(DayTezDay) LB7 Duo Week Day 3: "Gaming"“Unbelieveable.”

Tezcatlipoca had been staring at the TV screen for ten minutes now. On the right side, the character of his choice still lied down motionless. On the left, Daybit’s preferred fighter stood in a picturesque victory pose. The sound of the cheering crowd blended with the background music as the fanfare went on and on.

The god couldn’t blame himself. The younger man somehow found a way to buy a state-of-the-art game console that had been released in Pan-Human History, along with a new title from a legendary fighting game franchise, and brought them to Mictlanpa. He became so absorbed in the world of fighting game he even refused to eat the donuts Tezcatlipoca bought for him. Daybit never refused a single donut in his life. So, one day Tezcatlipoca asked him if he could join in.

“Perfect. I got bored fighting against the computer’s AI,” replied Daybit, handing another controller to Tezcatlipoca. “This is your first time playing, so let’s practice first.”

“Practice, huh.” Tezcatlipoca mumbled as he toggled his joystick in the character selection screen. His eyes fell on a serpentine-looking lady. “Sounds good. Let’s see what’s so fun about this man-made entertainment.”

And that was how he ended up on this state. They practiced for three rounds, and Daybit always came out as the winner. Even in Mictlanpa, he wasn’t safe from his own bad luck.

“The character you chose was the trickiest one to play,” said Daybit.

“What I thought she fought in close range just like your character.”

“It’s hard to judge if you just look at how the computer played her. She has many close-range attacks, but her core playstyle is long-range with poison gimmick. I don’t think new players will be able to play her effectively.”

Tezcatlipoca only exhaled loudly at the other man’s obvious jab at him. Nonetheless, he was smiling. “Still, this fighting game is an interesting invention. Human always crave for a good competition, no matter how small. Ordinary citizens of the modern world generally avoid bloody conflicts, but they turn to fictional warriors to fight for them. The blood that’s spilled is fake, sometimes there’s no blood at all, but winning in this kind of game feels like winning a real war.”

“I take this as a form of exercise for me. Keep my mind sharp,” replied Daybit. He stretched his back and fixed his sitting posture. “Wanna practice some more”

Tezcatlipoca turned to look at the Daybit. Sure, he said there was no blood spilled by the fictional fighters. But the adrenaline rushing through the course of his body was real. He wanted a real fight, and there was no better sparring partner than the young man before him. “Nah, I’m good,” he answered with a grin. “Let’s get right into it, Brother.”

And Daybit was smart enough to catch his cue. The god could see the fire in his eyes glowed brighter at the prospect of defeating him again, not that Tezcatlipoca would give him that chance again.

“Okay. Let’s do it for one game, three rounds. Same characters. Don’t sulk if you lose again.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t go easy on you.”

They picked up the controllers again. A BGM with a rowdy beat roared from the speakers.

The real battle started now.