Somewhere in Wisconsin in the near future…..


A mad scientist laughed. It was a maniacal laugh, one that shook the potions on the shelves and made his pets shudder. He was in the middle of his most revolutionary project yet; one that the scientist thought would make his wildest dreams come true. He was going to build a robot, a super robot to be exact, one that would do all of his biddings. The scientist’s end plan was to take over the world, enslaving all of the citizens of Earth. He laughed again, another maniacal laugh, this time more maniacal than the last. “No one can stop me,” he bragged. “I will rule the world!!!!”

Ping! The ball rocketed off Perry’s tennis racket, a beautiful backhand winner down the line. That was his sixth regional title, one that would send him to the state championships for the sixth time. He pumped his fist in victory and shouted, “Come on!” Perry ran to the net and shook his opponent’s hand absentmindedly, the victory blocking out everything else in his mind. After shaking hands with his opponent, only because it was required, Perry spat in the kid’s face, “Zeke, you suck bro. You’re forehand is a piece of garbage. Get better before thinking about playing with someone as good as me again.” Then he turned around and arrogantly holding his head up high, walked away. Perry didn’t even care about what his opponent thought of him saying that, all he cared about was his victory. With this win, Perry had just broken the national record for most regional titles won individually. Perry was ecstatic, so the sweat pouring down his face didn’t bother him at all. However, his historic victory did not last as long as he would have liked.

All of a sudden, on the way home, a massive robot stood in front of Perry’s car. It had knocked down two trees on its way and split the ground in half. People were screaming in horror and panicking. Each time the robot walked, its massive feet, which roughly measured thirty feet long, crushed homes and buildings. Perry was in a state of petrification, as was the rest of his family. The robot had gigantic arms and legs, but the face was something else. The face was shaded half white and half black. The white side showed a bulging green eye with scars running down the side. The black side had devilish red eyes and a freakish glow to his cheek. It pounded both of its metallic arms on its metallic chest and roared, “I will do Master’s biddings! Nothing will stop me!” The robot crushed two more cars with ease and stomped away. Perry was still petrified with fear as his parents, who had gotten over their terror, drove him back home. All thoughts of the victory in Perry’s head were gone. He was determined now. He would do the impossible. Perry had already made up his mind. He would take down the robot using his tennis skills.

That night, Perry didn’t sleep a wink. He was too busy planning how to take the robot down. What had the robot meant when it said it would do all of master’s biddings? Who was Master? What was Master planning on using the robot to do? Those were the questions streaming through his head. Perry sat up in his bed, groggily rubbing his eyes. It was one o’clock, and Perry was exhausted. However, he knew even if he tried to lie down and sleep, it would be no use. Finally around two o’clock his mind had formed a plan. It was a simple plan, but a plan that would help him achieve his goal. That was all that mattered, wasn’t it? Perry’s plan was to find out where the robot was by asking the townspeople the next day. He told himself he would find out what to do with the robot then, once he got the information. For now, Perry told himself, he deserved to get some sleep. At four o’clock in the morning, he went to sleep.

It turned out Perry didn’t need to find out where the robot was. The next morning his parents showed him the morning paper. “You slept awfully long last night,” Perry’s dad, James, remarked. “Are you ok, honey?” Perry’s mom, Lindsey, asked, a look of concern written all over her face. “I’m fine, mom. A little tired, that’s all.” Perry looked down at the newspaper in his hands, coffee stains already on it from his dad. The headline was ROBOT DESTROYS NEIGHBORHOOD! Perry gasped in surprise, and his parents nodded their heads. “That robot we saw yesterday was reported being seen this morning enslaving the citizens of Hansen,” his mom informed him. “There has been a warning for all citizens of our neighborhood, to stay in our homes,” his dad said. “No leaving the house today, Perry.” Perry started complaining and whining, saying, “Come on, dad, really? Just because the news says we should stay in our homes doesn’t mean we actually have to!” He stomped his foot for dramatic effect. In reality, Perry was angry. He was mad that the only thing stopping him from taking down the robot was his parents. “Should’ve considered that,” he muttered to himself. “Excuse me?” his dad questioned. “Do you have something to say to me? If so, say it to my face!” Perry simply shook his head, realizing arguing with his parents would get him nowhere. He would have to take this matter into his own hands. He felt obliged to. The town had given so much to Perry and his family, since Perry’s tennis talent was the only reason Tromer was on the map. Perry knew if he didn’t at least attempt to take down the robot, he would not be able to live with himself. “No amount of tennis trophies could make up for not fighting this robot,” Perry lectured himself. “I will sneak out tonight!”

Perry spent the next few hours preparing. He was so nervous about tonight, and the butterflies in his stomach were uncontrollable. His mind was in a frenzy, continually asking the same question, “Is it possible? Is it possible?” Nothing could take his mind off the thought that he would fail. Perry doubted himself so much. Even his inner voice, when asked if it thought Perry could accomplish the impossible, said it would bet against it. He got his tennis racket and some tennis balls. Then, as Perry always did when he was nervous, he worked out. In the basement of his house there was an old treadmill and gym mat. There were also some weights and other dusty exercise machines. Perry started using this room when he started entering tennis tournaments as a little kid. His personal favorites were the treadmill and the gym mat, for doing push-ups, sit-ups and crunches. Perry was incredibly nervous that afternoon, more nervous than he had ever been, since his life was on the line. Perry felt like he was about to jump off a cliff, and there was a 0.1% chance that he would live. However, because he was so nervous, that meant he completed the biggest work out of his life. Starting with 100 push-ups, 150 sit-ups and 150 crunches, those numbers shot up dramatically. At the end of the workout he had done a record 500 push-ups, 550 sit-ups and 550 crunches in 4 hours. This was because when Perry was nervous, his overcame all thoughts of physical exertion and pain. Perry’s mind was one of those minds that could only really focus on one single thing. When Perry’s mind was filled with the jitters, as it was then, that was all Perry’s mind could think about. He was sweating so badly it was as if the entire Pacific Ocean had been dumped on him.


Only after the workout Perry began to feel the immense pain in his calves and the overwhelming soreness in his arms. His core felt like a balloon on grass, ready to pop at any moment. Perry breathed heavily in and out, telling himself that everything was going to be okay tonight. At 5:00, he went upstairs for dinner, ate a light meal, and told his parents he was going to go to bed early that night because he had done such an intense workout.

It wasn’t until 10:00 that he finally heard the house become completely silent. His parents had stopped their nighttime conversation, and it was so eerily quiet Perry could hear his own breathing. Perry’s mind was in a state of absolute chaos then. It was trying to muster the courage to sneak out and fight the robot while doubting Perry. It was so confused, as confused as a kid who walks into the wrong classroom. Perry talked to himself over and over, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be all right. Finally, around 10:45, he snuck outside through his window.

Sharp needles from the bushes next to his window stabbed into Perry’s body as the nighttime breeze chilled his body. He ignored the coldness, ignored the pain of his needles driving into his skin. Perry was on a mission, and nothing would stop him. Perry held his tennis racket in his right hand and held some tennis balls in his pockets. “They will be my self-defense mechanisms,” he told nobody in particular. He sprinted around the corner and abruptly stopped. He was in a state of shock again, but this time he was able to snap out of it immediately. “You are on a mission,” Perry lectured himself. “Nothing will stop you.” The reason for Perry’s shock was that the robot had already beaten Perry to the spot, and had already enslaved the people who lived on the street below his house. They were chained together in one big bunch. The enslaved people were all people he knew, most friends of either his or his parents. He recognized every single one of them, and knew it was his duty to save them. From his pocket, he slowly extracted his tennis racket and a tennis ball. All of the enslaved people were now whispering excitedly. “Perry’s here! What the heck is he doing here? Has he gone insane? Does he know what he’s up against if he tries to attack this robot?” were some of the questions they were asking amongst themselves. The robot commanded, “Quiet!” All the enslaved people fell silent.

The robot scratched his head, making a loud screeching noise that made Perry cover his ears. “So what do we have here?” the robot chuckled to himself. “A kid who thinks he can be a hero? So what is your name, young fellow?” Perry knew the name Perry wouldn’t sound heroic. He ran through some names. Arthur, Anthony, Adam, Abaddon. “Ooh,” Perry thought to himself, “Abaddon sounds cool.” “My name is Abaddon,” Perry shouted. “Abaddon the Destroyer!” He took the tennis ball and whacked a ball as hard as he could at the robot, which bounced off harmlessly. “Hahahaha!” the robot giggled like a child. “You think a tennis ball can stop me? Think again, boy!” The robot used his left arm to slap his knee with a loud CLANG! to attempt to contain his laughter. While all the other enslaved citizens covered their ears, Perry noticed something interesting.

On the robot’s left arm, there was a deep gash that showed the beginning of some of the wiring in its body. Perry devised a brilliant plan. He had two more balls left in his pocket. Perry guessed that two more shots to that weak spot would most likely break one of the wires in the robot’s body, which would hopefully cause a malfunction to its body. As the robot reached up its left arm to scratch his head again, the enslaved citizens covered their ears. However, Perry didn’t. Perry threw the ball up in the air, and smacked it at the left arm of the robot. It nailed the spot, causing the robot to cry out in pain, “Oww, you son of a gun!” he stomped the ground furiously. You will pay for this!!!!” Then the robot charged. The ground rumbled loudly and the trees shook. Perry began to lose his balance and fall. Shingles from the roofs of nearby houses fell off. The robot screamed, “Aaargh!” Then the robot picked him up and tossed him 100 feet back. It cried out, “Take that!” Perry hit the ground on his knee, which immediately cut and started to bleed. Sweat and fear were the main things that showed on Perry’s face. It was down to the last straw now. Perry realized if he didn’t do something quick, he would either be enslaved or die. He brushed the hair out of his eyes. Standing up, he was done. Perry had one more card to play. If it worked, Perry would hope for the best. If it didn’t, Perry would lose.

Time seemed to slow down then. The robot was standing in such a position that it would require a slice serve, or a serve that curved to the left, in order to hit it. The robot’s arm was blocking way to the weak spot from the front, but there was a small gap between its elbow and the weak spot. Perry would have to hit it through the small gap in order to hit the weak spot. Perry’s mind was spinning. It seemed impossible, especially under such a high-pressure situation. Suddenly, he had a flashback….

It was Perry’s first regional championship. It was match point. All he had to do was win one point, which Perry could do in one hit through an ace. Remembering his teacher’s foolproof slice serve, which curved at the last second, Perry threw the ball up high in the air, just over his head. Then his right arm came around the ball in a sweeping right turn, and the ball was in motion. Perry’s opponent had moved to the left, since that was where the ball seemed to be headed, but then the ball moved to the right suddenly in the air, landed and bounced away…..

Using the flashback as a guide, Perry did everything he saw himself do in the flashback. As his racket made contact with the ball it zoomed toward the left, and the robot merrily laughed and said, “Wrong way, boy!” Perry began to doubt that the ball was on track. It was his last ball, so if it didn’t make contact….

Perry’s thought was silenced by the shrieking cry of the robot, the sound of electric wires going haywire and then a giant robot slamming into the ground. Seeing the ball lodged in the robot’s left arm, Perry pumped his fist in victory, like he did in the regionals when he won. Perry/Abaddon the Destroyer had actually destroyed the robot!

The victory over the robot had been Perry’s first challenge in his life. Winning the tennis regional championships had never been hard for Perry. That was the reason he won every time he played. However, the fight with the robot had taught Perry a valuable lesson: not everything is easy. For the first time in his life, Perry had actually considered losing as a possibility. Winning was not something to be taken for granted, and that meant acting arrogant when you won was not right. Even though his mission to take down the robot was complete, he still had one more mission to accomplish.

Perry loudly banged on the front door of the Emerson’s house, which housed Zeke, whom Perry had defeated in his sixth regional championship. He heard the sound of a hand turning a knob, and Perry found himself face to face with Zeke. “What are you doing here?” Zeke asked, scared at seeing Perry. “What do you want now?” Perry could see the fear mixed with anger on Zeke’s face, and said sincerely, “I’m sorry, Zeke. I’m sorry for being a jerk to you at the regionals last weekend. You didn’t deserve what I told you. I’m sorry.” Perry’s eyes fell and began staring at his own feet, since he was getting uncomfortable. Zeke broke the uncomfortable silence and replied, “It’s okay. Perry, it takes true character to be able to apologize to me like this. Don’t dwell on it.” Then they shook hands, and Zeke said, “Bye Perry. Hope I’ll see you on the courts sometime?” Perry nodded, got on his bike, and rode off. The expression on his face and the feeling in his heart was great, greater than when he had made history for tennis. Perry had turned a new leaf in his life. He was no longer Perry, the arrogant champion. He was Perry, the