Game on!

“Come on Dylan,” one of the new challenger’s friend cheered, then followed up with a hearty clap on the back. “Let’s do this!”

Another guy yelled “BASH BROS CHAMPEEEEN!!!” as the match countdown began.

Dylan smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, yeah, ok.”

“Wow, you have your own fan club.” Traci waggled her control stick back and forth in anticipation.

“We’ll see if it helps.” There was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. “You’ve won…five matches in a row now?”

“Umm…six I think.” She hoped she didn’t come across as sounding too arrogant. But Dylan just laughed good naturedly.

“OK, six matches.”

The first round went decisively in Traci’s favor. Dylan was as helpless against the Berry Heavy Hammer ultimate attack as Tommy was.

“Damn!” he swore softly. His face became serious. “OK. I got this.”

And indeed, he held out much longer against the relentless berry-themed **** the second time around. But in the end, he still got KO’d.

“Weak!” one of his friends cried out.

“Oh no, I think they’re turning on you,” Traci said.

“Traitors.” Dylan shrugged. “You have to give me a chance to win them back. Besides, I think I got your attacks figured out now, though.”

“You think so?”

Dylan turned to the guy who was next in line to square off against Princess Berry. “Hey dude, you mind if I go again? I think I got a shot this time.”

“Yeah, go for it man, she’ll probably just kick my ass anyway,” the guy answered.

Dylan pointed at the spectators. “You’ve got the crowd spooked.”

Traci just giggled and got ready for the next match.

“But I’m pretty sure I can beat you now.” Dylan narrowed his eyes and made an exaggerated display of faux-concentration. “Yup. Definitely.”

“Haha, OK good luck then!”

“What do I get if I win?”

“Umm…a hard won sense of satisfaction?”

“Sometimes a man just needs stronger motivation,” he mused thoughtfully. “How ‘bout a date?”

Traci looked at him, stunned. That definitely took a turn she wasn’t expecting. Meanwhile Dylan had finalized his character selection—Jake the Rake, incorrigible womanizer and borderline creeper (but who Traci always found kind of endearing for reasons she couldn’t figure out).

“Sorry,” he said, “was that a bit too much?”

“Um, maybe a little bit.”

Dylan smiled in a way that put Traci at ease. “OK, OK. I didn’t mean to be creepy or anything. Just come hang out with us for a little while. I don’t really know anybody here.”

“What about your fan club?”

“I only met them yesterday. I don’t really know them well enough to say they’re friends.” He turned to one of them. “No offense.”

The other guy just shrugged.

“So what do you say?” Dylan shook his hands to limber them up as the in-game announcer began his count down. “No pressure, just hang out and have some boba or whatever the heck they have around here.”

“OK,” Traci replied after a moment’s thought. “If you win.”

“Hell yeah!” Dylan’s two fan club members yelled out in unison.

Dylan grabbed hold of the control stick. “Well, I guess now I have the motivation I wanted!”