Within the Games: Part Four

     “Oh, I’m so stupid! I knew that I shouldn’t have dragged Margo here! I knew it!!! I’m a despicable being! Oh why, oh why did this happen? I’m a horrible friend!” cried Marine.

     “Well, Marine, if it makes you feel any better, I lost my Petpet Spyder last month because he accidentally fell in the sink and when I brushed my teeth, well... let’s just say the Itsy Bitsy Spyder never crawled up the spout again!”

     Like when Marine tried to cheer up AAA when he was talking about how Abigail made fun of him saying he had Floppy Tongue whenever he talked about his vision to her, he tried to joke around with Marine, but like then, it was futile.

     “AAA, that only makes me SADDER! That’s horrible! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?????”

     She sobbed even louder.

     “Oh, PLEASE stop crying!” begged AAA.

     “Why should I stop crying? My best friend is... GONE FOREVER!!!!” she wailed.

     “Marine! It’s not your fault! You couldn’t have done anything about it!” said AAA.

     Then Marine stopped crying and smiled because she thought of a great idea. Why? Well, she said:

     “I HAVE AN IDEA!”

     Well, duh. But the breakthrough REALLY happened when AAA asked:

      “What may that be?”

     “Remember when you played Shenkuu Warrior 2, and when you watched me?”

     “Yeah, I do! What about it?”

     “Can we watch Margo?”

     “Why yes, yes we can!” answered AAA. He and Marine walked over to the Cyber-Port 2000. AAA pressed the “VIEW” button and Marine watched him.

     Both AAA and Marine walked to the machine. They both watched the screen.

     “Can you see her?” asked Marine.

     “No, not yet,” AAA replied.

     Marine moved closer to the microphone and talked into it.

     “Margo? Margo? Can you hear me? Margo?”

     “AHHHHHHH!!!!!” Margo was flying down to the ground just like Marine when she first tried the Cyber-Port 2000.

     Margo landed abruptly on the ground.

     “Ow! Oh, I think I broke every bone in my entire body...” Margo got up and massaged her shoulder.

     “Margo? MARGO!” Marine shouted.

     “Marine?” Margo said. She looked around the scenery. There was nothing but rocks and sand. Sand, sand, sand. The sky looked orange with pterodactyls flying across it. Volcanoes lined the land. In front of her were large, square, colorful blocks stacked one by one atop each other. She looked down at her clothes and found herself wearing a fur wrap with a mallet in her hand.

     “Margo! Look behind you! Above you!” Marine yelled.

     Margo turned around and looked up and saw Marine looking down at her with a worried look in her eyes.

     “Whoa! Your head is gigantic, Marine!”

     “Just listen to me, Margo! This is dangerous stuff you’re dealing with here!”

     “Where am I?”

     “You’re in Destruct-O-Match 3,” Marine replied with a sigh.

     “Well, how do I get out of here?” Margo asked.

     “Apparently, the only way to get out is to beat the level.”

     “So, I actually PLAY the game?”

     “Yes. The object of the game is to-”

     “Marine! I know how to play!”

     “You do????” Marine asked.

     “Yeah! I... I... I like this game!” Margo was knocking down block after block. Brick by brick. The rocks were breaking into bits and chips. Margo hit one by one with her mallet.

     “Marine! How many more points do I need to win?” Margo asked.

     “Ten! You’re almost there!” Marine shouted.

     “I see a perfect group of blocks!” Margo exclaimed. She gave the group of ten blocks one strong whack, and...

     “I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!! Yahoo!!!!” Margo screamed with happiness.

     “Great job, Margo!”

     “Wait! Aren’t I supposed to be OUT of this game by now?”

     Margo converted from happiness to disappointment in a blink of an eye.

     “Well, in order to win this game, you have to win the first level of every mode. Like Double Trouble, Extreme, and Double Trouble Extreme. You just won the first level of Classic Mode, so you got three more to go. ”

     “Oh... well, let’s do this thing!” She had false hope for a second, but it WAS pretty fun for her. She was able to brighten up a little bit.

     Now started Double Trouble.

     Alright, gaming newbies! Time for Gaming Class! Today we will learn about the levels Margo will face in everyone’s favorite Tyrannian pastime: Destruct-O-Match 3!

     Double Trouble Mode is a mode in which the player’s blocks are divided in half. However, this means that they have to play not with one big block, but TWO small blocks! It’s like playing two levels at once!

     Extreme Mode is to some actually extreme. This is when the blocks begin to grow higher and higher by rows of blocks being added on the bottom! Not cool!

     And Double Trouble Extreme! Let me tell ya! It can be fun, but it’s a doozy! It’s exactly what you think! Two small blocks that continually get added on row by row. Pretty crazy, right?

     Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s class, students! Your homework: Keep reading "Within the Games!"

     Margo was baffled by the two blocks.

     “Why are there TWO blocks? Is this a glitch, or is this some prank that you’re pulling for yelling at you earlier?” Margo asked to Marine.

     “No... but that would be a HILARIOUS prank!” giggled Marine.

     “Then what’s going on?”

     “This mode is called Double Trouble!”

     “So, I have to get rid of all the blocks I can?”

     “Yes! You have to get the required amount of blocks at least at one of the blocks.”

     “Well... let’s go!”

     And she started the show with a breeze! She slammed through blocks like no one’s business! She started with one block and that one block was getting smaller and smaller.

     “I’m not even breaking a sweat! How many more blocks do I need?”

     “Thirty more blocks for both of them,” Marine answered.

     “Alright! No problem!”

     She went through both of the blocks easily.

     She flew through Double Trouble in a breeze!

     “Are you serious? That was a LEVEL?! Shoot! I could do it with my eyes closed!”

     “Don’t get cocky, now! You may be winning, but you haven’t won! You still have two more modes to go!” replied Marine.

     Extreme Mode was about to begin.

     At first, Margo was smirking when she saw only three rows of blocks.

     “HA! Three rows? That’s not a challenge! THAT’S A PLAYDATE!”

     Then, the block started to get higher and higher.

     Margo wasn’t paying attention to the ever-growing block. In fact, she was too busy laughing about the mode and how easy that she thought it was.

     “Margo! MARGO!!!! Turn to the block! IT’S GETTING BIGGER!!!!”

     Margo looked up to Marine, confused.

     “What?”

     “TURN AROUND!!!! NOW!!!!!”

     “WHOA!” gasped Margo.

     The block was almost all the way to the top. And when the block hits the top, it’s closed curtains for you!

     Margo’s mallet was flying around and hitting every block within range. Her eyes were closed and she was swinging that hammer as if she was hitting her worst enemy. She was making the block lower and lower.

     “Margo...????” Marine was so shocked of how in the game Margo was.

     The block was getting lower and lower to the sandy ground. She only had twenty more blocks to go according to the screen.

     “Wait! WHO IS THAT?” AAA finally questioned as he was pointing at hammer swinging Margo.

     “That’s Margo,” Marine answered as she was staring at Margo banging up the little brick-like blocks. Marine didn’t even know if that was really Margo.

     “Oh... uh... well, okay...” AAA was remembering Margo being mentioned having Floppy Tongue. He was very confused of who Margo was. He would have never guessed that Margo was a lazy Kacheek before this day.

     Margo finished Extreme Mode steadily, with one too many close calls.

     Margo wasn’t even cheering anymore. She wasn’t doing it to finish, but for the first time in her life, she was doing something for the love of it.

     “LET’S DO THIS THING!!!!” Margo shouted.

     Finally came Double Trouble Extreme.

     This time like I said, there were not one, but TWO blocks that were steadily building up to the sky.

     “HIIIIIIIYAHHHHHH!!!!!!” Margo screamed as she was crazily hitting blocks. She was slamming those blocks as the bits of the blocks were flying across the sky and some landed in her now messed up hair.

     She wasn’t intimidated like the game was made to do to its players. She thought it was a brisk walk in the park when it came to how easy it was. Her playing, well, words can’t really describe THAT.

     “WOW,” both AAA and Marine gasped. They couldn’t believe what Margo was made of.

     Margo was left with two blocks to go, and what was so convenient was that she only needed two blocks. She saw the blocks... and...

     BAM! She won the game!

     “That’s how it’s done! YEAH!” Margo exclaimed.

     “YAY, MARGO!!!!” cheered AAA and Marine.

     With a flash of colors, AAA and Marine watched with squinted eyes as Margo reappeared before them.

     “WOW! That was AMAZING!!!!” Margo had her hair all ruffled up, bits of rocks in her hair, and an insane look in her eyes.

     “Well, Margo, ready to go?” Marine asked.

     “Are you kidding me? I’m doing that again!” She pressed the green button again and she was teleported back into the game.

     “Now what do we do?” AAA asked.

     “Why don’t we go to Maraqua and go to Kelp? Have some dinner? My treat!”

     “You think we won’t keep her waiting?”

     Marine watched the screen as Margo was bashing blocks.

     “Hmmmm... nah. She’ll be fine!”

     “So, tomorrow? Same place? Same time? Different game?” AAA asked.

     “Correct!” said Marine with anticipation.

     They both laughed about what was awaiting them the very next day. They could barely wait.

To be continued...