After school Max packed his bag and got ready to head home immediately because he wanted to get his homework done as soon as possible. But in front of the school gate Nathaniel approached him timidly and foiled his plan.

"Uhm, hey Max. May I... ask you a favor?" he asked quietly and looked to the ground. Nevertheless Max could still see his blushed cheeks.

"If it's a proper request yes, of course" he answered with an encouraging smile as he strapped his backpack on. "What can I do for you?"

Nathaniel's blush intensified and he barely managed to look into Max' eyes. "You... uhm. You're quiet good at this video game Mari- Marinette likes so much, aren't you?"

Proudly Max adjusted his glasses. "I sure am. And it's called Ultimate Mecha Strike III by the way" he added.

With a lopsided smile Nathaniel finally looked at him. "Would you teach me a thing or two about it? I would love to play it with... all you guys" he propounded his wish and Max' smile grew to a bright beam.

"Sure thing! I wanted to practice anyways after finishing homework today but I can easily adjust my shedule."

Nathaniel's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean, like, right here and now?" he asked taken by surprise and maybe even a little afraid.

"Well, the school provides a great screen and a console in the library. It would be most effective to stay here instead of heading to my home or even postpone a meeting unnecessarily" Max reasond but in fact it was just an excuses. He simply really wanted to play the game.

"Uh, ok, sure!" Still a little insecure but also kind of excited Nathaniel followed his classmate up the stairs into the library.

With a grin Max handed him a controller and started the game. "Do you know the basics?" he asked while chosing a character and skipping through the levels to find an appropriate combination for a beginner.

"I think I'm holding such a thing" Nathaniel raised his controller "for the very first time in my entire life."

An eager expression appeared on Max' face and he started to genuinely enjoy this unexpected activity. "In that case this is going to be an interesting process!" he said in delight.

For a few minutes they fully concentrated on the game and Max stood down until Nathaniel got used to the basics which happened rather quickly. In fact his skill and learning ability was quite impressive.

They were in the middle of their first serious fight as the door behind them opened.

"Awesome! Hey guys, mind if I join?" uncommonly euphoric Juleka rushed to their sides. Enthusiasticly her eyes followed every movement happening on the screen while she sat down between them.

"That's fine with me" Max answered, still smashing the buttons.

"What?" indignantly Nathaniel raised a complaint. "We're in the midst of something here!"

"Not anymore" his opponent disagreed and performed the crucial smash.

Player 1 wins!

"Not bad for you first round!" he encouraged Nathaniel and handed his controller to Juleka. "Let's see if you can beat her."

"Oho, I don't think he can" she said self-assured, took the controller and fixed her eyes on the screen. "Ready, red-head?"

"Ready as I'll ever be" Nathaniel answered pugnaciously and turned to the TV again.

It was the start of an intense, long and thrilling battle. Apparently the two of them seemed to be on the same level as they tried to achieve the best combos and trick the other to think themselves safe to attack from an ambush.

Sometimes they yelled at each other in frustration but they also joked around and at one point they had to pause the game because all three of them where convulsed with laughter.

Even though he wasn't playing himself Max had a lot of fun just watching the two of them coming up with original strategies and getting better with every match. Sometimes he even noted some aspects he might include into his own style of playing.

After two hours, five rematches and three wins for both of them they had to stop due to Juleka's hand started to have convulsions.

"Thanks so much guys. I really needed that today" Juleka sighed with a smile while massaging her hand.

"Yeah, it was so much fun! We should definetly do that again!" Nathaniel added joyfully and Max nodded to.

And then he had a sudden flash of genius.

"You know, there's going to be a group tournament in a few weeks and I still lack of a team. Are you interested?"

"Yes!" Juleka exclaimed without a second of hesitation and jumped to her feet. "Please say yes Nathaniel!" she begged and turned around to her unconfident classmate.

"You really think I'm good enough?" he wondered doubtfully and she nodded vehemently.

"You just proved it! Come on, it's going to be fun!"

A careful smile played around Nathaniel's lips. "Yeah. You know what? Let's do this!" he decided spirited and reached out his hand.

With a bright smile Juleka placed her hand on his. "We'll be invincible!"

They both turned their heads to face Max who grinned at them. "I'm positive this is the beginning of a triumphant affiliation" he predicted and placed his hand on top of his new companion's.