9 Thmackdown!

Thmack- down

At last it was time. Time for the smackdown at Stink Moody's house. The Ultimate Thumb- Wrestling Thmackdown. Stink could hardly wait to thumb-wrestle. This time, he had a not-so-secret secret weapon. Karate! Stink put on his karate uniform and headband. Stink tied his yellow belt in a perfect reef knot. Stink wore his lucky shark tooth around his neck. "Shark Hammersmash, you and me are gonna be the ultimate thumb-wrestling champs of the world."

The backyard was full of kids thumbwrestling. Webster, Sophie, and Skunk. Ruby and Rooster. Heather Strong. Riley Rottenberger. "Stink!" "Finally!" "Where were you?" "What took you so long?" "I already crushed Skunk. And that guy Rooster," said Webster. "Stink. You gotta play me. If I beat you, T. Rex will be undefeated." Stink stood across from Webster. Stink swallowed. Stink checked the knot in his belt. It was about the size of the knot in his stomach. But Stink would stare down that knot. He would become a pool of water. Skunk stood on an upside-down garbage can. Ding! Ding! Ding! He yelled into a ketchup-bottle microphone. "Hey, sports fans! Get ready for the final match of the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Thmackdown. On the left, we have T. Rex Wasabi. He's strong. He's sneaky. He's the Superman of Thumb-Wrestling. He's already smacked down six wrestlers. Will T. Rex Wasabi go undefeated?"

"No way!" "Way!" "T. Rex is dust! The Shark rules!" "T. Rex rules more!" "And on the right, we have underdog Shark Hammersmash. He may be shrimpy, but he's as mighty as a great white. Slippery, too." Bend like the willow. Be still like the pond. Stink did not feel like a pond. His belly felt like an ocean full of crashing waves. "Knuckle up, boys," called Skunk. "Ready to rumble?" Webster slipped on his T. Rex Wasabi mask. Stink checked the Shark on his thumb. He rubbed his shark tooth for good luck.

"Let's bow to each other with our thumbs." The Shark bowed to T. Rex, just like in karate. T. Rex did the same. "Lock 'em up and smash 'em down," called Skunk, punching the air. Webster dipped and ducked his thumb back and forth, up, down, and sideways, tempting Stink to go for a slam. "Body slam! T. Rex almost makes sushi out of the Shark," yelled Skunk. Stink slid his thumb out from under Webster's. "But the Shark is slippery." I am strong like the willow, Stink thought. I am mighty like the oak. I am swift like the tiger. I

am slippery like the eel. "Head-butt!" called Skunk. "Crush 'em, T. Rex!" "C'mon, Shark. Don't be a Thumbelina!" Focus. Be a blank piece of paper. "Oh, no! T. Rex came out of nowhere and pinned the Shark! One, two—" T. Rex had a stranglehold on him. Stink slipped his thumb out in the nick of time. "And he's back!" yelled Skunk. "He's a slippery one. The Electric Eel." "Hammer him, Shark!" "Bite back, T. Rex!" the kids yelled. Stink was huffing. Webster was puffing. Stink was sweating. Webster's glasses slid down his nose.