EleganZe: Inheritance

13 – Elegant Rounds

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Each participant will be supplied with plastic bullets, a gun, and a vest.

There are no restrictions on the number of shots that may be made.

To score a point, a shot must hit the provided vest of the other participant.

The first to score three points wins.

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ROUND ONE – Luna vs Philip

“I would now like to announce the second match of round one between Luna Tashida and Philip Mars. Let the match begin,” announced Mr. Jackson with a microphone in one hand.

They were in a large empty classroom, temporarily rearranged for the duration of the competition as the stadium. The windows and other breakable parts were sealed with cardboard. On the ceiling hung cameras that poke their heads out to spy on the participants from different angles. This footage was then broadcast to the whole school live and archived on the school website for later viewing. At the far end of the classroom, away from the arena was a small protected area. It housed the judge and organizer Mr. Jackson, commentator and history teacher Miss Anderson and a select few that made up the audience, such as close relatives and others that came to support either side.

Luna and Philip faced off with their guns both aimed at each other’s head. They were in the very center of the room. Although only two chair lengths apart, their hands still trembled. Luna took long deep breathes and attempted to stabilize the gun by holding it with both her hands. Philips’ feet jogged on the spot as he warmed up for a good run.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Rita were at the audience stand as cheerleaders. Aaron had his hands inside his jean pockets, calmly waiting for the first to act. Rita had her head down and was typing text messages on her phone.

“This is going to be an interesting match I tell you. Firstly, we’d like to say here that male and females alike, we’ll have no distinction. Academic failure against the best sprinter of the school. Mind you, this isn’t athletics,” Miss Anderson began. “But as you can see Philip already has the advantage. He has positioned himself behind Luna, ready to fire. Will this be it, already?”

As though Luna had eyes behind her back, she hastily ran to the left. She gained enough distance before turning to face her opponent. Gun pointing at him, she gave him a firm stare. With his speed, he sprinted towards her, only to realize he had dashed too far and when he had braked, it was all too late. Philip had positioned himself behind Luna. Whilst he gasped for breath, Luna had her gun locked on target. She smiled softly after her first shot had accurately hit the target.

“What a shame! Phillip sure has the speed when it comes to it, but as I’ve said, this isn’t his famous two hundred metres sprint. Sometimes, agility on its own might not help,” Miss Anderson continued. “First point goes to Luna. What a turn in things. Will she make it pass the first round? There’s no crowd, but the live viewers must be cheering.”

Acknowledging that there was no time to lose, Luna immediately moved to another position. She panted. Her accuracy slightly declined as she heaved. I’m actually in the lead. Oh gosh. I’m shaking. This feels more nerve-wracking than an exam. I can’t lose.

“I have to say, I’m surprised at Luna’s performance today. It’s really unexpected of her,” Mr. Jackson remarked. “If only she’d have those results for all her other school activities.”

Strangely enough, Philip held ground. His eyes patrolled the area like an eagle, waiting for his chance. Luna stopped when she felt her heart pound. Her fingers urged her to shoot.

From afar, the two began exchanging gunfire, both attempting to find each other’s weak spot. Due to the lack of any obstacles in the arena, their only option was to dodge the bullets. There was simply nowhere to hide at all. They breathed heavily as they dispensed their first pack of bullets, both preparing to reload.

“Damn it!” Luna shouted. If he reloads before me... that’s game. I must hurry. Her hands trembled as she dropped a magazine of bullets onto the floor.

Philip eyed her whilst he successfully reloaded.

“Fuck,” Luna said under her breath. She withdrew another magazine from her pocket, loading the gun. I have to keep calm. I’m one point ahead. If he shoots, then so be it. Her legs shook as she took a step back.

“What do you think of the situation now, Mr. Jackson?” Miss Anderson asked.

“I believe either side is afraid to charge forward because they’re scared they’ll make a mistake, but by the looks of it, someone will be impatient soon enough.”

They both ceased to act for a brief time, simply eyeing each other.

The teachers held onto their microphones, waiting to say the next word, but dared not to break the silence until one of the contestants acted.

Aaron clenched his fists, staring at the battle arena intently. “Shoot, Luna! Stop waiting!”

Eventually, Luna began her forward advance. In contrast, Philip tensed the muscles on his face and held still. He used his gun to constantly trace his target.

“Fire at me, if you will,” Luna said. “If you don’t, I’ll keep coming closer.” She advanced another few steps. I can do it. I can do it. Aaron’s watching. He’s even cheering for me.

Despite a pair of shaky hands, Philip pulled the trigger.

“See what I mean,” said Mr. Jackson.

“To our surprise, it seems that Luna’s taken the upper hand. Although their current count is equal, I can already see Philip’s confidence shaken,” commented Miss Anderson. “I bet she must have gone through some hard training during this time. As we all know, Luna’s the type that hides from physical activities and screams when tennis balls come her way. Right now, she looks like a totally different person. She deserves a pat on the back.”

Having suffered a shot from Philip on the chest, Luna returned fire. As his hands were still shaking, Philip only managed to divert the bullet to his left arm, causing him to slant to one side, almost falling. Firing a second time, she barely missed as it struck his right thigh. Philip’s body bent down, which caused his head and neck to cover most of his chest.

Luna sighed. I can’t shoot anymore. What now? Oh gosh. I can feel my heartbeat. What!? Her fingers twitched as she made a run for it. Whatever... I’ll think later.

Moments later, Philip had quickly pulled himself together, chasing Luna whom had retreated backwards. Soon, with the upper hand in speed, Philip cut the distance between them. Lifting his gun to Luna’s height, he prepared to shoot.

“Will this be the end for our contestant Luna?” Miss Anderson burst out. “She better act fast. She’s two shots away and it could be any time.”

In a surprise turn of events, Luna managed to pull off a one hundred and eighty degree turn in time to face her opponent head on. Face to face and guns aimed at each other, they each fired.

“What? That was too fast. I didn’t see a thing. Who’s the winner?” Miss Anderson demanded. “Mr. Jackson? Both of them accurately hit each other. Is it a draw?”

Ignoring the score, Luna had collapsed onto the ground. Her shoulders heaved as she panted.

“I should have known this would have happened. If only I did something about it earlier,” Aaron began blaming himself. He banged the cardboard to his right with a fist. “If she lost, all my efforts earlier would have been in vain.”

“No, I’m keen to believe she fired first,” suggested Rita.

“You mean you saw it?” Aaron asked, before turning to Rita. “You’ve been quiet all along.”

“I have faith in my friend. Look at the scoreboard.”

Their eyes shifted to the electronic scoreboard at the front of the room.

3 – 2

Luna Wins

“How come Mr. Jackson?” Miss Anderson asked.

“Luna had fired her two shots consecutively whereas Philip had a slight pause in his second shot. That’s all there was to it.”

Everyone clapped as Luna was announced the winner.

“A comeback from the failure!” the live audience remarked. They cheered and roared as chairs were thrown. “Yeah!”

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Luna walked out in silence. Looking at her gun in hand, she wondered if she had really won. Victory? Geez... does that happen in my life? Once she was out of the classroom, Aaron had caught up to her.

“You did great Luna. I’m proud,” Aaron said. “Keep it up.”

“Oh thanks. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. A little fun actually. All thanks to the paintball yesterday, although I lost.” But we didn’t really play much. It was fun. I hope we get a chance to play paintball again. But next time I want more people and I want to be on your team.

Rita squeezed in between them. “Stop celebrating, Luna. I’ll be waiting to play you.”

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ROUND TWO – Luna vs Fanny

“Now, this is the fifth match of round two. Wow, we’ve already been through a lot of matches. Let’s see – on one side, there’s the miracle Luna Tashida that’s broken through to the second round by defeating sprinter Philip Mars, the little Mars brother. On the other side is Fanny Howard, one of the nerds of the school. It might be an easy one for Luna considering her performance last round, but don’t look down on Fanny. She might be the best librarian and one of the worst when it comes to physical activities, but her mind full of tactics is bound to make up,” Miss Anderson began.

“And without further adieu, let the round begin,” Mr. Jackson hastily added.

Fanny yawned. “I was reading a new book last night. I forgot to even sleep.”

“What?” Luna replied, looking down at the short junior. “Just how did you win the last match?”

“She accidentally fell over, so I fired my three shots.”

“What? Like this?” Luna had pulled the trigger three times, ending the game for Fanny Howard.

“Um...what just happened?” demanded a confused Fanny.

“Wow that was fast. You mean that’s it?” Miss Anderson shouted.

Luna stared at the scoreboard. She tightened her grip on the gun. Things can’t be that simple... can they?

“I now announce that Luna Tashida wins the fifth match of round two. She advances to the third round,” declared Mr. Jackson, almost laughing.

Luna walked out in silence as she attempted to hold her laughter. Right outside the door, Aaron patted Luna on the back. She almost chocked.

“I know it’s a simple victory, Luna, but still. A win is a win. I’d prefer sailing along like this than attempting to beat the impossible.”

Luna nodded. “I never thought I could put up a fight.” Thanks though. At least you’re praising me and not only demanding more and more. You’re a good guardian. I imagine most other parents would have shouted at me and said that I shouldn’t celebrate over an easy win. The ends of her lips leaked out a smile. It soon turned into a giggle.

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“This week has been full of excitement with the competition going head on. We’ve had plenty of games and plenty of fun. Thanks to all the participants so far and all the other teachers that have helped out. Without your help, this would not have been as successful as it turned out to be. A special thanks goes to Miss Anderson for the brilliant commentary. I would like to briefly mention that the draws for the semi finals are up, so for all those that made it this far, please look at who you will play next and be prepared. I look forward to the games up ahead. Thank you,” Mr. Jackson reported at assembly that week.

At the end of the announcement, all the students clapped.

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At the start of the next week, huge announcement posters for the upcoming matches filled the walls of the school. Students flocked to read the posters, eagerly anticipating who was left for the upcoming semi-finals.

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The next match would be held in two days. Who will win the finals and take the prize?

SEMI FINAL

Match One – Luna Tashida versus Rita Jones

The miracle Luna that has shocked us all from the very start is up against the all-time favorite Rita Jones that easily won her matches in style. Will Luna be able to jump through this one and onto the finals like she did with her previous matches or will the skilled master turn the tide?

Match Two – Reo Lee versus Danny Mars

It’s the anticipated battle of the rivals. These two have been fighting over awards, marks, and everything else since they knew each other. Reo Lee is our school’s archery champion and Danny Mars, the second and older of the Mars brothers is the paintball organizer. This will definitely be one of the biggest matches of all times.

Author’s Notes

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This chapter opened a little like those Death Note rules. Scary stuff.

Whenever there’s action like that – I usually direct it and act it out a little. I have to just get them right.

Luna’s winning that’s for sure, but there’s a lot more to come. Look forward to her match against Rita!