Brent's plan was to get closer to the dementor, all the while undetected, and then cast a Patronus Charm that would hopefully drive the dementor away for good.

Apparently...the dementor did not have the same plan.

When the creature turned its head and stared straight toward him, Brent momentarily paused in his tracks. HOLY MERLIN. It had sensed him! What was he supposed to do now?! He had literally never successfully casted a patronus, despite the fact that he'd practiced the spell numerous times. This was it, though. He HAD to cast it now. There was just no room for error and no more time to practice. This HAD to work.

He had literally just raised his wand, when the creature soared toward him and stopped a mere inch or two from his face. "Duuuude. Ever heard of a Mento?" he asked, not able to stop that ridiculous reaction. He had insulted a dementor...that was trying to kill him...in the middle of a dark forest...in front of all his friends who were seated in an arena watching this like they were at some movie theater. Get a grip on things, Brent!

Then in the next instant, the creature had lowered his hood to expose all the ugliness and creepiness it could, and despite the fact that he made a move to take two, three, or maybe four hundred steps backward, the creature had managed to get its disgusted and rotted out hand around his throat. Umm...this was just a big ole bag of NOPE. This was totally NOT how this was supposed to go down, but the thing was, it suddenly occurred to Brent that he could possibly have a way out. He could possibly still pull this one off.

...and where the heck was the older man who'd been in the clearing thirty seconds ago? Was he alert and able to cast a patronus? A little help here, man!

Okay, he HAD to drum up some happy memories. This could mean the end of the competition for him if he succumbed to this rotted out thing that was trying to take control of him. Sighing the best he could, Brent began clearing his mind of all the fear and negativity the monster was trying to bring to him. He forced all his thoughts to travel to a different place on the grounds...to the igloo where he'd met up with Skylar Diggory not too long ago.

Skylar Diggory had kissed him in that igloo, and he remembered feeling happier than he had in about a year.

...and just like that, he'd found the one. He had gotten lost in that memory for a few seconds, but back in the forest with the dementor, he was almost sure he'd smiled. His heart began pounding in a good way this time, because he was very sure of what he was about to do. He just hoped that when he did this, she hear him, and he just hoped he didn't sound like a dying frog due to the fact that a dementor still had a hand around his throat.

DUUUUUUDE. If this worked, he would be like a knight in shining armor! A battleground hero! Well...he would be once he dumped the stinking pile of drapery breathing at his side.

But anyway..."SKYLAR DIGGORY!" he yelled into the clearing, knowing there was a viewing area and knowing she might be able to hear him. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

...and there it was. If he lived through this, WHICH HE WAS, he would hopefully come out on the other side someone special's boyfriend.

So now armed with all the happy memories he could muster from that time in the igloo, he raised his wand. Come on, Brent. This can't end now. You HAVE to get this. You have to get this NOW. With a swirling motion of his wand and doing this the best he could under the current situation, he yelled out, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

He couldn't see it at the moment, but a little silver niffler bounded out his wand. A niffler, just like Skylar had been assigned in Care of Magical Creatures class.