A Leader's Gambit | A Boboiboy Fanfiction

Prologue

San Fernando, Pampanga

Philippines

2018

At a very young age, Lia has already been exposed to playing chess since it is her older brother's favorite game. Every night, she would have a one-on-one match with him to enhance her skills in playing the game. Usually, their game has a continuous flow from one move to the other. But tonight's game is different– for almost ten minutes, Lia just stares at the board, trying to think what moves she can make.

She slides the pawn forward to E4, "King's Gambit."

"Wow, that's such an opening move," Her brother, Isagani, remarks with a smile on his face. "But, hmm... I think I know what you're trying to do." He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, trying to think for a bit, "Yeah, I won't risk this one first."

Isagani then moves his pawn to D6 which sidesteps the gambit, "You'll come to the center and come after my king. That's way too early, and risky on your side.."

"What? But isn't that chess all about?" Lia replies in confusion.

"Well, yes. But you also have to keep your pieces safe rather than lose them all of a sudden," Isagani advises her. "You cannot always be reckless, you know? It's dangerous."

Lia senses that his words do not just relate to the game, but also in real-life situations. Growing up, she knows that among them, she tends to be the reckless one– making sudden decisions and then executing them. She suddenly takes on risk without proper evaluation. Sometimes it brings her good, but it also brings her bad.

"But kuya, sometimes in life, you've got to risk a pawn to gain an advantage. Not every risk works out, sure, but if you always play it safe, nothing will happen," She argues, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, I just fear that you might lose everything over one move," Isagani softly tells her, his eyes softening. "We know how dangerous the world is right now, you know? Especially now that you have that."

Isagani points to the watch that Lia is wearing– it is not just any ordinary watch which makes Isagani worried for his sister's safety. As soon as Lia realizes where is this going, she sighs, "Kuya, I don't use this watch every day. Only for defense, remember?"

"We still do not know where it came from, let alone the giver of that watch," Isagani sighs. "I'm still in doubt, you know? What you have is very dangerous and I fear that someone might come for you with what you have. What made you give in anyway?"

Lia recalls the summer of 2016 when they went to a river basin for a day trip. Little did she know back then that it would be a life-changing day because of what happened. It happened all of a sudden; she went to retrieve a ball then she met something at that very moment.

"Kuya, don't worry, I'll be fine," Lia reassures him with a small smile. "No one will get me because I do not actively use this. Probably only a few saw me use the watch and do something with it. But I'll be careful, I promise."

"You better be, little risk-taker. Now I know why you always use a gambit as your opening." Isagani remarks with a grin. Lia chuckles, "Ahh, well... That's the thing about a gambit. You sacrifice something now, and it feels like a loss, but it opens up the game. Risks lead to possibilities... You taught me that!"

"I sure did," Isagani moves his knight. "Well, that's one thing for sure too. You have to risk a pawn to gain an advantage. Risks don't necessarily mean recklessness—they mean confidence in what you're aiming for."

"That's what I always remember," Lia replies. "I can't just stay in one place and wait for things to happen. Regardless of what happens, at least I tried, right?"

"You know, for someone like you, I just hope you find someone who will also take the risk for you," Isagani then grabs the bishop then pauses to speak.

"Someone willing to play rough. That's a true leader's gambit."

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A/N: Hi guys :>