Conference, day 4: The battle

I put up my poster and tested the waters. Many liked it - I recruited allies.

The evening came accompanied by my enemy. The Professor stared at the poster for ages. I summoned my defences and waited. I easily deflected a volley of predictable attacks. My nemesis didn't surrender. The second wave of questions was tougher, but my ally-bolstered defences withstood the onslaught. Then came several wide shots that caught me off guard. My work had unsuspected holes.

``Interesting theory,'' the professor addressed one of my allies. ``You just need to refine it.''

He marched off, leaving me thoroughly crestfallen.