The Unexpected Challenge

By: Soaker Elite

This year, I knew was going to be the best in water warfare. I had my new CPS 3200 and was ready to drench anyone who stepped up to me. If you don't know what happens every year at my street, you're about to find out. Every year, we have a 4-way drenchmatch. As usual, my team has the advantage with power players and strong blasters.
Unfortunately, this time, it wasn't going to be this way. There were four teams: Blue (us), Red, Green, and Yellow. The whole idea was to control as many house-properties as possible (the parents didn't mind 'cause they were participating at the filling stations. To gain a new house property, you must seriously drench the team guarding it, forcing them to run away, as you take over. The rules were slightly changed from last year. Instead of owning 13 properties to win, you must own the most out of all the teams. This would make it easier for us. Here were our teams' players. The others we didn't know:

Blue Team
(me!) (CPS 3200, CPS 2500, Monster 2001, and XP 110.)
Roshan (CPS 3000)
Shervin (XP 110)
Nakul (XP 310)
Jonathan (Monster X)
Brandon T (Monster XL)
Kurt (CPS 1500)
Brandon V (CPS 2500)

Altogether, a pretty decent lineup.

As soon as we got to Bowles Drive (where we fight every year), the game was about to start. I took a quick glance at the Yellow, Green, and Red teams. Most of their blasters looked pretty old and rusted... some had at max a CPS 1500. The majority were XPs. We knew we were going to win... easily. Suddenly, a soaker shot up in air. The game had started. Every team started with 6 properties for a total of 24. Right now, I was assigned to defense on one of the properties. There lay my huge blasters... the 3200 in my hand.
After 10 long minutes, I took a drink of my water, but almost choked on it as I saw the sight of 3 Red team fighters sneaking on my property. I took my blaster up, ready to snipe anyone. They all started hiding in the bush... I was behind a car. They were nowhere in sight, just as I heard a sound. Perfect.
"Do you think anyone's here," a Red fighter asked.
No answer. But I knew their location... so I quickly took a water grenade out of my bucket and was ready to throw it at the bush that I heard them talking from. Suddenly, they saw me and rushed up from all sides. I stood their paralyzed as they soaked me down. I whipped the water grenade at one as he fell to the ground. The rest were still shooting. I ducked behind the car and started shooting wildly with my CPS 3200. No use... I couldn't see them. They were gone. My first failed defense... my first defense? No... I was the best. How could it be possible? I got up and stood there with my CPS 3200 pointing at anything that moved. Suddenly, the three came from behind and drenched my back. I quickly turned around and changed my nozzle to Typhoon Blast to spray them all. Perfect... just perfect. Each of them started running and retreated to their base.
"How could I miss that?" I thought to myself. "It was only three people. Last year, three people attacked me and I drenched them hard. Was it the situation? Was it because they..." I didn't know.
I quickly ordered Jonathan to defend this property as I rushed in offense. Looking at the scoreboard, I could see us in second place! What? How! We had 8 properties, and the Red had 9. We had to take over one of theirs. Brandon V was covering my back as we rushed at one of Red's properties. We decided to get revenge and sneak behind a bush. Suddenly, a Red saw us and threw a water grenade right at us! I quickly pointed my rifle at the Red fighter and shot three times.. each hitting him. The soaking wet fighter ran for cover with his cheap XP 110. He ran to a wall of a house... we were still behind the weak bush. I kept the shooting rolling hard around the corner of the wall. He didn't put effort to move his head, peek, then shoot. So I stopped. That was when he peeked, and that was when I shot. Unfortunately, the water hit his face as he fell to the ground. He looked okay, but not ready to fight. We took over the property. However, Brandon V stayed to defend it while I hunted for more areas. It was the only was to catch up. As I pointed my blaster in front of me, concentrating on anyone around, I was ready to run across the street roads: the most dangerous area of fire. I would probably be soaked by the time I got through, but it was the only way to reach Red's next property. In a split-second, I rushed up through the street as swirled my gun around shooting in a tornado-type attack to barely defend against anyone attacking me.
It worked! I quickly ran across the road to rush at the next property. This one was huge. I got behind the van of the mansion, waiting to analyze if anyone was guarding the area. No voices. So I decided to chuck a water grenade over the van and onto the doorstep. The explosion nailed no one.. or was their someone, but they didn't decide to act excited?
Suddenly, behind me I could hear 2 Yellow fighters attacking me. However, in the nick of time I turned my CPS 3200 and fired rapidly without missing the two. However, they kept on charging. I kept the firing running, but nothing happened. The drenched Yellow fighters still rushed until their little XPs actually had an effect on me. I tried stream-dodging the little tiny squirts but the rapid speed was too fast. Then it got worse... a Red fighter who finally saw me charged up to defend his property. He started shooting, too, with his XP blasts.
Fortunately, from nowhere, came Brandon T with his Monster XL from behind the two Yellows. Only the Red fighter and I could see the blasts drench both of their backs fully as they fell to the ground. Now it was a 2 on 1! We had the advantage as I crouched behind the van. My CPS 3200 blaster holds 8 litres, fortunately, so I was long from the need of a filling station. Brandon T was trying his best with no cover to dodge the Red fighter's attacks as he tried to intimidate him with the Monster XL. Suddenly, Brandon shot 5 rounds of two streams from the Monster XL... in slow motion you could just see it nailing the red guy. He stared at Brandon T... he stared back. Then the Red guy ran away, shivering. I walked up to Brandon...
"Wow, you didn't have to be that cruel," I laughed.
"Just some insurance," he tried to force a smile.
I took a quick stare at the Monster XL. "I can't believe you bought something like that."
Brandon dropped the XL on the ground, and said, "Why? It's the most powerful weapon!"
"But can you control it? Is it too heavy on you? Do you feel that you can get rapid shots without so much struggling?"
Brandon nodded.... then shook his head. "Ah, whatever."
I smiled. "Not 'whatever'. I'm going to lend you my Monster (2001) version. You'll see the difference."
"Where is it?" he asked.
I pointed across the street. That was the only way I could get the Monster to help Brandon.
"Aw, man," I said. "You stay here."
He nodded.
I did the same strategy as I crossed the street. This time I got hit... Big time. Just as I made it to the other side, I looked at the scoreboard. 10 Blue, 10 Red, 3 Green, 1 Yellow. Ouch. We needed some insurance... we can't let Red win this by a fluke. Or is it?
I quickly ran to get my Monster just as I was shot hard by 5 streams. I feel to the ground, but didn't make any sound. Strangely, I was still looking for the Monster. It wasn't there. Suddenly, a Red fighter came up to me from nowhere, and yelled, "Looking for this?" He shot from my Monster about 10 times, as I returned fire to make him run away. He dropped the blaster and I had to refill it.
Then I thought , "Are they stealing weapons? We'll have to end this fight now... the hard way."
I took my CPS 3200 and rushed to the Red base. There was one guy there, but a he didn't see me. I just charged right in his face, as he finally pointed his weapon up. Too late, I'd shot him about 10 times in the chest. He was soaked, and ran away. Score... hmmm, I checked the scoreboard. 10-10! What? Where are these Reds getting the properties from?
It didn't matter. I dragged Nakul with his XP 310 along with me to invade on the next Red property. There were two guarding it. We both sneaked from behind the wall and looked at the fighter's current status. We only had about 30 minutes left. I peeked from the wall and saw the fighters on the porch with no cover. Quickly, I ordered Nakul to shoot to blasts at each of them to get them to fight us. This happened as they ran to the wall to see us right in front of them... drenching them. In the end, they ran away. Suddenly, from behind came a Yellow attacker. Nakul started shooting but he had no water left. Then a Green attacked, double-teaming with the Yellow. I walked backwards, shooting but defending as their little XP blasts barely hit me. I could see Brandon V coming to help me out. He started shooting... but where? It was heading to me, as it slapped my face hard. What was he doing?
"Hold your fire," I commanded.
He didn't say anything as the flying water bursts just nailed me, at 20x with his CPS 2500.
I decided to fight back with the traitor if that was the way he wanted it. Quickly, I shot three 20x blasts back at him over the Yellow and Green fighters. They nailed him hard as he fell to the ground. But I knew he was faking the fact he was hurt, so I continued pounding him with water grenades. He ran away.
Through my walkie talkie, I told everyone to go after Brandon V. There was about 15 minutes left... we had 11, the Reds had 10, Green had 3, and Yellow had 0! All we had to do was just defend.
I quickly got back to my original base, as I saw 4 Red fighters rushing at it! 4! How could I handle them?
I quickly changed to Typhoon Blast, and let loose. It nailed all 4 with a light blast as they charged at me. I went behind the van and shot right through the bottom of it to nail 3 of them in the legs. Now they were confused. I rushed from behind and, for embarassment, whipped 10 water grenades at their back.

In the end, we won with 12. Red had 10, Green had 1, and Yellow had 1. It turned out to be a pretty interesting battle. We had underestimated the Red's forces. Well, next year we'll win again.. I'm sure!

Posted: 20020306