I dropped the controller on my bed. I was so upset I lost...it was my thirteenth try, and I still couldn't beat it. I waited for the anger to fade before starting another game. I was so frustrated I felt like I could smash the controller against the TV screen.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Then I heard a scream, not from the game, from outside...
It was a girl's voice, panicked, too close.
I opened my eyes, picked the controller because it was the first thing that I tought of and went out to check.
Outside, near the building entrance, I saw a girl around thirteen, she was terrified and so small compared to the older boys who were surrounding and pushing her. Three older boys surrounding a little girl... Were they out of their minds? That was what I would have tought, but I didn't think. My body moven on it's own.
I stepped forward, heart pounding. The boys noticed me and laughed.
"Who's this little guy?" one of them sneered.
I didnt? answered. I just tightened my grip on the controller. Then I acted.
I stepped closer. My hand were shaking but not my legs, they moved steadily. One of the boys tried to punch me but I dodged it, just how I do in video-games. I tried to keep my distance, read the enemy, strike when they hesitate.
I swung the controller like a bat, hitting the nearest boy's harm. He stumbled back. The other two froze, surprised. Combo attack works in real life too, I tought.
"Hey! What the-" one of them started, but I didn't give him a chance to finish. I lunged forward blocking their movements instinctively. I need to focus on one of the time, I can't restart again if I lose, I need to protect the little girl.
The girl stayed behind me, trembling. I have never fought but each step, each swing, felt like muscle memory. I was just applying what I learned from the games. Games taught me strategy, timing, patience... now it matters for real.
I hadn't even tried, but those bullies seemed scared of me and left on their own.
The girl blinked at me, still shaking.
"Th... thank you." she whispered.
I let the controller fall from my hands and took a deep breath, my chest aching.
That was the moment I realized something in me had changed.
The tought of saving an innocent soul, that feeling...
I couldn't hide behind games anymore.
If someone needed help, I had to act.
And maybe, just maybe, I could become the kind of person who protects others, using the skills I tought only worked in virtual worlds.