He was the worst. The failure and black sheep of the class, his clan, his village.
The one that everyone prayed to be lucky enough to have to fight first, thinking that him being their opponent already ensures them an easy win.
So how the fluff was I slowly yet surely being overpowered.
'Calm Down Drip.' I tried calming myself.
Looking at our health bar again, what was looking at a surely easy win as my Health was at 80 and his at 40 was getting more and more drastic.
Now with my Health being 50 and his hovering over 37, I was getting more frantic.

I winced as I got another 3 blows, dropping my health to 47.
"Are you alright Boy Wonder?" He asked me, the confidence smirk plastered cleanly on his face.
I knew that smirk. It's the smirk I usually give him when we play.
'Boy Wonder', a name given to me after winning this and other games easily. It was a breeze for me, I was a genius after all.
The sound of my character being hit again, sounded and I looked in dismay as my health dropped to 38 and he's still at 33.
Everyone came to watch the match. It seemed too as though I was a spectator.
"What's the matter?" Reagan asked beaming.
"Thought you were feeling in tip top shape at 80 percent of health."
Embarrassment nearly killed me as I heard people ask around me.
"80 percent health?" One asked
"Uh huh, and the Raegan guy was at 40." Another who had been watching our match from the beginning announced.
There were cheers and sounds of astonishment coming from the small crowd that had now gathered around us.

I knew this crowd, it was the winning audience, here to cheer and congratulate the winner of the best game of the day and to console or make mockery of the loser, depending on how he lost.
After multiple times being the one cheered for, I knew a participant that would be mocked and laughed at just as well as a dog can smell a bone.
There and then I felt it, the particular fear of being about to lose, a fear that my life as a genius hasn't allowed me to experience before.
A reality that my pride as a genius wouldn't allow.
I sat up, holding my controller and getting ready to game like my life depended on it.
"I won't lose, bet on it." I announced proudly and with a sense of bravado.
Reagan spared me a glance and smirked again, that was the final straw.
I launched a series of attacks, dodging and weaving, running ahead with my suicide attack, not caring about my health anymore, just aiming to destroy his character.
The suicide run lasted a measly 5 seconds. It was then I knew, then it was clear that this game wasn't just a game, this win wasn't just a fluke, it was a statement.

YOU LOST.

That was all I could see, I didn't see the crowd cheering for Raegan. I didn't see him doing his victory dance. I didn't even see the arcade owner as he quietly went to switch off the screen.
Only when the screen had gone blank did I notice I was the only one standing there.
"You lost, huh?" The arcade owner, Mr Brian said.
"I.... lost..." I repeated in dismay, both shocked and defiant of the reality.
"Seems like it needs more time to sink in." Mr Brian said again with a chuckle.
"Well it was going to happen eventually." He continued turning off the switch.
"He was a failure, a klutz, no match for me, the Boy Wonder!" I announced.
"A wonder how you lost then, huh?" The arcade owner asked.
"It was just luck." I tell him, standing up from the game seat to go home.
"Luck doesn't bring someone who was higher in health by 40% to the ground." Mr Brian replied and I could practically see his teeth shining with a grin.

"You lost because you were a genius." Me Brian continued.
"You lost because you trusted your strength. Probably trusted it so much that you don't even practice." I stood still as he went on.
"You probably just come here, sit down and play any other person playing on instinct. The Genius Way." He stopped and looked at me
"He on the other hand comes here everyday to play the game, his main characters are now one of the strongest players. It's one of those characters that took your character down."
I winced as I remembered those words again and he laughed at my discomfort.
"Listen Drip,.." He began ".. Effort defeats Genius, everytime."
"You may be the boy wonder now, due to the fact that Raegan has to beat you three times to claim that title..." I turned to look at him.
It's extremely clear that Raegan at this point, is the Boy Wonder now.

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