"Josh, I have the greatest idea I’ve ever had,” Red shouted as he burst through the door, flicking on the lights.

“Damn, Red! I was two kills away from winning the game.  I wish you wouldn’t dramatize everything to such an extent.”  Josh exclaimed.

“I’m not being dramatic.  If we just won eChamps it would literally be the best thing to ever happen to anyone.

“So much for not being dramatic… What the hell is eChamps? I’ve never even heard of it.”

“You know, only the biggest international gaming event in the world.  We’re both great; all we ever do is play Call of Duty. Plus, there’s a mil’ for the winner.  You need the money for college, and I want a Tesla. We would be doing each other a favor,” Red argued.  

“As fun as that sounds, I’m not about to up and leave the comfort of my basement to lose some tournament in Japan. Besides, my parents would never let me,” Josh called back.

“Just try. It could be the best thing to ever happen to us.”

The next day, Josh begged his parents to let him head to Japan.  After thinking about his conversation with Red, he realized that playing games was his passion; he needed to attend this competition.  Additionally, they were both good. Real good. They hardly ever lost a match.

“So can I go???”

“We’ll think about it.”

Despite Josh’s parents’ indecisiveness, Josh and Red began training.  They practiced each day for an hour before school, and four hours after; homework became secondary.  For Josh and Red, life became a cycle of eating Cheetos, drinking Mountain Dew, and playing Call of Duty.  

“Hell yeah, Red! My parents are letting me go!”  Josh screamed as he walked into his basement after a long week of school.  Red was already gaming.

“Oh thank God.  I was almost going to sign up for a solo bracket. All right, since you can go for sure, we start hell weekend today.  No contact with the outside world until Monday. I’ll head to the store for some snacks.”

“Jesus. Fine.”

The boys plopped their backs into squishy chairs, and began their ritualistic gaming.  Josh and Red set up two different computer monitors, and equipped themselves with a fully stocked mini-fridge.  After two days and nights of relentless gaming, their eyes were bloodshot and their hair was greasy.

“Well I’d say that was a success,” Red joked.

“Red, you have a cheeto braided in your hair,” Josh chuckled.

Red pulled it out and stuffed it in his mouth.  They were the classic stereotypical gamers; the boys never associated with any members of the opposite gender.  Additionally, they had no other hobbies besides gaming, and no other friends besides themselves.  However, they were content.

Josh and Red packed their bags on Sunday night, and jumped on the plane Monday morning.  Their parents wished them luck and waved them off.

“Holy shit, man.  I’ve never even been to Canada.  Japan is a whole different ball game.  Or should I say--Call of Duty game!” Red smirked.

“Good one,” Josh rolled his eyes.  “I feel like we should be flying first class.  It’s a bit cramped back here. After all, we are pro gamers.”

“Hardly.  Dude, you have like forty followers on Instagram,” Red fired back.

“You may be right, but my content is about to blow up!”

The boys simultaneously booted up their portable consoles for a last minute practice session.  Although they lightly joked about the competition, their hearts were pounding; they were nervous.  

The plane landed early in the morning.  Josh and Red rushed to their hotel; they stayed in a specialized suite reserved only for eChamps contestants.

“Hey, I’m Ransom,” a small, nerdy man remarked as the boys walked into the lobby.  “You guys are gonna get your ass kicked!” he smirked.

“The only thing you might beat us in is a challenge of ‘get as many girls to reject you within ten minutes as possible,’” Red spoke with a grin.

“You talk shit now, but I wield a controller like it’s an extension of my hand!” Ransom frowned and commented defensively.

Josh and Red shared a glance and laughed uncontrollably.  Honestly, they were both a bit scared. This kid looked like the exact type to be totally badass at Call of Duty.  But, the boys were pros too; their greasy hair and oversized button-downs proved it.

After a short few hours of resting and applying ice to their gaming hands, the boys departed for the convention center.  It was time for eChamps.

“Holy shit, I’ve dreamed of this moment,” Josh spoke, seemingly without breath.  

The lobby of the convention center was gorgeous.  Hundreds of TV screens loomed over their heads. Nerds were everywhere.  There wasn’t a single girl in the whole place. Josh picked up a schedule, and identified that their match was at 1pm--against Ransom and his partner.  

“What are the odds we get paired against the biggest douchebag in this whole place.  If we lose to this kid...let me just ask, is handing out a black eye considered a crime in Japan?” Red joked.

“We won’t lose.  We’re insane,” Josh said with surety.  

The boys walked into the competition room with the type of swagger you can only find in a cheesy action movie montage.  They both wore jerseys with their last name on the back, and a Mountain Dew logo on the front. Their wrists were protected by a dri-fit sleeve, and their hands equipped with half-fingered gloves.  Bandanas laid on their head--they looked like a couple of division 1 athletes (if division 1 athletes had dad-bods and cheeto fingers).

The match commenced with the firing of an electronic gun.  Fingers were dashing rapidly across controllers, and their faces darted wide-eyed across their screens.  There was frantic communication, as if these boys were seasoned army veterans. Sweat gleamed on their faces.  

“Hell yeah!  That’s a win!” Red shouted ecstatically.  

“Screw you guys! I’m coming back for you next year!”  Ransom temper-tantrumed.

“We aren’t even coming back next year!  We have all the prize money we need.” Josh gloated.

Josh and Red hugged, both in tears.  They immediately phoned their parents, who were less than excited that their children won a major video game competition rather than a college scholarship or valedictorian award.  However, the boys were proud of themselves. Nobody would ever understand the grind of a gamer, but Josh and Red knew it was a valid passion.