Smash

By: Maddie Apgar

The way his opponent’s fingers moved over the controller was like nothing Leo had ever seen before. Leo wanted to gather some intel on the guy he’d be facing in the final match at the Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament, and he suddenly wished he’d seen all of Jack’s matches.

Most players had little tells that they were nervous. Their fingers would tremble slightly over the joysticks, they’d grip the controller a little tighter, or they’d press the buttons just a little too hard. Jack had no tells at all. His face wasn’t tightened in determination, it was light and full of glee. He stuck his tongue out slightly, and he played with the sort of confidence that told people he knew how talented he was.

After watching Jack, Leo didn’t feel so confident that he could win the match. Would being the second best player in the United States be so bad?

Of course it would. His sister went to Harvard, for goodness’ sake. His parents were endlessly supportive of his eSports dream, but Leo always had a feeling that he could be doing something more lucrative and stable with his time. After all, you’re always only one prodigy away from being left in the dust.

The sound of Jack’s victory snapped Leo out of his self-depricating daze. He looked to his coach, Sophie, who was watching with him. “I’m gonna absolutely destroy him,” Leo said.

She smiled at him. “That’s definitely the kind of self-talk that’s gonna get you that first place trophy.”

“You don’t think I can do it, do you?”

“I don’t mean to take any credit away from you, but Jack is talented. You shouldn’t let your guard down.”

“I won’t.”

“I know.” She shook her head. “You can win. You just need to make sure your timing is pixel-perfect. I know you were watching, so you probably noticed he does a lot of low aerials. Anti-airing his attacks is a good counter. Make sure you parry and keep your distance from him though. King Dedede has one ranged attack, but your down special can knock it right back to him.”

Once Sophie started to get technical, Leo spaced out. Blood rushed through his ears, and he could feel his heart going a million miles a minute. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about what she was saying, it was that he simply couldn’t care. There was always the chance that he wouldn’t win, but for the first time since he’d started going to national tournaments, Leo didn’t know if he actually could win.

Leo took his position in the chair next to Jack, the character selection screen in front of them. Leo’s vision started to go blurry. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. He’s better than me. Faster than me. Smarter than me. I’m out of my prime already, and I’ve barely even started. Kiss going pro goodbye, loser. Leo’s mind raced, and he couldn’t ground himself here. He stood up and walked around the arena twice, trying to really focus on the sheer volume of the audience. People’s smart watches were pinging with decibel warnings – a surprisingly common sight considering the sheer amount of fans who’d shown up, as well as the way that the college gymnasium carried sound. When all of this grounding still didn’t fully help, he got a long drink of water from a fountain.

When Leo returned, Jack was looking at him with concern. Fantastic…now he was full of pity, too. “You good?”

“Yeah. Just dehydrated. You forget to take care of yourself at these things sometimes.” Leo lied while dropping his voice the way he often did to intimidate his opponents. He didn’t know why he did that, it wasn’t like it actually did anything.

Jack’s gaze looked over Leo, studying him. To add to his nerves about the game, now Leo felt overexposed. He’d never felt this way before a match. Then Leo was studying Jack, too. He looked like the kind of guy who clearly tried to keep physically fit. He wore shorts that showed off his toned runner’s legs, one of which bounced up and down rapidly. “Alright, you ready?”

Leo let out a breath, finally feeling grounded. It was just another match. “Yeah, ready to win.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Once they’d selected their characters, Leo’s tunnel vision kicked in. The controller became an extension of his body, one with his fingertips. He closed his eyes and started counting, another grounding technique he’d experimented with and perfected. When his eyes opened, the match began. Dedede was relentless, immediately playing on the offensive, trying hard to win the first advantage state of the game. Leo was used to this type of player: impatient, aggressive. Their downfalls always came the quickest. (1) Parry. (2) Up tilt. (3) Up grab. (4) Up air, forward air, forward air, forward air, side special aerial and-

Dedede had fallen for Pit’s counter perfectly. Leo couldn’t help the smirk that grew on his face. He loved it when people underestimated him, especially since Pit was a character that didn’t have a reputation for being a powerhouse. Jack was already down a stock in the first few seconds of the game. “You got lucky,” he grumbled. He fidgeted and adjusted in his seat several times. Leo wasn’t sure if Jack noticed, but Jack had moved significantly closer to him.

“Prove it.” They started again, Jack trying a different approach this time. He made Pit come to him, playing on the defensive even though he didn’t have to. He’d jab at Pit, but nothing more. Leo got impatient and went for a grab, which Dedede artfully avoided and countered, catching him in the frames. Dedede smacked Pit with a giant hammer, and Pit went flying off the stage. Leo counted, grounding himself again. (1) Jump, up special to recover. (2) Dash atta- Dedede grabbed Pit again, this time throwing him backwards. When Leo tried to recover, Jack read it easily, and then faked him out. Dedede grabbed Pit and it started like a kamikaze play, but then Dedede let go at the last second, and Leo was too late to stop it. He went down a stock.

“Is it too soon to say I told you so?” Jack was trying to get into his head now.

“You’re going to be begging me for mercy.”

“I think you’d like that.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Do you flirt with all of your opponents, or just the ones who are about to beat you?”

Jack hesitated just long enough for Leo to look over and notice him blushing ever so slightly. Quickly, Jack schooled his expressions into a smirk. “Well, aren’t we confident? I recall knocking you down a stock just a few seconds ago.”

Leo made a face. “Get ready to have your second one taken away.” Of course, he couldn’t be blushing, it’s just warm in here, and he’s flushed, Leo thought to himself. Both of them reset themselves, Dedede finally jumping down from his angel platform. Leo started counting again. (1) Parry. (2) Down special (3) Dash attack. Pit was on the offensive now. He’d show Dedede. He’d show everyone. Everyone would know that Leo was the best player in the country. Just two more stocks… Just two more. Jack’s finger slipped over the controller, and Leo exploited the screw up. Dedede was comboed right off the screen.

Jack had nothing to say between the match now, and he didn’t have the same look of confidence that he did before. Now, he gritted his teeth, and his leg stopped bouncing. Had he not been trying before?

“You good? Need to take five?”

“Screw off. Don’t mock me.” He bit his lip.

“I’m not-”

Jack whipped his head around and faced Leo. “I don’t give a flying f-” he blew out a breath, “I don’t care what your therapist says about emotional intelligence. I’m freaking fine. Let’s just play.”

“I- I- I just want to face you at your best.”

“Then prepare yourself, you’re gonna get it.”

Pit began on the offensive, throwing Dedede into the air to start an aerial combo. Dedede threw out a down air attack, which caught Leo by surprise. Jack hadn’t been playing so tactically before. Leo held his breath as he guided Pit back to the stage, ready for what Jack’s next move might be.

“Scared now, aren’t you?” Jack taunted.

“Real mature. They say to keep chatter to a minimum during the match.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure you love the sultry sound of my taunts.” No, I don’t. Because if I dwell on the fact that your voice is actually kind of soothing in its own right, I’ll get distracted.

Pit grabbed Dedede and did a back throw, a forward aerial, a forward aerial, an up aerial, side special aerial and then-

Dedede couldn’t recover fast enough. Leo had won the match, and the tournament. His mouth was agape as he said, “I can’t believe I did that. I really thought you were the better player.”

Jack had moved even closer to Leo by the end of the match. Their arms were barely grazing each other. Jack’s eyes flicked up and down between Leo’s eyes. Before Leo could seriously consider this, Jack smirked, and then he chuckled. “Maybe I was holding back. Or maybe King Dedede truly lives up to his D tier reputation.”

“You’re lying! I saw! You got serious at the end there. And I’ve seen you against other players, you’re amazing!”

“Aww, you really are sweet on me.” Jack shot Leo the best smolder that anyone had ever managed. “Ah, but the best part is you’ll never know for sure. That’s all the victory I need. Knowing that you’ll always doubt whether or not you won it rightfully.” Jack walked away, confidence in every step.

Sophie came up to Leo next, practically jumping with joy. “I can’t believe you did it! That was so awe-” She stopped. “Hey, you okay?”

“I can’t tell if he’s a total flirt or a complete jerk. But…I think he lost on purpose.”

“What? What would he do that for?”

Leo looked at Jack, who was now interviewing for a local school paper’s news story. “I don’t know. But he definitely played me.”

“Or maybe he just wants you to think he played you?”

“No. He played his other matches differently. We watched his last match, his fingers never slipped, and when he played against me, suddenly he has butterfingers? It’s not right. I just can’t figure out why he would throw the first place match.”

Leo looked back at Jack, who was still talking and laughing with the interviewer. No, Jack was definitely up to something. Was the flirting just a part of his intimidation or distraction tactic? Why throw a match at this stage of finals? And what made Leo so special? He had so many questions, but he knew Jack wouldn’t answer them honestly. No, Leo would have to work for it if he wanted to understand Jack more.

And to solve that mystery, Leo would have to keep playing Jack until he understood him.