LW-V: Haunted Heroes Round 2 Aftermath - "Haunting Loss"

By Crossroads

Allyson (Crossroads) was sitting on a bench in the hallway just outside the unofficial 5th Precinct “clubhouse” on Arena Maximus. She was leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed, towel around her neck, and an energy drink in her hand. She reached up and brushed her bangs back, grabbed an end of the towel and wiped the sweat off her face once again.

“Damn,” she thought. “I can’t believe I’m still sweating! Judgement Day did a real number on me...I had him, then he had me, then I had him, then...AARRGHH! I know there are more powerful heroes than me, even ones who aren’t as powerful, but who are way better fighters than I am. Everyone else I fought I was sure I could beat them and I did.”

“But I was so close to beating Judgement Day! I could swear I had him right where I wanted him time after time! But each time it wasn’t enough, or just not the right timing, or his freaking Cursed Aura messed me up, or he’d just slip to the side or the attack would pass right through him!” Allyson sighed in frustration.

“Hey don’t let it get to you, Crossroads!” A voice said, shockingly near. You win some you lose some! The point is to never give up. If you give up, then they not only won, but you lost. You beat you. Nobody else,” said Neach-dìon na h-Alba philosophically, patting her on the shoulder.

“I know, Alba. But it so frustrating to be so close and have it snatched away at the last second,” complained Crossroads. “I’ve spared with him before and I’ve beaten him, but this time he seemed to know what I was doing before I even started any attack sequence.”

“Just because you beat him in sparring doesn’t mean he couldn’t beat you, Ally,” Alba told her seriously. “Many, if not most, of the heroes don’t lay ALL their cards on the table in the sparring matches. We always keep a few tricks, a few pieces of gear, and maybe a suit customized for these League Wars.”

“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you do your best when training? It’s not a true test of your abilities if you don’t out forth everything you’ve got while training. You can’t get stronger that way!”

“Actually, “said Alba knowingly, “yes you can. It’s called strategy. Sometimes you’ll be challenged so they can measure their strength against yours. But other times, you are being challenged to see what you are capable of. They want to test you and create strategies to deal with you. And they will pass this information along to their league-mates, just in case a competition is coming up.”

“But that’s...that’s...,” Crossroads spluttered.

“Dishonest? Spying? Sand-bagging? Maybe, but it is a strategically sound tool that has been used for centuries by soldiers all over the world,’ Alba explained. “Prize-fighters, MMA, football, soccer, basketball...they all use the same type of strategy to find out what their opponents are capable of doing to them. Spying, scouting, whatever you call it. you need to learn how to do it. You also need to learn how to hold things in reserve. To keep some surprises in store for future opponents."

“Right now, league members and associated members are watching these matches closely, analyzing what each competitor is doing, has done, and could do. And they are passing the information along to their leagues for future planning. We do the same thing to villains and villain groups. We don’t just go out there and hope we can win, we make sure that we have done everything we can to generate a win.”

“Oh...” said Allyson, light dawning in her tired eyes.

“Stick with us, kid,” Alba smiled. “We’ll teach you all sorts of things!”

Allyson just nodded and smiled nervously....