I've Been Scouted

The meeting spot was a small plaza right in the heart of the bustling downtown area. It being a weekday and past lunchtime, there weren't many people around yet.

We'd agreed to meet at the fountain in the center of the plaza, but no one who looked like Aranggaiger was in sight. The only person visible was a small girl sitting on a bench.

There was still some time before the appointed hour, so I sat down on a chair by the fountain to wait for Aranggaiger. First things first, I fired off a message on Discord to let her know I'd arrived.

Always messing around. The only person here was that one girl...

No way, no way, I thought, turning my head toward the girl I'd noticed earlier. Sure enough, she was looking around curiously.

No way...

Then she turned toward me, and our eyes met. Her face lit up with a bright smile, eyes sparkling as she stood and started walking my way.

Was this for real?

Too stunned to say anything, I just sat there frozen as she approached. But once she stood right in front of me, she seemed just as tongue-tied, fidgeting awkwardly and staring at me.

Snapping out of it first, I stood up—and realized she was even smaller than I'd thought. Sure, I wasn't tall myself anymore, but she was shorter than me. By at least a handspan. No matter how I looked at it, she didn't match the image I had of Aranggaiger.

Finally, she spoke up.

"...P-Pudge Dice, right?"

"Holy crap."

It was real.

~

The awkwardness between us was off the charts, so I was the first to recover and suggested we move somewhere else. We grabbed seats at a nearby café and ordered drinks—I got an iced Americano, and Aranggaiger... er, she ordered orange juice.

The girl I assumed was Aranggaiger—if she wasn't pulling some prank by sending her little sister in her place, that is—hadn't said a word since her first greeting. Truth be told, I was just as flustered and didn't know what to say, so we were both in the same boat.

The silence finally broke when the drinks arrived.

"I'll get them."

"I'll get them."

Our words overlapped, leading to another awkward pause. Feeling like total idiots, I spoke up again.

"Then let's go together."

Aranggaiger nodded. Seeing her like that, she didn't look anything like the troll who stirred up chaos in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠games, streams, and galleries.

As soon as we got back, she slurped down her orange juice—it was kinda cute, actually.

Age-wise... middle schooler, maybe? She was a handspan shorter than me, so that tracked. It even explained her playstyle to some extent. Kids that age tend to love aggressive plays.

Aranggaiger took it to extremes, though.

"Um, Aranggaiger, right?"

"Yes. My real name is Kang A-rang..."

So her nickname came from her real name. Gaiger like GaoGaiGar or something?

"I'm Pudge Dice. My name's Seo Yeonwoo."

"Oh, okay."

"Just to be super sure—no one put you up to this, right? You really are Aranggaiger?"

"Yes! I've watched your streams from the beginning, and I'm your manager now too. Want to see?"

She pulled out her phone and showed me her HOOP account. She could've just friended me from it, but that super cute phone case killed any lingering doubts.

"Uh, yeah. Okay, I believe you."

Maybe my old comment about girls sucking at games really was a blunder. Sure, on average, but Crisu and now Aranggaiger both hit Grandmaster—proof that exceptions exist.

But more importantly...

"So... how old are you? Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

My worldview was already shattered. I half-worried she'd say something insane like she was an adult or older than me in this body, but thankfully, no.

"I don't go to school."

"What do you mean, you don't go...?"

"I hate it, so I don't."

School refusal, huh.

I wasn't her parent, so I had no intention of lecturing her about skipping school. Still, I worried a bit—maybe that's why she'd gone dark for a few days?

Online, she was wild and carefree, but in person, she was so meek. What kind of problem could make her seek advice from me?

Instead of diving straight in, I decided to help her relax first. We hadn't been at the café long, but this wasn't the right spot for us anyway.

"A-rang?"

"Yes?"

"Wanna play some games?"

~

Honestly, my social skills aren't great, but they're not rock-bottom enough to drag her to a PC bang right away.

I took her to an arcade instead. I don't come here often myself, so I'm no expert, but it seemed better for breaking the ice than a PC bang.

"Ever been to an arcade?"

"I only game at home..."

"It's pretty fun."

First up: a horror-themed gun shooter.

"Hate scary stuff?"

"Nah, not really."

Good—she didn't seem scared of horror. I'm not either, so solid choice.

And ten minutes later...

"Look, look! Yes! I win, right? My score's higher!"

"Aaaah! Fine, you win..."

"Pudge hates scary stuff!"

Even though it wasn't competitive, she was thrilled her score beat mine. She'd been so quiet earlier, but games flipped a switch. Dropping the formal speech for excited casual talk was adorable, but right now, that wasn't the point.

"Was it that scary? Scaredy-cat?"

"S-scary? No! I just got startled."

Maybe it's been too long for me. Why was I jumping at every jump scare? The zombies were gross, but not terrifying—yet they kept popping out at weird times, making me yelp involuntarily.

I'd worried she'd freak out, but I was the one drained.

"What game next?"

...Well, at least she seemed relaxed now. Silver lining.

"Racing game. Or rhythm game?"

"Rhythm games suck. Racing it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is."

No rhythm games for her. I led her to the racing cabinet as she wanted and sat down. Lucky this random arcade had 2-player setups.

"I win again!"

"Your physical talent is insane."

First-timer or not, she didn't know the games but adapted crazy fast with her reflexes and beat me after a few rounds. What a ridiculous gift.

I hate losing too, so it stung a bit, but I wasn't about to go all-out on arcade games.

"Pudge is total trash, lol."

"Hey, rematch."

Just like that, we cycled through every machine, battling it out. Racing, fighters, rhythm, even dance and basketball toss.

I hated to admit it, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her win rate was way higher. Though her "rhythm games suck" wasn't a lie— I dominated there. And physical games? She didn't win a single round.

"Huff, huff. I hate exercise."

"Me neither, really."

Guess she really only games at home.

I haven't hit the gym in ages, so I can't brag about my stamina either.

After exhausting every fun option, we finally left the arcade and headed to a nearby café. We ordered cold drinks and collapsed into our seats. Totally wiped from the arcade, Aranggaiger slumped over.

"Ugh, I'm beat."

"You talked big without the stamina to back it up."

"I won more though?"

"You lost almost everything at the end."

That was just because I'd worn her out, though.

"Not using formal speech anymore, huh."

It was a joke, but her face paled slightly. Did she think I was serious?

"S-sorry, it slipped out. D-did I upset you?"

"Nah, not at all. Talk however you want—no need to worry. I prefer casual anyway. Okay?"

"O-okay."

"Okay, good."

Our drinks arrived quick. This time, I grabbed them alone—she looked too exhausted to move.

She chugged her pineapple juice with crushed ice, then clutched her head.

"Oooowwww."

"Brain freeze?"

"Yeah..."

Take it slow next time. Thirsty much? Did I overdo it?

"So, feeling relaxed now?"

"Uh, yeah... Wait, relaxed?"

"You've been tense this whole time, from the start."

"The arcade was to loosen you up?"

"What else do you do with a kid who can't talk? Be more like your stream self—no need to be nervous."

"B-but."

But?

"Pudge looked scarier than I imagined."

"Scary? Me?"

"No, you're super pretty and cute, but your expression was intimidating."

...My resting face, probably. I'd frowned in surprise at first. I didn't think it was that scary, but maybe as an older girl to her...

Pretty and cute, huh? Not wrong, but she'd flip if she knew the truth.

I wasn't sure if we'd keep in touch, but if the time came to reveal it, I hoped it wouldn't shock her too much.

"Anyway, all relaxed now? Ready to get started?"

"Started with what?"

"You know. You called me here 'cause you had a problem."

"...Oh!"

Guess she'd totally forgotten amid the games. Fair enough—she was that into it. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Now she could talk properly.

"Um, so, about that."

"Yeah."

"We hit Grandmaster together back then. Well, you didn't quite make it."

Subtly poking like that—definitely Aranggaiger.

"You've got a real talent for needling people, one word at a time."

"D-did I upset you?"

"Nah, kidding. Just spit it out."

Her reactions were nothing like online—total dissonance. I knew people act different IRL vs. internet, but seeing it firsthand was weird.

Anyway, she continued.

"That night, I got a friend request out of nowhere."

"...From who?"

And that's when a vague unease started creeping in.

"Well... can't say the team yet."

"Team?"

As the anxiety spread...

"...A pro gaming team coach."

It turned to certainty.

"Asked if I wanted to go pro."

...Huh?

"I've been scouted."