Rich Re:grets

Chapter 6.6: Competition Time

(DECEMBER 2010)

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RICH MUTATIO

Even though we outnumbered Petra and Arnold's units, all they had to do was unpin Kevin and that would seal our defeat.

With Petra and Arnold charging from the sides and Saul's unit staying behind for defence, their attack had a clear gap in the middle.

"This is our chance!" I said. "Attack unit, we're heading out."

Sam and Brianna were the fastest so they led the attack. Annie, Jessie, and Seymour were the furthest back. Bond, Mallory, Illiana, and I were smacked between them.

"We've got you now!" Adrian announced.

Petra and Arnold made a U-turn, herding us to Saul.

A defensive fake-out?

Petra and Arnold closed in on us from behind and Saul from the front.

"Nice try," Petra said. "But you guys are way too easy to read."

I looked at my attack unit and nodded. "Recreate Monty Python!"

Petra tilted her head. "Monty Python?"

"Run away!" I ordered as we made a beeline for the woods.

The seventh graders may have been bigger, faster, and stronger, but we were smaller and more agile. We dodged them, knocked them down, and even taunted them. In the light snow, the rabbit had the advantage over the bear.

After making sure their eyes were on us for a while, we headed to the woods. The others went further into the foliage while I stayed by the edge of the forest.

"They're out of bounds. What do we do?" Petra asked.

"Out of bounds?" I asked. "There are no rules about boundaries. What are you waiting for? The whole forest is a battlefield."

"Arnold, let's go attack their pole while their defence is halved."

"No!" Adrian ordered. "If we lose them, they can surprise us with an attack from anywhere. Stay on them. The moment we lose them is the moment they gain the advantage!"

"Yeah, Petra, Adrian is right. What if he's got an ace up his sleeve?" I said before running into the forest. "Better obey Big Brother."

Adrian pointed at us. "Petra, take your unit and follow them. Arnold, stay at the edge and keep those goons from reentering the field!"

I found the tree Bond told me about and leaned against it until Petra's unit found me.

"Isn't it a bad idea to follow the lion into its den?" I asked.

"Why bother taunting us? Even with Kevin pinned, you guys are gonna lose because you're clearly outnumbered."

"No. You guys are gonna lose because you're clearly outmatched."

Petra pointed at me. "He's the one pulling the strings! Take him out!"

One of her men charged at me but was stopped when Bond hopped down from the branches and took her down with a kick.

"You could have done that earlier!" I complained. "One more second and I would've been a goner!"

"But it looks cooler if I save you at the last second."

Mallory and Illiana swung down from the branches above Petra, taking out two of the enemy players guarding her with a kick to the face.

"Mallory, take Petra out," Illiana said. "I'll take care of these two."

Illiana pinned them down, rolling away once Jessie jumped down from the branches and landed on them.

Petra clenched a fist and threw a punch at Mallory. But all Mallory had to do was twist her body to dodge the attack and use that turn to drive an even stronger punch into Petra's jaw, knocking her to the ground.

Seymour hopped down from the branches, tackling the two remaining seventh graders into a tree while Sam and Brianna emerged from the fresh snow, incapacitating them with a kick.

"Nice job, Bond," I said. "You picked out a good spot."

"Thanks. I was hard at work yesterday while you were napping."

In my peripheral, I noticed Petra attempting to run back to the field.

"What happened?" Arnold asked as he spotted Petra.

"It was a trap!"

Just as Petra reached the field, Annie appeared from the side, staring her down.

"Petra, watch out!" Arnold warned. "Petra! Petra!"

When Annie roundhouse kicked her into a tree, the only thing Petra could do was scream.

Charlie laughed. "First she was afraid, now she's... Petra-fied!"

Conan stomped. "Stop doing that!"

This was a game of patience and we had all the time in the world.

Your move, Adrian. Your move.