“My T-Rex died, darn,” I shouted while running away from the enemies to safety. Glancing at the time, it’s 7:24 am, time for school. I quickly changed my clothes, grabbed my school ID, applied some cologne, put on my socks, and headed to school.
As I walked to school, let me introduce myself. My name is Mateo Valentino, a 15-year-old Grade 10 student. I reside in __ Province, so my school is nearby. My parents work as farmers behind our house. The students here often engage in fights, heading to a nearby forest known as the Battalion Ground to battle. This area is spacious enough for fighters to engage and spectators to watch. No one has reported this to the teachers.
They have formed squads; the first squad is called Avengers, the second squad is The Elite Squads, and the third group is Shadow Strike Unit, led by one of my friends, with most of my peers joining.
I chose not to join the squad to avoid wasting time watching fights and instead focus on advancing in my game. I aim to defeat the three dinosaur bosses and progress to the next evolution. The squad names seem somewhat “gang gang” to me. Upon reaching the school gate, I presented my ID to the guard and proceeded straight to my classroom.
I met my friend Elyzer, who also plays the same dinosaur game as me. I shared the game with him a week ago, and he is still learning. “Mateo, LOOK AT THIS,” he exclaimed, showing me his game and the creatures he tamed—an army of Dilophosaurus, a Phiomia, and a Carbonemys. I was impressed by his progress, particularly taming the challenging Dilophosaurus as a beginner.
When I first started playing the game, I was clueless and kept dying until I sought tips online. I quickly learned and shared some beginner tips with Elyzer, which proved beneficial for him.
The bell suddenly rang, prompting us to hide our phones and claim we forgot them at home when the phone collector arrived. We waited for our first subject as the teacher stepped out briefly. Shortly after, I heard shouting behind us—it was my close friend Benjo from the Shadow Strike Unit and my rival Chad from the Elite Squads. They resembled each other in physique and height.
They exchanged heated words and insults at the back of the classroom, with most boys chanting “Fight, Fight, Fight!” while the rest, including me, remained silent.
“Hey, both of you! Why not settle this at the Battalion Ground!” Clyde, a friend of Chad, suggested, garnering agreement from the surrounding students. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Mark, a good friend of mine who hadn’t joined any squads.
“Hey, we’ve been missing most of our friends’ fights and not supporting them. Why don’t we join and watch Benjo’s fight to show our support?”
Mark was right; I had been skipping most fights and lacked support for my friends.
“Alright,” I replied.
Recalling the morning’s stress over my Tyrannosaurus-rex’s death, I wasn’t in the mood to play the game today. “THE TEACHER IS COMING!”
One of the girls alerted everyone, prompting the students at the back to rush to their seats and resume as if nothing had happened. My heart raced; should I report this or watch? I pondered to myself.
At lunchtime, my friends and I found a spot to eat, where they continued to encourage Benjo in his upcoming fight against Chad. Mark and I remained mostly silent, as this was our first time watching a fight.
In the afternoon, students from grades seven to ten who were part of the squads hurried to the fighters. The Elite Squad rallied behind Chad, waving their squad flag, while the Shadow Strike Unit squad supported Benjo, also displaying their flag. The Avengers squad followed along, observing the fight. We silently followed the Shadow Strike Unit members.
Upon reaching the Battalion Ground, the squads dispersed to their designated spots. A member of the Avengers squad began commentating the fight, introducing the two fighters as if it were a boxing match. Mark and I found a place to sit and watch.
As the two fighters faced off in the arena, the referee from the Avengers squad stood between them to prevent premature engagement.
“3, 2, 1… FIGHT!” the referee announced.
Punches were thrown, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Benjo and Chad exchanged blows, with both landing hits. In their previous fights’ videos that they made me watch, they mostly wrestled and pinned each other, which was less engaging.
Chad was knocked down but quickly rose, mirroring Benjo’s resilience. Mark and I observed in silence.
After a few minutes, both fighters paused, catching their breath meters apart.
The crowd fell silent, and I turned to Mark, “That was intense!”
“Yeah, I agr—”
“WHAT IS THAT!” someone exclaimed, cutting off Mark.
I glanced at the fighters and noticed a yellow aura and particles surrounding them. The crowd gasped in amazement, and upon closer inspection, I saw a lion beside each fighter. Lions? When did they appear? Lions weren’t supposed to be in the vicinity.
