12:00 noon...

Not only the class were taking a break, but some of them especially Kenneth and Victor, came back to the field to practice one-on-one combat like what they did earlier. Victor was the one who taught him tactics and Kenneth was the one who took all the punches and nagging. 

The same as them, some boys like Zeus, Greg, Terfinn, Glenn, and Ruben played soccer on the field to have some fun. Ruben was the goalkeeper, Zeus and Greg were partners while Terfinn and Glenn were one as well. The remaining boys, Peter, Liam, Brent, and Kyle just sat at the side of the field to feel the breeze caressing their faces, trying to relieve some stress.

On the other hand, the girls were also playing mind and card games inside their classroom just in case since none of them knew what could be their next task. Monika, Lila, Faith, and Clara were playing guessing games. Janice, Opera, Karina, and Andrea played mahjong which the basic equipment was brought by Andrea. Meanwhile, the remaining girls, Emily, Samantha, Shira, Petra, Sara, and Maurine played solitaire at their desks. 

The only girl who minded her own business was Mareta. She's outside at the back of their classroom, polishing a thing she had been hiding from everyone... a sword. No one knew what she was up to and no one also knew she has been carrying an illegal thing around. Even if the class would plan on planting a bomb in their school, Mareta won't cooperate and would just mind her own business.

After a few minutes of taking their break, Mr. Travis called each one of them to prepare for their next training. Since Mr. Travis knew that his students wanted the cozy air outside their classroom, right at their field, they held their next task sitting at the field seats.

They were told to find a pair and be prepared. After a while, Mr. Travis brought a huge case that contains chess boards and their pieces and gave it to each partner. Now that the students already have an idea of what shall they do, they started to make a strategy on how to win the game. Mr. Travis then gave them a go signal to start playing.

"Remember I told you this morning about your physical strength is the important thing? Then let me add something, mental strength is the most important of all," pressed Mr. Travis.

The goal of the game is to checkmate the opposing King. Checkmate occurs when the King is in a position to be captured, is in check, and cannot escape. The chessboard is set up at the start of the game such that each player sits across from the other and has the white or lighter colored square in the bottom right-hand corner.

The chess pieces are then arranged the same way each time. The second row is filled with pawns. The first row should be set up as follows, going from left to right; Rook, Knight, Bishop, King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook. Players have set it up correctly if their queen is on the same colored square as the color of the piece.

"Playing chess is part of an intellect strategic way to defeat your opponent. Go beyond your level and be able to make it! Win it!"

While Mr. Travis was encouraging them, he did his observation again to his students and took down everything to his paper. Back again to taking remarks, the next thing he noticed was Peter.

Eleventh. Peter Shion Callego. I first remembered him wanting to defeat me because of card games. I know, just like Victor, he's fond of gambling. Observing him from this distance, I could see he's quite cautious in his movements. Gambling is all about wagering risky bets, but seeing him like this makes me think he's taking it all in stride. I could tell he'd been playing this sort of game since he was a kid. It's as though this has become his habit. But there is one problem I can perceive in him... He expects too much and does not plan ahead of time. Not only that, but he's highly confident in his ability to win this game, despite the fact that there's a good possibility things won't go as he intended.

Twelfth. Karina Eowyn Magdangal. They have exactly the same strategy as her opponent, Janice. If I remembered it correctly, both of them tied me up and tried to dissect my body once but I luckily escaped through my glorious luckiness. Based on what I recalled, Karina wanted to become a surgeon and Janice wanted to become a scientist. But... why is it that they always fight? They almost had the same chemistry but they don't get along that well... just like Kyle and Brent.

Either way, Karina has the ability to trick her opponent by sacrificing a piece. That way, it would trigger her opponent and would lead to attempt a wrong move. But the only flaw about that is... that way cannot be always used for the entire game. For sure her opponent will notice her pattern the way she played. That method of hers won't last but it's still a good tactic.

Thirteenth. Janice Shein Rabino. Just what I have noticed, she's having trouble finding ways to place her piece. From what I remembered, she was diagnosed with ADHD, so I guess it's easy for her to get distracted. But that doesn't mean she has no ability to play without any strategy. I noticed she has been analyzing Karina's move all throughout the way she played. Just what I have thought, both of them could be a great subject to my research.

"Remember, class. Chess isn't just about protecting the Queen. It's not just about the Pawns protecting the King. You have to build a strategic plan about it all," Mr. Travis reminded when he saw how Glenn played.

Fourteenth. Monika Jade Aunzo. For me, she's a good observant. She's the type of person who overthinks too much so she studies her opponent first before placing a piece. This made Glenn, her opponent, easily get doomed by her motive. The only flaw I could see in her was... she's an overthinker so she may also experience having doubts about playing the game. This could lead both of them to waste their time. But I know they would succeed in the end. They're my students after all.

Standing still, Mr. Travis roamed around his eyes to look for Brent. "If you ever have to sacrifice a piece, then don't hesitate to create another plan! Never sacrifice a piece for a less outcome!" He told everyone.

Fifteenth. Brent Carrol Dimaya. He's taking all of this for granted. He had no idea this would benefit him, but I still have no doubts he'd win this game. But even if he's not interested in this game, he still tried to place his piece to end the game fairly. I knew from the start that if he'd lose, he would never fret about it... because it is chess. Chess has got nothing to do with his business, that's what he thought. But when it comes to fighting, I know he'd be eager to win. I must find a way to motivate him for everything. 

Observing still, Mr. Travis shouted, "If you see a decent move, sit back and wait for a better one. Chess success requires patient thought... and that applies to your life as well!" Students then started to quickly come up with a solution to end the game.

Sixteenth. Lamigo, Gregorio I knew he'd be more suited for a soccer game, but I couldn't stand by and watch as the other kids mocked him when he ended up coming out in this class. I saw him earlier while playing soccer and thought he was pretty excellent at it. He, like the other guys, has a great physique and does amazing stunts. I'm sure he'd be an excellent soccer player someday. That's all he'd ever wanted, yet he got stuck at his hardware store. I'm looking forward to assisting him.

"Move just like you can predict your opponent's next move! Watch the safety of the most important piece!"

Seventeenth. Faith Katerine Jamen. She's likely to be the seventeenth... unlike others, she's easily possible to give up but would just try turning the tables anyway. I won't say that's a good thing because I could see that she's going to give up eventually when she had to choose between difficult choices. I hope she won't regret her decision when the time comes she'd be forced to choose.

"Why are we doing this anyway? My head's spinning!" complained Ruben.

"Shut up, I'm trying hard too, alright? So shut up and let me think of how should I win this," said his opponent, Glenn, as he tried figuring out what should be his next move.

As time goes by, the other students started to become agitated by the predicted result of the game. It's not yet the end yet they trembled in restlessness, unable to think straight. What Mr. Travis did was to observe still. He wanted to see who among of them would give up first, who would be defeated first, who would walk out first. 

That's the nature of a man. When they have no other options, they believe they can simply avoid the outcome by giving up. It can't be helped but they won't be able to learn anything from that. Everything is well at first, but as the game progresses, the challenge gets increasingly difficult. 

Eighteenth. Ruben Escallor Domingo. He's very confident to win this at first but now that their skill with his opponent was that great, he left no choice but to be unnerved... same as his opponent as well, Glenn. The good thing about him was the way he played. He won't build any doubts on his every move. But now, it seems he changed. The way he played changed.

"Win the endgame by implementing checkmate!" still with the smile on his face, Mr. Travis reminded.

Nineteenth. Glenn Damian Cortes. He has a fragile physique, so he must strive both physically and mentally. But the way I see it, he's really relaxed about playing this game. He may not be brilliant in sports, but the manner he played this game exceeded my expectations. He's giving mercy to his opponent! He let his opponent, Emily, place her next move by giving her directions. The way I see it, there's no romance happening behind them. If there must be, then I should confirm it on my own. Not just to this game though, but I often see Glenn playing mercy to his opponents, even in their soccer game with Greg earlier. For me, there's no harm with it, so I'll just observe the following outcomes for now.

"If you can't handle a one-on-one fight, then let them in for a challenge like this! Build a deal with them! Let them change their minds and play mind games! You have to manipulate them!"

Twentieth. Shira Cameron Espere. Same as Faith, she'd likely give up when she no longer could see any openings in the game. Now that I think about it, Shira's good with arcade games so how come she's having trouble winning this? Is it because of her opponent? Or is it because she's having trouble finding new openings? Either way, I can't just judge my students like this. I am their teacher so it's my priority to guide them, not criticize them.

As Mr. Travis doesn't want any harm to his students, he just thought he did the bad thing about criticizing them. So what he did next was to get the cutter inside the pocket of his pants. He slid secretly the cutter as the blade gently sliced his right arm enough to bleed out. After drawing a two-inch cut on his arm, he sighed in relief as it seep out. No one noticed this since they're too focused on the game. This was his way of punishing himself when he thought he did something unforgivable. 

With a stiff position, Mr. Travis spoke with a smile, "Don't worry about losing, dear class. I'll tell you... losing is a part of learning. I have no right to prevent you from winning or losing so if you want to lose, just prepare for your comeback. If you plan on winning, then proceed to your next plan. For sure, you'll make it. I have faith in you, class."