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The third and final day of the gaming tournament had arrived.
There is only one round left.
Yet, Marinette nervously paced back and forth in thought. Max and Lila had somehow been gaining points like crazy the previous three rounds they won, trudging their way uncomfortably close in points.
Round six, Marinette and Adrien were demolished in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by their rivals. Round seven, was super close with Max and Lila winning by a little bit in Subway Surfers. Round eight, another close one with Max and Lila winning Tetris. Round nine, Marinette and Adrien had barely won a few rounds of Angry Birds.
This made Marinette frantic and tried to desperately think of a way to win. Adrien and she were so close. Yet, it seemed as though their winning was getting farther away from their reach.
"You're going to make a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that, Princess," Adrien commented, taking a sip from the can of Pepsi he bought at the concession stand. Marinette sighed, stopping to look over at the chilled-out blonde nursing his drink.
"We have one round left and our rivals are very close to beating us. How can I not be flustered at a time like this? We could lose it all just because that demon fox and Max want revenge on us," Marinette stated, "I know Max probably does not care for the money. But, I do know for a fact that Volpina will. Not just because it is money, but she somehow knows that I am in desperate need of it and she is just plain evil."
"How do you know that she knows?" Adrien asked, taking another slurp.
"She is a slippery genius who knows me well enough to know that I am not a greedy pig," the bluenette replied.
"Which concludes that you need money for something important," Adrien finished her thought and nodded, "Alright, I'll trust your word on this since you seem to know Lilac better than me."
"Lila," Marinette corrected, almost letting out an unladylike snort.
"Tomato, tomahto," Adrien waved it off before continuing, "I say we do some "c" to the "h" to the "eating" if we're going to win."
It took a few moments for Marinette to understand what her partner was suggesting, almost snarling out in disbelief, "Cheating?"
Adrien chugged the rest of the pop before tossing it and hitting the back of some drunk guy's head (who fell off his seat a few seconds later after a delayed reaction).
"Cheating is such a strong word," the blonde responded, waving his hand around, "We are more or less, using a cheap tactic to our advantage, solving all of our problems and win no matter what. It's like a present. It doesn't matter what the price is but the thought that counts."
"Are you trying to make your malicious intentions seem noble by comparing it to some cheesy line that belongs in a child's film?" Marinette deadpanned.
"Maybe. Is it working?" Adrien asked, letting a charming smile cross his face. The bluenette rolled her bluebell eyes, saying, "We are not resorting ourselves to Chloe and Lila's level by cheating."
"Then, what do you suggest we do?" Adrien questioned, "As you said, winner takes all. The losers go home with empty pockets and wounded pride."
"We will have to use a strategy that our opponents will not expect us to use," Marinette said, thinking out loud and rubbing her chin, "A tactic that is so out of the box and hardly ever used in these circumstances, they will never see it coming."
The two teens tried to think of what could possibly be done to win the prize. Yet, it seemed their luck was running pretty thin.
"Will the final teams enter the ring to begin the last round of the tournament," The announcer called, only increasing Marinette's anxiety. The bluenette was snapped out of her racing mind from a gentle nudge to the side.
"We got this in the bag," Adrien said, grinning face holding one of determination. The blonde teen held up an offered fist, "So, let's go show those dweebs whose boss."
Marinette's gaze shifted from green eyes to the hanging fist patiently waiting for a returning gesture. With a weary but genuine smile, Marinette held up her own fist and bumped it against her partner's.
"We quite definitely do "have it in the bag," Marinette responded before the two began to follow the four other teams put to the ring.
"What game are we even playing?" Adrien asked the class president.
"I am unsure. The last game is supposed to be a mystery, if I do recall," Marinette answered, "I do hope it is nothing too...difficult."
"I can safely say that I agree with you," Adrien nodded.
"Hey, guys!" Lila's annoying voice boomed, triggering Marinette to growl in frustration. The said brunette pushed in between the two, walking directly in the middle with a sly smirk etched on her lips.
"I just wanted to wish you both the best of luck! At least, one of you is going to need all of it," Lila said before returning to her partner's side.
"That chick gives me the willies almost as much as Chloe," Adrien commented.
"She is a rotted out piece of a dumpster fire," Marinette huffed, earning a confused look from Adrien, "Please retain your judgmental stare. I am not in the right mind to think, Mister Agreste."
Adrien merely smirked, "Whatever you say, Princess."
"Guys and gals, ruffians and thugs, possible murderers and geeks, who still live in their mom's basement. Welcome to the final round of the Underworld Giga Gaming Tournament!" The announcer shouted, standing inside the ring for the first time in the whole competition.
The crowd cheered, not only glad that the tournament was almost over but to turn in their bets and get money for whoever won.
"The bets are high, but the stakes are even higher!" The announcer said, "Whoever wins this final round will be walking home with a wapping grand of ten-thousand dollars."
"Now," he continued, gesturing towards the entryway of the ring and introducing, "Wish our final contestants luck—here they come!"
Marinette, Adrien, and the other four teams entered the ring as the audience roared with insults and scratchy yelling.
"I absolutely despise this place," Marinette stated, sitting on a stool, "I feel like I am about to be sacrificed in some sort of terrible biker ritual."
"That's an odd way of putting it but weirdly accurate as well," Adrien replied, taking a seat on the stool next to his partner's. Marinette gave the blonde a look before a controller was being handed over to her by a slim woman with too many tattoos and piercings.
Once the woman walked away, Marinette shivered at the thought of all that metal piercing her skin. It seemed like it would hurt to wear but she wouldn't have known.
"The last game for round ten is..." the announcer said, opening up the envelope he was handed and taking out a slip of paper, "Ultimate Mega Strike III!"
"What?!" Marinette nearly screamed in bewilderment, "That game is not even out yet!"
"We have our ways, missy," the announcer replied, still jollily smiling and giving the teen a wink. The bluenette gave a disgusted face, not noticing Adrien glare at the announcer. Although, he assumed that the announcer was just teasing instead of..."other things."
"Gamers are allowed to pick their own characters for this round, starting with the team with the highest amount of points," the announcer explained, pointing at Marinette and Adrien. Marinette was immediately enraptured with a red mech and chose it as her champion. Adrien chose a black cat-like mech.
The other gamers were choosing their mechs as the announcer rambled on, "There will be a catch to this round. A player, who is defeated or caught cheating in the game, has to step out of the ring. That'll leave their partner to try and win until there are only two people left to battle it out. If the team are the last two, they immediately win the cash."
"We are so close to winning," Adrien thought, "We just have to keep a lookout for anyone that cheats. If I know these slimy dogs well enough, which I do, I know someone will try to cheat."
The game began.
Marinette and Adrien were facing different team's players, managing to win that round. This routine continued until Adrien began to struggle with the person he was fighting against. The person seemed to be really good with combat combos and was doing a great number on Adrien's mech.
Adrien could feel his heart pound and forehead lace with beads of sweat. His fingers quickly pressed the buttons on the controller, trying to figure a power move to end the competitor. Yet, nothing was working.
He could only come up with one solution...and that was to cheat.
"Sorry, Princess..." Adrien thought, "...we gotta win somehow."
His green eyes scanned the area, quickly grabbing a makeshift spitball launcher from the inside of his jacket. Over the years, Adrien had mastered the skill of spitballing people from great distances when he was bored at lunchtime.
Now, it was going to be a useful asset to help win an important tournament. It was loaded and ready to fire.
Adrien placed the tube between his lips and began to aim. Taking in a deep breath through the nose, he fired it and hit his competitor right on the glasses. The gamer fell off of his stool in surprise and left in a shocked daze.
The blonde quickly placed the tube back into his pocket and was about to resume until a hand was placed on his shoulder. Adrien tensed when seeing a shadow looming over him. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder and up at the very woman that gave him the controller.
Adrien sheepishly let out a nervous fit of laughter and pulled some sunglasses out of his pocket, placing them on his face, "You wouldn't eliminate a guy with glasses, would you?"
The next minute, Adrien was sitting on a bench outside of the ring and his glasses laying broken in half in front of him on the floor.
"I'm so dead," Adrien murmured, staring at the sunglasses on the floor, "Those things cost like fifty bucks."
His gaze shifted up to the ring, watching his partner finish off yet another gamer. Marinette held a determined and prideful stature when her next opponent was picked.
"She's a great gamer."
Adrien jumped in his seat before shooting his head at the person sitting next to him. Emerald eyes blew wide when seeing the nerd in suspenders, Max.
"How did you get down here?" Adrien asked, baffled.
"Well..." Max began, "...I was having trouble beating my opponent so...I might have tried to cheat and was caught in the act. How about you?"
"Same thing," Adrien replied, shocked that Max would play dirty to win, "That creepy lady is a stone-cold brute."
"Yeah, but it seems that I am no better," Max deflated, "I can't believe I was going to cheat. I'm kinda glad she stopped me and kicked me out. I was so focused on trying to win to face you that I lost sight of it all and was going to disrespect the thing I love doing the most."
"Yeah," Adrien said, looking over at Marinette, "Trust me, dude. It happens to the best of us."
"You really like her, don't you?" Max said, smiling. Adrien nodded before realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Not in the way you're thinking, nerd," the blonde replied, feeling his cheeks slightly heat up.
"Whatever you say," Max said, not believing a single word. Adrien rolled his eyes.
"It's come down to our two final competitors!" The announcer exclaimed, "Who will go home with stuffed pockets and who will go with empty ones?"
Max and Adrien watched their partners sit next to each other, glaring daggers at each other.
The final round began.
A heated battle between the worst of rivals and a thirst for victory. The crowd roared, cheering and insulting the players. The two girls were completely focused on the game, one trying to up the other in a ferocious challenge of who was the better gamer.
Adrien noticed Marinette was beginning to struggle while Lila was gaining the advantage. Marinette was losing HP fast. Adrien didn't know what to do to help his partner out. If he was caught cheating again, their team would be disqualified.
"There has to be another way to win this," Adrien thought, remembering Marinette's words from earlier.
"A strategy that no one would expect..." Adrien muttered before a light bulb flickered to life and hairs stood on the back of his neck. He stood up the bench and cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling out, "Lady Luck!"
Marinette perked up at her nickname before replying, "I am a little too busy at the moment!"
"Smash your buttons!" Adrien shouted.
"I swear on everything holy if that is some inappropriate joke-"
"I'm being serious! Horrendous button smashing is the strategy," he said, "Trust me!"
Marinette seemed to hesitate before doing as she was told, wildly smashing all the buttons on her controller without any strategy. Surprisingly, the bluenette was gaining leverage in the game and making Lila struggle.
"Wow...I didn't think that would actually work," Adrien said in astonishment, smiling widely, "Go Marinette!"
Max raised an eyebrow at the blonde in confusion and rolled his eyes, thinking it wasn't really working. He adjusted his glasses and turned his attention back to the battling females in the ring.
A bewildered Max was left gaping when watching as Marinette was close to winning. Yet, Lila was right on the class president's tail. At that moment, Max knew who he wanted to win.
"Go Marinette!" the nerd cheered, standing up from his seat, "You can do this!"
Adrien was surprised by Max's sudden applaud. Then, the other gamers soon joined in, standing up one by one and cheering for the bluenette.
"Go Marinette!"
"Marinette!"
"You got this, Marinette!"
Adrien couldn't believe the effect Marinette had left upon these complete strangers, beating some of them at their own game (in a literal scene). Yet, they wanted her to beat the brunette (probably to heal some of their wounded pride after losing to Marinette).
"Come on," Marinette thought, sweating from nerves, "Almost there."
Lila growled, trying every tactic she knew but it was no use. There was only one thing left to do if she was going to possibly beat her enemy.
She was going to have to cheat.
The sly brunette glanced over at the only two gamers that didn't cheer for Marinette. Lila bribed them into helping her cheat if they didn't win. Sure, they were the same idiots that blew up her Mario Kart character with a blue shell but had a chance of redemption if they wanted half of their share of the money.
Lila stuck her tongue out to the side of her mouth, giving the gamers the signal to exploit the plan. The two gave a firm nod and snuck to a different part of the stage, blending in with the crowd as to not be seen. One of the gamers took out a slingshot while the other slipped out a box of pop-its.
Adrien could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand in warning when noticing Lila sticking out her tongue. It didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary but the smirk she wore definitely waved some red flags.
Marinette's yelp tore Adrien out of his thoughts and shot his gaze over to his partner. The bluenette was still gaming as if nothing happened. Nothing seemed out of place until seeing something small zip through the air, hitting Marinette. She yelped again, shaking the pain out of her hand.
Adrien knew he had to take action. If this continued, they might lose the tournament. He scanned the crowd in the direction the assault was shot and spotted two idiots standing in the crowd. One had a slingshot while the other had a box of something.
"How does nobody see this?" Adrien questioned under his breath before signing out, "Who am I kidding? No one in the crowd is going to give two sheets about cheating."
Without hesitation, the blonde made his move.
"It seems one of the gamers is in some sort of trouble. Whatever is happening, it's helping her rival win," the announcer said, making Adrien realize what was going on.
"This is all Linda's doing!" He thought, groaning and wanting to hit himself in the head, "Of course, I should've guessed that she would have a plan B but she's not going to win on my watch."
He snuck through the crowd like a lion stalking its prey, trying to not get spotted by the cheating gamers. On his way, Adrien eyed something that happened to catch his attention. It wasn't the largely rounded, chef-looking dude wearing an apron, tank top, and an eyepatch. It was the thing sitting on his lap.
"Can I borrow this for a second?" Adrien asked, pointing at the frying pan. The pirate-chef dude glanced between the frying pan and blonde before shrugging his shoulders.
"Sure, but just be careful. I just gave her a nice shinin'" he said in a gruff voice. Adrien gave a nod, taking the frying pan and stood behind the two idiots. With a nice backswing, the Adrien managed to kill two birds with one stone. The two fell to the floor and blacked out, blood starting to slowly ooze out the side of their heads.
Adrien looked down at the gamers for a moment with wide eyes, thinking, "Shoot, did I just murder these guys with a frying pan?"
Nervous green orbs looked over at the pirate-chef dude, who merely gave a big, childish grin and a thumbs-up. Adrien turned back, nudging his foot into the side of the gamer with the slinger and heard him let out a groan. The blonde sighed in relief, "Okay, good. Probably a major concussion but at least they're alive."
With that, Adrien returned the frying pan then headed back to his seat.
"Where were you?" Max asked, just as Adrien sat down.
"Snapping necks and cashing checks," Adrien replied, smoothly. Max's facial features crinkled into one of confusion before deciding to shake his head, "I don't even want to know the meaning behind those words."
"The final gamers are both in the red, neck at neck," the announcer exclaimed, causing both teens to snap their attention towards the ring.
Marinette and Lila were spamming as many buttons as they could on the controller. Anyone with a brain cell could feel the tension rise as the HP points continued to decrease.
"Come on, Marinette," Adrien thought, feeling his stomach churn while watching the intense showdown.
One last punch...and Lila's mech was knocked out.
Some of the crowd roared in excitement, happily cheering while some others were angry about losing the betting. Adrien jumped to his feet, happily pumping a fist into the air and smiling from cheek to cheek. Max smiled, clapping for his friend's victory.
"There she is folks! The winner of this year's Underworld Giga Gaming Tournament!" The announcer shouted, enthusiastically.
The controller in Marinette's hands slipped out and fell to the ground. She was standing in shock, completely frozen in disbelief. The bluenette would have thought this was unreal if the screen didn't joyously proclaim her as the winner.
"I..." Marinette spoke, having trouble forming words, "I-I...I won..."
She won...she actually won!
Marinette cupped a hand over her mouth, feeling the adrenaline wear down and a wave of relief wash over her. Too many emotions were bubbling within the female. She didn't know how to express what she was feeling, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.
Marinette was snapped out of her moment by the sounds of a screaming banshee. Bluebell eyes turned away from the screen to see a wild Lila being held back by the tattoo girl.
"I will have my revenge, you son of a-" Lila was cut off by an unsanitary-looking sock being shoved into her mouth, gagging her. Lila continued to let out muffled curses while being dragged out of the ring. Marinette couldn't help but let out a breathless giggle.
"God, does she ever shut up?"
Marinette turned to see her partner standing next to her, hands in his jacket's pockets. He couldn't hide the smile, nudging his arm into the bluenette's side. Suddenly, Marinette's energy spiked when seeing Adrien.
"I did it! I did it! I did it!" she merrily cheered like a child that did something amazing. Marinette jumped up and down, repeatedly hitting Adrien in the arm.
"Ow! Why are you hitting me?" The blonde pouted, taking a few steps away from the blows on his arm. Marinette only continued to smile, feeling like nothing could bring her down from her high on ecstatic happiness.
"I am sorry for hitting you," the bluenette laughed, "I can not help this wondrous feeling of joy. I have not felt this way in ages!"
Adrien couldn't help but smile, watching bluebell eyes shimmer. He knew exactly what Marinette was talking about, feeling the same refreshing rush he hadn't felt since he was just a kid.
"Thank you," Marinette shakily spoke, gratitude laced in her voice, "My father has a chance to heal thanks to you."
"No need to get all emotional on me, Princess," Adrien replied, patting Marinette's shoulder, "Besides, it was a team effort."
"Indeed, it was," the bluenette agreed.
"Congrats to both of you!" The announcer exclaimed, making the teens jump in fright from the sudden appearance, "I just sent your hunk of cash to whomever's account is it'syagangstaboy69. Don't spend it all in one place! Chow!"
The announcer walked away, leaving the two teenagers alone. Marinette raised an eyebrow at her blonde partner, who gave a toothy, lopsided smile and scratched the back of his neck.
"Please retain your judgmental stare, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Adrien gingerly mocked, earning a shake of the head from Marinette.
"Touché, Mister Agreste. Touché," she said.
"Great game, you guys," Max congratulated, after walking over, "That was some exponential playing you did, Marinette." Then, he faced Adrien, who awaited the oncoming criticism. Max adjusted his glasses for a brief moment before saying his final thoughts out loud.
"Besides almost cheating in the final round," he started, letting a small smile appear, "you were quite...stupendous."
Adrien's eyebrows furrowed, feeling offended. He scoffed out, "Is that big word of yours supposed to be a way of telling me that I'm stupid? Man, I thought we bonded a little!"
Max raised an eyebrow while Marinette held back the urge to hit her partner in the back of the head. She could tell that Adrien had obviously no clue what that word meant and assumed the worst.
"Stupendous does not mean "stupid," you imbecile," Marinette explained, pinching the bridge of her nose, "It means that you were extremely impressive."
Adrien opened his mouth to reply before deciding to snap it shut, taken aback. The last thing he expected was the first thing he received, a compliment from someone that hated his guts. He blinked, then finally responded, "Oh—uh, thanks?"
The blonde winced, his response sounding more like confusion and questioning rather than grateful.
"I mean—you didn't do half bad yourself, nerd," he corrected, awkwardly. Max gave a slight nod of approval, even with the expression of confusion still crinkling his features.
"Right..." Max said, unsurely, "Well, I need to return home soon. First, I need to check up on my partner real quick...from a distance. Sorry for all the trouble she caused you. I didn't know she acted like that."
"It is quite alright. You did not know but I do not think you need to check up on her. The only ones I would be worried about are the people that are in her presence," Marinette reassured. Max sighed, "That's the reason why I'm checking up on her, so no one else gets hurt."
The nerd began to walk away and waved goodbye, "I'll see you both at school tomorrow."
Once Max disappeared into the crowd of people, Marinette turned to her partner and asked, "Now, shall we depart from this place as well before someone tries to threaten us to give up our money?"
"Yeah...that's probably a good idea," Adrien replied, nervously looking around. He began to push Marinette along, guiding her to the nearest exit.
The two walked through the winding halls, taking the longer route towards the exit. This gave them a lesser chance of running into or getting jumped by anyone. Though it took some minutes, the teens were almost home-free once arriving at the lobby. They joined the sea of people, blending into the crowd and were close to leaving the building.
"Come on, Pedro! You know me! Can you just do a guy a solid and let me slip in for a few minutes? I need to tell somebody something before it's too late! Then, I'll be out of your greasy mullet!"
Marinette immediately recognized that voice and paused to search for the owner of it. Bluebell eyes scanned the crowd of people, who were either talking or exiting the building.
Adrien stopped short after, glancing back to see what Marinette was doing. He knew that it was too dangerous to be messing around right now. There was no telling what any of these hooligans would do.
"What are you doing?" Adrien asked, frantically and kept his guard up in case anybody was planning to jump them, "We gotta go!"
Marinette was going to answer her partner until she spotted a familiar pair of orange headphones and a red cap. The bluenette tilted her head in curiosity and made her way in the direction of the two familiar objects.
"Princess! Where are you going?" Marinette heard Adrien shout but ignored his calls. She continued winding her way through the sea of bodies until arriving at the entrance. Beyond a metal gate, the familiar face of Nino appeared. Alya stood a little behind the DJ and perked up, spotting the bluenette.
"Girl!" Alya called, excitedly waving her hand in greeting and joyously smiling. Marinette returned the smile, unable to approach any further due to the gate blocking the way.
"What in the world are the both of you doing here? Do you not know what this place is?" Marinette questioned before pursing her lips, "Actually, it is understandable why Mister Lahiffe is here. So, I should be asking why you are here, Miss Cesaire."
"That's brutal, dudette, but fair," Nino responded before getting straight to the point, "We've come to warn you about-"
"There you are!" Adrien exclaimed in concern, appearing from the mayhem and placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Don't run off like that! You could've gotten yourself into serious trouble."
"As I said, I do not need babysitting, Mister Agreste. I am capable of taking care of myself," Marinette snipped then raised an eyebrow, "Besides, would you not like to greet your best friend?"
The blonde was confused for a moment until spotting Nino and his girlfriend standing on the other side of the gate. Nino sharply glared at Adrien, who winced in return and felt himself shrink.
"Nino, let me explain-"
"Marinette," Nino cut Adrien off and ignored him, turning towards the bluenette, "Please tell me the money hasn't already been transferred yet."
Marinette was beginning to feel concern mix in with her confusion. She gave a skeptical look, glancing between Adrien and Nino for a moment. She could see the tension and turmoil as clear as day. She frowned, unsure if she even wanted to answer the question.
"Yes, it has been transferred," Marinette confirmed, making both Nino and Alya's faces pale in comparison to a ghost. Marinette turned to her gaming partner, asking, "What is going on, Mister Agreste?"
Before Adrien had time to explain, Nino cut the blonde off again, "Don't believe a word that liar says!"
This gained the bluenette's attention back on the DJ, who continued his explanation, "He was using you this whole time, Marinette! He's not going to give you your share of the money and plans to keep it all to himself!"
Adrien felt his mouth go dry, his chest uncomfortably twisting at Nino's words. As if being punch in the gut, the blonde watched Marinette's whole demeanor change into one of disbelieving shock. She didn't want to believe what Nino said was true...but due to Adrien's record, it wasn't far from being the truth either.
Bluebell eyes slowly locked onto the dumbfounded blonde, who was looking painstakingly guilty at the moment. Marinette let this image settle into her brain before taking a few steps back. The rotting truth hurt, crushing her fragile heart as if it were made of glass.
"Marinette...please just give me a chance to explain..." Adrien begged, hoping for a chance to redeem himself. Yet, the words died on his tongue and went almost completely blank, a single question making him hesitate.
"Would she even believe me?"
So, he just stood there, probably with a dumb, gaping expression on his face and making himself look worse.
Marinette shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering and hid her glossy eyes behind her bangs. Her hands clenched into fists, slightly trembling with rage.
She felt sorrow and anger mixing within the depths of her soul. Yet, the one emotion that struck her the hardest is betrayal.
The first person she was beginning to consider a companion went and stabbed her in the back. It all made sense when that unlikely friend was true in being very unlikely, especially when it is Adrien Agreste.
"Why am I so stupid?" Marinette thought, "How could I let myself be so easily deceived like this? Everything...everything that we did... everything that we've been through...was that all just a lie? A trick?"
"I-I do not want to h...hear your lowly excuses," she finally responded after gathering her words, "I can't believe I fell for your deluded charms...just like those other girls you fool around with. Well, played, Mister Agreste. Now, you made a fool out of me too."
Then, she disappeared into the sea of people before Adrien could get out a single word.
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