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Chapter 21
On the day of the event, the Oozmas anxiously gathered at the entrance of a large maze. As Mike explained, “This event is all about scaring the young kids while avoiding the older kids.” It was a race with a twist: as contestants sprinted through the maze, cardboard pop-ups of children would appear. The trick was to roar at just the little children pop-ups, not the teens.
The crowd cheered as Art ran through the maze first. He sped around a corner and encountered a cardboard pop-up teenager. Art ducked behind a corner until a light on the teen turned green. That meant the Oozmas scored a point.
Squishy ran through next. A cardboard child popped up and Squishy let out a ROAR! Another green light flashed. The Oozmas scored again!
The RORs emerged from the maze in first place. But the Oozmas came out second, beating both the HSS sorority and the PNKs. The PNKs were eliminated, and the OKs were still in the Games. The Oozma fans screamed, “Go OK!”
The next Scare Games event would focus on hiding. The team hit the books hard and learned how each Oozma could make the most of his individual abilities. To help Don understand this concept, Mike put a helmet on him and had Sulley throw him at a wall. Don screamed as he flew through the air — but when he hit, he stuck tight! Thrilled, Don continued climbing stealthily up the wall, using the suction cups on his tentacle arms.
One by one, the Oozmas were finding their strengths. Sulley listened carefully as Mike read passages from scaring manuals. It was the first time Sulley had ever cared about anything in a book. But he could see that Mike’s strategy was working. When the night of the next challenge arrived, even Sulley felt the Oozmas were ready.
The event was called Hide-and-Sneak and required the remaining three teams to hide inside the ROR house. Any time the referee spotted a monster, that player was out. If the referee passed by, the monster could run out of the house and be counted for his or her team. A crowd gathered outside the windows of the ROR house to watch the game unfold.
Quickly, the competitors ran into the house and found their hiding places. The referee, a monster with multiple eyes, carefully entered the house. His flashlight quickly landed on a set of tentacles beneath a curtain. The tentacles pulled back. But it was too late. The referee yanked the curtain aside and found a HSS sorority girl. “You’re out!” he shouted.
Then he moved his flashlight to the fireplace. The steely-eyed ref noticed loose debris falling from the chimney. He shined the light up and a different HSS sorority sister fell into the soot. “Tough luck, Kris Kringle,” he said.
Then the referee walked across the room, stepping right over Sulley, who had disguised himself as a bear rug. As the referee moved off toward the next area of the house, Sulley stood up and ran outside. Continuing, the referee walked under Don, who went unnoticed, clinging to the ceiling with his suction cups.
The crowd waiting outside saw the RORs come out the front door first, followed closely by the Oozma Kappas. The Oozma fans went crazy.
At the end of the challenge, the Greek Council president addressed the crowd. “We’re down to two remaining teams: the four-time defending champions, Roar Omega Roar ... and Oozma Kappa!”
The vice president added, “Get plenty of rest, because tomorrow night you finally get to scare in front of the whole school!”
As the crowd began to break up, a group of fans approached the Oozma Kappas. “You guys are awesome!” one student said. “You’ve got to teach us your moves.”
“Well, then you’re going to want to talk to this guy,” Don said, proudly pointing to Mike.
Mike was surprised and pleased by the attention.
Sulley smiled as he watched Mike enjoy his moment in the sun. Then he spotted Dean Hardscrabble and walked over. This time Sulley wasn’t so arrogant. “Dean Hardscrabble?” he said humbly. “When we get back into the Scaring Program, I hope there’s no hard feelings.”
She turned to Sulley with a strange look. “Tomorrow, each of you must prove that you are undeniablyscary. And I know for a fact that one of you is not.” She turned, her gaze falling on Mike.
“No,” Sulley replied. “You’re wrong. He works harder than anyone.”
“But do you think he’s scary?” she asked.
“He’s the heart and soul of the team,” Sulley answered.
“Do you think he’s scary?” she repeated.
Sulley looked at Mike, grinning and enthusiastic, and his shoulders slumped. Dean Hardscrabble smiled coldly, as if to say That’s what I thought. She turned and walked away.
Back in their little room at the Oozma Kappa house, Sulley stared at the ceiling while Mike sat on his bunk below. “We’re gonna win this thing tomorrow, Sull, I can feel it!” Mike said happily, holding his old MU hat.
Sulley leaned over his bunk and said, “Hey, Mike? You’ve given me a lot of really great tips. I’d love to return the favor sometime.”
“Oh yeah, sure. Anytime,” Mike replied.
Sulley jumped down from his bunk and cleared the furniture from the middle of the room. “We’re doing this now?” Mike asked.
Sulley picked up Mike’s scaring textbook and tossed it. “Okay, you’ve memorized every textbook, every scare theory, and that’s great. But now it’s time to forget all that. Just reach deep down and let the scary out,” he said seriously.
Mike stared at him for a moment. “Huh, just feel it,” he said.
“Exactly,” Sulley replied. “Go wild.”
Mike let out a roar. “Good,” Sulley said, “but bigger!”
Mike roared at Sulley with everything he had. Ms. Squibbles suddenly shouted, “Boys! It’s a school night!”
Mike was breathing hard. “So how was it?” he asked.
Sulley smiled and held up his big hand. “Up top,” he said, and Mike high-fived him. Mike and Sulley climbed back into their bunks.
“Ha-ha!” Mike said happily. “It did feel different. I feel like it’s all coming together.” He grabbed his beloved MU hat. “Yep, this time tomorrow, the whole school is finally going to see what Mike Wazowski can do.”
“You’re darn right,” Sulley said, staring at the ceiling. He hoped he sounded like he meant it.