Considering the opponent’s pattern so far, there seems to be a tendency to alternate between rock, scissors, and occasionally paper. In the previous rounds, the opponent played rock in rounds 1, 3, and 7, scissors in rounds 2, 4, and 5, and paper in rounds 6 and 8. With a slight preference for rock and scissors, and since I need a win in this round, I suspect the opponent might lean towards scissors again. To counter scissors effectively, I'll choose rock. This move is intended to give me a chance of winning round 9.