Being the punctual professionals we were, we arrived to Maurice’s House of Pancakes a few minutes before 11 AM. The restaurant was rather crowded, but fortunately, we didn’t have to wait. A group of people left just as we arrived, and we were seated right away. I messaged Amaya and told her we were at a table. My leg was nervously bouncing. The anticipation and excitement made me feel all hopped up like I chugged a coffee. Speaking of coffee, Darren and Wyatt ordered one, which felt so adult, but I didn’t. I didn’t like the taste, not to mention it would cost an extra few bucks, which I couldn’t afford to spend.

“You know, I’ve never been to this place. I’m glad Amaya suggested it. I feel like we really enjoy our breakfast meals,” Wyatt said.

“Yeah, I feel like it’s a good omen,” I said.

Wyatt glared at me. “Omen? Like that horror movie? Isn’t an omen a bad thing?”

“Relax, ‘cuz, you can have a good omen. That’s why Gordie specified that it feels like a ‘good’ omen,” Darren said.

“Well, why couldn’t he just say it was a good sign?”

I wanted to respond, but I kept my mouth shut. Darren is his cousin. They are family; let them work it out.

“Because Gordie has a better vocabulary than you do. What’s up with you, man? You’re acting like a bozo.”

“I guess I’m just nervous. I want the date to go well.”

“This isn’t a date. The three of us aren’t trying to court Amaya for a relationship here,” Darren stated.

“Well, you know what I mean. I know it’s not a date. It’s a meeting, a friendly gathering, whatever you wanna call it.” Wyatt gazed out the window and started stroking his mustache.

Darren gave me a glance that seemed to say, ‘what’s this guy’s problem?’

My phone vibrated, and I had a message from Amaya saying she had arrived. I scanned the entrance, and I saw her looking around for us, so I waved excitedly to her. Our eyes met, and she smiled and strolled to our table. I slid towards the window so she could sit next to me.

“Hey guys, it’s good to see you again,” Amaya said.

All of us said hello.

“Have any of you ever been here before? It might be my favorite place to get brunch.”

We all shook our heads and told her that we lived outside the city.

“This is one of your favorite places to eat? Where do you even live?” I asked.

“So, I’m originally from Seattle. My father works for Arakan of America, and my mom works at a hospital as a doctor.”

“Ha, no way, my dad is also a doctor, and my mom kind of is because she’s a teacher at the med school here at the University—” Darren elbowed Wyatt to be quiet. “It’s a small world.”

“That’s not how you use that expression,” Darren stole the words from my mouth.

Fortunately, Amaya smiled at Wyatt and started laughing sincerely. “I like him. He’s funny. Anyways, I was born here in the US while my parents were born in Japan. I grew up in the Seattle area, and my dad, who is pretty good at Elite Crushers, used to play with me all the time growing up. In fact, we had the Japanese version at our house, which wasn’t released in the States yet, so I had already been playing the game a year earlier before everyone else here.

“Maybe it was how I started playing so young that I got to the level of play that I’m at? Did I start just at the right time? I’m not sure, but the game always felt natural to me. It was always understandable and perfect for my mind to grasp. I felt like I could master the functionality without any issue.”

“So, how did you know you were good enough for the pros?” Darren asked.

“I found out that there was a professional tournament scene while I was going to school at the University of Washington. On-campus they would have a competition each semester which I would always compete in.”

“What were the players like there?” I asked.

“Well, I wasn’t sure how good the players were at the time because I would always win. That’s when I realized that I could actually try playing professionally, but it was challenging to go to the tournaments with school going on and all. You know, I wanted to graduate. I cared about school. Not to mention I didn’t have any money myself, so I’d have to ask my parents to fund the trips to New York, which I hated doing.”

“So you had to ask your parents to help you financially with getting started?” I asked.

Amaya shook her head but scrunched her brow. “Well, not exactly. When I first did the Chicago tournament a couple of years ago, I actually stayed with my aunt and uncle, who live here in the city. It was perfect because I told them I wanted to visit. I had a little money saved, so I paid my way for my singles tournament admission, and my aunt and uncle paid for my flight from Seattle to Chicago. It was pretty convenient, I must admit.”

“Wow, that’s amazing, so where do you live now? How much has your life changed since you went from an unknown to one of the most high-profile professional players?” I said, but Wyatt and Darren both gave me an irritated look. “Sorry, not to make it weird or anything, but you’re one of the best, that’s just, well, fact, and it sounds like we have similar backgrounds. I just want to know how life changes.”

“Honestly, Gordie, it’s bizarre. At first, when I performed as well as I did in the singles tournament, I couldn’t believe it. Then to get asked that day by Dayzees to join him for the doubles tournament, even before he won the singles crown, was surreal. I remember watching him win first place. He had already asked me to join him when I made it to the top 64, and I had already said yes, so my mind was blown. I felt like I fell into the jackpot since I didn’t have any plans. He even offered to buy my pass the following day.”

We shared discrete glance at each other without Amaya noticing.

“So, as you know, when you win first place in the doubles tournament, you win $100,000. But Dayzees was a little interesting. He told me that since he won first place the day before and his skill led us to first place, he would take $70,000.”

Wyatt pounded the table. “Holy shit. That’s unbelievable.”

“How so?” Amaya asked.

“Where we all come from, Darren, Gordie, and I would have split that money down the middle, 50/50. It’s only fair. That pisses me off that he practically stole $20,000 from you.” Wyatt grumbled, but Darren elbowed him in the ribs clandestinely. “What? It’s true. It’s greasy behavior.”

Much to my relief, and I’m certain Darren’s relief as well, Amaya cackled charmingly. “You’re too much.” She covered her mouth, trying to calm down, still cracking up. “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you. I hope it doesn’t come off that way. Your cadence and blunt perspective are refreshing but also humorous.”

“Right on.” Wyatt bobbed his head.

“As I was saying,” Amaya continued, “Dayzees told me that he would take $70,000 from winning the doubles tournament, which I was okay with, honestly. I came in with zero expectations, and I walked away with $30,000. Immediately afterwards, Dayzees invited me to be a part of his Miami team. Dayzees was also pretty weird with the money after the Miami tournament. He took $500,000 because he said it was his team, then he gave me $200,000 and explained to us all that I was the second-best, which he determined by all of us facing off against each other and ranking ourselves amongst our own group. But then the money the other two guys on our team made, Jacob and Benjamin, each received $150k.”

“What was it like putting up with him?” I asked.

“Well, it was interesting. Dayzees is a pretty intense guy. I know he has a reputation for being a jerk, but it’s a complex situation. Dayzees wants to be the king of Elite Crushers, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, but the thing is, he had a tough upbringing. So it’s hard to blame his behavior and leave it at that. There’s more to his story. While I struggled at times witnessing his wrath firsthand, he had told me before why he’s abrasive and how he wants to get better.”

“Really? What’s his background like?” Darren leaned his head in, and we all did.

“He grew up in a trailer park in Florida and came from a low-income family that relied on food stamps. The place he lived had a lot of fights and rampant bullying, so he was forced to grow up quick and defend himself. He didn’t go outside or hang out with many people most of the time. After two birthdays and Christmases, his family saved up to buy him Elite Crushers and an Arakan Sphere. He said it was the only thing he ever did. He stayed in his room and played Elite Crushers nonstop. If he wasn’t playing the game and wasn’t at school, he studied the pros on YouTube at the library since his family didn’t have a computer. But he said he discovered a tournament scene that was growing exponentially. He started following it and planned on becoming a professional. At fourteen, Dayzees sold marijuana so he could save up money to play at a tournament.”

“Is all of this public information or something? Does the league know he was involved in slinging pot?” Wyatt asked, but Darren dug his elbow into his ribs again.

“No, this is really only something I know about him. He told the other two guys on the Miami team about his upbringing as well. Obviously, I don’t want you guys to say anything to anyone about any of this. But, I figured since Dayzees told the other two guys in our group, it wasn’t meant to be the world’s best-kept secret. Dayzees and I were pretty close, though. He was demanding for sure, and I respected him, but we did have a little bit of a relationship.”

We paused.

“You guys dated?” Wyatt asked.

Amaya shrugged and her lips fumbled to start the sentence. “I wouldn’t say that we dated, no. But we did have a lot of long personal talks with each other, and there may have been a few times where we kissed, but that was all. Nothing ever came from it. To be honest, I wasn’t interested in dating anyone, nor was he. We were both in the business of making our lives as professional EC players. Love wasn’t part of our plans, but we both talked about how we had feelings for each other.”

“How are things between you two now? I mean, I feel like something must have happened because you’re no longer playing together.” I said, and then I felt a kick from underneath the table. “Ouch! Who kicked me?”

“Sorry, that was me. Darren keeps elbowing me in the ribs, so I thought I would pay it forward,” Wyatt said.

“He’s right. I would have elbowed you myself.” Darren pointed his finger at me like a parent.

“Guys, don’t worry about it. I’m an open book; you can ask whatever question you’d like. If I was in your shoes, I’d also be treating this as an interview, getting as much information as possible. I mean, that’s kind of like what it was like playing with Dayzees. I always wanted to find out more about him. He’s so mysterious and a generational talent at the game.

“So if you read my interview, which sounds like you guys have since all three of you seem pretty plugged in, I was telling the truth. I felt like it was time for me to grow, my own playing ability was at a level I never thought possible, so I wanted to start my own path. It was also hard because Dayzees didn’t want to negotiate pay percentages. He felt that since he was the best player in the world, he should receive most of the money from tournament winnings like Miami and whenever we did doubles. I wanted to get my fair share because I felt like I was truly the other half of the doubles team. I wanted the other guys to make an equal amount for the Miami pay whenever we won the tournament too. So I said to Dayzees before the Chicago tournament happened after the Las Vegas invitational, ‘Hey, we need to talk about a few things before the next major.’

‘What about?’ Dayzees said.

‘I just think that since we keep winning, I should get my fair share of 50% of the winnings.’

‘Why?’

‘I just said… We keep winning the doubles tournaments, and we’ve won Miami twice and will win three times in a row if I stay on the team.’

‘The way I look at it, I helped create the player you are today. In a way, I’m almost like your agent. Without me, you’ll just go back to a life of losing and playing musical chairs in the top eight, if you’re lucky.’

‘You really think that? Even though we keep playing each other in the finals in the singles tournament, leaving me at second?’

‘I believe it. That’s what will happen. Without me, you can say goodbye to winning and all of those earnings.’

“I just remember looking at him as if he actually slapped me. I said goodbye and that I would prove him wrong. My decision didn’t all boil down to the money, but I feel like that conversation I told you about is a pretty good look at his personality. It didn’t really do well for my anxiety. That wasn’t the last time we had a conversation, though. I still have his phone number, and we’ve talked a few times, catching up and clarifying that, yes, I was leaving his team. I wanted to start my own journey and my own group without someone who spiked my anxiety levels and cared so much about credit. It was like he just saw me as a pawn on his chessboard.

“Yet it’s hard to call him evil because he gave his mom a lot of money so she could get her own dream house, get a better job that wasn’t working in a dangerous factory for low pay at terrible hours because that’s all she could afford. He’s giving some money back to aunts and uncles too. His grandparents also received the care they needed before they passed away. He still lives in Florida in a regular-looking suburban home not far from his mom and her two sisters and their husbands. He can easily afford a much more expensive and lavish house with all his earnings, but he doesn’t buy one. Honestly, he’s done good with his money, and I can’t flat out say he’s a horrible person because there are more layers to it. You guys know what I mean?”