Dreams of Glory - Chapter Three

After Max's surprising performance, it was time for both Brendan and Sandra's matches to take place. Unbeknownst to the two, they would be facing each other. This shocking development was only revealed to them once they both stepped onto the stage. When they laid eyes on each other, there was first a look of shock on their faces, quickly replaced by one of fiery determination. "Why, oh why, do I have to fight Brendan," Sandra thought to herself. "It could have been anyone other than him. Hopefully, even if I crush him, he won't hate me." Sandra quickly brushed these thoughts aside - she needed to focus on the match. She could worry about her unrequited love for him later. Maintaining their composure, Brendan and Sandra entered the chamber, and the battle of techniques began. Without hesitation, Brendan immediately entered "The Zone" (A/N: Now is probably as good a time as any to explain what "The Zone" actually is. "The Zone" is actually a specific area of space-time that is disconnected from the universe itself. Due to this, the flow of time there is much slower than the rest of the universe. This allows for a sleep that only lasts a few minutes in "The Zone" to last several hours everywhere else. You may be wondering how Brendan is able to use "The Zone" if he cannot physically travel there. The answer is that he is able to put himself in a very specific state of mind that allows him to access "The Zone" in a small, contained area. To any outside observers, it would look normal, but several hours would pass for them and only several minutes would pass for Brendan. "The Zone" is not exclusive to Brendan, anybody with enough training and practice could theoretically access "The Zone", but Brendan has unknowingly put himself in a situation where he can easily enter "The Zone". He just hit upon the right state of mind one day when he fell asleep in class. Anyway, back to the match.) Brendan knew "The Zone" would most likely always be his trump card because it gave him such a colossal advantage over other people. He felt that he could just rely on "The Zone" to win whenever he wanted to. This put him in a very lazy mindset. However, what he didn't know is that "The Zone" puts intense mental stress on those who don't know how to use it 100% properly. Brendan could access it but had no real idea of its proper usage outside of that. So, when he entered it and spent about five minutes there, he suddenly found that he couldn't maintain it any longer. He ended up forcibly leaving "The Zone", and only around an hour had passed. He glanced over and saw that Sandra was still fast asleep. Unlike Brendan, who had become lazy, Sandra was devoted to her training and practiced as much as she could, determined to be the best she could be. This put her in a more discipline-oriented mindset. This was the sole advantage she needed to beat Brendan, and it had worked.

Sandra woke up, saw that she had won, and started to celebrate. This continued until she saw Brendan's face, which had a far more gloomy look than it usually did. Her darling was feeling blue, and it was all her fault. Sandra rushed over to Brendan and embraced him, holding his head to her shoulder. "Why couldn't I win? I have an unbeatable technique!", exclaimed Brendan. Max, who had come with Lance to congratulate Sandra and encourage Brendan, chimed in.

"Evidently, it's not an unbeatable technique anymore, judging by your performance out there." Lance gave Max a stare that said "You're not helping." "You know, Brendan, this could be a good learning experience for you. Why don't we head back to your house and discuss things over a nice ice cream sundae? Everyone agreed, and they went to Brendan's house. Once they were gathered in his room, the discussion started. Lance spoke up. "So what is this 'unbeatable' technique of yours, Brendan?" Brendan fidgeted slightly. "I call it 'The Zone'." He then explained all the intricacies of it that he knew, and Lance thought for a while. "Brendan, while this technique of yours does certainly seem powerful, you shouldn't rely on it alone. Getting lazy is an awful idea. Instead, save it as your trump card, train yourself and the others in it, and use the things I've taught you first and foremost. That will be the key to your success in these early days.

Will Brendan teach Max and Sandra how to use "The Zone"? Will he take his grandfather's advice? There's only one way to find out. Tune in next chapter, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.