Player vs. Player #2: Attack of the Bots

Player vs. Player #2: Attack of the Bots

In book 2 of this action-packed illustrated series, the best kid gamers return to the world of eSports and battle for glory at their first pro tournament. Perfect for young fans of Ready Player One and Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Welcome to Affinity, the hottest battle royale video game around! Since winning the first-ever Affinity tournament, The Weird Ones are supposed to be on top of the world. Josh, Hannah, Larkin, and Wheatley have formed their own professional team and launched a popular streaming channel, and they’re set to take eSports by storm. But the kids have an awful secret: Wheatley is missing. And considering the threats he received before he disappeared, the other team members are worried. Plus, they keep getting matched with random players in-game who seem . . . disturbingly Wheatley-like? It’s creepy. Sinister, even. And it’s getting worse. With their first pro match looming, the kids are running out of time. They need help, and fast—because without Wheatley, their pro dreams may be dashed before the game even begins. "A fast-paced gaming story with substance." — Kirkus Reviews M. K. England (they/them) grew up on the Space Coast of Florida, watching shuttle launches from the backyard. These days, they call rural Virginia home, where there are many more cows but a tragic lack of rockets. In between marathon writing sessions, M.K. can be found drowning in fandom, rolling critical hits at the gaming table, digging in the garden, or feeding their video game addiction. They probably love Star Wars more than you do. M.K. is the author of The Disasters, Spellhacker, The One True Me and You, and other forthcoming novels. Follow them at mkengland.com. 1 Hannah I’ve wanted to be a professional gamer ever since I first picked up a controller. Getting paid to play video games? Yes, please. Getting the latest gaming gear for free, just so I can show it off? Amazing. Having my gaming skills actually recognized and admired--sounds good, right? Somehow, I managed to completely overlook the fact that it is so much work. “Hey, thanks for the sub, Breaker!” Larkin chirps, smoothly chatting with our live viewers even as she heals our teammate through a wicked attack. She’s so good at that kind of stuff. She always makes sure to thank people when they subscribe to us on Clutch, or donate money when we do something awesome. She talks to our viewers, responds to the things they say in chat, and is always in a good mood for them. I get tired after being on camera for a while, but Larkin is a natural. The tiny box with her live video feed shows her sitting in the glow of her computer monitor, spiky hair streaked with blue, and grinning with pure joy as she skips away from the fallen avatar of her enemy. My live video feed shows me as I always am: pale skin washed even paler from the camera light, hair pulled back in a messy braid, ball cap with the Affinity logo firmly in place, expression serious. Always serious . . . unless I’m utterly destroying someone, of course. Larkin is an amazing performer. I mostly just try to not embarrass myself by saying the wrong thing. I’m just here to do what I’m good at. And what I’m good at is wrecking faces in the online battle royale game Affinity. Maybe that makes me sound full of myself, but I have actual outside confirmation of my skill. I played in the first ever Affinity Invitational Tournament, where only the top sixty-four players in each role were invited to participate. And I didn’t just play--I won. My whole team won, really--me, Larkin, Josh, and Wheatley, playing under the team name The Weird Ones. But since the final round was a free-for-all with only one winner, instead of a whole team, we had to choose just one person that all the others would defend and support. That person was me. We all took down the other players together, but in the end it came down to just me and the other team’s top DPS. The moment I landed that final blow was pretty much the best moment of my life. I was crowned the top Affinity player in the country. I was also given the opportunity to form my own professional gaming team, so of course I picked Larkin, Josh, and Wheatley. The Weird Ones have gone pro, and our first match is coming up super fast. Except there’s one small problem. Wheatley is still missing. “Starzzle, that Nano Rogue is coming up behind you,” I call out, bringing my focus back to the game. She’s on high ground, too far over my head for me to intervene in time. “Rex, can you get there?” Rex is the name we’ve started calling Josh, a.k.a. TankasaurusRex, whenever he’s playing with us while we stream. He listens in on voice chat but doesn’t talk, which I don’t get. He had to deal with people watching him play during the tournament. He’s going to have to deal with even more people watching once we have our first professional match in just a few days. Neither of those involve people hearing his voice, though, so that must be the thi