasp of the situation, but he did not look like the same player who managed to beat me in a close match.

"Game two, Jackie-O-Lantern!" Jerry boomed, and thunderous applause followed. Their matches didn't garner the same excitement and intensity that Wyatt and Darren created, but there was nothing wrong with that. I knew that Wyatt would have a tough matchup.

Maybe Jackie-O-Lantern's style of play had an advantage over Or1on, I've seen that happen before, and maybe my style of Golden-Bow was advantageous for him. I tried to reassure myself that I wasn't complete garbage, and they just so happened to be two incredible players among me. However, I still couldn't help but feel terrible.

Wyatt stood up and gave us each a fist bump. "Looks like I'm going up next. Wish me luck, boys," he said with his hazy eyes.

"You don't need luck, Wyatt. You got this." Darren patted his back encouragingly.

"Good luck, Wyatt," I said.

"Can I get Y-doughnut to the stage, please? Technically there is a ten-minute break, but just so you know, your opponent is ready now," Jerry announced.

Wyatt put a little more pep in his step. ”I'm coming, I'm coming."

"No need to rush. Just letting you know that you still have five minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I'm ready now. Let's get this goin'!" Wyatt said, taking a seat.

"Well, everyone, it's the moment you've all been waiting for, the finals. It's bound to be a fantastic match so let's give the players our full attention and respect!" Jerry said.

Wyatt plugged in and selected Toxic-Javelin and Jackie-O-Lantern selected her Galactic-Reaper. They shook hands and started the match, and boy, was it an instant classic. Wyatt was hypnotized to the screen, no humor or haze in his usual lackadaisical face.

"Game one, Y-doughnut!" Jerry said.

Applause.

I looked over at Amaya, who was towards the back, and she was watching intently. I felt some relief in my chest. Wyatt is about to make up for the shenanigans in the Chicago tournament.

The next game's intensity ramped up, and a brilliant display of dazzling combos and defensive maneuvers entertained every soul in the building. The air was filled with "Oohs" and "Ahhhs."

"Game two, Jackie-O-Lantern!"

The cheers were louder than any other match that had happened previously.

"Dammit!" Wyatt shouted.

"Watch the language, please," Jerry said to him, but only the people in the first few rows heard the reminder.

The finals match was a best-of-five, and the two of them both won two games apiece. It all boiled down to the final game.

Then it happened. Toxic-Javelin sprinted away to the other side of the stage, away from Galactic-Reaper, and hurled one last javelin as both of them had no health. The javelin was aimed so well, it stabbed Galactic-Reaper in the chest, causing him to collapse to the ground. His own scythe became a blackhole, sucking his lifeless body inside.

The victory screen appeared.

"Well, there you have it, everyone, game five goes to Y-doughnut! He is your Turbo Game's local tournament champion! Let's give a great big round of applause to Jackie-O-Lantern for playing outstanding. That last match could've gone either way. Congrats to both of them."

People started yelling things like, "Nice mustache!"

"Dude, you're awesome at this game!"

And a lot of "Congratulations!"

I don't think I've ever seen Wyatt look so happy from all my time with him. He joined back up with Darren and me, pulling us both in for a tight hug. His grasp was so firm the hug was a little painful.

"I love you guys! Thank you so much for supporting me. This is amazing! We're going to go to the top boys; this is just the beginning. I'd be down to use this money to take us to New York!" Wyatt yelled in a fit of overjoyed euphoria.

"I love you too. Why don't we have this conversation later? Let's celebrate your victory, champ!" Darren said while laughing.

"Love you too, very proud of you, Wyatt," I said with a stupid grin. I was very proud of him. Part of me wanted that moment last forever. We were all smiles celebrating the high of winning first place. Even though Darren and I weren't the ones on stage, Wyatt wouldn't have been in first place if it wasn't for us.